Overview

• Six conference teams begin play this weekend, highlighted by No. 5 Penn State at No. 14 Arizona State on national TV, while Minnesota hosts Michigan Tech and Michigan welcomes Mercyhurst; Ohio State opens next week as Michigan State and Notre Dame play exhibitions.
• Coaches picked Michigan State to chase a third straight regular-season title, with Penn State second and Minnesota third, followed by Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Notre Dame.
• A recent NCAA eligibility change has brought Canadian Hockey League standouts to campus, including Gavin McKenna at Penn State, Cayden Lindstrom and Porter Martone at Michigan State, and Malcolm Spence, Jack Ivankovic, and Henry Mews at Michigan.
• The NCAA is replacing Pairwise with the NCAA Percentage Index for tournament selection, and the Big Ten will shorten its 2026 league tournament with single-elimination quarterfinals on March 11 and Saturday semifinals and final on March 14 and 21.
• Minnesota enters a rebuild after NHL signings accounted for more than half of last season’s goals, with Bob Motzko’s eighth-ranked Gophers opening at home before a demanding October slate.