The Big Ten has won the national championship for two straight seasons and become a dominant force in the College Football Playoff. That’s something that the conference would love to find a way to replicate in 2025, and it does seem like there’s a good shot another Big Ten team wins it all.
Ahead of that, however, Big Ten teams are going to need to focus on the regular season. That’s still a few weeks away. However, it is rapidly approaching. With that, USA Today has released its preseason Big Ten football rankings.
USA Today didn’t share any specific methodology to land on these rankings. Rather, they’re based on individual analysis of the various teams in the league, looking to what they’re capable of accomplishing this season. Here’s what those rankings look like.
The Penn State Nittany Lions made the College Football Playoff semifinal last season, falling just short of making the national championship game. Then, head coach James Franklin was largely able to return key players from last year’s team to the 2025 team. That includes the entire backfield, making the Nittany Lions a major threat in the Big Ten.
If there is a major question for Penn State next season, it’s their pass-catching options. Tight end Tyler Warren is in the NFL now. He was by far the team’s leader in receiving last year. Now, he needs to be replaced alongside a major transfer portal flip of the wide receivers. USA Today cited Trebor Pena, who had 84 receptions for 941 yards last season, as being particularly important.
It was a wild ride in 2024 for Ohio State, with rumors Ryan Day might be on the hot seat after losing to Michigan again. Then, the Buckeyes made the CFP, went on a run, and won the national championship. Those hot seat rumors are dead, and now the Buckeyes can turn their attention to replicating and building on that success moving forward.
The question, as it relates to Ohio State contending in the Big Ten, is how the Buckeyes handle turnover. In particular, only three defensive starters return while there’s going to be a new quarterback leading the offense. Ohio State always recruits well and develops talent well, but that isn’t easy to overcome.
The Oregon Ducks dominated the regular season in 2024. It was the program’s first season in the Big Ten, and they’d go unbeaten on their way to a conference championship. That earned the Ducks the top seed in the CFP, which ended in frustration as they quickly got knocked out by an Ohio State team they beat in the regular season.
Now, Dante Moore is set to take over at quarterback for Dillon Gabriel. How Oregon handles that change is going to go a long way in deciding what Oregon accomplishes in 2025. After spending 2024 as a backup with the program, the former five-star recruit does have a chance to break out and thrive in Eugene.
In 2023, the Michigan Wolverines were national champions. Then the entire roster and coaching staff flipped. That, perhaps unsurprisingly, made for an inconsistent 2024 season, which saw Michigan miss out on being a serious competitor in the Big Ten title race. Still, after finishing the season on a high note with several big wins, expectations are high again in 2025.
Michigan’s ability to compete comes down to their ability to find an answer at quarterback. The Wolverines brought in a veteran transfer in Mikey Keene and five-star true freshman Bryce Underwood. Between those two, the hope for Sherrone Moore is that the Wolverines can make a major splash.
The Illinois Fighting Illini have been rapidly rising among Big Ten teams. That’s coming off a 10-win season where Illinois won the Citrus Bowl. They’d be on the outside looking in at the Big Ten Championship and the CFP races, but the program has been taking some clear strides.
A key for Illinois is that they blend an experienced and proven successful coach in Bret Bielema with an experienced quarterback in Luke Altmyer. That connection is massive as they look to get competitive within the conference. If they can replicate last season’s success, there’s no reason not to consider Illinois a threat to make the College Football Playoff.
In 2024, for the first time since 2016, Nebraska made a bowl game. Now, head coach Matt Rhule is looking to build on that. Certainly, USA Today expects the Cornhuskers to take some strides moving forward, ranking them sixth in the Big Ten ahead of the start of play.
The key for Nebraska, like many schools, is going to be the quarterback position. As a freshman, Dylan Raiola flashed his talent, but was also inconsistent at times. If he becomes the star that his recruiting acumen projected him to be, then the Cornhuskers should take a major leap forward next season.
In recent years, Iowa has developed a reputation for elite defense and special teams. However, they’ve also developed a reputation for poor offenses. That’s always made Iowa a tough team, but has also kept the Hawkeyes just a bit outside looking in at the Big Ten Championship race. Still, they’ve won double-digit games every other season going back to 2019.
The Hawkeyes brought in transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski. He was a star at FCS South Dakota State. However, he has a new challenge with the step up in competition. Still, if he hits the ground running, Iowa could surprise some people.
The USC Trojans had a difficult season in 2024. Their 7-6 record in their first Big Ten season was below expectations for the program under head coach Lincoln Riley. So, next season, the Trojans are going to try and find a way to get competitive in the conference. Otherwise, there’s going to start to be some questions about the program.
Last season, when the defense gave up more than 24 points in a game, the offense couldn’t keep up. They were 0-6 in those games. Once again, Riley needs more out of his defense. However, he also needs to find consistent quarterback play. He’s been known as a guru of the position, but now needs to make the most out of what he has, led by Jayden Maiava at the position.
Nobody saw what Indiana was able to do in 2024 coming. In his first season leading the program, head coach Curt Cignetti led the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff. It was their first trip in program history. Now, the trick is figuring out if he can repeat that success in 2025.
USA Today clearly doesn’t expect Indiana to be quite at the level of a Playoff team, giving them the ninth ranking in the preseason Big Ten football rankings. There’s been a lot of roster turnover from last year’s team. That’s something that Cignetti has largely looked to address through the transfer portal.
In 2023, Washington played for the national championship. The Huskies then got thrown into turmoil. Head coach Kalen DeBoer left, being replaced by Jedd Fisch. The key offensive players from that team went to the NFL. Then, the program made the jump to the Big Ten. That led to a 6-7 season in 2024.
The dust has settled now. With that, it’s time for Washington to begin progressing as a team next season. A major part of that is going to be the play of second-year quarterback Demond Williams. Some new defensive players through the portal, namely cornerback Tacario Davis and edge rusher Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei from Arizona, could also help spark that side of the ball.
Remainder of USA Today’s preseason Big Ten football ranking
11. Minnesota Golden Gophers
12. Wisconsin Badgers
13. UCLA Bruins
14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
15. Michigan State Spartans
16. Northwestern Wildcats
17. Maryland Terrapins
18. Purdue Boilermakers
