The 2025 Big Ten Conference football season is the 130th season of college football play for the Big Ten Conference and part of the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. This is the Big Ten's second season with 18 teams and its second season since 2010 with a non-divisional scheduling format.
The end of the season saw the Indiana Hoosiers win their first ever national championship in football, while also delivering the Big Ten its third consecutive national championship.
Coaching changes The Big Ten saw one head coaching change for the 2025 season.
On December 1, 2024, Purdue announced it was parting ways with head coach Ryan Walters after going 5–19 in two seasons, including 1–11 in 2024.
One week later, on December 8, 2024, Purdue announced the hiring of Barry Odom as the next head coach, having spent the previous season coaching at UNLV.
Three weeks into the 2025 season, UCLA fired DeShaun Foster after an 0–3 start for the Bruins. Tim Skipper will serve as interim coach for the remainder of the season.
On October 12, 2025, following the week 7 games, Penn State announced that they had fired James Franklin after three consecutive losses to Oregon, UCLA, and Northwestern. Terry Smith was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Penn State would later hire Iowa State coach Matt Campbell as the permanent successor in Happy Valley.
Following the season, Michigan parted ways with Sherrone Moore and replaced him with former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. Michigan State dismissed Jonathan Smith and hired former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald to take the reins for the Spartans.
Finally, UCLA filled its coaching vacancy with the hiring of James Madison coach Bob Chesney.
Preseason
Recruiting classes + Rankings Team Rivals Scout & 24/7On3 Recruits Signees Illinois 11 12 12 22 Indiana 13 14 16 23 Iowa 15 11 11 16 Maryland 9 8 10 21 Michigan 3 3 3 24 Michigan State 14 16 14 18 Minnesota 16 15 15 22 Nebraska 6 6 6 20 Northwestern 16 17 17 20 Ohio State 1 1 2 26 Oregon 2 2 1 20 Penn State 5 5 4 27 Purdue 18 18 18 14 Rutgers 10 10 9 27 UCLA 12 13 13 19 USC 4 4 5 24 Washington 8 7 7 28 Wisconsin 7 9 8 23
Big Ten Media Days July 22–24, 2025 – Media Days, Las Vegas (Mandalay Bay) Preseason Media Poll The annual Cleveland.com Preseason Big Ten Media Poll.
1 Penn State 435 (11) 2 Ohio State 431 (10) 3 Oregon 405 (2) 4 Illinois 353 5 Michigan 346 (1) 6 Indiana 305 7 Iowa 287 8 Nebraska 277 9 USC 269 10 Washington 216 11 Minnesota 192 12 Wisconsin 159 T-13 Michigan State 135 T-13 Rutgers 135 15 UCLA 134 16 Maryland 91 17 Northwestern 65 18 Purdue 39
Predicted Big Ten Champion 1 Ohio State 13 2 Penn State 12
Preseason Player of the Year
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year 1 Jeremiah Smith WR Ohio State 66 (21) 2 Drew Allar QB Penn State 38 (4) 3 Nicholas Singleton RB 15 4 Makhi Hughes RB Oregon 5 5 Kaytron Allen RB Penn State 4 6 Luke Altmyer QB Illinois 3 T-7 Dante Moore QB Oregon 2 T-7 Mark Gronowski QB Iowa 2 T-7 Elijah Sarratt WR Indiana 2 T-7 Julian Sayin QB Ohio State 2 T-7 Justice Haynes RB Michigan 2 T-12 Logan Jones C Iowa 1 T-12 Denzel Boston WR Washington 1 T-12 Fernando Mendoza QB Indiana 1 T-12 Jonah Coleman RB Washington 1 T-12 Nico Iamaleava QB UCLA 1
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year 1 Caleb Downs S Ohio State 72 (22) 2 Dani Dennis-Sutton DE Penn State 17 (1) 3 Dillon Thieneman S Oregon 15 (1) 4 Matayo Uiagalelei DE 14 5 Mikail Kamara DE Indiana 12 (2) 6 Gabe Jacas LB Illinois 8 7 Koi Perich S Minnesota 5 8 Sonny Styles LB Ohio State 4 T-9 Zane Durant DT Penn State 2 T-9 Jaishawn Barham LB Michigan 2 T-11 Aiden Fisher LB Indiana 1 T-11 Ernest Hausmann LB Michigan 1
Preseason Coach of the Year 1 James Franklin Penn State 10 2 Bret Bielema Illinois 9 3 Ryan Day Ohio State 3 4 Sherrone Moore Michigan 2 5 Dan Lanning Oregon 1
All-American Teams PlayerDrew Allar 1st team Kaytron Allen 2nd team 2nd team 1st team 2nd teamBryce Boettcher 3rd team Denzel Boston 4th team Caden Chittenden 2nd team Jonah Coleman 3rd team Rhys Dakin 2nd team Nick Dawkins 2nd team Ryan Day (Coach) 2nd team Dani Dennis-Sutton 2nd team Caleb Downs 1st team 1st team 1st team Team 1st team 1st team Team 1st team 1st team 1st teamGennings Dunker 3rd team 2nd team Zane Durant 1st team 3rd team 1st team 1st team Team 2nd team 1st team 1st teamRyan Eckley 2nd team 4th team 2nd team 1st team 2nd team Aiden Fisher 2nd team 3rd team 1st team 2nd teamA.J. Harris 4th team Makhi Hughes 2nd team 2nd team 2nd team 2nd team 2nd team 2nd team 2nd teamVega Ioane 1st team 1st team Team 1st team 1st team 1st team 2nd team 1st teamGabe Jacas 3rd team Team 2nd team 2nd team 2nd team Logan Jones 2nd team 2nd team 1st team 2nd teamMikail Kamara 2nd team 2nd team 2nd team 1st team Max Klare 2nd team 4th team 2nd team 2nd team Iapani Laloulu 3rd team 2nd team Makai Lemon 3rd team 1st team Riley Mahlman 4th team Derrick Moore 4th team Koi Perich 2nd team 3rd team 2nd team 2nd team Team 2nd team 1st team 2nd teamD'Angelo Ponds 2nd team 2nd team 1st team Team 2nd team 2nd team 2nd teamEmmanuel Pregnon 4th team Elijah Sarratt 2nd team 2nd team 2nd team 2nd team 2nd team Xavier Scott 4th team 2nd team Nicholas Singleton 1st team 1st team 1st team Team 1st team 1st team 2nd team 1st team 1st teamJeremiah Smith 1st team 1st team 1st team Team 1st team 1st team Team 1st team 1st team 1st teamSonny Styles 2nd team 2nd team 2nd team 1st team 2nd teamCarnell Tate 2nd team 2nd team Darius Taylor 4th team Dillon Thieneman 1st team 1st team 2nd team 1st team 1st team 1st team 1st teamMatayo Uiagalelei 2nd team 2nd team 2nd team 1st team 2nd teamKaden Wetjen 2nd & 3rd team 2nd team Zakee Wheatley 4th team Isaiah World 2nd team Dominic Zvada 1st team 1st team 1st team Team 1st team 1st team Team 1st team 1st team 1st team
Rankings
Pre Wk1 Wk2 Wk3 Wk4 Wk5 Wk6 Wk7 Wk8 Wk9 Wk10 Wk11 Wk12 Wk13 Wk14 Wk15 Final Illinois AP 12 11 9 9 23 22 17 RV 23 RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RVC 12 12 9 8 23 22 17 25 23 RV RV RV RV RV RV 25 CFP Not released 21 Indiana AP 20 23 22 19 11 8 7 3 (3) 2 (6) 2 (11) 2 (11) 2 (6) 2 (8) 2 (7) 2 (5) 1 (66) 1 (66)C 19 21 19 17 12 9 7 3 (1) 2 2 2 (1) 2 2 2 2 1 (61) 1 (62) CFP Not released 2 2 2 2 2 1 Iowa AP RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV 17C RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV 24 RV RV RV RV RV 17 CFP Not released 20 21 23 23 Maryland AP RV RV C RV RV CFP Not released Michigan AP 14 15 23 21 19 20 15 RV 25 21 21 18 18 15 18 18 21C 14 13 22 20 18 20 15 RV 24 21 20 17 17 15 18 17 22 CFP Not released 21 18 18 15 19 18 Michigan State AP C CFP Not released Minnesota AP RV C RV RV CFP Not released Nebraska AP RV RV RV RV RV 25 C RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV CFP Not released Northwestern AP C RV CFP Not released Ohio State AP 3 (11) 1 (55) 1 (57) 1 (55) 1 (52) 1 (46) 1 (40) 1 (50) 1 (60) 1 (54) 1 (54) 1 (55) 1 (57) 1 (58) 1 (61) 3 5C 2 (20) 1 (59) 1 (62) 1 (62) 1 (61) 1 (58) 1 (59) 1 (63) 1 (65) 1 (62) 1 (60) 1 (59) 1 (61) 1 (61) 1 (63) 3 6 CFP Not released 1 1 1 1 1 2 Oregon AP 7 (1) 6 (1) 4 (1) 6 (1) 6 (1) 2 (16) 3 (5) 8 6 6 6 7 6t 5 4 5 4C 7 5 5 5 5 (1) 2 (6) 2 (3) 9 6 6 6 6 5 5 4 5 4 CFP Not released 9 8 7 6 5 5 Penn State AP 2 (23) 2 (6) 2 (5) 2 (5) 3 (5) 7 RV C 3 (14) 2 (6) 2 (4) 2 (3) 2 (3) 6 22 RV RV RV CFP Not released Purdue AP C CFP Not released Rutgers AP C CFP Not released UCLA AP C CFP Not released USC AP RV RV RV 25 21 RV RV 20 RV 23 20 17 16 19 17 16 20C RV RV RV RV 22 RV RV 21 RV RV 21 18 16 20 17 16 21 CFP Not released 19 17 15 17 16 16 Washington AP RV RV RV 24 RV RV RV RV RVC RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV CFP Not released 23 Wisconsin AP C CFP Not released
+ Legend Improvement in ranking Drop in ranking Not ranked previous week No change in ranking from previous week RV Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll т Tied with team above or below also with this symbol
Schedule Index to colors and formattingBig Ten member wonBig Ten member lostBig Ten teams in bold
Regular season schedule
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Date Bye WeekSeptember 13 Washington
Week 4
Date Bye WeekSeptember 20 Minnesota Northwestern #1 Ohio State #2 Penn State UCLA
Week 5
Date Bye WeekSeptember 27 Maryland #19 Michigan Michigan State Nebraska Purdue Wisconsin
Week 6
Date Bye WeekOctober 4 #8 Indiana Iowa #2 Oregon Rutgers USC
Week 7
Week 8
Date Bye WeekOctober 18 Illinois
Week 9
Date Bye WeekOctober 25 Maryland No. 1 Ohio State Penn State USC
Week 10
Date Bye WeekNovember 1 Iowa Northwestern No. 6 Oregon UCLA Washington Wisconsin
Week 11
Date Bye WeekNovember 8 Illinois No. 21 Michigan Michigan State Minnesota
Week 12
Date Bye WeekNovember 15 Nebraska Rutgers
Week 13
Date Bye WeekNovember 22 No. 2 Indiana Purdue
Week 14
Big Ten Championship Game
Postseason
Bowl games
Legend Big Ten win Big Ten loss
Bowl gameDateSiteTelevisionTime (EST)Big Ten teamOpponentScoreAttendance LA Bowl December 13, 2025 SoFi Stadium • Inglewood, CA ABC 8:00 PM Washington Boise State W 38–10 23,269 GameAbove Sports Bowl December 26, 2025 Ford Field • Detroit, MI ESPN 1:00 PM Northwestern Central Michigan W 34–7 27,857 Rate Bowl December 26, 2025 Chase Field • Phoenix, AZ ESPN 4:30 PM Minnesota New Mexico W 20–17 (OT) 27,439 Pinstripe Bowl December 27, 2025 Yankee Stadium • Bronx, NY ESPN 12:00 PM Penn State Clemson W 22–10 41,101 Music City Bowl December 30, 2025 Nissan Stadium • Nashville, TN ESPN 5:30 PM Illinois Tennessee W 30–28 52,815 Alamo Bowl December 30, 2025 Alamodome • San Antonio, TX ESPN 9:00 PM USC TCU L 27–30 (OT) 54,751 ReliaQuest Bowl December 31, 2025 Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL ESPN 12:00 PM Iowa Vanderbilt W 34–27 35,382 Citrus Bowl December 31, 2025 Camping World Stadium • Orlando, FL ABC 3:00 PM Michigan Texas L 27–41 47,316 Las Vegas Bowl December 31, 2025 Allegiant Stadium • Las Vegas, NV ESPN 3:30 PM Nebraska Utah L 22–44 38,879 College Football Playoff - First Round College Football Playoff December 20, 2025 Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR TNT 7:30 PM No. 5 Oregon No. 12 James Madison W 51–34 55,125 College Football Playoff - Quarterfinals Cotton Bowl December 31, 2025 AT&T Stadium • Arlington, TX ESPN 7:30 PM No. 2 Ohio State No. 10 Miami (FL) L 14–24 71,323 Orange Bowl January 1, 2026 Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, FL ESPN 12:00 PM No. 5 Oregon No. 4 Texas Tech W 23–0 65,021 Rose Bowl January 1, 2026 Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA ESPN 4:00 PM No. 1 Indiana No. 9 Alabama W 38–3 90,278 College Football Playoff - Semifinals Peach Bowl January 9, 2026 Mercedes-Benz Stadium • Atlanta, GA ESPN 7:30 PM No. 1 Indiana No. 5 Oregon IU 56–22 75,604 College Football Playoff - National Championship Game CFP National Championship January 19, 2026 Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, FL ESPN 7:30 PM No. 1 Indiana No. 10 Miami (FL) W 27–21 67,227
Big Ten records vs other conferences
2025–2026 records against non-conference foes
Power 4 conferencesRecordACC2–1Big 122–2Notre Dame0–2SEC1–2Power 4 total5–7Other FBS conferencesRecordAmerican1–1CUSA3–0Independents (Excluding Notre Dame)0–0MAC9–0Mountain West3–2Pac-122–0Sun Belt3–0Other FBS total21–3FCS opponentsRecordFootball Championship Subdivision16–0Total non-conference record42–10
Post season
Power 4 conferencesRecordACC2–1Big 121–2Notre Dame0–0SEC3–1Power 4 total6-4Other FBS conferencesRecordAmerican0–0CUSA0–0Independents (Excluding Notre Dame)0–0MAC1–0Mountain West2–0Pac-120–0Sun Belt1–0Other FBS total4–0Total bowl record10-4
Awards and honors
Player of the Week Honors