Skip to main content

A Look at the Big Ten in 2025

Image
Kyle Ferreira

Monday has arrived and it’s time to take a look at another conference in the amazing world of college football. This week, it’s arguably my favorite conference in the sport and that conference is the Big Ten. Ideally it would be the BIG EAST, but they haven’t sponsored football in years.


Anyway, last year was another successful season for the conference. From Oregon being ranked number one in the country for a few weeks to Ohio State winning the national championship, 2024 was great for the conference. Just don’t mention the thousands of articles published this offseason about the conference and the College Football Playoff, it’s very messy. 


Looking at this year, there are a lot of juicy headlines for certain teams. Will Michigan State return to their successful ways, will Washington be a team to look out for this season? Was that sentence just for me to talk about two of my favorite teams in the sport?


I will not answer that last question above but here are some notable stories to watch out for in the conference this season.


The Buckeyes Looking to Go Back-to-Back: 


I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I thought Ohio State was finished after their embarrassing loss at home vs Michigan last November. Furthermore, I thought Tennessee would beat up the Buckeyes in the first round of the CFP. What proceeded was incredible determination and grit from a team that should have never been doubted in the first place. 


Now with another natty in the trophy cabinet and one on head coach Ryan Day’s resume, the Buckeyes are working for another one. But with so many tremendous players off to the NFL, new players will need to step up, especially at quarterback. With Will Howard playing for the Steelers, Julian Sayin is expected to be QB1 in Columbus with Lincoln Kienholz battling him for the spot. 


But you can’t talk about Ohio State without mentioning stud receiver Jeremiah Smith. The sophomore came blazing out the gates in his first year and everyone expects him to be the best player in the sport. Add a potential top-10 pick in next year’s NFL Draft with safety Caleb Downs and Ohio State may be able to repeat this season. 


A tough week one home game vs Texas should be a great rematch of last season’s CFP semifinal game.


Is This the Year Penn State Wins It All?


It has been almost 40 years since Penn State last won a national championship in football. You have to go all the way back to the 1986 season to find the last natty the Nittany Lions won in the sport. So much has changed in the world that I will not be listing what was different back then and what’s different now. 


However, after finally reaching the CFP for the first time in program history, Penn State is ready to win the Big Ten’s third straight national championship. The talent alone is a big reason why this could be the year for James Franklin and his squad. QB Drew Allar, running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton, cornerback A.J. Harris, linebacker Tony Rojas, etc.


Add on another year of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and the arrival of former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and this may be their year. If Penn State is able to conquer their schedule this season, Nittany Lions fans will be the happiest people alive. They’re one of the best fanbases in the sport and a national championship would be something they would cherish forever. 


Now, who do I speak to at the Big Ten or NBC about scheduling the White Out game vs Oregon during Alabama vs Georgia? 


Year Two for the Ducks in the Big Ten:


Speaking of Oregon, Dan Lanning and his crew are ready to make another big splash this season in Eugene. After winning the Big Ten Championship in their first season in their new conference, it looked like Oregon was going all the way. Unfortunately, Ohio State demolished the Ducks in the Rose Bowl, which was a game I thought would have been a classic. 


So, what changes were made this offseason that could spark another great season for one of the best teams in the country? Well, the transfer portal for Oregon was fast and furious. QB Dante Moore, RB Makhi Hughes, offensive linemen Isaiah World and Emmanuel Pregnon and S Dillon Thieneman all transferred in and will be important for Oregon. 


For me, I’m watching Moore closely given that the QB position has produced so many talented players recently. From Justin Herbert to Dillon Gabriel, Moore is in line to become another great player at the position. With a favorable schedule as well, the Ducks are not going anywhere. 


You don’t understand how excited I am for their game on September 13th when they play at Northwestern’s temporary stadium. 


It’s Bryce Underwood’s Time in Ann Arbor, Right?:


Before I say anything, yes I’m still upset that Michigan won the natty in the 2023 season. But to the joy of many (potentially me), Michigan regressed last season. Now, to their credit, they did beat Ohio State and Alabama to end the year and they look to build on that momentum this season.


The one thing that had to be addressed this offseason was the QB position, which didn’t exactly replicate JJ McCarthy’s performance in 2023. Just looking at the current roster, the Wolverines added so many QBs with one standing out in particular. True freshman Bryce Underwood who according to his birth certificate was born in August of… 2007. 


Going off on a tangent here, he was born the same day Phineas and Ferb aired as a preview on Disney Channel. Yes I’m old and now the former LSU commit will look to lead Michigan to their first CFP berth since 2023, potentially. I say that because Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene will be looking to become QB1 for the program. 


This all goes to say they’ll probably beat Ohio State again because the world is a cruel place. 


A Big Raiola Jump in 2025:


For the first time since I was in eighth grade (2016-17), Nebraska made a bowl game. I know I know, we’re all happy for those great Cornhusker fans in Lincoln. So let’s talk about one of the reasons why they ended their drought last season.


While QB Dylan Raiola did struggle at times in his freshman campaign, he showed flashes of becoming the nation's best QB. Year two is expected to be a big year for the former five-star, especially with a full year of OC Dana Holgorsen calling plays. 


The Raiola and Nebraska hype is loud and clear this season with some projecting them to be 8-0 by the USC game on November 1st. I honestly wouldn’t be shocked given that from September 6th to October 4th, they’ll play at home. Their first game of the season will be August 28th at Arrowhead Stadium vs Cincinnati (so many jokes can be made here). 


I am very sorry in advance to Maryland’s home crowd on October 11th when Nebraska continues their potentially long-winning streak.

Popular posts from this blog

Rutgers Football Down at The Bottom of The Raritan River

Kyle Ferreira
Genuinely, you have to feel bad for Rutgers fans.  First and foremost, I am a Seton Hall grad. Every time I think of that school from Middlesex County, my blood boils. However, Thursday was at first hilarious, then depressing. By now, Rutgers losing to UMass has made its rounds nationwide. Everyone from ESPN to Fox News mocked the Scarlet Knights for losing to quite literally, the worst team in the FBS the past decade.  Fans were in disbelief, alumni were outraged, and journalists like Jerry Carino bashed their effort. The only reason the reaction has died down slightly was because Michigan, Oklahoma State and Florida State embarrassed themselves over the holiday weekend.  Still, when you pay a team $1.55 million and lose to them, you are simply going to get mocked for that. From my perspective, seeing Rutgers lose 37-21 to the Minutemen was one of the highlights of my weekend. Remember, UMass had not won a game since 2024 so for them to earn a win against Rutgers made ...
Read more

Week Zero Tomfoolery in College Football

Kyle Ferreira
First off, welcome back college football! After seven long and agonizing months away, your buddy’s favorite sport returned to bring peace back into this world. Truly, the shenanigans that just occurred throughout week zero were simply incredible.  From USC’s questionable attendance to Beau Pribula and Virginia beating down NC State, week zero was in a way, hilarious. Yours truly has his thoughts on what may be his only free Saturday this fall. Enjoy! College Football, meet Trent Mosley: Lincoln Riley’s time in the “City of Angels” has been strange. Even with him developing a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback in Caleb Williams a few seasons ago, somehow, Riley has still not brought the Trojans to the College Football Playoff (CFP). As a blue blood in the sport, the fact that they still have not made the playoff since its inception is ridiculous.  For the 2026 season, expectations are high for USC. With another talented QB in Jayden Maiava, this by all means has to be the seaso...
Read more

The Nets to Progress in 2026-27

Kyle Ferreira
Whether you were in New Jersey or New York this summer, there was probably a celebration for the New York Knicks going on. After winning the NBA Finals back in June, fans of the Knicks were the happiest they have ever been.  Everyone in the city and the region was seemingly happy about this. Everyone besides Brooklyn Nets fans.  For the Nets fanbase, it was torture day and night. So much so that owner Joe Tsai admitted that it was embarrassing when he spoke to NetsDaily back in August. The 2025-26 season for the Nets was a difficult one no doubt. Finishing with a 20-62 record, the Nets were surprisingly not the worst team in the Association. That honor belonged to the Washington Wizards. For the Wizards at least, they were able to select the talented AJ Dybantsa with the first overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Many Nets fans prayed that they could have landed the first pick but, it was never meant to be.  Despite being in a rebuild, despite their rivals winning the cha...
Read more

Enough With The Anti-Nets Discourse

Kyle Ferreira
So, the New York Knicks are NBA Champions. Pain. The past two weeks for me as a Brooklyn Nets fan have been exhausting. Everyday, I’ll be on Twitter or Instagram doomscrolling and seeing stuff about the Knicks winning the championship and how it brought everyone together. Seriously, there were people I know who don’t even watch the NBA who posted about the Knicks winning the Finals.  Even at work, I can’t go one second without a bunch of managers laughing at my face because the Knicks won the title.   Then, I read about the Nets and yikes. I’ve seen everything from people calling them "irrelevant," to telling them to relocate, to telling them that no one in the area will ever choose them as their NBA team now.  I had to listen to Stephen A. Smith, Bill Simmons and Adam Schein criticize the Nets and at this point, it’s beyond annoying. When I watched Schein’s video suggesting the Nets should cease operations after not taking Darius Acuff Jr. in the NBA Draft, I was no...
Read more

A Muhlenberg Football Retrospect

Kyle Ferreira
Five years ago, my college journey began earlier than most.  While everyone was at the beach, buying stuff for their dorms or sleeping in until noon, I was heading to training camp for football. This time, I had a different role.  My time in high school football with Seton Hall Prep was… terrible. Putting it lightly, I was awful as a receiver. Seriously, I genuinely might have been one of the worst players in all of New Jersey from 2018 to 2020. During those three years, I dreaded going to training camp and in 2020, I knew my playing days were up. Despite having some aspiration to walk-on at the next level, that is not how it played out.  Instead, I took a unique path that I still look back at to this day. I decided I wanted to work for one of the best Division III football programs on the East Coast in Muhlenberg College. When August 11, 2021 came, I was the happiest I had been in years.  Now, why Muhlenberg? Why some private liberal arts college in Allentown, Penns...
Read more