Which teams are on top as college football season is on the horizon?
It’s hard to believe that there will be college football in two months! TWO MONTHS! With that, it’s time for some spring Big Ten Football power rankings as we approach the start of the 2025 season.
No. 1: Ohio State
This is a no-brainer. Ohio State isn’t just the best team in the Big Ten, but the best team in the country. After winning the 2024 National Championship, the Buckeyes are the team to beat. They’re bringing in a top-five recruiting class this season. Jeremiah Smith may be the best wide receiver in Ohio State history, and that says a lot considering the legacy of Ohio State receivers and Smith entering his sophomore season. On the defensive side of the ball, Caleb Downs is arguably the best defender in the nation. While it is to be seen whether or not Julian Sayin can be the quarterback to bring the Buckeyes back to the promised land, there’s no other team that can be slotted ahead of Ohio State right now.
No. 2: Penn State
After losing to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals, many players on Penn State decided to come back for one more run. Yes, Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren did go in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but quarterback Drew Allar, along with running back duo Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, are playing in 2025 for the Nittany Lions. Overall, Penn State is returning 76% of its 2024 offensive production. Last season, Penn State thrived most when its ground game was doing the bulk of the work. The question for this next season is simple: Who will catch passes from Drew Allar? Kyron Hudson and Trebor Pena come in from the transfer portal looking to answer that question. On defense, while Abdul Carter is no longer wearing the sticks, Nittany Lion legend LaVar Arrington’s son, LaVar Arrington II, is taking the coveted No. 11 and will look to make an impact right away.
No. 3: Oregon
Despite going undefeated in the regular season, winning the Big Ten Championship and earning the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoffs, Oregon was embarrassed by Ohio State in the second round as the Buckeyes were on cruise control to a National Championship. The Ducks had 10 players from their 2024 squad drafted to the NFL, including quarterback Dillon Gabriel. However, Dan Lanning proved last year that Oregon can compete in the Big Ten. This year, it will be under the command of quarterback Dante Moore, who showed flashes two years ago as a true freshman at UCLA. The Ducks had a top-five transfer portal class this offseason with key additions including Dillon Thieneman, Makhi Hughes, Malik Benson and more. To go along with that, they had a top-five recruiting class as well.
No. 4: Michigan
Overall, 2024 wasn’t a good season for Michigan. The post-National Championship hangover really hit the Wolverines hard. They did, however, manage to beat Ohio State in upset fashion: the fourth year in a row Michigan has won “The Game.” The Wolverines enter 2025 with a revamped roster. Justice Haynes is slotted to be the guy at running back and Mikey Keene is looking to be the quarterback that Michigan needs. Or it could be No. 1 ranked quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class, Bryce Underwood. The football pedigree bleeds Maize and Blue in Ann Arbor, and the Wolverines are looking to bounce back in a big way.
No. 5: Illinois
Having Illinois at No. 5 is a testament to what Brett Bielema has done with this football team. The transfer and recruiting classes weren’t super flashy, but the Fighting Illini have returned 75% of their production (fourth highest in the country). Quarterback Luke Altmyer is coming off his best career season and Aidan Laughery is back to control the ground game. Losing its top two receivers, Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin, is definitely a blow to this team, but Illinois is set up for another year of success with Altmyer under center.
No. 6: Indiana
Curt Cignetti has turned this program around in just a season. After years of being a bottom-feeder in the Big Ten, Indiana football has arrived. The Hoosiers only lost two games a season ago: Ohio State in the regular season (won the National Championship) and Notre Dame in the playoffs (lost in the National Championship). Indiana’s roster going into 2025 may be even better than last season’s. Fernando Mendoza is the new quarterback in town. At Cal last season, the sophomore threw for 3,004 yards. He gets to team up with one of the top projected receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft, Elijah Sarratt. Also joining Indiana on offense is Roman Hemby from Maryland to control the run game for the Hoosiers. It’s strange to have Indiana this high, but the ranking for the Hoosiers is well deserved (and could be even higher).
No. 7: Iowa
I really wanted to put Iowa at No. 5 (maybe even No. 4). I have the Hawkeyes here at No. 7, though, to try and put all bias aside. There’s no question Kaleb Johnson being drafted leaves a gaping hole at running back for Iowa, but Kamari Moulton now gets to take over the backfield after rushing for 473 yards in his redshirt-freshman campaign. Also, Iowa will always do Iowa things and be a team that prides itself on defensive identity. Bryce Hawthorne is a huge get for the Hawkeyes from South Dakota State, as his potential is through the roof. The biggest selling point for this team in 2025 is the fact that a legit, proven quarterback will be under center: South Dakota State’s Mark Gronowski. Across his past three seasons (2022-2024), Gronowski has completed just under 65% of his passes, thrown for 8,746 yards, including over 3,000 yards in 2023, thrown 78 touchdown passes to only 12 interceptions and rushed for 1,190 yards to go along with 30 rushing touchdowns. To add the cherry on top, in both 2022 and 2023, the Jackrabbits won the FCS National Championship with Gronowski at the helm. In 2024, they would fall to the eventual FCS National Champions, the North Dakota State Bisons, in the semifinals. Gronowski is bringing his championship experience alongside his arm talent and rushing ability to Iowa with the goal of changing how this offense is viewed by the college football world.
No. 8: USC
Despite a good-looking roster on paper, this team is hard to rank because the product on the field didn’t match what was expected. USC did lose a lot of impactful players to the transfer portal, including Miller Moss, Bear Alexander, Duce Robinson and Zachariah Branch. The Trojans were still able to bring in some talent, especially in their recruiting class which ranks 13th in the country on 247Sports. Jayden Maiava is still in the USC quarterback room and is joined by five-star Husan Longstreet. The Trojans are returning their top two pass catches from a season ago as well: Ja’Kobi Lane and Makai Lemon. Many of USC’s top defensive players went to the NFL, but defensive back Kamari Ramsey is back playing in LA. The roster looks pretty good, but the production needs to meet the on-paper talent in a tough conference.
No. 9: Nebraska
Nebraska football may be officially back. Dylan Raiola is entering year two, and Matt Rhule is looking to make waves in the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers did lose a few edge rushers in the transfer portal, along with Ty Robinson being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, but bringing in Williams Nwaneri from Missouri is a big get. Dane Key, coming in from Kentucky, will likely become Raiola’s top target in 2025 after catching 47 passes for 715 yards with the Wildcats a season ago. Running back Emmett Johnson also returns for the ‘Huskers along with a beefed-up offensive line highlighted by the addition of Alabama’s Elijah Pritchett. Nebraska is in a good position to possibly make some noise in the Big Ten this season if Raiola can take that next step.
No. 10: Wisconsin
Another year, another transfer quarterback in for the Badgers. A year after bringing in Tyler Van Dyke (and then him getting injured and missing most of the season), Wisconsin has brought in a new signal caller: Maryland’s Billy Edwards Jr. For the Terrapins, Edwards Jr. threw for 2,881 yards. Wisconsin’s leading receiver from 2024, Vinny Anthony II, is back after a 672-yard season. The Badgers also return their second and third leading rushers: Darrion Dupree and Cade Yacamelli. All-in-all, Wisconsin is returning 67% of its production from a season ago, with more of that return coming on defense. The Badgers do have a tough schedule coming in 2025, though.
No. 11: Washington
I could see this team surprising people. Washington’s first year in the Big Ten didn’t see anywhere near the same success as the year before. However, the Huskies are in a solid position going into 2025. It starts with many new recruits coming out of high school, highlighted by linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale. In the transfer portal, despite losing a few guys, Washington picked up a lot of players who will contribute right away. Headlining this group is cornerback Tacario Davis from Arizona. Demond Williams Jr. is returning at quarterback after an impressive five-touchdown performance in the Sun Bowl to cap off his limited appearances in his freshman season. Also returning is 1,000-yard rusher Jonah Coleman and the Huskies’ second-leading receiver from a year ago, Denzel Boston. This team is in a good spot, and if Williams Jr. can really be that guy, Washington could find itself near the top of the Big Ten.
No. 12: Minnesota
Minnesota is set up to be a run-heavy offense in 2025. Running back Darius Taylor returns after rushing for just under 1,000 yards, plus A.J. Turner comes in from Marshall to join him after rushing for 864 yards in 2024. On defense, second-leading tackler Maverick Baranowski is back for the Golden Gophers along with 2024 Freshman All-American defensive back Koi Perich. The biggest question mark for Minnesota will be at quarterback. Right now, it seems to be Drake Lindsey who will be under center. The now redshirt freshman only threw five passes in 2024. Lindsey will likely be the guy for the Gophers in 2025, and if he can shine, this team can exceed expectations.
No. 13: Rutgers
Rutgers returned 71% of last year’s production for 2025. A majority of this is on offense: the Scarlet Knights are returning 81% of last year’s offense, which is the third highest in the country. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis is back after an alright 2024 campaign. Second-leading receiver Ian Strong is also back for the Scarlet Knights after a pretty solid sophomore season. However, Rutgers lost its star running back Kyle Monangai as he was drafted in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Monangai rushed for over 1,200 yards in 2024, and replacing that production will be tough. A finish towards the middle of the Big Ten seems almost guaranteed for this team, but as always, there are no guarantees for any team.
No. 14: UCLA
This one is extremely interesting. UCLA wasn’t very good last season and isn’t returning much production (under 50%). However, Nico Iamaleava transferred in from Tennessee to take over the reins at the quarterback position for the Bruins. In his first year as a starter, Iamaleava didn’t completely live up to all the hype, but still had a solid season. UCLA’s success will depend a lot on how Iamaleava plays in Los Angeles. Yes, the defense still needs to do its part, but Iamaleava has all eyes on him.
No. 15: Michigan State
Michigan State did do pretty well in the transfer portal. Pair this with returning 66% of last year’s squad, and the future could seem bright. Nick Marsh had a solid freshman season and is back for year two to lead the wide receiver room. Tight end Jack Velling is also back after a 400-yard season. Lastly on offense, quarterback Aidan Chiles is going into his second year as a starter for the Spartans after a very up-and-down 2024 season. Michigan State’s third and sixth leading tacklers, defensive backs Nikai Martinez and Malik Spencer, are also back for 2025 as staples in the Spartans’ secondary. All in all, this team is alright and has some bright spots, but competing in this conference is tough.
No. 16: Northwestern
I do feel very bullish about this Northwestern team headed into the 2025 season, but the rest of the conference is just that good. A tough schedule for the Wildcats awaits, but this is one of the best quarterback situations Northwestern has ever had. Preston Stone, if not for the breakout of Kevin Jennings, could have led SMU to the playoffs. Pair Stone with receiver Griffin Wilde from South Dakota State, who had over 1,000 yards last season and 12 touchdowns, and this offense could truly go to new heights. The defense did lose a good amount of talent and the receiving corps is definitely different this season, but there is definitely room for optimism. Anto Saka will get a full-time starter role and could end up being one of the best pass rushers in all of the Big Ten. If the ‘Cats were in a non-power conference, it wouldn’t be crazy to say that this roster could win a conference championship.
No. 17: Maryland
Maryland only won a single Big Ten conference game in 2024. The Terrapins do have a solid 2025 recruiting class coming in, though, headlined by quarterback Malik Washington. Either he will get the starting job or it will be UCLA transfer Justyn Martin, who has only started one game in his career. Returning only 42% of the roster after an abysmal season makes sense, but there are still many unknowns about how the talent on the roster now will transfer onto the field in the Big Ten.
No. 18: Purdue
There’s no surprise that Purdue is at the bottom of this list. After a 1-11 season, the Boilermakers cleaned house. New head coach Barry Odom comes from UNLV, where he led the Rebels to back-to-back Mountain West Championship game appearances. Some of his former players followed him to West Lafayette through the transfer portal, including cornerback Tony Grimes. Purdue has had 54 players transfer in for 2025, the most in the country. The Boilermakers did lose their top talent to the transfer portal. Dillon Thieneman, Max Klare and Will Heldt are just a few of the big names that went to better football schools. However, Ryan Browne is now back at Purdue after transferring to UNC. Browne threw a pass in eight games for the Boilermakers last season, but only had two starts. One of his starts was an overtime loss to Illinois in which he threw three touchdown passes and had Purdue the closest to winning a game since its Week 1 victory.