2025 Big Ten Football Odds: Ranking conference contenders from top to bottom

After two straight seasons of winning the national championship, the Big Ten is hoping to go for a third in a row to solidify itself as the top football conference. Before that, though, teams are going to be competing for a Big Ten Championship.

As the season is just a few weeks away now, FanDuel has released its 2025 Big Ten Football odds. That includes a ranking of 18 teams from top to bottom in the conference. With that, fans can get a sort of idea of what the betting experts are predicting from the conference.

These are odds that FanDuel has come up with before practice begins in the summer. Instead, they’ll be coming after the Transfer Portal has largely settled down and rosters are largely set. So, with that in mind, here’s a look at how FanDuel lists the Big Ten Football conference championship odds.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes +190

The Ohio State Buckeyes are the defending national champion, but they completely missed the Big Ten Championship Game. Next season, they’re looking to rectify that within the conference before repeating the College Football Playoff run, and it appears they’ll be in a good position to do so. At +190, FanDuel is giving them the best odds in the conference.

Head coach Ryan Day is going to need to address the turnover throughout the roster. That includes a quarterback battle that is expected to end in an inexperienced starter. So, there are some questions to answer for the Buckeyes, but the amount of talent on the roster is, once again, undeniable.

2. Penn State Nittany Lions +270

The Penn State Nittany Lions, unlike Ohio State, did make it to the Big Ten Championship Game last season. They’d lose that but still made the CFP and went on a run to the semifinal round. The task now, for James Franklin, is to take a step forward and get over that championship hump.

There is plenty of returning talent to Happy Valley, particularly on the offense. Quarterback Drew Allar and a star backfield of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen are all back. That should amount to an excellent offensive threat. So, it’s no surprise that FanDuel is giving these kinds of odds.

3. Oregon Ducks +290

In their first Big Ten season, Oregon managed to win the Big Ten. That came in an unbeaten regular season. So, even with their loss in the CFP to Ohio State, the Ducks proved that they belonged in their new conference and can compete.

The Ducks, like a lot of teams coming off fantastic seasons, need to address some roster turnover. That includes a third new starting quarterback in as many seasons. The expectation is that it will be Dante Moore, who does have as much potential as anyone in the country, though. So, there’s still plenty of reason to believe the Ducks can run it back.

4. Michigan Wolverines +1000

Two years ago, Michigan won the national championship game. They followed that with a season of turnover, including on the coaching staff, where the Wolverines would struggle to make a bowl. Now, with the coaching staff getting its legs underneath them, the hope is that they can again compete in the Big Ten for a championship.

Quarterback was the biggest question for Michigan in 2024. They’d go through multiple starters, struggling to replace JJ McCarthy. Now, head coach Sherrone Moore thinks he has options under center. The Wolverines would add Mikey Keene as an experienced transfer. On top of that, they brought in a highly-touted recruit, Bryce Underwood, from the high school ranks.

5. USC Trojans +2100

The USC Trojans are looking for something better in their second season in the Big Ten after a frustrating 2024 campaign. Certainly, head coach Lincoln Riley knows that he’s facing some high expectations that the Trojans haven’t lived up to. Ultimately, that means winning the conference and going to the CFP is the goal. So, after a 7-6 season, these are some good odds.

The strength of any Riley team tends to be the offense, while the defense tends to become a question mark. That’s not expected to be any different next year, though he’d love to put it all together. That does start with making sure the team is ready to deal with a year of turnover on their roster.

6. Illinois Fighting Illini +3400

Illinois had a bit of a quiet 10-win season in 2024. That’s probably because they neither won the Big Ten nor went to the CFP. So, they could still catch some people by surprise in 2025, but they’re also ready to compete at the top of the Big Ten.

Illinois has a few things going for it. That includes a blend of an experienced head coach and an experienced quarterback that few other teams can boast, highlighted by Bret Bielema and Luke Altmyer. On top of that, the schedule should be manageable by Big Ten standards, so Illinois expects to become a threat.

7. Iowa Hawkeyes +3700

The Iowa Hawkeyes have won double-digit games every other year going back to 2019. If that trend holds, then the Hawkeyes are due for 10 wins. It’s a tribute to the success that the program has had under head coach Kirk Ferentz, even without a Big Ten Championship since 2004.

There’s never any question about what Iowa is going to do on defense and special teams. The problem has consistently been the Hawkeyes’ offense. Figuring that out with FCS transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski would go a long way to making the Hawkeyes a threat.

8. Nebraska Cornhuskers +3900

It’s hard not to say that the 2024 season wasn’t a success for Nebraska, going to their first bowl since 2016. Now, Matt Rhule wants to take a step forward. That means becoming a threat in the Big Ten.

Nebraska’s improvement is likely going to hinge on the improvement of sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola. If he can improve under new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, then the entire offense is set to become a threat. However, with some continued growing pains, Nebraska might once again be fighting to make a bowl.

9. Indiana Hoosiers +4500

Nobody expected head coach Curt Cignetti to do what he did in his first season with Indiana. Still, he made the Hoosiers quickly one of the best teams in the conference, going to the CFP. Now, Indiana won’t catch anybody by surprise and it will probably be tough to repeat that success.

Indiana, historically, struggles as a football program. They’re also dealing with plenty of turnover from last year’s team. So, it’s fair to have some question marks about Indiana. However, from being one of the top teams in the Big Ten last season, FanDuel seems to expect a step backward.

10. Washington Huskies +5500

The Washington Huskies are just two seasons removed from playing against Michigan for a national championship. Still, since then it’s been a period of turmoil for the program. Washington lost former head coach Kalen DeBoer, replacing him with Jedd Fisch. Then, they made the jump to the Big Ten.

Washington would make a bowl, losing to finish with a 6-7 record last season. Now, going into their second Big Ten season, the Huskies hope to have their feet under them a bit better. Still, FanDuel sees them close to the middle of the conference.

11. Minnesota Golden Gophers +12000

PJ Fleck has been the head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers since 2017. In 2019, they’d win the West and play for the Big Ten Championship. Outside of that year, however, the Golden Gophers have lost at least three conference games every season. At the same time, with bowls in six seasons, including four in a row, Minnesota has found a level of consistency.

FanDuel doesn’t expect the Golden Gophers to compete at the top of the Big Ten next season. They’ll also see a tough schedule, which includes Ohio State and Oregon coming off CFP appearances. So, Minnesota does also face a tough schedule on top of everything else.

12. Michigan State Spartans +12000

It’s been a time of change within the Michigan State athletic department as the Spartans have seen a change at athletic director. That comes as head coach Jonathan Smith enters the second season of his rebuild, which got off to a slow start in 2024.

The Spartans have now only been to one bowl game since 2019. That doesn’t meet the standard that the program had previously set when it was competitive in the Big Ten and even went to the CFP in the four-team era. So, Smith knows that the time to get back to bowl eligibility is now.

13. Wisconsin Badgers +13000

The Wisconsin Badgers are now going into the third season of the Luke Fickell era, and to this point, it’s been frustrating. That was capped off by missing a bowl for the first time since 2001 last year. So, from being consistently competitive in the Big Ten to now, the Badgers are looking for a way to quickly turn things around.

Fickell made a few key changes on the offensive side of the ball. That includes moves at offensive coordinator and quarterback. If they click, then there should be a nice leap forward in 2025 for Wisconsin.

14. Rutgers Scarlett Knights +19000

The Rutgers Scarlett Knights have had mixed success since getting to the Big Ten, but have never truly been competitive for a Big Ten Championship. Since bringing back head coach Greg Schiano in 2020, the hope was to level up. To an extent, he’s done that there, taking the Scarlett Knights to three bowls and finding a little more consistency.

Getting back to bowl eligibility might be tough given just how hard the conference schedule is for Rutgers. Oregon, Ohio State, and Penn State, the top three teams in the conference odds, are all on the schedule this season. That’s before they see several other teams. So, Schiano is going to need to take another step forward in 2025.

15. UCLA Bruins +23000

The UCLA Bruins came to the Big Ten in a difficult situation. Former head coach Chip Kelly left late in the coaching cycle, and DeShaun Foster ended up being promoted to head coach. There was, seemingly, a talent deficiency because of it, and it made for a tough first year where the Bruins nearly exceeded expectations.

This offseason, UCLA seemed to find a solution at quarterback through the Transfer Portal. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava left Tennessee amid an NIL dispute, landing with the Bruins. He has as much potential as anyone and if things click, UCLA should be very competitive.

16. Maryland Terrapins +30000

It was a difficult 2024 season for Maryland. After entering the year with some hope, Maryland missed out on a bowl game. Now, head coach Mike Locksley knows he needs to quickly turn things around. However, FanDuel clearly has low expectations for the Terrapins.

Maryland is facing a seemingly easy Big Ten schedule, at the very least. They’ll dodge Penn State, Ohio State, and Oregon. That’s the top three teams in the conference odds, per FanDuel. So, at the very least, there won’t be as many games where they’re a major underdog.

17. Purdue Boilermakers +30000

Purdue is coming off a disastrous season, which capped off the disastrous Ryan Walters era. They’d go 1-11, only snagging a win against an FCS opponent before losing 11 games in a row to end the year. That left them winless in the Big Ten.

The Boilermakers now bring in Barry Odom as their next head coach. He’d turn things around for a struggling UNLV program. Now, he’s being tasked with a fairly major rebuild in a very difficult conference to compete in.

18. Northwestern Wildcats +30000

The Northwestern Wildcats are heading into their third season under head coach David Braun. After succeeding in a difficult 2023 season, Northwestern showed some pretty major regression as a program in 2024. Now, they’ll once again face very low expectations next season.

One challenge is going to be the strength of schedule. Even by Big Ten standards, this is a tough slate of games. Northwestern is going to see Oregon, Penn State, Michigan, and USC. All of those are teams in the top five of FanDuel’s odds to win the conference. That’s after opening the season against one of the Group of Five’s top teams, Tulane.