Preseason Optimal Paths for SEC and Big Ten Survivor Pools

We have a full Week 1 to 13 Path for both SEC and Big Ten Survivor Pool players, laying out the best preseason odds path.

by Jason Lisk - Sep 3, 2026

Whether it's for Big Ten or SEC pride, we have a preseason survivor pool outlook of the 2026 schedule.

Before the season begins, it helps to look beyond Week 1 and see how the entire Survivor schedule fits together.

Using our preseason win odds, we calculated the Max Survival Optimal Path for both the SEC and Big Ten Survivor formats. The goal is straightforward: find the combination of picks that gives you the highest projected probability of surviving all 13 weeks, while using each team only once.

For this analysis, games against non-FBS opponents are excluded. A game is eligible as long as it involves a team from the designated conference, and you can pick either side of that matchup. That’s why, for example, a non-Big Ten team can occasionally appear as a pick in the Big Ten path.

These paths shouldn’t be viewed as a rigid plan that you need to follow for the entire season. Win odds will change as we learn more about the teams. Instead, they provide a useful preseason roadmap, highlighting potential bottleneck weeks, teams with significant future value, and places where using an obvious favorite too early could create problems later. Check back here throughout the season for weekly updates on team projections.

SEC Survivor Optimal Path