2025 Big Ten Football Record Predictions

Here’s how we think the 2025 Big Ten season will finish up.

Seven writers voted. All votes were tabulated before the Thursday games; the results changed very little, as you can see in the spreadsheet included at the bottom of the article.

In order of worst to first, here we go:

18. Purdue Boilermakers

Prediction: 3-9 (1-8)
Low: 2-10 (0-9), several
High: 4-8 (2-7), BoilerUp89
Std Dev: .79 overall, .79 B1G

Very little enthusiasm across the board for the Barry Odom’s inaugural campaign, though I’m disappointed to see none of us took Ball State to beat the Boilers in Week 1.

17. Maryland Terrapins

Prediction: 4-8 (1-8)
Low: 3-9 (0-9), RockyMtnBlue and misdreavus
High: 5-7 (2-7), MNW, who doesn’t understand calendars
Std Dev: .69 overall, .82 B1G

Maryland plays five games in September, right?

Of interest(?): only one writer has the Terrapins losing a single non-conference game.

16. Northwestern Wildcats

Prediction: 4-8 (2-7)
Low: 3-8 (1-8), He was a high school QB, who thinks that one of Northwestern’s non-conference games will be a no-contest, somehow. (What do you know?)
High: 6-6 (3-6), MNWildcat — screw all of you guys, it’s happening. #Stoned4Stone
Std Dev: .79 overall, .82 B1G

Could 5-7 get the Wildcats to an APR bowl? Two more writers have Northwestern making it that high, but there’s not much enthusiasm across the board. Perhaps surprisingly (and about to age poorly): only three writers picked Northwestern to drop a non-conference face—possibly four, if HWAHSQB just couldn’t count to 9 (Illinois joke here).

15. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Prediction: 5-7 (2-7)
Low: 4-8 (1-8), Thumpasaurus
High: 6-6 (3-6), RockyMtnBlue and misdreavus
Std Dev: .90 overall, .69 B1G

After last night’s huge sigh of relief for the Knights, do we still feel good about these predictions? Only two writers thought Rutgers would drop a single non-conference game.

14. wisconsin badgers

Prediction: 4-8 (2-7)
Low: 2-10 (0-9), Thumpasaurus
High: 6-6 (4-5), misdreavus
Std Dev: 1.35 overall, 1.25 B1G

After last night’s huge sigh of relief for the badgers, do we still feel good about these predictions? Only one writer thought wisconsin would drop multiple non-conference games, but how many games can the badgers win while scoring under 20?

13. UCLA Bruins

Prediction: 5-7 (3-6)
Low: 3-9 (1-8), Thumpasaurus
High: 6-6 (4-5), BoilerUp89 and misdreavus
Std Dev: 1.11 overall, 1.13 B1G

Slightly more optimism for UCLA, though it’s virtually a consensus they’ll lose at least one non-conference game—and two writers have that being what holds the Bruins back from a bowl game for the second straight year.

12. Michigan State Spartans

Prediction: 6-6 (3-6)
Low: 5-7 (2-7), Thumpasaurus
High: 7-5 (4-5), MNWildcat
Std Dev: .76 overall, .69 B1G

MNW has the vapors, but broadly the staff has Sparty tipped to wind up riiiiight on the cut line come the postseason.

11. Washington Huskies

Prediction: 7-5 (5-4)
Low: 5-7 (3-6), BoilerUp89
High: 10-2 (7-2), misdreavus
Std Dev: 1.72 overall, 1.51 B1G

Everything from no bowl to a probably College Football Playoff berth—we clearly don’t know what to make of Demond Williams and the Huskies in Jedd Fisch’s second season.

10. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Prediction: 8-4 (5-4)
Low: 7-5 (4-5), BoilerUp89
High: 9-3 (7-2), Thumpasaurus
Std Dev: .79 overall, .90 B1G

9. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Prediction: 8-4 (5-4)
Low: 6-6 (4-5), He was a high school QB
High: 10-2 (7-2), misdreavus
Std Dev: 1.35 overall, 1.11 B1G

8. Indiana Hoosiers

Prediction: 8-4 (5-4)
Low: 6-6 (4-5), He was a high school QB
High: 9-3 (6-3), several
Std Dev: 1.11 overall, .79 B1G

The Hoosiers come back to earth and “settle” for a Citrus Bowl, where surely no SEC coach will have any words for Curt Cignetti. You’d take it in Bloomington, right?

7. USC Trojans

Prediction: 8-4 (6-3)
Low: 6-6 (4-5), Thumpasaurus
High: 9-3 (7-2), misdreavus79
Std Dev: .98 overall, .98 B1G

Is THIS finally enough to get Lincoln Riley canned?

6. Iowa Hawkeyes

Prediction: 8-4 (6-3)
Low: 7-5 (5-4), Brian Gillis and BoilerUp89
High: 9-3 (6-3), MNWildcat and misdreavus
Std Dev: .82 overall, .53 B1G

Some folks didn’t get the memo that for all the 8-4 memes, it’s 9-3 Iowa.

What will be enjoyable is when the Hawkeyes are knocking on the door of a College Football Playoff berth in November and find a way to blow it to…

Oh, just delightful.

5. Michigan Wolverines

Prediction: 8-4 (6-3)
Low: 6-6 (3-6), misdreavus
High: 10-2 (7-2), Thumpasaurus
Std Dev: 1.27 overall, 1.41 B1G

Misdreavus apparently will not be cheated of the opportunity to knock the Wolverines down a peg or six.

4. Illinois Fighting Illini

Prediction: 10-2 (7-2)
Low: 8-4 (6-3), MNWildcat (HAT)
High: 11-1 (9-0), He was a high school QB
Std Dev: 1.13 overall, 1.21 B1G

Some controversy here related to Oregon’s ranking, but you’d have to think that 10-2 (7-2) puts the Illini close to the College Football Playoff cut line, right? Can they make a case for their inclusion alongside…

3. Oregon Ducks

Prediction: 11-1 (8-1), adjusted for…
Low: 0-12 (0-9), misdreavus, who either holds a grudge or was balancing out the W-L column
High: 11-1 (8-1), everyone else except Brian (10-2)
Std Dev: .41 overall, .41 B1G

So. I exercised “Manager’s Prerogative” with misdreavus’s rankings. The Ducks drop, as you can see in the spreadsheet below, into fourth place with his 0-12 (0-9) ranking. (If it helps to think of them as spirtually there, please, by all means, do so.)

Otherwise it’s pretty consensus that the Ducks will be in a three-way tie for the conference championship with…

2. Penn State Nittany Lions

Prediction: 11-1 (8-1)
Low: 10-2 (7-2), He was a high school QB
High: 12-0 (9-0), misdreavus
Std Dev: .58 overall, .58 B1G

THIS IS BIG GAME JAMES’S YEAR, and

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

Prediction: 11-1 (8-1)
Low: 9-3 (7-2), BoilerUp89
High: 12-0 (9-0), noted Ohio State fan RockyMtnBlue
Std Dev: .98 overall, .69 B1G

The more things change.

Show Your Work, You Cowards

Here are our final workings-out:

Let us know your picks and thoughts in the comments.