I’ll be completely honest, this time of year, I find myself grasping at straws when thinking about what to write about.
Sure, spring ball is underway for teams across the country. But in the age of high-priced transfers (particularly at the quarterback position), it feels like many of the old-school position battles have gone by the wayside.
Outside of spring games themselves, there’s not a whole heck of a lot of topics to fill the airtime. We’re a little too far away from preview season. And far enough away from the last season to revisit what’s done and dusted.
In light of this slower period, I figured now is as good a time as any to discuss win totals.
Two weeks ago, I had a few rapid-fire reactions to FanDuel’s 2026 win totals for three College Football Playoff hopeful teams.
I followed that up with three takes on the win totals for a trio of intriguing ACC teams.
Let’s keep the win totals train rolling with a few rapid-fire reactions on the win totals for Penn State, Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Penn State - 9.5 wins
This year in Happy Valley, we’ll finally get the answer to the age-old question: What happens when the man who does more with less finally has to do more with more?
In case you haven’t followed the transfer portal too closely, the 2026 Penn State team will look an awful lot like the 2025 Iowa State team. New coach, Matt Campbell, portaled in 23 former Cyclones, two of his most trusted confidants in OC Taylor Mouser and OL coach Ryan Clanton and four prized recruits.
Former Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht will lead the offense. He’ll be handing it off to Carson Hansen and throwing it to guys like Ben Brahmer and Chase Sowell. There’s something to be said about continuity.
Even so, I’m not sure I see 10 wins on this schedule.
Penn State notably avoids games against Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon, which is a huge blessing from the schedule gods. That said, the Nittany Lions still have tough road games at Michigan and in Seattle against Washington, along with interesting home games against what should be a much-improved Wisconsin team and a ranked USC team.
Would it be shocking to see Matt Campbell—who’s never faced this level of pressure—drop both critical road games and one home game against a frisky Big 10 opponent? I don’t think so.
Penn State should be good, but I don’t think the Nittany Lions are 10 wins good. Give me the under.
Ohio State - 9.5 wins
No reasonable person would suggest that this iteration of Ohio State should have the same number of wins as a new-look Penn State squad. So what is Vegas trying to tell us with this number?
Let’s start here: This number is totally schedule-dependent.
I mentioned that Penn State received some blessings from the schedule gods. Ohio State did not receive that same fortune.
The Buckeyes have a difficult 2026 slate by their standards, with notable games at Texas, at Indiana, at Iowa and at USC, along with home against Oregon and Michigan. No doubt about it, that’s a tough road ahead.
Ohio State returns a ton of offensive talent. Notables include superstar wideout Jeremiah Smith and quarterback Julian Sayin. But offense is just one phase of the game.
I’m very curious to see how Ohio State replaces defensive stars like Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs, who are off to the NFL Draft. Matt Patricia turned that defensive unit into a juggernaut last season, so there should be reason for optimism that it can be a great group again this season.
Even with that difficult schedule, I have a hard time seeing this version of Ohio State not winning at least 10 games.
We’re still months away from a ball being kicked, but I’ll go out on a limb to say that Ohio State will beat Iowa and USC, despite the Trojans trending upward. I figure that the Texas and Indiana games are toss-ups, especially with the Hoosiers losing a lot of what made them so special last season. And you have to like getting Oregon and Michigan at home.
For all the grief he takes, Ryan Day is still an excellent head coach. He’ll have this team ready to rock. Give me Ohio State to win at least 10 regular-season games.
Washington - 7.5 wins
One of the wilder subplots of the offseason (of which there were many) was the near-transfer of Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr.
In case you forgot, Williams Jr. entered the transfer portal with a lot of speculation that he was headed to Baton Rouge to join Lane Kiffin. After Washington stood firm and refused to release him from his NIL deal, he made amends and returned to Seattle.
I’m betting that the Demond Williams Jr. saga is water under the bridge now, and that the Huskies will hit the over on 7.5 wins in 2026.
Despite losing a few intriguing pieces from last year (namely, Denzel Boston to the NFL and Adam Mohammad to Cal), I still like the look of the Huskies in 2026. According to ESPN’s Bill Connelly, Washington returns 65% of last season’s team that went 9-4, and in all likelihood, will be one of the most improved teams in college football.
Washington has a great chance to start the season 4-0, before a big-time matchup on the road at USC. The Huskies also play host to Penn State and Indiana in November. Both of those could be trap games if things break right for Jed Fisch and company.
I’ll take all the Demond Williams Jr. stock that I can get. Give me the Huskies over 7.5 wins in 2026.
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