It's officially year two of an expanded Big Ten conference, coming after a first year that did not disappoint. The Big Ten cemented itself as arguably the best and deepest conference in college football last season, as Ohio State took home the national championship, Penn State was ever so close to making the title game, and Oregon was the No. 1 team in the nation for most of the season. Indiana even made a surprising appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Overall, the Big Ten saw five of its teams finish in the final top-25 rankings, while 12 of its 18 teams were bowl-eligible. Coming into this season, pundits are optimistic about the improvement of many Big Ten programs over the offseason, making the conference one of the toughest to call. With top-heavy powerhouses and a bevy of potential dark horses, let's try to predict how things will shape out heading into Week 1.
1. Penn State Nittany Lions
Last season: 13-3 (8-1 Big Ten)
Penn State is coming off a highly successful 2024 season, finishing the regular season as the sixth seed in the College Football Playoff and going on a postseason run that ended in a narrow loss in the Orange Bowl to Notre Dame in the CFP semifinal.
They return nine starters on offense and five on defense, which is arguably best in conference as far as roster continuity is concerned. Most notably, Drew Allar returns to the Nittanly Lions at quarterback -- and projects to be the best at the position in the Big Ten, perhaps even the entire nation.
Dynamic running back Nicholas Singleton also returns and will play behind one of college football's best offensive lines, creating a multi-faceted offensive attack that can easily contend for a National Championship.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
Last season: 14-2 (7-2 Big Ten)
The defending national champions are poised for a title defense this season, remaining one of the most talented teams in the nation. However, there has been quite a bit of overhaul in Columbus. As expected, many key contributors found themselves in the NFL Draft and several coaches departed for bigger opportunities elsewhere.
Still, it was inevitable that the Buckeyes would bring in one of the best transfer portal and recruiting classes to reinforce the troops. The main question mark is at quarterback, where former five-star recruit Julian Sayin will be a starter for the first time in his college career. Although he's supposed to be talented, he only has recorded 12 pass attempts at this level so far.
That being said, Sayin will be throwing to Jeremiah Smith, likely the best player in all of college football. Still only a sophomore, Smith eclipsed 1,300 receiving yards and caught 15 touchdowns last season. Expect him to have even more this season, leading the Buckeyes in a race for the top of the Big Ten.
3. Oregon Ducks
Last season: 13-1 (9-0 Big Ten)
Dan Lanning led one of the most unstoppable offenses in college football for Oregon last season. The Ducks seemed to be heavy favorites to win the natty for most of the season before being blown out by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. They even finally beat their rival Washington Huskies in a dominant, 49-21 fashion.
Oregon will see big changes in 2025, as they only return five starters on offense and defense combined, but that shouldn't matter with Manning at the helm and all the talent brought in via the transfer portal.
Dante Moore will finally get his shot as the clear starter at quarterback for the Ducks, and Tulane transfer Makhi Hughes can become the next in a long lineage of uber-talented Oregon running backs. Moore and Hughes will be protected by a very capable offensive line, as Oregon will once again look to finally win a national championship.