There were a few distinct tiers of Big Ten teams during the 2025 season.
Indiana became the third straight Big Ten team to win a national championship, finishing the season as the clear-cut best team in college football. Ohio State and Oregon were also among college football’s elite teams, joining the Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff and in the top five of the final AP poll.
Five other Big Ten teams finished the season with the same overall record, 9-4. Four more Big Ten teams finished the season with either seven or eight wins, meaning that two-thirds of the conference ended the year with winning records. Six Big Ten teams finished the year with losing records and did not go to bowl games.
With the 2025 season now complete, we take one last look at how all 18 Big Ten teams stacked up from best to worst in 2025, taking their entire body of work for the season into account – though College Football Playoff results carry extra weight, of course.
College Football Playoff Teams
1. Indiana (16-0, 10-0)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 1
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 | Postseason |
|---|---|---|
|
W, 27-14 vs. ODU
W, 56-9 vs. KENN
W, 73-0 vs. ISU
W, 63-10 vs. ILL
W, 20-15 vs. IOWA
W, 30-20 @ ORE
|
W, 38-13 @ MSU
W, 56-6 vs. UCLA
W, 55-10 vs. MD
W, 27-24 @ PSU
W, 31-7 vs. WISC
W, 56-3 @ PUR
|
W, 13-10 vs. OSU (B1G)
W, 38-3 vs. BAMA (CFP)
W, 56-22 vs. ORE (CFP)
W, 27-21 vs. MIAMI (NC)
|
While Indiana and Ohio State traded places atop our Big Ten Power Rankings during the regular season, the postseason left no doubt that Indiana was not only the best team in the Big Ten but the best team in the entire country.
The Hoosiers defeated every opponent they played across 16 games, including three total wins – two in the postseason – against the Big Ten’s other two College Football Playoff teams. Dominant in all facets of the game, Indiana finished the season in the top three of the FBS in both scoring offense and scoring defense, beating their opponents by an average of 29.9 points per game over the course of the year.
Indiana’s first-ever national championship season wasn’t just a great story; it was, without any need for qualification, one of the greatest seasons in college football history. As a result, the Hoosiers will enter 2026 firmly established as one of college football’s powerhouses despite being a Big Ten cellar-dweller for most of their history.
2. Oregon (13-2, 8-1)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 3
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 | Postseason |
|---|---|---|
|
W, 59-13 vs. MONT ST
W, 69-3 vs. OKLA ST
W, 34-14 @ NW
W, 41-7 vs. ORE ST
W, 30-24 (2OT) @ PSU
L, 20-30 vs. IND
|
W, 56-10 @ RUTG
W, 21-7 vs. WISC
W, 18-16 @ IOWA
W, 42-13 vs. MINN
W, 42-27 vs. USC
W, 26-14 @ WASH
|
W, 51-34 vs. JMU (CFP)
W, 23-0 vs. TTU (CFP)
L, 22-56 vs. IND (CFP)
|
Oregon’s season ended ugly with its 34-point loss to Indiana in the CFP semifinals, but the Ducks still had one of the best seasons of any team in the country.
Their only two losses came against the eventual national champion. They won two CFP games, including a shutout of Texas Tech, who had averaged more than 42 points per game entering the playoff. They also beat two of the Big Ten’s top five teams, USC and Iowa, during the regular season.
Ohio State was more competitive against Indiana than Oregon, leaving an argument for the Buckeyes to remain ranked ahead of the Ducks. But the Ducks’ rout of the Red Raiders in the same round Ohio State lost to Miami ultimately propels Oregon into the No. 2 spot to finish the season.
3. Ohio State (12-2, 9-1)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 2
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 | Postseason |
|---|---|---|
|
W, 14-7 vs. TEXAS
W, 70-0 vs. GRAM
W, 37-9 vs. OHIO
W, 24-6 @ WASH
W, 42-3 vs. MINN
W, 34-16 @ ILL
|
W, 34-0 @ WISC
W, 38-14 vs. PSU
W, 34-10 @ PUR
W, 48-10 vs. UCLA
W, 42-9 vs. RUTG
W, 27-9 @ MICH
|
L, 10-13 vs. IND (B1G)
L, 14-24 vs. MIAMI (CFP)
|
Ohio State dominated its competition during the regular season, winning its final 11 games of the regular season by 18 or more points, but scored just 24 combined points in its two postseason losses to end the year.
Given that Ohio State’s two losses were to the two teams that played for the national championship, the Buckeyes were still arguably the third-best team in college football in 2025. They had the best defense in the country, leading the nation with only 9.3 points and 219.1 yards allowed per game, the best marks by any FBS team since Alabama in 2011.
But the Buckeyes also played a forgiving regular-season schedule in which they didn’t play a single team that went on to make the CFP. While they had signature wins to bookend the regular season against Texas and Michigan, they didn’t have any wins as impressive as Oregon’s CFP win over Texas Tech, while the Ducks also beat two Big Ten teams that finished the season ranked higher than anyone Ohio State beat in conference play.
As such, Ohio State had only the third-best season among Big Ten teams in 2025 despite tying for first in the regular-season standings.
The Nine-Win Club
4. USC (9-4, 7-2)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 4
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 | Postseason |
|---|---|---|
|
W, 73-13 vs MO ST
W, 59-20 vs GA SO
W, 33-17 @ PUR
W, 45-31 vs MSU
L, 32-34 @ ILL
W, 31-13 vs MICH
|
L, 24-34 @ ND
W, 21-17 @ NEB
W, 38-17 vs NW
W, 26-21 vs IOWA
L, 27-42 @ ORE
W, 29-10 vs UCLA
|
L, 27-30 (OT) vs TCU (Bowl)
|
2025 was another disappointing season for Lincoln Riley’s program as USC finished with single-digit wins for a third straight year. The Trojans lost by multiple scores to the two best teams they played, Oregon and Notre Dame, while also losing to two teams they should’ve beaten in Illinois and TCU. The latter loss came in the Alamo Bowl, where the Trojans lost in overtime after blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead.
That said, USC still finishes fourth in the final Big Ten Power Rankings of the year because of its head-to-head wins over Iowa and Michigan. Of the five Big Ten teams that finished the season with nine wins, USC was the only one that beat two of the others.
5. Iowa (9-4, 6-3)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 6
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 | Postseason |
|---|---|---|
|
W, 34-7 vs UALBANY
L, 13-16 @ ISU
W, 47-7 vs UMASS
W, 38-28 @ RUTG
L, 15-20 vs IND
W, 37-0 @ WISC
|
W, 25-24 vs PSU
W, 41-3 vs MINN
L, 16-18 vs ORE
L, 21-26 @ USC
W, 20-17 vs MSU
W, 40-16 @ NEB
|
W, 34-27 vs VANDY (Bowl)
|
Iowa earned the Big Ten’s biggest non-playoff win of bowl season by taking down Vanderbilt and Heisman Trophy runner-up Diego Pavia in the ReliaQuest Bowl. That win was better than any win Michigan earned this season, so the Hawkeyes leaped the Wolverines to finish in the top five of the 2025 Big Ten Power Rankings.
There’s still a feeling of what could have been for Iowa in 2025, as they lost to all of Indiana, Oregon and USC by five points or fewer. But the Hawkeyes didn’t allow anyone to blow them out, and their triumph over the Commodores – who were one of the first teams left out of the playoff after a 10-2 regular season – proved that they could win a big game to finish their season on a high note.
6. Michigan (9-4, 7-2)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 5
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 | Postseason |
|---|---|---|
|
W, 34-17 vs UNM
L, 13-24 @ OKLA
W, 63-3 vs CMU
W, 30-27 @ NEB
W, 24-10 vs WISC
L, 13-31 @ USC
|
W, 24-7 vs WASH
W, 31-20 @ MSU
W, 21-16 vs PUR
W, 24-22 @ NW
W, 45-20 @ MD
L, 9-27 vs OSU
|
L, 27-41 vs TEXAS (Bowl)
|
The 2025 season couldn’t have ended much worse than it did for Michigan. Less than two weeks after Ohio State blew the Wolverines out on their home field, Sherrone Moore got fired for an inappropriate relationship with a staffer (and subsequently arrested for entering her home without permission). The Wolverines finished their season by losing the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, giving up 41 points to the same Texas team that Ohio State held to seven points to begin the season.
While Michigan still finished the season with nine wins, it went 0-4 against ranked opponents, with all four of those losses coming by 11 or more points. The Wolverines won the games they were supposed to win, highlighted by a 17-point victory over Washington, but they didn’t record any signature victories in 2025.
7. Washington (9-4, 5-4)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 7
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 | Postseason |
|---|---|---|
|
W, 38-21 vs COLO ST
W, 70-10 vs UC DAVIS
W, 59-24 @ WASH ST
L, 6-24 vs OSU
W, 24-20 @ MD
W, 38-19 vs RUTG
|
L, 7-24 @ MICH
W, 42-25 vs ILL
L, 10-13 @ WISC
W, 49-13 vs PUR
W, 48-14 @ UCLA
L, 14-26 vs ORE
|
W, 38-10 vs BOISE ST (Bowl)
|
Like Michigan, Washington struggled against the best teams it played, falling by multiple scores against Ohio State, Oregon and the Wolverines. The Huskies also suffered a stunning loss at Wisconsin, which ultimately prevented them from a 10-win season.
Still, they finish seventh in the Big Ten Power Rankings because of their head-to-head win over Illinois and a strong finish to the year in the LA Bowl, where they blew out Boise State to earn their ninth victory of the season.
8. Illinois (9-4, 5-4)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 8
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 | Postseason |
|---|---|---|
|
W, 52-3 vs W. ILL
W, 45-19 @ DUKE
W, 38-0 vs W. MICH
L, 10-63 @ IND
W, 34-32 vs USC
W, 43-27 @ PUR
|
L, 16-34 vs OSU
L, 25-42 @ WASH
W, 35-13 vs RUTG
W, 24-6 vs MD
L, 10-27 @ WISC
W, 20-13 vs NW
|
W, 30-28 vs TENN (Bowl)
|
Illinois fell well short of the preseason expectation that it would be a CFP contender, suffering lopsided losses to not only Indiana and Ohio State but also Washington and Wisconsin.
That said, the Illini also earned several impressive wins. The Fighting Illini blew out eventual ACC champion Duke on the road, upset USC at home and finished the year by beating Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. The season-ending win secured Illinois’ second nine-win season in a row after 16 straight seasons with fewer than nine wins.
In its best moments, Illinois looked like a team that could have been as good as the fourth-best team in the Big Ten this season. The decisive head-to-head loss to Washington and subsequent loss to Wisconsin, however, keeps the Fighting Illini at the bottom of the nine-win teams tier.
Won More Than They Lost
9. Northwestern (7-6, 4-5)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 12
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 | Postseason |
|---|---|---|
|
L, 3-23 @ TULANE
W, 42-7 vs W. ILL
L, 14-34 vs ORE
W, 17-14 vs UCLA
W, 42-7 vs ULM
W, 22-21 @ PSU
|
W, 19-0 vs PUR
L, 21-28 @ NEB
L, 17-38 @ USC
L, 22-24 vs MICH
W, 38-35 vs MINN
L, 13-20 @ ILL
|
W, 34-7 vs CMU (Bowl)
|
Outside of Indiana, no team in the Big Ten exceeded expectations in 2025 more than Northwestern. Widely picked to be one of the two worst teams in the conference alongside Purdue entering the season, Northwestern secured its second winning season in three years under David Braun by blowing out Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
The Wildcats were ranked 12th in our pre-bowl Big Ten Power Rankings based largely on their head-to-head loss to Nebraska, but jumped the Cornhuskers after bowl season with Nebraska’s loss to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. That put Northwestern into a head-to-head comparison with Penn State and Minnesota; since the Wildcats beat both the Nittany Lions and the Golden Gophers, they climb to the top of this tier of teams and finish in the top half of the final Big Ten Power Rankings for the 2025 season.
10. Penn State (7-6, 3-6)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 10
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 | Postseason |
|---|---|---|
|
W, 46-11 vs NEVADA
W, 34-0 vs FIU
W, 52-6 vs VILLANOVA
L, 24-30 (2OT) vs ORE
L, 37-42 @ UCLA
L, 21-22 vs NW
|
L, 24-25 @ IOWA
L, 14-38 @ OSU
L, 24-27 vs IND
W, 28-10 @ MSU
W, 37-10 vs NEB
W, 40-36 @ RUTG
|
W, 22-10 vs CLEM (Bowl)
|
It was a season of streaks for Penn State. After blowing out three unintimidating opponents in non-conference play, the Nittany Lions lost their first six games of Big Ten play, resulting in James Franklin’s firing. But the Nittany Lions still finished the season with a winning record thanks to four straight wins to end the year, culminating with a 22-10 win over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Finishing the season in a non-playoff bowl game in a baseball stadium was a huge disappointment for both Penn State and Clemson, who were viewed as candidates to potentially square off in the national championship game entering the season. But the Nittany Lions and interim coach Terry Smith, who remains on staff as associate head coach and cornerbacks coach under new head coach Matt Campbell, deserve credit for bouncing back and finishing the season strong after their midseason collapse.
Penn State finished the season with the second-longest winning streak of any Big Ten team behind only Indiana, and the Nittany Lions finish the year in the top 10 of the Big Ten Power Rankings as a result.
11. Minnesota (8-5, 5-4)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 9
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 | Postseason |
|---|---|---|
|
W, 23-10 vs BUFF
W, 66-0 vs NW ST
L, 14-27 @ CAL
W, 31-28 vs RUTG
L, 3-42 @ OSU
W, 27-20 vs PUR
|
W, 24-6 vs NEB
L, 3-41 @ IOWA
W, 23-20 (OT) vs MSU
L, 13-42 @ ORE
L, 35-38 @ NW
W, 17-7 vs WISC
|
W, 20-17 (OT) vs NM (Bowl)
|
Minnesota finished the season with eight wins, but only two of those wins came against teams that finished the season with winning records (Nebraska and New Mexico). Minnesota’s Rate Bowl win over New Mexico was its only victory of the season away from home, and the Golden Gophers needed overtime to get past the Lobos.
The Golden Gophers were blown out by all of the three best teams that they played (Ohio State, Oregon and Iowa), while they also lost to a pair of seven-win teams in Northwestern and Cal. Because of all of those results, Minnesota finishes the season outside the top 10 of the Big Ten Power Rankings.
12. Nebraska (7-6, 4-5)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 11
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 | Postseason |
|---|---|---|
|
W, 20-17 vs CINN
W, 68-0 vs AKRON
W, 59-7 vs HCU
L, 27-30 vs MICH
W, 38-27 vs MSU
W, 34-31 @ MD
|
L, 6-24 @ MINN
W, 28-21 vs NW
L, 17-21 vs USC
W, 28-21 @ UCLA
L, 10-37 @ PSU
L, 16-40 vs IOWA
|
L, 22-44 vs UTAH (Bowl)
|
A season-opening win over Cincinnati proved to be the high point of the season for Nebraska, who went on to beat just one more team that finished the season with a winning record (Northwestern).
Things really went downhill for the Cornhuskers after starting quarterback Dylan Raiola – who’s since transferred to Oregon – suffered a season-ending injury in Nebraska’s first game of November against USC. After a seven-point win over a UCLA team that also ended its season in a freefall, Nebraska lost its final three games of the season by 73 combined points.
Nebraska has now gone nine straight seasons without winning more than seven games.
Lost More Than They Won
13. Wisconsin (4-8, 2-7)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 13
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 |
|---|---|
|
W, 17-0 vs MIA (OH)
W, 42-10 vs MTSU
L, 14-38 @ ALA
L, 10-27 vs MD
L, 10-24 @ MICH
L, 0-37 vs IOWA
|
L, 0-34 vs OSU
L, 7-21 @ ORE
W, 13-10 vs WASH
L, 7-31 @ IND
W, 27-10 vs ILL
L, 7-17 @ MINN
|
Like Penn State, Wisconsin had a stretch of six straight losses but finished strong in the final month of the season, earning upset wins over both Washington and Illinois.
Wisconsin was one of just five Big Ten teams to finish the season with multiple conference victories over teams that finished the season with nine or more wins, and only one of its losses (Maryland) came against a team that finished the season with fewer than eight wins. But with a gauntlet of a schedule that included four College Football Playoff teams and seven of the Big Ten’s top eight teams, plus one of the nation’s worst offenses, the Badgers were doomed for a losing season.
14. UCLA (3-9, 3-6)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 14
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 |
|---|---|
|
L, 10-43 vs UTAH
L, 23-30 @ UNLV
L, 10-35 vs UNM
L, 14-17 @ NW
W, 42-37 vs PSU
W, 38-13 @ MSU
|
W, 20-17 vs MD
L, 6-56 @ IND
L, 21-28 vs NEB
L, 10-48 @ OSU
L, 14-48 vs WASH
L, 10-29 @ USC
|
UCLA’s season took the opposite trajectory of Penn State’s.
After losing all of its first four games of the season, UCLA earned a stunning victory over the Nittany Lions, starting a three-game winning streak that made the Bruins a feel-good story. After that, however, UCLA finished the season on a five-game losing streak.
Like Wisconsin, UCLA’s schedule did it no favors. All but two of its opponents finished the season with winning records, including seven teams that won nine games or more. But its blowout losses to Indiana, Ohio State, Washington and USC down the stretch of the season cemented its place as one of the Big Ten’s bottom five teams for 2025.
15. Rutgers (5-7, 2-7)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 15
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 |
|---|---|
|
W, 34-31 vs OHIO
W, 45-17 vs MIAMI (OH)
W, 60-10 vs NORFOLK ST
L, 28-38 vs IOWA
L, 28-31 @ MINN
L, 19-38 @ WASH
|
L, 10-56 vs ORE
W, 27-24 @ PUR
L, 13-35 @ ILL
W, 35-20 vs MD
L, 9-42 @ OSU
L, 36-40 vs PSU
|
Rutgers went 0-7 in Big Ten play against teams who finished the season with winning records. Its only wins against Power 4 opponents came against the Big Ten’s two worst teams, while its only victories against teams who finished the season above .500 came against a pair of MAC schools, Ohio and Miami (Ohio) in the first two weeks of the season.
A porous defense doomed the Scarlet Knights as Rutgers yielded 7.6 yards per play, the worst average of any FBS defense in the last six years.
16. Michigan State (4-8, 1-8)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 16
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 |
|---|---|
|
W, 23-6 vs WMU
W, 42-40 (2OT) vs BC
W, 41-24 vs YSU
L, 31-45 @ USC
L, 27-38 @ NEB
L, 13-38 vs UCLA
|
L, 13-38 @ IND
L, 20-31 vs MICH
L, 20-23 (OT) @ MINN
L, 10-28 vs PSU
L, 17-20 @ IOWA
W, 38-28 vs MD
|
Michigan State’s only win in Big Ten play came in its season finale against Maryland, which didn’t win a single game in October or November. The Spartans’ only wins of 2025 against teams who finished the season with winning records came against a MAC team (Western Michigan) and an FCS school (Youngstown State).
Jonathan Smith was fired after the season as a result. Michigan State is now hoping former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald can bring the program back to relevance after four straight losing seasons.
17. Maryland (4-8, 1-8)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 17
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 |
|---|---|
|
W, 39-7 vs FAU
W, 20-9 vs NIU
W, 44-17 vs TOWSON
W, 27-10 @ WISC
L, 20-24 vs WASH
L, 31-34 vs NEB
|
L, 17-20 @ UCLA
L, 10-55 vs IND
L, 20-35 @ RUTG
L, 6-24 @ ILL
L, 20-45 vs MICH
L, 28-38 vs MSU
|
Maryland’s 2025 season fit the “September Terps” stereotype to a T as the Terrapins won their first four games of the season – all of which came against teams that finished the season .500 or worse – before losing all of their final eight games of the season, including defeats to two fellow cellar-dwellers in Michigan State and Rutgers.
A win over Wisconsin in its Big Ten opener was the only thing that kept Maryland from finishing at the bottom of the Big Ten Power Rankings.
18. Purdue (2-10, 0-9)
Pre-Bowl Rank: 18
| Games 1-6 | Games 7-12 |
|---|---|
|
W, 31-0 vs BALL ST
W, 34-17 vs SIU
L, 17-33 vs USC
L, 30-56 @ ND
L, 27-43 vs ILL
L, 20-27 @ MINN
|
L, 0-19 @ NW
L, 24-27 vs RUTG
L, 16-21 @ MICH
L, 10-34 vs OSU
L, 13-49 @ WASH
L, 3-56 vs IND
|
Purdue was the only Big Ten team to go winless in conference play for the second year in a row.
After earning its only wins of the season against a MAC school and an FCS school, Purdue lost its final 10 games of the season, including seven losses by 16 or more points.
