With the Big Ten season just days away from kickoff, here is a final breakdown of the conference power rankings.
The 2025 college football season has finally arrived. Saturday's Week 0 action included No. 22 Iowa State holding on to a narrow 24-21 win over No. 17 Kansas State, Stanford falling at Hawaii, UNLV hanging on to defeat Idaho State and Western Kentucky topping Phil Longo and Sam Houston State.
The runway is now clear for Week 1. Wisconsin will kick off against Miami (Ohio) as part of a crowded Thursday night slate. Other notable matchups include No. 25 Boise State at South Florida, Ohio at Rutgers, Buffalo at Minnesota and Nebraska at Cincinnati.
Those matchups, as well as Friday's schedule, feel like a warmup to the marquee game of the weekend: No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State. The potential national title preview will be the national audience's true introduction to the 2025 season.
So far this summer, we've ranked each individual facet of every Big Ten football team entering the year, including a breakdown of each program's coaching staff.
Position Previews: Overall Offenses -- Quarterbacks -- Running Backs -- Wide Receivers -- Tight Ends -- Offensive Lines -- Overall Defenses -- Defensive Lines -- Pass-Rushers -- Inside Linebackers -- Cornerbacks -- Safeties -- Secondaries -- Special Teams Units
Coaching Staff Previews: Head Coaches -- Offensive Coordinators -- Defensive Coordinators
With the Big Ten season just days away from kickoff, here is a final breakdown of the conference power rankings. At this time next week, we'll have on-field results to factor in.
18. Purdue Boilermakers
ESPN Football Power Index rank: No. 96
ESPN Football Power Index forecast: 2.9 - 9.1
Analysis: It will be hard for Purdue to be worse in 2025 than it was last season. New coach Barry Odom overhauled nearly the entire program, including a majority of the roster. That movement brought in between thirteen and fifteen new starters, which will contribute to Purdue operating like an entirely new program. While the program's arrow appears to be pointed positively, 2025 feels too early to predict a resurgence.
17. Northwestern Wildcats
ESPN FPI rank: No. 64
ESPN FPI forecast: 4.7 - 7.3
Analysis: Northwestern is in an interesting position entering 2025 after a 4-8 finish to the 2024 season. The team was one of college football's five worst offenses, largely due to poor quarterback play. SMU transfer Preston Stone should at least improve that facet. But the Wildcats will need to show significant growth around that position if they are to return to the form they flashed under David Braun in 2023. I'd pick against that happening.
16. Maryland Terrapins
ESPN FPI rank: No. 61
ESPN FPI forecast: 5.4 - 6.6
Analysis: Maryland appears to be teetering entering 2025. The team went 4-8 a season ago, then saw its standout quarterback, Billy Edwards Jr., transfer to Wisconsin. Head coach Mike Locksley overhauled his coaching staff, hiring two veteran assistants with NFL experience. That move signals his desperation; he knows that his program must show results this season. I'll bet on that desperation bringing the team to five wins.
15. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
ESPN FPI rank: No. 42
ESPN FPI forecast: 6.4 - 5.6
Analysis: Rutgers is establishing a solid floor under Greg Schiano, with bowl appearances in back-to-back years. The program's 2025 season will be about replacing standouts, specifically in the defensive secondary and at running back (Kyle Monangai). The team doesn't have quite the easy schedule that it's had in each of the last two seasons. With that as a major factor, I'd bet on the streak of bowl appearances taking a brief pause.
14. Michigan State Spartans
ESPN FPI rank: No. 59
ESPN FPI forecast: 4.8 - 7.2
Analysis: Michigan State has as much pressure to perform in 2025 as any middle-tier Big Ten team. The Spartans disappointed in year one under Jonathan Smith, finishing 5-7 and missing a bowl game. Smith is known as a program builder, where progress is clear each season. A bowl game should be the floor for this team.
Get more (Michigan State) news, analysis and opinions on Spartans Wire
13. UCLA Bruins
ESPN FPI rank: No. 51
ESPN FPI forecast: 5.2 - 6.8
Analysis: I'm much higher on UCLA than the consensus. The team showed real progress as last season continued. While it missed a bowl game, it was competitive against some of the nation's best teams. 2025 should see that progress at least continue, if not accelerate. The play of Tennessee transfer QB Nico Iamaleava is a key variable.
Get more (UCLA) news, analysis and opinions on UCLA Wire
12. Indiana Hoosiers
ESPN FPI rank: No. 26
ESPN FPI forecast: 8.1 - 4.0
Analysis: This ranking isn't taking anything away from Indiana's incredible College Football Playoff run last season. While the program should still be a bowl team in 2025, a repeat performance is too much to ask. We've seen this story countless times: a Cinderella team returns the following season with many expecting it to maintain its play, though a slight regression follows. Indiana is far more likely to go 7-5 than 9-3/10-2.
11. Wisconsin Badgers
ESPN FPI rank: No. 40
ESPN FPI forecast: 5.6 - 6.4
Analysis: Wisconsin's place entering the 2025 season has been outlined at length. The team is likely to be much better than the one that finished last year at 5-7 and broke a 23-year bowl streak. However, it has by far the toughest schedule in the nation. The Badgers would need to play like a national contender for them to threaten eight or nine wins. That noted, this power ranking factors in team quality as much as win-loss projection.
10. Nebraska Cornhuskers
ESPN FPI rank: No. 29
ESPN FPI forecast: 7.4 - 4.6
Analysis: It's long past time to enter 'I'll believe it when I see it' mode with Nebraska. Many highlighted 2024 as the breakthrough year, with Matt Rhule entering his second season at the helm and the team welcoming five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola. A 1-5 finish to the regular season ensured that wasn't the case. While the Cornhuskers enter 2025 with similar expectations, this will not be the outlet that accurately predicts the year they break through to the playoff.
Get more (Nebraska) news, analysis and opinions on Cornhuskers Wire
9. Minnesota Golden Gophers
ESPN FPI rank: No. 44
ESPN FPI forecast: 6.9 - 5.2
Analysis: Minnesota is an under-the-radar contender entering 2025. Its fate will rest on the arm of redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey. Around him, the Gophers should again have one of the Big Ten's better defenses, led by one of the conference's best individual players in Koi Perich. P.J. Fleck has established Minnesota as one of the conference's more consistent winners. The bigger question is, will a 2019-type breakthrough ever happen?
8. USC Trojans
ESPN FPI rank: No. 14
ESPN FPI forecast: 8.7 - 3.5
Analysis: USC has to prove it can win consistently in the Big Ten before we turn the team's expectations to national contention. That means surviving road trips against teams like Michigan, Minnesota, and even Maryland, which it didn't do last season. Lincoln Riley has the talent base and recruiting success to warrant significant job security. His placement among the conference's head coaches has more to do with expectations. Can Riley hold the title of elite coach if USC struggles again in conference play?
Get more (USC) news, analysis and opinions on Trojans Wire
7. Iowa Hawkeyes
ESPN FPI rank: No. 30
ESPN FPI forecast: 6.6 - 5.4
Analysis: Iowa should be Iowa again this season. While the team may take a step back on defense and at running back after program greats left for the NFL, transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski may give the team the passing game it's lacked for at least a half-decade. The Hawkeyes should pencil in for another eight-win season.
Get more (Iowa) news, analysis and opinions on Hawkeyes Wire
6. Illinois Fighting Illini
ESPN FPI rank: No. 37
ESPN FPI forecast: 7.0 - 5.0
Analysis: Illinois is well-positioned for another terrific season, thanks in part to the conference's easiest schedule. Bret Bielema's team is the best candidate to replicate what Indiana did a season ago. That is, sneak into the playoff by excelling against a favorable draw. It's worth noting that these rankings also heavily weight team quality, however. While Illinois is a strong pick to win eight or nine games, the team doesn't project as one of the conference's best teams.
5. Washington Huskies
ESPN FPI rank: No. 33
ESPN FPI forecast: 7.0 - 5.0
Analysis: Washington is our breakthrough pick for the 2025 season. The team fared well under challenging circumstances in 2024, after head coach Kalen DeBoer left for the Alabama opening deep into the transfer window. New coach Jedd Fisch had a full offseason to make necessary roster improvements this time around. If sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. lives up to his potential, Washington could threaten the playoff.
Get more (Washington) news, analysis and opinions on Huskies Wire
4. Michigan Wolverines
ESPN FPI rank: No. 15
ESPN FPI forecast: 8.8 - 3.4
Analysis: Michigan's floor should be eight wins. Its ceiling will be defined by the play of five-star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, who is set to captain a passing game that was one of the nation's worst in 2024. The Wolverines will be a scary playoff contender if Underwood immediately realizes his potential.
Get more (Michigan) news, analysis and opinions on Wolverines Wire
3. Oregon Ducks
ESPN FPI rank: No. 7
ESPN FPI forecast: 9.4 - 2.9
Analysis: 2025 will be a test of program strength for Oregon. The team lost most of its production after a terrific 2024 campaign. Head coach Dan Lanning has another group of blue-chip players set to take over. But will that group be good enough to carry similar success into 2025? The team is a good bet to take a slight step backward while still contending for a playoff berth.
Get more (Oregon) news, analysis and opinions on Ducks Wire
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
ESPN FPI rank: No. 4
ESPN FPI forecast: 10.0 - 2.5
Analysis: Ohio State is in a similar position to Oregon, needing to turn over a starting lineup after a national title run in 2024. The Buckeyes have shown an ability to succeed despite that turnover. They also have arguably the two best individual players in the sport in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs. The Buckeyes should return to the Big Ten title game for the first time since 2020.
Get more (Ohio State) news, analysis and opinions on Buckeyes Wire
1. Penn State Nittany Lions
ESPN FPI rank: No. 5
ESPN FPI forecast: 10.3 - 2.2
Analysis: Penn State might have the conference's best quarterback, running back and offensive line. Its defense isn't too bad either. Head coach James Franklin may never have a better shot at a national title than he has entering 2025. While that goal elevates further than our focus on the Big Ten landscape, it informs this No. 1 position.
Get more (Penn State) news, analysis and opinions on Nittany Lions Wire
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Big Ten Power Rankings entering Week 1 of 2025 football season
Category: General Sports
