The Big Ten Huddle Podcast

🚨 Big Ten Fact or Fiction: Playoff Surprises, Elite QBs, and Coaching Chaos! 🚨 Join JR from The Big Ten Huddle and special guest Big Ten Ted as they tackle five burning statements in a fun Fact or Fiction game! Will a surprise team like Indiana or USC crash the College Football Playoffs? Is the Big Ten smart for not requiring P4 out-of-conference games? Can Ohio State, Oregon, or Penn State win...

Dive into The Big Ten Huddle with host JR and expert Big Jeff as they break down Week 5's five pivotal Big Ten football games, from potential upsets to high-stakes clashes that could alter playoff paths. Fresh off a 3-2 week (including a perfect Lock City on Indiana), Big Jeff delivers unfiltered analysis, predictions, and key insights on trench battles, quarterback matchups, and more—perfect for...

Join JR on The Big Ten Huddle as he breaks down why the Big Ten must mandate a Power 4 opponent for every team—matching the SEC, ACC, and Big 12's bold scheduling moves—to strengthen the conference and silence critics. Drawing from Brett McMurphy's recent article, JR argues against the Big Ten's hesitation and explores how this could impact automatic qualifiers in the 2026 College Football Playoff...

Join JR and Zach on The Big Ten Huddle as they break down Week 5's biggest Big Ten football games! We dive deep into USC at Illinois—a must-win for both teams' playoff hopes amid injuries and rankings drama. Then, it's Rutgers at Minnesota, where we discuss under-the-radar factors that could lead to an upset. Finally, the marquee matchup: Oregon at Penn State in a whiteout environment with massive...

Join JR and Zack on The Big Ten Huddle for an in-depth preview of Week 5 Big Ten football action in Part 1! We break down the crucial matchups: Indiana facing a tough road test at Iowa (3:30 PM ET on Peacock), UCLA battling Northwestern, and No. 1 Ohio State heading to Washington for their first away game. From Indiana's rising efficiency under Kurt Cignetti to Ohio State's red zone questions and...

Dive into the chaos of Week 4's AP Poll Top 25 with JR and Zack on The Big Ten Huddle – where college football rankings get the unfiltered roast they deserve. We're exposing the obvious SEC bias that's propping up overrated teams like LSU just because of one shiny win against Clemson, while Big Ten beasts Indiana and USC get buried because pundits can't admit a conference powerhouse might actually...

Join JR on The Big Ten Huddle as he breaks down Week 4 performances of every Big Ten quarterback using PFF grades and stats! From high-flying A+ efforts to tough F's, we cover it all – including deep dives on stars like Fernando Mendoza's Heisman buzz, Dante Moore's clutch plays, and the pressures facing guys like Danny O'Neill and Luke Altmyer. Whether it's big-time throws, turnover woes, or rush...

In this episode of The Big Ten Huddle, JR welcomes listeners, thanks sponsors FanDuel and Believe Podcasting Network, and dives into performance tiers for Big Ten teams after week 4. He analyzes matchups starting with Indiana vs. Illinois: Indiana's 63-10 win earns them elite status for dominance, with QB Fernando Mendoza excelling (21/23, 267 yds, 5 TDs); Illinois is awful for poor offense and de...

Join JR and Zack Guggenheim on The Big Ten Huddle as they recap Week 4 of Big Ten football, delivering one essential takeaway for every team—from Indiana's dominant rout of Illinois to Washington's underrated streak and Ohio State's looming challenges. Dive into the chaos of blowouts, potential upsets like Penn State vs. Oregon, and heated debates on AP poll rankings, plus our own top 25 and Colle...

In this episode of The Big Ten Huddle, JR welcomes listeners, thanks sponsors FanDuel and Believe Podcasting Network, and dives into performance tiers for Big Ten teams after week 4. He analyzes matchups starting with Indiana vs. Illinois: Indiana's 63-10 win earns them elite status for dominance, with QB Fernando Mendoza excelling (21/23, 267 yds, 5 TDs); Illinois is awful for poor offense and de...

Join JR and Kent (Casual Big Ten) on The Big Ten Huddle for an in-depth breakdown of Week 5 Power Rankings after Week 4's action-packed games. They kick off with prayers for Michigan State's Wayne Matthews after his scary injury in the USC game, then dive into rankings debates: Indiana surges to the top after dismantling Illinois 52-14, with Kent boldly placing them at #1 for their impressive defe...

JR and Zach open by recapping Iowa's comeback win over Rutgers, 38-28, in a heartbreaker for the Scarlet Knights. They praise Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis for a strong game despite a late interception, highlighting receivers like KJ Duff, Sheffield, and Ian Strong. Rutgers' offense showed explosiveness, but their defensive line struggled against Iowa's run game, with safeties making many tackles....

Join us on The Big Ten Huddle for Jeff's expert breakdown of the Big Ten's non-conference struggles versus the SEC after three weeks, including a head-to-head scorecard showing the Big Ten at 1-4 against AP Top 25 teams while the SEC boasts 4-2. We dive into strength of schedule using PFF data, highlighting key wins like Ohio State's edge over Texas and losses such as Michigan's slip to Oklahoma,...

Join hosts JR and Zach in Part 2 of the Big Ten Week 4 preview on The Big Ten Huddle, where they dissect four can't-miss matchups with sharp analysis, score predictions, and hot takes. Kicking off with Purdue at Notre Dame (7:30), they hail Purdue's gritty turnaround under Barry Odom—hanging tough vs. USC despite three picks from QB Ryan Brown—while questioning Notre Dame's defensive woes post-Al...

Join JR and Zach on The Big Ten Huddle for an explosive Week 4 preview! They kick off debating UCLA's "insane" job status—calling out wild takes that it's worse than Northwestern—before diving into picks. Washington rolls WSU 38-21 in the Apple Cup (JR) or 52-13 (Zach), eyeing Ohio State next. Oregon crushes Oregon State 45-10, with Dillon Gabriel feasting. MSU at USC? Trojans win 35-20 in a sneak...

On this edition of The Big Ten Huddle, JR dives into a sports debate regarding the latest college football rankings . He shares his top 5 teams and offers college football predictions for the upcoming playoff picture, which you can find on espn . Tune in to hear his thoughts on the ncaa landscape. #BigTenFootball #CollegeFootball More from JR: On3 Illinois Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkIll...

In this casual, screen-share deep dive, host JR walks through PFF's Week 3 offensive grades for all Big Ten QBs, starting from rock-bottom (Northwestern's Preston Stone: 11/21, 135 yds, 2 INTs, 3 TWPs, D- from JR) to elite (Indiana's Fernando Mendoza: 19/20, 270 yds, 5 TDs, 94.3 grade, A+). He explains metrics like big-time throws (e.g., Stone's 2 negated by 3 turnover-worthy plays), ADOT, sacks,...

This somber yet insightful episode dives deep into UCLA football's unprecedented crisis: firing beloved alum and running backs coach Deshaun Foster just three games into his head coaching tenure. Joined by Bruin Source's Kevin (find them @Bruinsource on Twitter and major podcast platforms), hosts JR and Zach unpack the "impossible situation" Foster inherited from Chip Kelly's roster gutt...

In this lively reaction episode, hosts JR and Zach deliver 10 essential takeaways from an underwhelming Week 3 slate in Big Ten football. They kick off with sympathy for fired UCLA coach Deshaun Foster, calling it a "no-win situation" due to roster issues inherited from Chip Kelly. Zach argues Penn State isn't a national title contender yet, citing Drew Allar's inefficient passing agains...

JR kicks off The Big Ten Huddle with his Week 3 performance tiers, grading every Big Ten team's output against mostly non-conference foes. Elite tier shines with Michigan's 63-0 rout of Central Michigan, where QB Bryce Underwood added 114 rushing yards and 2 TDs despite passing woes; Oregon's 49-14 win over Northwestern, cruising despite a late garbage-time rally; Nebraska's efficient 38-17 blanki...

In this late-night edition of The Big Ten Huddle, JR delivers his Week 4 power rankings following Week 3's action, noting minimal shake-ups overall but significant dings for underperformers. Ohio State stays #1 after a dominant second-half rally vs. Ohio (despite early red-zone woes), edging Oregon (#2) for their road demolition of Northwestern (34-0 lead before backups faltered). Penn State (#3)...

In this fiery late-night edition of The Big Ten Huddle, host JR dives into the conference's wild duality after Week 3: UCLA's humiliating 35-10 defeat to New Mexico, a G5 team winless against Power 4 foes since 2008. JR calls the Bruins "embarrassing" for the Big Ten, ripping new HC Deshaun Foster—a first-time coach who "never should have had this job"—for undisciplined play, a...

Join JR on The Big Ten Huddle for Big Jeff's Insights, where Jeff shares his trip to an Indiana game and critiques non-conference scheduling. They dive into AP Poll bias, comparing it to a FanDuel odds-based top 25 ranking—highlighting discrepancies like Illinois being overrated (AP #9 vs. FanDuel ~#20) and USC underrated (unranked AP vs. FanDuel #15). Key takeaways: Big Ten has more elite teams p...

JR and Zach kick off with fun mascot banter before diving into previews. For Ohio (1-1) at Ohio State (2-0), they predict a Buckeyes blowout (49-10 JR, 52-17 Zach) but note QB Parker Navarro could frustrate OSU fans; OSU covers -31.5, over 52.5. Oregon (2-0) at Northwestern (1-1): Ducks favored -27.5, over 49.5; predictions 38-10 (JR) and 45-10 (Zach), highlighting Oregon's explosive offense vs NW...

Hosts JR and Zack start with lively banter and viewer shoutouts before previewing Big Ten Week 3's lower-tier games. They predict a massive Indiana win over Indiana State (infinity-0 per Zack), focusing on defensive line growth. For New Mexico at UCLA, they debate a close contest (JR: 38-21 UCLA; Zack: 31-30 UCLA) amid mental hangovers. Central Michigan at Michigan gets a rebound nod (JR: lower-sc...