With NFL Draft season in full swing, let’s turn our attention to next season. The Ohio State Buckeyes will look to defend and potentially repeat their national title, while other Big Ten powers will look to dethrone the champion. Here are all 18 season openers for Big Ten teams ranked least to most compelling.
Ranking All 18 Big Ten Season Openers
The Big Ten proved to be arguably the best conference in the nation in 2024, with four teams making the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. Will those teams make it back? Which teams will surge up the conference standings? Who will disappoint?
We’ll start with a team that has had a solid record this decade but has much room to improve on the offensive side of the ball.
18. Iowa Hawkeyes vs. UAlbany (NY) Great Danes
The Hawkeyes once again produced a top-five scoring defense and a middle-of-the-pack scoring offense in the Big Ten. Can second-year offensive coordinator Tim Lester elevate the offense after years of subpar play?
He’ll usher in former South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski to help fix the issue. Gronowski proved to be one of the most productive quarterbacks in the FCS, throwing 93 touchdowns in four seasons as the starter.
The FCS’s Great Danes finished 4-8 last season and 12th in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). This game should be a nice warm-up for the Hawkeyes to begin the 2025 campaign.
17. Maryland Terrapins vs. Florida Atlantic Owls
Maryland, after a disappointing 4-8 campaign, enters 2025 with a major quarterback question. Both starter Billy Edwards Jr. and backup MJ Morris exited via the portal, and the leader of the offense has yet to be determined. The Terrapins landed in-state four-star quarterback Malik Washington as part of their 2025 recruiting class, and he may have an opportunity to start in Week 1.
The Owls finished 3-9 in 2024 but finished with a 47-point victory in their season finale against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
16. Northwestern Wildcats vs Tulane Green Wave
While this game may seem more intriguing on the surface since Tulane has been one of the better Group of Five teams in recent seasons, the Green Wave finished 9-5 in 2024. They also lost freshman quarterback Darian Mensah to the portal.
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Northwestern will look to improve in all facets of the game after a disappointing 4-8 season and a 16th-place finish in the conference. Former SMU Mustangs quarterback Preston Stone transferred to join the Wildcats and will hope to revitalize a rather dormant offense.
15. Purdue Boilermakers vs. Ball State Cardinals
Following a 1-11 debut season with the Boilermakers, head coach Ryan Walters was fired and replaced by Barry Odom, who led the UNLV Rebels to the Mountain West Conference championship game in 2024.
He’ll have a tall task of rebuilding the program—the Boilermakers were winless in conference play, finished 18th in total defense, and ended 16th in total offense in the Big Ten.
On the other sideline, the Cardinals had a rather poor season in 2024. Odom’s debut game in West Lafayette, Indiana, should be very winnable.
14. Wisconsin Badgers vs. Miami (OH) RedHawks
Wisconsin suffered through a 2024 campaign where they fell one win short of bowl eligibility and finished 15th in the Big Ten. Both quarterbacks who started games for the Badgers, Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke, have left via the portal. Leading rusher Tawee Walker has also found a home elsewhere. A rebuild seems to be on the horizon, and it won’t be an easy first game for Wisconsin.
The Redhawks were the MAC runner-ups in 2024, finishing 9-5 with a blowout victory over the Colorado State Rams in the Arizona Bowl. Dequan Finn, who will enter his seventh season in college football after spending last season with the Baylor Bears, will likely fill the quarterback position for Miami.
13. Michigan State Spartans vs. Western Michigan Broncos
Jonathan Smith’s first season as the head coach of the Spartans was a disappointment. The team finished 5-7 and in the bottom third of the conference, but still, he’s shown the ability to turn around a program during his time leading the Oregon State Beavers. Can he do that in East Lansing?
The Broncos will be first on the schedule after finishing 6-7 in 2024. They’ll have to name a new starting quarterback ahead of the season, but the attractiveness of an in-state game will provide excitement for Western Michigan fans.
Michigan State barely beat FAU to begin the 2024 season—if the Broncos pull off a win, they’d have some major bragging rights.
12. Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Western Illinois Leathernecks
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema has been outspoken about his outlook on his team heading into next season. Led by quarterback Luke Altmeyer, who put together a solid junior season, the Fighting Illini return a large core of their roster that finished 10-3 in 2024. Their first chance to showcase their dominance will come against the FCS’s Leathernecks.
Another in-state matchup, this one likely won’t garner a ton of competitiveness—Western Illinois finished with just four wins last season. But the intrigue for this game lies in Bielema’s words, who’s confident the Fighting Illini will be among the best teams in the country next season.
11. Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Buffalo Bulls
The biggest question ahead of the Golden Gophers 2025 campaign will be who will replace quarterback Max Brosmer.
Elsewhere on the offense, running back Darius Taylor is the common denominator, as he’s improved his production in each of his two seasons. If he stays healthy, he has the chance to vault himself into the conversation as the best running back in the Big Ten.
Led by Taylor, Minnesota will host the Bulls, who are coming off a 9-4 season and a Bahamas Bowl blowout victory. This game has the potential to be surprisingly tight, especially if the Gophers are still working through their quarterback situation.
10. Indiana Hoosiers vs. Old Dominion Monarchs
Coming off a College Football Playoff berth, head coach Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers will run out with a new quarterback in 2025. Former California Golden Bears starter Fernando Mendoza, one of the most highly-touted players in the portal, will fill that spot.
They’ll begin the season against the Monarchs, who finished one game short of bowl eligibility last season. Old Dominion has been known to be a ain’t sayer—they nearly defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks in their 2024 season-opener, losing 23-19.
The Hoosiers’ magical run last season will be tough to repeat, but they begin against a tricky Old Dominion team, and Mendoza will lead the charge.
9. USC Trojans vs. Missouri State Bears
The Trojans had an underwhelming debut season in the Big Ten, finishing a shade above .500 at 7-6. They finished strong, however, with a 35-31 victory over the Texas A&M Aggies in the Las Vegas Bowl, providing some optimism heading into 2025.
The Trojans have their quarterback-to-be in junior Jayden Maiava, who emerged as the starter late in the season.
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They’ll start the season against FCS opponent Missouri State, which will join the FBS ranks in 2026. The Bears, who finished 8-4 this season, were led by quarterback Jacob Clark, who passed for 26 touchdowns.
8. Rutgers Scarlett Knights vs. Ohio Bobcats
This could prove to be a highly contested game come Aug. 30. The Scarlet Knights finished 7-6 last season but won three of their final four regular-season games to become bowl-eligible.
Star running back Kyle Monangai declared for the NFL Draft, placing the spotlight on quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who had a solid 2024 campaign, to lead the offense.
In Week One, he’ll face an Ohio Bobcats team that finished 11-3 but will have to replace starting quarterback Parker Navarro. If Rutgers wants to move into the upper echelon of the Big Ten, a convincing victory over the Bobcats would go a long way.
7. Michigan Wolverines vs. New Mexico Lobos
The Wolverines went into the offseason with immense momentum after taking down the rival Ohio State Buckeyes in the regular season finale and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the ReliaQuest Bowl. However, an extremely disappointing season preceded those victories, resulting in an 8-5 national title defense record.
There will be many questions about who will start at quarterback for the Wolverines. Fresno State Bulldogs transfer Mikey Keene and five-star recruit Bryce Underwood are expected to compete for the job.
Whoever wins the starting role will face a Lobos team that recently lost its electric starting quarterback from 2024, Devon Dampier, who has joined the Utah Utes.
6. Oregon Ducks vs. Montana State Bobcats
The highly-anticipated Ducks debut of quarterback Dante Moore, who drew Heisman-level praise from teammates, might be the second-biggest storyline of this game.
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Oregon and FCS powerhouse Montana State each finished undefeated in the 2024 regular season before losing in their respective postseasons. Although the Bobcats will lose all-time great quarterback Tommy Mellot, they’re expected to reload and replenish as they have in years past.
The Bobcats began last season with a victory on the road against New Mexico. Can they pull off the upset of the season in Week One against another FBS opponent?
5. Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Nevada Wolfpack
While this matchup may not be the most competitive, the senior trio of Penn State quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who all decided to forego the NFL Draft and return to school, will be fun to watch.
The Wolfpack finished 3-10 last season, proving to be a solid warm-up game for the Nittany Lions, who should be dominant again in 2025.
Additionally, it will be the first game that defensive coordinator Jim Knowles will coach for Penn State after prying him away from the Big Ten rival Ohio State Buckeyes in January.
4. Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
This game will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, with a prime-time time slot likely to be announced. The Cornhuskers come into every season with high expectations, but in 2025, they may finally come true.
True freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola showed extreme talent and potential in his first season, leading Nebraska to a 7-6 record. With some improvement, he has the ability to lead the Cornhuskers into the inner circle of Big Ten contenders.
They’ll face the Big 12’s Bearcats, who are coming off a 5-7 season and will surely be looking to bounce back.
3. Washington Huskies vs. Colorado State Rams
The highlight of this game will be the battle between two talented quarterbacks. Demond Williams Jr. of the Huskies supplanted Will Rogers as the starting quarterback late last season, showing enough promise to head into 2025 as the starter.
Meanwhile, the Rams are led by quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, who had a disappointing sophomore campaign but still led Colorado State to an impressive 8-4 record.
If Washington head coach Jedd Fisch is going to uplift the program in his second season, it’ll start with a victory against the Rams.
2. UCLA Bruins vs. Utah Utes
Former PAC-12 foes will face off in Los Angeles to begin the 2025 season. Now members of the Big Ten and Big 12 respectively, the Bruins and Utes’ matchup will be one of the best of Week One.
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After disappointing 2024 seasons, both team’s quarterback situations will look different. The Utes will likely start former New Mexico dual-threat, Devon Dampier, while the Bruins welcomed in App State transfer Joey Aguilar, who lit up the Sun Belt Conference over the past two seasons.
Both squads will be looking to gain the upper hand and begin the new season on the right note.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Texas Longhorns
The most highly-anticipated matchup in Week One will be a College Football Playoff semifinal rematch between the Longhorns and the national champion Buckeyes. These teams will look very different, however.
Both teams are expected to have numerous players drafted in the NFL Draft, as well as new quarterbacks in 2025. Arch Manning will take over for Texas, while fellow five-star prospect Julian Sayin is expected to step in for Ohio State.
The pedigree of these programs alone makes this a tremendous matchup, but the new starting quarterbacks and a rematch from last season’s Cotton Bowl make this game one of the best of the 2025 season.
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