TJ Chapman
Lead Columnist, Editor
For each team in the Big Ten Conference, the 2025 college football season is less than six weeks away. With Big Ten Media Days this week it’s time to look at each team and pinpoint one question heading into the 2025 season. Below are the questions for Illinois through Northwestern in alphabetical order.
Question: Can the Illini make it through the Big Ten schedule and get to the College Football Playoff? Illinois won 10 games last year, but all three of their losses came in Big Ten play. Last year, they played at Penn State and at Oregon, but if the Illini want to be a playoff team, they must win those games. This year, they play Ohio State at home, but no other daunting Big Ten game. This could be the year they make the CFP.
Question: How far will the Hoosiers fall in 2025? There is no question about if Indiana will fall, just how far. The 11 win season and CFP appearance were aided immensely from the ease of the Big Ten schedule Indiana faced. The only regular season loss was at Ohio State. The Hoosiers avoided Oregon, Penn State, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois last season. This year the Big Ten schedule sends Indiana to Iowa, Oregon and Penn State while Illinois comes to Bloomington. I’m seeing at least 4 losses for Indiana.
Question: Will Iowa’s offense ever catch up to the defense? Two things that are constant with the Iowa football program are a tough defense and a stout run game. Iowa has lacked a solid passing attack for years and 2025 will be no different. But if the Hawkeyes are going to contend for a top spot in the Big Ten they must get the passing game going. South Dakota State transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski will be the starter and was a solid FCS passer. Iowa needs him to translate that to FBS competition.
Question: Can head coach Mike Locksley right the ship? For a number of years, the Terps had a solid offense led by Talia Tagoviola. 2024 was supposed to be the transition to Billy Edwards, but Maryland lost 7 of their last 8 games. Edwards and leading rusher Roman Hemby transferred to Wisconsin and Indiana, respectively. The dynamic receiver duo of Tai Felton and Kaden Prather are in the NFL. With the possibility of true freshman Malik Washington being the starting QB, and the need to replace two incredibly talented WRs, Locksley has his work cut out for him.
Question: Will Bryce Underwood live up to the hype and lead Michigan back to the playoff? There is a lot of pressure under normal circumstances to be the starting QB at Michigan. But now you throw in the fact that Underwood is a true freshman coupled with a National Championship just two years ago and that pressure multiplies. The Michigan defense is going to be very good, how well Underwood gets command of the offense will determine if Michigan can pick up some early season tough road wins at Oklahoma and Nebraska. Getting those wins should do a lot for Underwood’s confidence. The opposite can be said if the Wolverines lose those games.
Question: Can the Spartans finally get back to a bowl game? It’s mind-boggling that Michigan State has not played in a bowl game since defeating Pitt in the 2021 Peach Bowl. MSU has an amazing duo in QB Aidan Chiles and WR Nick Marsh, but the Spartans need to build around those two. Head coach Jonathan Smith is in year two, but in today’s college football world, if you don’t win fast, you may not see year three. Four of the top five tacklers are gone from the defense, and there are pieces in place on both sides of the ball. But the schedule is tough with road games at USC, Nebraska, Indiana, Minnesota and Iowa. Michigan and Penn State come to East Lansing, that’s a daunting Big Ten slate.
Question: With the amount of roster and staff turnover will Minnesota sneak into a bowl game? Minnesota’s QB room has a combined 5 career starts. The 2024 leading rusher returns, but the next 4 rushers are gone. The top 2 receivers are gone, as is the top leading tackler. Last year’s defensive coordinator, Corey Hetherman, left for the same position with Miami (FL). That is a lot to replace, even for a coach as solid as PJ Fleck. The schedule isn’t crazy but does include three tough road games at Ohio State, Iowa and Oregon. Rivals Nebraska and Wisconsin are both home games.
Question: Can head coach Matt Rhule duplicate his year 3 success with the Cornhuskers? When Rhule took over at both Temple and Baylor his win total in year 3 on the job hit double digits. The hope amongst the Nebraska faithful is that he gets to double digit wins this season. QB Dylan Raiola threw for 2,819 yards but only had 13 TDs with 11 Ints as a true freshman last season. Improvements in all three of those totals will be vital for Nebraska to reach at least 10 wins. The schedule is back loaded as November games include USC, at UCLA, at Penn State and Iowa. Double digit wins isn’t impossible, but it will be difficult.
Question: Will Northwestern match last year’s win total? To describe Northwestern’s 2025 schedule in one word: brutal. They open at Tulane, one of the better Group of 5 teams then have a home Big Ten schedule that includes Oregon, UCLA, Michigan and Minnesota. The conference road games include Penn State, Nebraska, USC and Illinois. QB Preston Stone transfers in from SMU and is a solid upgrade, but there is not much else in the cupboard for Northwestern. To get to 4 wins for this Northwestern team would be a win for head coach David Braun.
