Chicago — Just like that, talking season has officially reached its conclusion.
After patiently waiting its turn while other conferences around the country took the spotlight, the Big Ten assumed center stage at the Hilton Chicago for a three-day preview (July 28-30) that served as an unofficial beginning to the 2026 campaign.
Storylines were aplenty: from defending national champion Indiana to Michigan’s never-ending drama. From a handful of potential Heisman Trophy candidates to more than a few coaches who are occupying increasingly hot seats.
Here are our biggest takeaways from the week in Chicago:
1. Curt Cignetti Is The Conference’s Biggest Star
Michael Cohen: If there were any doubts surrounding whether Indiana, the defending national champion, could maintain the supreme focus it displayed across the first two seasons of an incredible rebuild, consider this quote from Cignetti on Thursday — more than a month before the Hoosiers’ opener against North Texas:
“Yesterday morning we flew in here, right?” Cignetti said during a breakout session. “I was working on opponents yesterday morning until I had to leave to go to the airport, you know? Because I like to know opponents like the back of my hand before we go to camp. It gets a little more difficult now with the portal, a lot of new faces.”
Curt Cignetti and Indiana celebrate beating Miami in the 2025 CFP national championship. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Despite everything Cignetti has accomplished since taking over Indiana — the 27-2 overall record, the back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances, the Big Ten championship, the national title, the fairytale turnaround of a perennial conference doormat — he’s using every last minute to grind through tape in late July before his mandatory media responsibilities get in the way. National champion or otherwise, he refuses to deviate from what works.
At an event that is traditionally dominated by two of college football’s biggest brands in Ohio State and Michigan, Cignetti arrived in Chicago with the grandest profile. He captivated a national television audience during his quip-filled address from the main stage at the Hilton Chicago. And when he migrated to a smaller podium across the room, riffing and rolling for an additional 30 minutes, reporters who have covered this event for years were stunned by the size of the crowd. Only Cignetti — whom Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson describes as a “unicorn” — could dwarf the attention Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day captured earlier this week.
And in trademark Cignetti fashion, the zingers flowed:
On the rigors of the Big Ten compared to the SEC: “The Big Ten is the best league in football. A lot of really good football teams, very physical football teams, very well-coached. It definitely prepares you for the playoffs, there’s no doubt about it. The numbers speak for themselves. We don’t run a hype machine up here in the Midwest. We believe everything is earned, not given. When we fall short, we say: ‘We fell short.’ We don’t cry a river, whine and complain. That’s why we’re the best.”
On the Hoosiers’ success during his tenure: “I’m a firm believer in our blueprint. Our Monday morning meeting will be very similar to what it was eight years ago. It’ll be about an hour long. There’s certain things we’ll do in there, there’s certain things I’ll say in the team meeting Tuesday night that I said eight years ago. It’s not word for word, but it’s pretty damn close. The way we practice, pretty similar to what we did eight years ago. We have a way of doing things. We’ve got guys that have been together, and all we do is win.”
On why he’s excited for the 2026 season: “I’ve been on vacation long enough. I’m tired of being bossed around by my wife. I’m ready to boss somebody else around and develop a football team.”
The Hoosiers, which welcomed 39 newcomers, finished third in most of the unofficial Big Ten preseason polls released earlier this week. Indiana returns 10 starters from the group that won a national championship in January and retained virtually everyone on Cignetti’s highly respected coaching staff — most notably, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, both of whom received large raises. Program-wide continuity is fueling Cignetti’s confidence that this team can make another run despite new starters at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, linebacker, cornerback and edge rusher.
At this point, who could possibly doubt him?
“I think part of the key to the drill is getting everybody to think alike,” Cignetti said. “That’s where my messaging is important in upholding a standard and having accountability. But look, you’ve got to have the right people in place. You’ve got to have a process and people in place. We have the right people in place, upstairs and downstairs. I feel very strongly about that. I’ll be stalking complacency. I know that question is coming. But I like what I’ve seen so far.”
2. Kyle Whittingham Aims To Stabilize Michigan Football
Cohen: In addition to the coaches and players, there are also plenty of athletic directors eager to mingle with reporters at Big Ten Media Days.
Some of them, like Josh Whitman from Illinois and Ross Bjork from Ohio State, are highly visible. They linger around the perimeter of the main interview room, offering friendly smiles when approached. Others might travel with their school’s contingent to engage in meetings with colleagues from around the conference, but avoid engaging with reporters.
Warde Manuel, Michigan’s athletics director, has almost always portrayed the latter. And that was certainly true this time around, at the Hilton Chicago, amid a tumultuous summer in which Manuel’s future with the Wolverines has been hotly debated. It was announced earlier this month that Manuel, whose tenure has been strewn with scandals and national championships alike, will voluntarily step down later this year — in exchange for a hefty buyout.
“That’s one thing about the players at Michigan right now,” head coach Kyle Whittingham said, “they’re hungry and ready to get back in a season, get some football. They’ve been through a lot in the last four or five years. Hopefully we can put the drama to bed and just get back to being student-athletes and having a great college experience.”
Warde Manuel will voluntarily step down from his post as Michigan athletics director at the end of this calendar year. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
With Manuel nowhere to be seen this week, Whittingham, the Wolverines’ new coach, fulfilled the role he was expected to play when Michigan plucked him from Utah last December: the adult in the room.
Whittingham, 66, ran a successful and squeaky-clean program at Utah for two decades before coming to Michigan after Sherrone Moore was fired for cause. In addition to outperforming Moore on the field — the Wolverines have lost eight games over the previous two seasons combined — Whittingham is tasked with providing some much-needed ballast for a program where embarrassing personnel issues and running afoul of the NCAA are regular occurrences. How quickly the mess can be cleaned was a question Whittingham faced time and again on Thursday in one form or another.
“There has been a lot of drama,” Whittingham said. “We hope that we’ve come to the end of that, and we’re ready to proceed with the business of playing football and winning football games and graduating players and putting the emphasis on things that should have the emphasis.
“There were some unfortunate things that happened. It’s not my place to really speak out on it. I wasn’t there, I was not involved. I can tell you [that] now we have a very hungry and willing group of players that have worked their tail off for the last seven months and are eager to get the season started. Very good leadership as well. I’m just excited to make the first thing first, which is graduating and winning football games.”
3. QB Dylan Raiola Is Expected To Stick At Oregon
RJ Young: With Dante Moore’s decision to forgo the NFL Draft and return to Oregon this season, the arrival of former Nebraska starting quarterback Dylan Raiola to Eugene created what seems like a natural transition from Moore to Raiola in 2027.
Quarterbacks Dante Moore (left) and Dylan Raiola (right #8) chat on the sideline at Oregon’s spring football game. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)
Raiola also provides the Ducks with a former starting quarterback as their backup — with 22 total starts across two seasons, over 4,800 passing yards, and 31 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. But given the unpredictability of players entering the transfer portal at season’s end, most coaches would worry about the possibility of seeing both his QB1 and QB2 leave.
Not Lanning.
“I think there’s always a looming threat. But not with Dylan. I believe Dylan chose Oregon knowing in advance what it looks like at Oregon,” Lanning said on Wednesday. “He wanted to sign up for an opportunity to be with us. We were transparent throughout the process that there’s a great chance that Dante could be back. Dylan has done an unbelievable job changing his body, working really hard. He has unbelievable talent, a smart player, that has the opportunity to get exposed to our system.
“You’re only as strong as all your players. You need everybody to be a part of that. Dylan is a big part of the success we’ll have this season, as well as every other quarterback in that room.”
4. Jeremiah Smith Expects Kenyatta Jackson Jr. To Have A Huge Season
Young: Ohio State wideout Jeremiah Smith, arguably the best college football player in the country, believes Buckeye defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. has the same ability former Ohio State defensive end Chase Young displayed.
Defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. enters his fifth season at Ohio State. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
“He’s a leader on the defense,” Smith said Wednesday. “Hopefully, he’ll have a big year, and that’s just somebody I believe in. I won’t say he’s Chase Young yet. I’m always telling him you can take over the game. You’re [six-foot-six], 260 [pounds] — like you’re kind of like Chase Young, and hopefully he shows that this year.”
Jackson notched 6.5 sacks and 16 tackles last season, ahead of a potential breakout campaign in 2026.
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