Michigan and Ohio State had combined for seven-straight Big Ten titles before the Oregon Ducks arrived through realignment and crashed the party last season. While an 18-team league can create more parity with unbalanced scheduling, expansion also removed divisions from the conference, which will make it even tougher for a mid-tier program to find its way to Indianapolis at the end of the season.
In the past, the Big Ten West champion would at least have a puncher's chance in the championship game against Ohio State, Michigan, or even Penn State (only in 2016), and only one of those three powerhouse programs could play for the title. Now, with the top two teams making the title game, things have gotten that much more difficult for the old Big Ten West programs.
Still, it doesn’t take a Big Ten Championship appearance, and as Indiana proved last year, if the schedule breaks right, a team you never expected can make a run at a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. These six teams don’t fit in the “Elite Tier” with Penn State, Ohio State, and Oregon, but heading into 2025, this group is the dark horse contenders who could make some noise in the Big Ten.
For a full look at the conference, check out the post-spring transfer portal Big Ten football power rankings.
The Bret Bielema era at Illinois has been a bit of a roller coaster across the first four seasons, but coming off a 10-win campaign, expectations are high for the Fighting Illini heading into 2025. Quarterback Luke Altmyer is one of the most proven returning starters in the country, and if he can navigate without his top two receivers from last season, Illinois could find itself in the mix for a spot in the CFP.
Year 3 is always the year that Matt Rhule completes a rebuild. At least, that’s when it happened at Temple and Baylor. Cornhuskers fans are hoping that trend holds this season. Rhule plugged holes on his defense in the transfer portal and did his best to support sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola with two talented transfer wide receivers: Nyziah Hunter from Cal and Dane Key from Kentucky.
Last season, Michigan was just a quarterback away from a more valiant national title defense. Now they have the quarterback, five-star freshman Bryce Underwood, but shed the rest of their national championship roster into the NFL with Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, and Colston Loveland all becoming first-round picks. Throw in a bizarre self-imposed suspension on Sherrone Moore for Weeks 3 and 4, and this could be another weird season in Ann Arbor.
Curt Cignetti’s rebuild was impressive, no doubt, but Indiana’s favorable schedule played a big role in the Hoosiers snagging a CFP bid. Yet, they have another favorable Big Ten slate this season, avoiding Ohio State and Michigan, made a big splash in the transfer portal at quarterback with Fernando Mendoza, and held onto three of their most important defensive contributors: Mikail Kamara, D’Angelo Ponds, and Aiden Fisher. If the Hoosiers are for real, they’ll prove it with an impressive encore.
The USC defense took a step forward in its first year under defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, but it wasn’t nearly good enough for the Trojans to compete in the Big Ten last season. Lincoln Riley made strides in the transfer portal to improve that unit, including the addition of former Penn State linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson. Riley’s offensive genius will keep the Trojans playing fun football, but until USC builds through the trenches, it won’t stand a chance of winning the Big Ten.