College football has changed drastically over the last few years, and a lot of it, as with almost anything in life, has to do with the almighty dollar. One of the things that has changed recently is a ton of conference expansion and realignment. Being an Ohio State fan, we don't have to tell you that the Big Ten was in the middle of a lot of that with the recent additions of West Coast teams Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington.What drives expansion has quite a bit to do with culture for a league, but it also has to do with pedigree, and maybe even more importantly, the media market. After all, the more eyeballs available for league games, the more lucrative television contracts become. It's the reason why the Big Ten signed a massive TV deal the last time contracts were drawn up.One thing that's interesting, however, is to see what television markets are the biggest in the Big Ten. After all, we like to think that things revolve around Ohio State and Columbus with how many television sets the Buckeyes historically turn on, but you might be surprised to know that the media market in the Capital City is eclipsed by more teams than you might think.Here's a look at each Big Ten team and its media market size ranking. It is worth noting that the conference has the two biggest media markets in the country. Figures and rankings are courtesy of The Big Ten Huddle X account.Big Ten programs ranked by home television marketProgramHome TV MarketPopulation/Nielson Rank1. Rutgers New York, NY7,494,510 (1)2 (tie). UCLALos Angeles, CA5,835,790 (2)2 (tie). USCLos Angeles, CA5,835,790 (2)4. NorthwesternChicago, IL3,654,750 (4)5. MarylandWashington, D.C.2,630,640 (8)6. WashingtonSeattle, WA2,098,240 (13)7. MichiganDetroit, MI1,940,750 (14)8. MinnesotaMinneapolis-St. Paul, MN1,886,680 (16)9. OregonPortland, OR1,277,920 (23)10. Indiana Indianapolis, IN1,232,210 (25)11. Ohio StateColumbus, OH1,018,390 (35)12. WisconsinMadison, WI443,220 (77)13. IllinoisChampaign-Springfield-Decatur, IL371,520 (92)14. IowaCedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City-Dubuque, IA364,130 (94)15. NebraskaLincoln-Hastings-Kearney, NE296,500 (107)16. Penn StateJohnstown-Altoona-State College, PA285,520 (112)17. Michigan StateLansing, MI265,830 (117)18. PurdueLafayette, IN74,620 (189)Interesting, no? We must remember a few things, however. Media market does not equate to appeal or interest. For example, many other markets in Ohio are rabid about Ohio State, like the Cleveland market. Also, New York is not a huge college market, even with all the potential eyeballs, so it's a little misleading.Still, with this many massive TV markets in the footprint of the Big Ten, it's no wonder the conference is raking in more money than any other.Big Ten teams ranked by the size of their home TV market by Neilsen pic.twitter.com/SUjHlEiXvK The Big Ten Huddle (@TheBigTenHuddle) July 17, 2026Contact/Follow us@BuckeyesWireon X (formerly Twitter) and like our page onFacebookto follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. FollowPhil Harrison on X.This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Big Ten programs ranked by television market size | Buckeyes Wire