College football can bring its fair share of chaos, but in a top-heavy 18-team Big Ten, there are a few teams that just have no chance of winning the conference title. The transfer portal, unbalanced schedules, and an expanded 12-team College Football Playoff have arguably given us more parity than ever in the sport, but that hasn’t helped these Big Ten bottom-feeders climb out of the basement.
There are only a few teams that are expected to compete for the Big Ten crown, and this year, Penn State is one of them. Luckily for the Nittany Lions and James Franklin, they have two of these teams with no chance to win the Big Ten as likely easy wins on the schedule. Here’s a look at the bottom tier of the conference that has produced the two most recent national champions.
For a full look at the conference, check out the post-spring transfer portal Big Ten football power rankings
Greg Schiano has returned Rutgers to respectability, but respectability might be the ceiling for this program. A Big Ten title certainly isn’t ever heading the Scarlet Knights’ way. Schiano’s starting quarterback, Athan Kaliakmanis, is returning, but his star running back, Kyle Monangai, left for the NFL, and Rutgers will be hard pressed to replace a player like him after his 1,200-yard, 13-touchdown season in 2024.
Last year’s starting quarterback, Billy Edwards Jr. left for Wisconsin, and his leading receivers, Tai Felton and Kaden Prather, both left for the NFL. Even with that level of talent in the passing game, the Terrapins ranked 86th in the country in offensive success rate last year as they slumped to a 4-8 record, and there aren’t many signs that things will turn around quickly under Mike Locksley.
Chicago’s Big Ten team shocked in David Braun’s first season, winning eight games after a 1-11 final season under Pat Fitzgerald, but that magic has since worn off. The Wildcats upgraded at quarterback with a SMU transfer, Preston Stone, but after going 4-8 last season, the Wildcats will be lucky to get to six wins and bowl eligibility in 2025.
Barry Odom has some serious work cut out for him in West Lafayette, but then again, he is the coach who turned UNLV into a winning program, so anything is possible, just not in Year 1. Purdue brought in 54 transfers after losing 56 players to the portal, and while that insane roster turnover may sound a little bit like Indiana last year, the Boilermakers will need more than one offseason to rebuild the roster that Ryan Walters left in shambles.