Full 2026 Big Ten football media day schedule

You know the new college football season is approaching when conference media days are underway. That has been the case with the ACC and Big 12 helping to get the fun started with their respective media day events, and the SEC on deck for their event going on this week. That puts the Big Ten in the cleanup position at the end of the month, and there will be plenty to watch.

The Big Ten has been home to each of the past three College Football Playoff national champions, with Indiana the latest to rule the college football world, and the conference will once again have some sturdy championship contenders ready to go. New coaches are also stepping to the podium, including Matt Campbell of Penn State, Kyle Whittingham of Michigan, and Pat Fitzgerald of Michigan State. And, of course, some of the best players in the nation will be on display with Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and USC quarterback Jayden Maiava.

Here is the full schedule for Big Ten football media days for 2026.

Tuesday, July 28

• Schools scheduled: Illinois, Iowa, Penn State, Rutgers, USC, Wisconsin
• Head coaches: Bret Bielema (Illinois), Kirk Ferentz (Iowa), Matt Campbell (Penn State), Greg Schiano (Rutgers), Lincoln Riley (USC), Luke Fickell (Wisconsin)
• Notable players: Matthew Bailey (DB, Illinois), Jayden Montgomery (LB, Iowa), Rocco Becht (QB, Penn State), KJ Duff (WR, Rutgers), Jayden Maiava (QB, USC), Sebastian Cheeks (LB, Wisconsin)

The first day of the Big Ten media days will be highlighted by the Big Ten media day debut of new Penn State head coach Matt Campbell and the hype for USC football. Campbell takes over a program that will have a drastically overhauled roster thanks to the transfer portal with a significant Iowa State flavor.

USC has been riding high on the recruiting trail and will enter the season with high expectations, with quarterback Jayden Maiava among the Heisman favorites this season.

Of course, we can never overlook the possibility that Illinois head coach Bret Bielema says something noteworthy.

Wednesday, July 29

• Schools scheduled:Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Oregon, Purdue, UCLA
• Head coaches: Pat Fitzgerald (Michigan State), P.J. Fleck (Minnesota), Ryan Day (Ohio State), Dan Lanning (Oregon), Barry Odom (Purdue), Bob Chesney (UCLA)
• Notable players: Jordan Hall (LB, Michigan State), Drake Lindsey (QB, Minnesota), Jeremiah Smith (WR, Ohio State, Julian Sayin (QB, Ohio State), Dante Moore (QB, Oregon), Ryan Browne (QB, Purdue), Nico Iamaleava (QB, UCLA)

The second day of the Big Ten media day event will be an interesting one. Ohio State and Oregon will be the stars of the day after falling shy of national championship aspirations a season ago. Both programs will look to finish the job this season with some of the top players in the Big Ten on the roster with Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) and Dante Moore (Oregon). The pressure will be on for Ryan Day and Dan Lanning at Ohio State and Oregon, respectively.

New head coaches Pat Fitzgerald and Bob Chesney will also be at the podium for Michigan State and UCLA, respectively. For Fitzgerald, this will be a return to the Big Ten scene after years of leading Northwestern's program, while Chesney will make his Big Ten media day debut. It will be a bit bigger in scale compared to his time at James Madison.

Thursday, July 30

• Schools scheduled: Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, Washington
• Head coaches: Curt Cignetti (Indiana), Mike Locksley (Maryland), Kyle Whittingham (Michigan), Matt Rhule (Nebraska), David Braun (Northwestern), Jedd Fisch (Washington)
• Notable players: Isaiah Jones (LB, Indiana), Malik Washington (QB, Maryland), Bryce Underwood (QB, Michigan), Luke Lindenmeyer (TE, Nebraska), Caleb Komolafe (RB, Northwestern), Demond Williams Jr. (QB, Washington)

The defending national champions, the Indiana Hoosiers, headline the final day of the Big Ten media day event. Curt Cignetti will continue to set the tone for his program and insist this will be a brand new season with the same final goal ahead of them. The Hoosiers replace a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback with the addition of Katin Houser, and Indiana should have a team capable of competing for another Big Ten title and a spot in the College Football Playoff. It's a new era in Bloomington, indeed.

The other headline of the day may be new Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham, who comes to Ann Arbor after a long stay in Utah. Whittingham is charged with re-establishing some order for the Wolverines after a turbulent stretch, and the Whittingham style should blend well with the program, as long as the quarterback situation works out. Bryce Underwood will be in Chicago after some reports suggest the dynamic between coach and quarterback has not been the smoothest yet.

Where is Big Ten football media day being held?

This year's Big Ten football media day event is taking place in Chicago, Illinois, the home of the Big Ten's national offices. The three-day event will be held in the Hilton Chicago.

How can I watch Big Ten media day?

The Big Ten Network will be airing each of the head coach press conferences during the three-day event. The Big Ten Network will also be setting up its own interviews throughout the event with coaches and players. Appearances and interviews will be subject to change.

You can watch Big Ten Network on FUBO.

This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Full 2026 Big Ten football media day schedule