When was the last time the Big Ten had this many top-five teams?

The Big Ten has never had a season quite like this one, with a record-breaking four teams in the top five of the College Football Playoff rankings.

Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, and Indiana are all sitting near the top, and it’s a historic first for the conference. This kind of dominance from the Big Ten shows just how competitive and talented these teams are this season—it’s rare to see this kind of lineup from any conference. Well, at least at the top of the conference.

In fact, the only other conference that’s pulled off something similar was the SEC back on October 19, 2014. Back then, they had Mississippi State in the number one spot, with Ole Miss, Alabama, and Auburn also crowding the top five.

Even with that, they only tied what the Big Ten’s doing now. And if we’re talking about the ultimate record, that actually goes to the SEC too—they had a total of six teams in the top seven rankings just this past September.

Looking even further back, we see something similar with the Big 8 in 1971, which had three teams in the top five. But no one in the conference, until now, has had four.

For Big Ten fans, this is a season to remember. It shows just how far the conference has come — at least at the top — in terms of national competition, and it’s got everyone wondering what’s next.

Could we see one of these Big Ten teams taking home the national championship? With this kind of ranking power, it’s going to be an exciting ride to the finish line. The Big Ten isn’t just in the conversation—it’s setting records.

There may be questions about the conference's depth when it comes to the bottom, but no one can question the top. The emergence of Indiana has been a surprise, while the dominance of Oregon has also been a bit of a shocker. Everyone believed the Ducks would be a contender, but not many came into this season thinking that they'd be sitting as the odds-on favorite to win the national championship.

It will be interesting to see where all four of these teams are placed when it comes time for the 12-team College Football Playoff field to be revealed because, right now, it looks as if it's a foregone conclusion that they'll all be competing.

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