1 burning issue for each Big Ten team as they head toward spring football

College football’s championship trophy was handed out a month ago, to yet another Big Ten team.

The Vince Lombardi Trophy has now been awarded to a franchise from a Big Ten town.

And pitchers and catchers have reported to spring training for numerous MLB clubs who hail from Big Ten country.

What does all of this say, besides that the expanded, 18-school Big Ten has far more reach than ever before? It says — or screams is more like it — that it’s approaching mid-February, and that means spring football is fast approaching because March is almost here. 

For college football fans who find themselves in a very brief state of purgatory because we’ve hit that winter dead zone, fear not, because it’ll be right back real soon.

For Big Ten football fans who find themselves feeling a bit high and mighty, with those 3 straight national titles coming out of the proud conference, there are a fresh set of issues waiting for each program when spring ball kicks off. Here’s 1 burning issue to keep those 18 Big Ten fan bases warm before the cold winter (eventually) fades and football returns. We’ll go in the order of the league standings from last season: 

Indiana — Will Josh Hoover be ready?

In today’s college football, 16-0 national championship seasons fit nicely on the mantle, play nicely in movie theaters and live on forever in future books. That’s nice and all, but it doesn’t mean that Fernando Mendoza is suddenly returning to Bloomington instead of going with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The magical Mendoza is gone, and now it’s up to magic man Curt Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan to groom yet another transfer quarterback who arrives with big expectations. Hoover comes to Indiana from TCU and boy does he have gigantic shoes to fill. 

Spring ball will shine a heavy spotlight on the likely replacement for Mendoza in 2026, and Cignetti is already talking Hoover up. Very soon, it’ll be time to coach him up.

Ohio State — Does the offense need fixing?

The Buckeyes’ supposedly high-octane offense fell flat on its face after a 12-0 regular season, and Ohio State‘s repeat national title hopes went with it. Perhaps the problems were hidden by a schedule that, shall we say, didn’t exactly test the Buckeyes on a week-to-week basis the way SEC teams are. But there was that Week 1 victory over preseason No. 1 Texas that left Arch Manning with all the question marks when perhaps we should’ve been asking about Ohio State only managing 14 points on its home field. But the defending champs got the benefit of the doubt, until those offensive woes showed up again at the very worst time, when OSU managed just 10 points in the Big Ten title game loss to Indiana and 14 points in the Playoff quarterfinal exit against Miami. 

Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith return, and that’s a very nice start for first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, but it must translate into a whole lot better against the best competition in 2026.

Oregon — Can Will Stein be replaced?

Stein spoiled Oregon fans for the past 3 seasons with his wizardry as offensive coordinator. He was so impressive that it ultimately landed him a head coaching job in the SEC with Kentucky. Now, here comes Drew Mehringer, who was promoted to OC after being the Ducks’ tight ends coach for the past 4 seasons. Sure, he’s familiar with the surroundings in Eugene as well as the players coming in and coming back, most notably star quarterback Dante Moore being back in the fold for another season. But all of this hardly guarantees success in 2026. We won’t truly know if Mehringer is ready for this role until the fall, but the 38-year-old Texas native can start chipping away at those questions during spring football and into the summer. 

Mehringer will be ultra-motivated right away to show he’s worthy of the promotion and the right guy to keep the Oregon offense rolling.

USC — Was Gary Patterson the right DC hire?

As splashes go, this was a full-on cannonball into the shallow end of the pool. Patterson, already a college coaching legend for his more than 2 decades at TCU, was brought in by Lincoln Riley to fix a Trojans defense that melted in the biggest moments this past season. USC allowed 34 points in a crushing loss at Illinois, another 34 points 3 weeks later in a primetime setback at Notre Dame, then surrendered 42 in a late November loss at Oregon with its Playoff hopes still flickering. As if it were part of some crazy foreshadowing, the Trojans gave up 30 points in an overtime loss in the Alamo Bowl to … TCU. 

Then USC grabbed the guy most associated with TCU football to run its defense in 2026 and get it back to a level that’s Trojan-worthy and, most importantly, Playoff-worthy. There is a lot of work to be done with this unit, and an anxious, demanding fan base will want to see some results this spring.

Michigan — Can Kyle Whittingham bring instant stability?

OK, this one might be a bit obvious. But it doesn’t mean it’s off base. Because in the wake of the Sherrone Moore scandal that tore down a program 2 years removed from a national championship, stability by springtime is probably the first-, second- and third-most important thing for Michigan football. The Wolverines appear to have grabbed exactly the right guy, because for 2 solid decades Whittingham was a symbol of stability in Salt Lake City. He went 177-88 from 2005 to last season, going 11-6 in bowl games, and he stepped down at Utah just in time to be available for Michigan to scoop him up and bring him into a very tenuous, challenging situation. 

The real proof of Whittingham’s steadying hand will come in the fall, with wins and losses, but Michigan fans are a knowledgeable, savvy bunch, and they’re going to know by the end of spring football if that stabilization has truly begun.

Iowa — Who will emerge in starting QB race?

The Hawkeyes had struggled to find consistency at the quarterback position in recent years until Mark Gronowski gave Kirk Ferentz‘s program a lift last fall after transferring from South Dakota State. He threw for 1,741 yards and 10 touchdowns (with 7 interceptions) but did his major damage on the ground, rushing for 545 yards and a whopping 16 TDs. Gronowski started all 13 games and Iowa won 9 of them. He was a 2-time FCS champion at South Dakota State and gave Iowa a taste of that winning, but now the Hawkeyes go into spring with that old, familiar uncertainty at the position. Can Wake Forest transfer Jeremy Hecklinski or Auburn transfer Hank Brown seize the opportunity in the spring? 

There’s also Jimmy Sullivan and Ryan Fitzgerald, the son of Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who are in the mix. Mostly, there’s just a need for someone to at least start to emerge during the spring to cure that angst in Iowa City.

Washington — Huskies’ D has got to get healthy

With the Huskies’ Seattle co-tenant now being the Super Bowl champions, Washington has a newfound level to live up to in the Emerald City. Sure, time is on the Huskies’ side in February as they deal with multiple injuries on defense coming out of the 2025 season. But the situation isn’t ideal, with starting nickel back Rahshawn Clark set to miss all of spring practice after having shoulder surgery, according to head coach Jedd Fisch. Clark is a sophomore who’s actually from Seattle and had emerged at the end of last season in the LA Bowl victory, so his absence from all 15 spring practices along with junior edge Russell Davis II and junior linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah, who are dealing with knee injuries, is an annoying spring roadblock Fisch hopes will be solved come summer.

Davis is expected to be cleared in May, and Al-Uqdah, the Washington State transfer who was injured against his former team, played in only 3 games for Washington in 2025. Fisch has remained positive about it all with reporters, but surely it’s an injury bug he wants squashed sooner than later.

Illinois — What about that strong recruiting class?

Bret Bielema squeezed out 9 victories from the Fighting Illini this past season, including a rousing home victory over USC. He similarly won 10 games in 2024, and right now as spring approaches a curious fandom should be further tantalized by a really good recruiting class that is rated 24th in the 247Sports Composite rankings. Of Illinois’ 33 current commitments, there are 0 5-star prizes among the bunch but there are 5 4-star talents, including in-state products Nasir Rankin (wide receiver) and Nick Hankins (cornerback). 

More than what this 2026 class can contribute right away is the continued momentum that Bret Bielema appears to be building in Champaign, and the next benchmark for that momentum carryover comes when these true freshmen get unleashed in a few short weeks.

Minnesota — Can Gophers cash in on Darius Taylor’s return?

Minnesota got a New Year’s present dropped in its lap on Jan. 2 when it was made known that the senior-to-be star running back was coming back for 1 more season instead of heading to the NFL Draft. With standout safety Koi Perich leaving via the transfer portal and, even worse, ending up at another Big Ten program in Oregon, it just made Taylor’s return on the other side of the ball that much more crucial to any success in 2026. Despite injury woes throughout his time at Minnesota, Taylor has piled up 2,455 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry, with 687 yards receiving and 2 TDs out of the backfield. 

The Gophers scratched out 8 wins last season, PJ Fleck‘s 4th winning season in the past 5 years, and while Taylor’s return doesn’t guarantee another one, it provides the gateway. Can they walk through? It’ll be a heck of a lot easier now with Taylor in tow.

Nebraska — What now at QB with Dylan Raiola gone?

Raiola offered much promise, right down to the Patrick Mahomes comparisons as a freshman in 2024. But the 2-year Raiola experiment in Lincoln ended with a thud last fall when he broke his fibula in early November in a loss to USC. After the season, he was off to the portal and ultimately off to Big Ten rival Oregon, where he’ll likely back up Dante Moore this fall. This forces the Cornhuskers to start over again at the position, capped by Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey committing to Nebraska before flipping to Kentucky. This leaves incumbent TJ Lateef, who took over in 2025 when Raiola went down, likely battling with transfers Anthony Colandrea (UNLV) and Daniel Kaelin (Virginia) for the starting job.

And this leaves Matt Rhule, sitting at just 19-19 after 3 seasons, with a big, fat question mark as he launches Year 4 this spring.

Northwestern — Can Chip Kelly conquer the Big Ten again?

After a 1-year hiatus in the NFL that ended very prematurely with Kelly being fired as the offensive coordinator with the woeful Las Vegas Raiders, Kelly is back in his presumed sweet spot. He’s back in the college game, where he’s had by far more success than in the NFL, and back in the Big Ten, the scene of his greatest glory just 2 seasons ago when he ran the Ohio State offense that blew the doors off everybody in capturing the national championship. Kelly inherits likely starter Aidan Chiles, who’s bounced from Oregon State to Michigan State and now to Evanston.

Kelly’s presence alone will make Northwestern spring football a must-follow event, as he tries to make the Wildcats relevant this fall.

UCLA — Is Nico Iamaleava really the answer at QB?

After bolting from Tennessee almost 12 months ago in the heat of spring football, Iamaleava’s first season near home in Pasadena was pretty forgettable. Now, does he get a mulligan of sorts because of the chaos he created himself in 2025? Iamaleava left a more talented Tennessee program to head home, and not only did it go south quickly, an 0-3 start got head coach DeShaun Foster fired early in his 2nd season at his alma mater. Iamaleava’s highly anticipated if haphazard first season produced all of 3 victories, he failed to even crack 2,000 yards passing and threw just 13 touchdown passes against 7 interceptions. His 505 yards rushing didn’t move the needle either, and after a failed 2025 all around, here comes a possible fresh start in 2026 with a fresh voice in new UCLA head coach Bob Chesney. 

Starting this spring, Chesney will try to give Iamaleava a crash-course in the James Madison Way. Chesney’s quarterbacks performed well there during his 2 years, as he kept things rolling at JMU after taking over for a guy named Curt Cignetti. Just maybe, Iamaleava gets rewarded for staying put in Pasadena in 2026.

Penn State — Can Matt Campbell win big games?

Campbell has no Big Ten track record, but any long-suffering Nittany Lions fan who made it through the James Franklin era of frustration probably doesn’t care about that. After too many years of winning too many games but falling short in the biggest moments under Franklin, the only thing that matters now in State College is if Campbell can do what Franklin couldn’t. After success in the MAC (Toledo) and the Big 12 (Iowa State), Campbell will try his hand in the Big Ten while a fan base desperate to taste the ultimate success holds its collective breath and hopes upon hope that Campbell turns into the hire of the century. 

All eyes this spring at Penn State will be on Campbell, who brought a few of his quarterbacks with him from Ames. The long road back to those big moments will begin soon.

Rutgers — Can AJ Surace steal the starting QB job?

Athan Kaliakmanis is gone from Piscataway, heading to the NFL Draft and leaving a hole that needs to be filled with quality if the Scarlet Knights are going to return to relevancy in 2026. Dylan Lonergan, who couldn’t get his career off the ground at Alabama, arrives from Boston College as the possible answer for Greg Schiano. But what about Surace, the guy who’s been waiting his turn and who’s been in the Rutgers system the past 2 seasons? Kaliakmanis didn’t win a lot of games the past 2 years, but he put up solid numbers, and the race to succeed him will be a springtime headline attraction in North Jersey.

Wisconsin — Is Luke Fickell’s job really secure?

Despite athletic director Chris McIntosh throwing his support behind Luke Fickell last fall, even as the Badgers were spiraling toward a 4-8 season (2-7 in the Big Ten), this has got to be that burning question that’s flame won’t expire until Wisconsin starts winning. Yes, Fickell won big at Cincinnati and even got the Bearcats into the Playoff only 5 years ago. But that’s not helping things in Madison right now, so despite all the support he’s gotten from above there’s got to eventually be a line in the sand, right?

Michigan State — What about that offensive scheme?

The Spartans scored exactly 100 fewer points (189) than they allowed (289) last fall in Big Ten play, and when that happens on the way to a 1-8 conference record then you get wholesale changes, like a new head coach in ex-Northwestern head man Pat Fitzgerald and, more importantly, a new OC in Nick Sheridan. Interestingly, the Spartans have enlisted a Michigan alum to turn around their dormant offense, and even more interesting is that Sheridan is a Kalen DeBoer disciple who followed DeBoer from Washington to Alabama. Sheridan is supposed to be the perfect answer to those offensive woes in East Lansing so, yeah, the pressure switch will be flipped right away in spring ball.

Maryland — Will Malik Washington’s loyalty be rewarded?

Mike Locksley is coming off back-to-back 4-8 seasons in College Park and he’s been there since 2019, so one would think the clock is ticking on the former Alabama offensive assistant. A certain other Big Ten basketball school has now managed to win a national championship in football, so why not Maryland? First, the Terps need to become relevant in the Big Ten, and that usually starts with quarterback play (just ask Indiana). Washington, a 4-star in-state phenom, stayed local last year and made it pay off, winning the Maryland starting QB job as a true freshman. He played all 12 games, throwing for 2,963 yards and 17 touchdowns with 303 yards rushing. But he also tossed 9 interceptions and while he was durable, it didn’t translate into wins, with that 4-8 record including a 1-8 Big Ten mark. 

Washington confirmed in December that he was all in for the 2026 season, releasing a statement dripping with passion and loyalty to his home region program. He isn’t going anywhere, and that’s refreshing. Now, he needs to start winning, and so does Mike Locksley.

Purdue — How does Barry Odom escape 2025?

Well, he can start by trying to win a Big Ten game in 2026. It’s hard to do any worse than Barry Odom did in his first season in West Lafayette, and that 0-9 eyesore of a league record from last season isn’t going anywhere. It’s permanent, as is the 2-10 overall record. Odom was a .500 head coach during 4 seasons at Mizzou before finding some success at UNLV, which was ultimately what got him the Big Ten gig. But that success was in the Mountain West, and he’s far away from there now. Odom was only the 2nd Purdue coach since 1916 to start his first season 2-0. Then the Boilermakers lost 10 in a row. 

Spring football at Purdue will be a referendum on Odom turning the tide. Dead last in the Big Ten won’t go over well again, especially with the in-state rival now being the defending national champion.