The Big Ten had many surprises in 2024, and Illinois was one of the teams that snuck up on some people.
I fully expect the 2025 campaign to be wild. The Big Ten is once again a powerhouse, as there are a handful of teams that could legitimately win the conference. But who will emerge as the top dog of the best conference in college football?
With 18 teams vying for the top spot, it is time to look at the post-spring portal projected Big Ten standings. As of right now, this is the order I see the Big Ten playing out this fall.
The Buckeyes are a program that reloads and doesn’t rebuild. They finished the 2024 campaign going 14-2 overall and 7-2 in the Big Ten. Their ticket to the College Football Playoff was followed by a triumphant run to a national championship.
Ohio State lost a ton of talent from that squad, which includes their starting quarterback, both top running backs, and a 1,000-yard wide receiver. I think they will be fine, though. Julian Sayin is ready to take the reins at quarterbacks, and Ohio State always has a plethora of talent at every skill position, which includes Jeremiah Smith back at wide receiver. This team is going to be pretty good in 2025.
2025 was the first season for Oregon in the Big Ten. Everything went better than expected, as the Ducks won the conference and made the College Football Playoff.
While Oregon was pounded in the first game of the CFP, they still had a good year. This program is losing some good talent, which includes their top quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. Oregon has had a great transfer portal run, though. They added five-star offensive tackle Isaiah World from Nevada. The defense improved greatly with additions like safety Dillon Thieneman from Purdue. Don’t sleep on Makhi Hughes, the transfer running back from Tulane. He is poised for a big year, too.
No matter how good Penn State looks on paper, they will always Penn State-up the situation. The talent the Nittany Lions have returning is impressive. Starting quarterback Drew Allar and starting running back Nicholas Singleton are both back in the fold.
Penn State didn’t have a great transfer portal haul, though. They did add some nice pieces, like Trebor Pena from Syracuse, who will be a nice target for Allar. While there is a ton of talent coming back, I just can’t see Penn State meeting expectations.
Bret Bielema has done a great job keeping the same unit together that had a 10-win campaign in 2024. The leader of the pack is quarterback Luke Altmyer, who returns for his third season in Champaign.
Illinois managed to snag 16 transfer portal players, too. There aren’t any big hitters on paper, but there are a ton of guys who can fill the voids left by departing talent. Bielema really homed in on solidifying the front lines through the transfer portal. Illinois actually has depth, and that is something we haven’t had in a long time.
The Hoosiers were the darlings of the college football world last season, but with some key departures, I could see them taking a step back in 2025. Starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke is now in the NFL. Indiana has to find another quarterback who can throw for 3,042 yards and 29 touchdowns.
I still think Indiana is going to be a good team in 2025. Their top running back and wide receiver are back, and they had a good transfer portal season. Indiana added 23 transfer portal players, which included three four-star players who are going to make an instant impact. I also think they have a great head coach. Look for Fernando Mendoza, a transfer quarterback from Cal, to make some waves in the Big Ten.
For some reason, Michigan seems to rally around issues with its program. With head coach Sherrone Moore suspended for a couple of games, the Wolverines will likely use that as a rallying cry.
Michigan has the best quarterback in the class of 2025 joining the program. Bryce Underwood is likely to light the world on fire. The Wolverines also landed 15 transfer portal players, so they should have instant experience with the incoming talent. Despite losing some talent at running back, Michigan is bringing in Alabama transfer Justice Haynes to carry the rock.
Matt Rhule is a good coach, and Nebraska is starting to load up on talent. They are also getting back starting quarterback Dylan Raiola. He is a talented passer, but Raiola has a lot of room to grow still.
Last season, Raiola threw for 2,819 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He has a Patrick Mahomes II mentality with a skillset that is not even half of that. Raiola holds on to the football way too long, but his issues can be coached out of him. If Raiola figures things out, Nebraska could have a huge year. They also added some serious help in the transfer portal, in particular on the front lines to help Raiola. 17 transfer portal additions, with six of those being four-star recruits, should give a shot in the arm to the Cornhuskers.
The Trojans have been disappointing as of late. They finished year one in the Big Ten 4-5, but this program should be better in 2025. While they did lose 27 players to the transfer portal, USC is getting back 16 incoming transfers.
USC was smart by building out the offensive line. They secured two big-time transfers in DJ Wingfield and J’Onre Reed to fill these voids. I also like what they did defensively, adding some much-needed help in the secondary. The Trojans should fare better in 2025.
I would argue that UCLA made the biggest splash in the transfer portal this offseason. They secured 28 transfer portal commits, with the biggest being by far the addition of quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
With that being said, just because you have a solid quarterback doesn’t mean you have a good coach. I am not buying into DeShaun Foster just yet. UCLA only managed three conference wins in 2024. I see them being better in 2025, but they should be middle of the Big Ten.
Year in and year out, Iowa seems like a team that should finish toward the bottom of the Big Ten. They never make any splashy moves, but Kirk Ferentz and dem boys always manage to find their way toward the top.
Iowa’s quarterback situation is below average, but it always is. As long as they have a good defense, the Hawkeyes should be viable. But they don’t buy into the transfer portal that much, as Iowa only secured nine transfer portal commits. I keep falling into this trap, but maybe this is the year the Hawkeyes fall back a bit.
It seems that the Luke Fickell experiment might not work at Wisconsin. This offseason has felt like a make-or-break for Fickell, as the Badgers have gone all in on the transfer portal.
Coming off a season where Wisconsin went 3-6 in the Big Ten, they needed to do something different. The Badgers went out and secured 21 transfer portal commitments. Two of those commitments, Danny O’Neil from San Diego State and Billy Edwards Jr. from Maryland, will compete for the starting quarterback job. I also like what they did on the front lines by adding multiple players on both sides of the ball. Wisconsin should at least make a bowl in 2025.
There are some big changes happening in Minnesota. Starting quarterback Max Brosmer departed for the NFL. He leaves behind 2,828 yards and 18 touchdowns. The Gophers also lost some talent up front on both sides of the ball.
In return, Minnesota got a good haul of transfer portal talent. 22 transfer commitments will help fill voids, but none of these players are massive game changers. I will be monitoring the quarterback situation. Drake Lindsey seems to be the projected starting quarterback, and he has only thrown five passes in his career. Honestly, I should have Minnesota lower, but they also trick me and end up finishing better than they should every season.
Stability is huge in today’s college game, and I think there is a chance the Spartans have stability in 2025. Michigan State is coming off a season where they were 5-7 overall, which isn’t bad, all things considered.
Starting quarterback Aidan Chiles is back under center. 2024 was his first full year starting, and he threw for 2,415 yards and 13 touchdowns. If he takes a step forward, the Spartans should make a bowl game. Michigan State also added 21 transfer portal players, including four-star Conner Moore on the offensive line. Look for Michigan State to be around six or seven wins next season.
I don’t think I can ever buy into a Rutgers football team. They do return their starting quarterback, Athan Kaliakmanis, who has been playing quarterback for what seems like a decade. He threw for 2,696 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2024.
Rutgers did lose Kyle Monangai, who rushed for 1,279 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. That is a big departure. Rutgers is bringing in 16 transfer portal players, none of whom jump off the page. I would say the biggest addition is likely wide receiver DT Sheffield from North Texas. He is at least another weapon for Kaliakmanis.
I am not going to lie, I was surprised that Maryland finished so badly last season. If it wasn’t for Purdue completely bottoming out, the Terrapins would have finished dead last in the Big Ten.
The Terrapins aren’t going to be much better in 2025. Their top quarterback and wide receiver are both gone. Maryland didn’t do a great job filling the voids either. Justyn Martin, a transfer from UCLA, is the projected starter behind center. 32 players departed the Maryland program, with only 15 incoming players. This team is going to be bad once again.
There isn’t a reason to have optimism when it comes to Northwestern football. They won four games last season, and that seemed like somewhat of an achievement. This season could be worse.
Jack Lausch is likely to be the starting quarterback once again. He threw for 1,714 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions in 2024. Top wide receiver and best overall player, AJ Henning, is now in the NFL. Northwestern didn’t do much in the transfer portal either, so that should hurt them. I expect the Wildcats to finish toward the bottom of the Big Ten.
It is going to take a minute for Purdue to right the ship. The Ryan Walters experiment failed greatly, and now the program is licking its wounds. The one caveat is that this will be a completely new Purdue squad.
56 players transferred out of the Boilermakers’ program. They literally lost their entire roster. New head coach Barry Odom is bringing in 53 new transfers. The bad thing for Purdue is that they have a quarterback competition. Nothing is set right now, and that means there isn’t stability. The Boilermakers could struggle this season, but that is fully expected.
The Huskies took a massive step backward in 2024. They barely finished with six wins, and the future doesn’t look much brighter. Starting quarterback Will Rogers is gone, along with leading wide receiver Giles Jackson.
Washington does return running back Jonah Coleman, who amassed 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. With that being said, the Huskies were kind of gutted in the transfer portal. They were -14 in the transfer portal with 32 departing and only 18 coming in. I think the quarterback situation is a mess, and it wouldn’t shock me to see Washington finish at the bottom of the Big Ten.