The Big Ten had four teams make the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff last season with Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, and Indiana all getting in. Ohio State even topped it all off as being the second Big Ten team in a row to win the National Championship after Michigan won it all in 2023.
For the second installment of the 12-team College Football Playoff, teams have a better understanding now of what they need to do in order to get themselves into the playoff in 2025. It may not always come down to resume now, but more so wins and losses, so at this piint each teams needs to just focus on winning the most games possible to give themselves the best chance at making it in.
3 Big Ten teams who could realistically make the College Football Playoff in 2025
For these three Big Ten teams, they may have missed the playoff last season, but with the squads they have coming back this next season, they have a real chance of making it in 2025.
1. Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois, for the second season in a row, put together a solid season, and head coach Bret Bielema is showing he can coach his team, even in the tough games. After a huge win over South Carolina in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, the Fighting Illini are coming back stronger this next season, a lot of it behind quarterback Luke Altmyer.
Altmyer is one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten returning this next season, he was even ranked the No. 2 quarterback in the Big Ten by 247Sports. He even has a few more weapons to throw to this next season, giving him even more range on the field. The Fighting Illini finished the season 10-3 last season and 6-3 in the Big Ten.
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, Illinois has one solid non-conference game against the Duke Blue Devils, but getting through non-conference shouldn't be a problem. The Fighting Illini kick off Big Ten play against Indiana, a team trying to prove last year was a fluke, so that will be a tough game. However, the toughest games on their schedule, other than Indiana, are Ohio State and potentially USC. Illinois has a very promising schedule that could result in a playoff appearance.
2. Michigan Wolverines
In their first season post-Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines had a bit of a down year, but a down year still consisted of beating three ranked teams, USC, Ohio State, and Alabama. The Wolverines had one of the worst offenses in college football, but on the flip side, they had a defense that kept them in almost every game.
While Michigan lost some strength on its defense, that side of the ball is still looking strong, especially with what was on display in the spring game. Plus, when Michigan beat Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl, they did so without. The players who went on to the NFL Draft, and the defense, still looked very strong.
The biggest expectation for Michigan this next season is what Bryce Underwood is going to do. Underwood is one of the most anticipated players to play next season, but with veteran quarterback Mikey Keene still on the roster, Keene could lead this team just as well and give Underwood some time to develop. Michigan's schedule works well in their favor, with their biggest game being against Ohio State at the end of the season.
3. Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa certainly did not have the season many people thought it would in 2024. There was a lot of random hype around Cade McNamara, which, as Michigan fans know, was totally misleading hype. McNamara was a bust for the Hawkeyes, who ended up going through four different quarterbacks by the end of the season due to injuries. The one bright spot was running back Kaleb Johnson breaking out.
The downside to Johnson was that after such a great season, he chose to take his talents to the NFL, where he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Iowa is on yet another new quarterback with transfer Mark Gronowski from South Dakota State. Head coach Kirk Ferentz shows he obviously struggles on defense, but can certainly field an elite defense.
With some new weapons from the portal and a new quarterback, Iowa has a chance to make the playoffs next season, simply due to the fact that if they can still have a solid season with no offense, they can do something new this year and be even better.