I call my website “Off the Cob”. Which means, when it comes to Cornhusker football, my views seldom align with mainstream thinking. My thoughts often aren’t popular and are seen as unconventional or off base. I’m good with that. And as usual, here I am again.
Brad Crawford, college football analyst for CBS Sports, recently wrote a story titled, Big Ten Trap games: The biggest potential pitfall for all 18 teams heading into 2026. I can’t say I agree with all his picks, but what I did find interesting was the number of times some teams were listed as spoilers. I think it demonstrates how competitive the Big Ten is and goes against the SEC narrative that their conference is better overall.
Before I dive into Crawford’s picks, I must first share his Big Ten predicted order of finish for 2026. We are not on the same page with these ranking either. The first set of numbers are total wins and losses, the second set their Big Ten record.
- Oregon 11-1, 8-1
- Ohio State 10-2, 8-1
- Indiana 10-2, 7-2
- USC 9-3, 6-3
- Washington 9-3, 6-3
- Penn State 9-3, 6-3
- Iowa 9-3, 6-3
- Michigan 8-4, 6-3
- Illinois 8-4, 5-4
- UCLA 7-5, 5-4
- Wisconsin 7-5, 5-4
- Nebraska 6-6, 3-6
- Minnesota 6-6, 4-5
- Northwestern 4-8, 1-8
- Rutgers 4-8, 1-8
- Maryland 3-9, 1-8
- Michigan State 3-9, 1-8
- Purdue 3-9, 1-8
As you can see from the rankings, there are multiple teams who aren’t expected to finish with winning records, yet they are listed multiple times as spoilers by Crawford. To put Crawford’s picks in perspective, Maryland is listed four times as a trap game. Teams that need to be on the lookout, Illinois, Purdue, UCLA, and USC. All but one of those teams (Purdue) is expected to finish with a better record than Maryland.
Northwestern is listed as the spoiler three times, against Iowa, Michigan State, and Rutgers. I view Iowa as the only upset among the three.
Minnesota is listed twice, against Indiana and Washington. Michigan State is also listed twice, against Oregon and Wisconsin. The fact that Indiana is expected to finish 3rd and Washington 5th says a lot about what P.J. Fleck has built at Minnesota. And if Michigan State were to beat Oregon it would be the upset of the year in the Big Ten.
If you’re a Nebraska fan, then you’ll be interested to know the Huskers are listed as a spoiler when Ohio State comes to town. Much of this is due to the game after the game. Ohio State plays Michigan the Saturday after Nebraska. The fear is that the Buckeyes will be looking ahead. Husker fans would be alright with that.
The team listed as Nebraska’s pitfall – Illinois. This is where I go off the cob, I don’t agree with Crawford on Nebraska going 6-6. I have them at 8-4, and if they can pull off a win against Washington on Halloween, they could potentially be 6-2 going into the game against the Illini. Yes, I’m saying Nebraska defeats Michigan State and Maryland.
However, if the Huskers drop the Indiana, Oregon, and Washington games, they’d be 5-3 and fighting for a bowl berth. Here is where I agree with Crawford, that would in fact make Illinois a trap game. With the game being at home for the Illini and on a Friday night, along with Nebraska fighting for a sixth win or riding high at 6-2, it could be a dangerous game for the Huskers. I see the Illinois game as pivotal if Matt Rhule’s 2026 November record is going to improve.
What Crawford is saying is, on any given day, Maryland, Northwestern, Minnesota, and Michigan State can beat anyone in the Big Ten. Agree or not, if Crawford’s thoughts on pitfall games are correct, then you can’t deny the Big Ten is the best conference in college football.
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!
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