​COLUMBUS, OHIO – AUGUST 7: Quarterback Julian Sayin #10 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs drills during fall football camp at Woody Hayes Athletic Center on August 7, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images) | Getty Images Well, well, well. What’s old is new again. Fresh off INDIANA winning the Big Ten title, nobody believes in the Hoosiers once again — and it’s Ohio State that everyone is favoring (read: expecting) to win the conference title in December. In a new poll out Friday, 42% of fans nationwide are predicting OSU wins the Big Ten title. That’s followed by Oregon with 38%, defending national champ Indiana at 13%, and USC at 3%. Illinois would fall into the “Other” category at 3%, with Michigan rounding out the poll at 1%. However, I’m by no means expecting Illinois to compete for a Big Ten title in 2026. FanDuel is no different — OSU is at +185 to win the Big Ten, followed by Oregon, Indiana and USC. Illinois has the 10th-best odds to win the Big Ten at +12500, tied with Minnesota and UCLA. Notably, Illinois will play the league’s top two teams this season — OSU and Oregon. While those are by far the toughest matchups, the rest of the schedule seems fairly even, so maybe Illinois can squeak out another 8-9 win season. It all gets going in less than a week when the Illini host UAB on Sept. 3.