Caleb Wilfinger
It’s been a long and eventful offseason, and the 2025 college football season is nearly upon us. The battle for a spot in the newly revamped 12-team College Football Playoff begins on August 23 and won’t stop until we crown a champion in January. Last season’s National Championship game saw Ohio State dispatch Notre Dame to claim a 2nd straight National Championship for the Big Ten. Who will reach the pinnacle of the sport in this updated playoff format this season? It’s almost time to find out.
With the offseason chaos in the rearview mirror, it’s time to delve into the futures market for each conference, and here we’re taking a look at the Big Ten. This is a conference with a myriad of contenders, and it feels a bit more unpredictable than what we’ve seen in the last couple of seasons. Let’s look at the latest college football odds for the Big Ten, along with our NCAAF picks to win the Big Ten Conference, which you can fade or follow at any of the best NCAAF betting sites this season.
Big Ten Conference Odds
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook and available at time of publishing.
- Ohio State +190
- Penn State +250
- Oregon +360
- Michigan +1000
- USC +2200
- Iowa +3300
- Illinois +3500
- Nebraska +4000
- Indiana +4300
- Washington +5000
Don’t miss our NCAAF National Championship best bets for the upcoming season, including a +4000 longshot!
Big Ten contenders and Big Ten football predictions
Ohio State Buckeyes (+190)
One thing is for sure: things are going to look a lot different for the defending National Champions in 2025. Ohio State was able to ride a deep, talented and experienced roster to a title a season ago, and while the Buckeyes certainly have a plethora of blue-chip talent at their disposal, there’s a notable lack of experience at the most important position on the roster. Julian Sayin is anticipated to be the starter in Week 1, and the former 5-star recruit has all the tools and potential to be great on paper. However, there certainly could be some growing pains in his first season as a starter, especially with Brian Hartline stepping into a brand new role as offensive coordinator following the exit of Chip Kelly. That could certainly prove to be pivotal in the biggest games on this schedule.
There are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Ohio State. After all, there is a ton of high-end talent on this roster, led by Jeremiah Smith, who is easily the best offensive player in college football. On the other side, Caleb Downs is likely the best defensive player in the country, but he’s anchoring a defense that has a ton of question marks on the defensive line following the exit of a number of key pieces from last season’s title team. Additionally, the Buckeyes will no longer have Jim Knowles in the defensive coordinator role, as one of the best minds in the sport will be replaced by Matt Patricia. Needless to say, this is a massive drop-off in the coaching booth, one that could rear its ugly head in key spots this season. Ultimately, I can’t back Ohio State to win the Big Ten at this price.
Penn State Nittany Lions (+250)
I have Penn State power-rated as my top team in the nation heading into this season, and it’s well deserved considering what the Nittany Lions have returning, as well as what they’ve brought in over the offseason. Compared to most of the other top teams across the country, Penn State has far more experience at quarterback, with Drew Allar set to embark on his 3rd year as a starter. More importantly, it will be the 2nd year for Allar in Andy Kotelnicki’s offensive system, and he’ll have the advantage of being supported by the best running back duo in the country in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Penn State did lose all-world tight end Tyler Warren to the NFL Draft, but the Nittany Lions did hit the transfer portal hard to bolster its underwhelming wide receiver room, adding instant difference-makers in Trevor Pena (Syracuse) and Kyron Hudson (USC).
Defensively, the Nittany Lions will be without Abdul Carter, but there is still plenty to like in terms of continuity on the defensive line and in the secondary. The biggest addition Penn State could’ve possibly made was adding Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator, a move that can’t be overstated given how important he was to Ohio State’s success a season ago. There’s also the schedule, which breaks very favorably for James Franklin’s team, as the Nittany Lions will get to take on Ohio State following a bye week, in addition to hosting Oregon, Indiana and Nebraska. With nearly all of its most difficult games of the season coming at home, it’s hard not to see Penn State in the Big Ten title game.
See our 2025 Heisman Trophy winner predictions, with our expert picking a longshot at 60/1 odds!
Oregon Ducks (+360)
Oregon took the Big Ten by storm a season ago, as the Ducks rolled to a 12-0 regular season and a Big Ten Championship in its inaugural season in the conference. And while there’s no doubt that Dan Lanning and his staff are recruiting at an elite level and have this program pointed in a decidedly upward direction, this is another team that has more questions than answers heading into the campaign.
Gone are the likes of Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel and in steps Dante Moore at quarterback, a player who has tremendous arm talent, but I have serious questions regarding his fit within Will Stein’s offense. Elsewhere on offense, top wideout Evan Stewart is out for the year, and while I expect true freshman Dakorien Moore and tight end Kenyon Sadiq to be potential All-Big Ten performers, the depth of the receiver room will certainly be called into question if any injuries are sustained.
Elsewhere, the Ducks’ ground game should be rock solid with Makhi Hughes (Tulane) and Noah Whittington leading the way, but the offensive line will be breaking in 4 new starters, with most of the new pieces coming from the transfer portal. Outside of future NFL first-round pick Matayo Uiagalelei, I have similar concerns with Oregon’s defensive line, a unit that lost 3 starters to the NFL in the offseason. The Ducks are supremely talented in the secondary, but still largely young and unproven, which is a theme for Lanning’s group this season.
Michigan Wolverines (+1000)
Following a disappointing 2024 season, Michigan is back near the top of the heap in the Big Ten once again, and it’s easy to see the potential upside with the Wolverines on paper. After all, Michigan’s offense was a disaster a year ago, and the Wolverines will likely hand the ball over to 5-star true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, who instantly raises the ceiling of this unit a ton.
However, Underwood is still very unproven, and I think there will be some clear growing pains this season, especially considering the caliber of defenses he should face in games against Oklahoma, Nebraska and Ohio State, to name a few. More importantly, Michigan is replacing some massive pieces on both sides of the ball, as Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant and Will Johnson are off to the NFL, while the ever-reliable tight end Colston Loveland was taken in the first round of the draft as well.
Given the losses suffered in the offseason and the mixed bag of transfers brought in to fill those holes, I have plenty of questions with the Wolverines on both sides of the ball. Defense has been the bread and butter for Michigan throughout the Jim Harbaugh and now Sherrone Moore tenure, and while I’m still projecting good things for this unit in 2025 (particularly at linebacker), I don’t foresee the Wolverines being able to replicate what Grant and Graham gave them up the middle.
As for the offense, the ground attack should be as solid as ever, but it remains to be seen if this passing game can take a significant step forward under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. This is not exactly a coaching staff that I believe in, and I could certainly see losses on the road against Oklahoma, Nebraska and USC, to say nothing of the Ohio State showdown to close out the season. Ultimately, an 8-4 or 9-3 campaign for the Wolverines feels a lot more realistic than a Big Ten title.
USC Trojans (+2200)
It’s entirely on the board that we get a ton of chaos in the Big Ten this season, and the team that could benefit from that chaos might be USC. Lincoln Riley’s group finished with a horrific record in 1-score games a season ago, and that largely defined how most college football fans and media members viewed the team. However, this is still a very talented unit that should be able to get back on track following a dysfunctional campaign in 2024. Jayden Maiava is back at quarterback, and he took positive steps forward in Riley’s system down the stretch last season. Furthermore, this is an offense that has a ton of talent at the skill positions, specifically at wide receiver with Ja’Kobi Lane (12 touchdowns) and Makai Lemon (764 receiving yards), to go along with a 2-headed monster at running back.
Defensively, the Trojans have taken major strides forward since D’Anton Lynn became the defensive coordinator prior to last season, and USC will be much improved on the line with transfer Keeshawn Silver (Kentucky) and freshman Jahkeem Stewart coming in to solidify that unit. The secondary has some question marks, but this is not a schedule that features a ton of elite passing offenses, so I’m ultimately not too concerned in that regard. USC should win 5 of its first 6 games and the Trojans also get to stay on the West Coast for the final month of the regular season, so it’s a much easier schedule than what they got in 2024. I can certainly see why respected money has driven this conference title number down a bit over the course of the offseason.
Now read our expert’s ACC best bets if you want additional picks outside our Big Ten football predictions
Big Ten football predictions and best bet #1: Penn State to win the Big Ten (+250)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to +200.
There isn’t much to say about Penn State that I haven’t already said at this point. According to my numbers, the Nittany Lions are the top team in the nation, and it’s not without reason. While I understand why market sentiment is a touch higher on Ohio State given the prestige of the program and what we just saw a season ago, this is easily one of the best units that Franklin has had in his tenure in Happy Valley, and the floor for this unit is potentially higher than any other team across college football.
Given the questions I have with most of this conference, Penn State is my clear top choice to make the title game, and the Nittany Lions could certainly end up being favored in that contest. With that in mind, a +250 ticket is just too good to pass up.
Big Ten football predictions and best bet #2: Oregon under 10.5 regular-season wins (-150)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -180.
I was extremely high on this Oregon team a season ago, and that preseason optimism proved to be correct given the regular season that the Ducks put together. I’ve had a pretty good finger on the pulse of this program in recent years, and my inclination heading into this season is that it feels like next year could be when this Oregon team is actually ready to contend for a national title.
As for the season ahead, there is already one fairly obvious loss on the schedule, with Oregon traveling to Penn State to play the Nittany Lions in a White Out at Beaver Stadium. From there, all we would need to cash this under 10.5 regular season wins ticket is for the Ducks to drop a game against any of the following teams: Indiana, Rutgers (in a bad cross-country travel spot), Iowa, USC or Washington, with a few of these contests coming away from the friendly confides of Autzen Stadium. This feels like a fringe playoff team, so simply setting the bar at a 10-2 record to cash this bet is something I can’t pass up on.
Read our full SEC preview and predictions, including a best bet at +480 odds!
