Win totals released for 2025 Big Ten football with Ohio State, Oregon, PSU on top
FanDuel released its updated win totals for the 2025 college football season, and in the Big Ten, the big three are tied at the top with a muddle in the middle.
Big Ten Regular Season Win Totals, over/under:
Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports and “The Cover 3 Podcast” ran through the conference and predicted the outcome of each team’s season, considering their schedule, returning starters and offseason moves. He has Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon all going over and hitting the 11-win mark.
Fornelli projects Illinois to win nine games this season, followed by Michigan, USC, Minnesota and Nebraska at 8, all hitting the over comfortably in his view. Indiana and Michigan look to win eight games, just shy of their over/under number.
Taken from his comments and predicted game-by-game results, Fornelli ranks the Top 5 contenders for the Big Ten title as follows:
he Buckeyes lose both coordinators with Chip Kelly moving on the NFL as OC of the Raiders and PSU poaching defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. They have to replace a bevy of senior stars who opted in for the national championship run in 2024, including JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, TreVeyon Henderson, Denzel Burke, Emeka Egbuka, Cody Simon, Lathan Ransom and Donovan Jackson.
All are ticketed for the NFL.
Still, Ryan Day’s last five recruiting classes rank No. 3, 4, 4, 4 and 2 dating back to 2021. The Buckeyes return two of the best defensive players in college football in safety Caleb Downs and linebacker Sonny Styles. On offense, receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate combined for 128 receptions and 19 touchdowns last season. James Peoples takes over as the lead running back.
Right guard Tegra Tshabola and center Carson Hinzman return on the offensive line, while the Ryan Day added Purdue tight end Max Klare, former Rice offensive tackle Ethan Onianwa, former West Virginia running back CJ Donaldson, former Minnesota offensive tackle Phillip Daniels and former Idaho State defensive end Logan George from the portal.
Klare caught 51 passes for 685 yards and four touchdowns for the Boilermakers last season. Receivers coach Brian Hartline takes over at offensive coordinator. California Gatorade Player of the Year and 2023 Elite 11 MVP Julian Sayin is locked in a battle with Lincoln Kienholz and Tavien St. Clair for the starting quarterback job.
Sayin transferred from Alabama last season, got to witness firsthand the leadership and consistency OSU got from Will Howard in their drive through the playoffs.
““Will was a really great leader for this team, and it was fun to watch. He was someone everyone could relate to and was liked by everyone. If you went around the Woody and asked about Will Howard, everyone would have good things to say about him. I’m trying to take that approach. It’s definitely not easy, but it’s something I’m working on.” “OSU quarterback candidate Julian Sayin
The schedule offers some immediate challenges with the Buckeyes hosting Arch Manning and Texas on August 30, preseason No. 1 versus No. 2 in the Horseshoe. After two breathers (Grambling and Ohio) and a bye week the defending national champions travel to Seattle to face mobile quarterback Demond Williams and Washington, then Minnesota and at Illinois before hosting Penn State on November 1.
The rivalry game with Michigan comes on November 29 in the Big House. They miss the Ducks, Iowa and USC.
PSU takes aim
For the Nittany Lions, they appear to be following the Michigan/Ohio State formula with a strong nucleus of draft-eligible players returning for a run at the title.
Tyler Warren and Abdul Carter are gone, headed for the first round of the NFL draft. But James Franklin brings back senior and two-year starter Drew Allar at quarterback, plus thousand-yard rushers Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who combined for 20 rushing touchdowns.
New defensive coordinator Knowles can build his unit around veterans like linebacker Dominic DeLuca (40 tackles), defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton (8.5 sacks) and defensive tackle Zane Durant (two-year starter, four sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 2024.)
Coming off a 13-3 season (most wins in a season in school history) and an appearance in the college football playoff semifinal the Nittany Lions ease into 2025 with home games against Nevada, Florida International and Villanova followed by a bye.
Next comes one of the Big Ten games of the year on September 27 when they host preason No. 6 Oregon, a rematch of last season’s conference title game, which Oregon won 45-37.
They are at Iowa on October 8, then enjoy another bye before traveling to the Horseshoe on November 1. It all hinges on Allar, a two-year starter who completed 67% of his pass last season for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. At 6-5, 238 he has an NFL future if he improves his leadership and decision-making.
In the transfer portal Franklin picked up receivers Kyron Hudson from USA and Devonte Ross from Troy, Ross a jitterbug at 5-11, 161 who caught 76 passes for 1,043 yards and 11 touchdowns in the Sun Belt Conference. Hudson is a former four-star recruit, 6-1, 205. He grabbed 28 balls in Lincoln Riley’s scattershot Air Raid offense, for 462 yards and 3 scores.
Alabama football lands five-star commitment after heavy competition
The Crimson Tide scored another win in recruiting with the latest five-star commitment
Alabama football secured the commitment of a five-star cornerback as the program looks to catapult itself back into national title contention. The Crimson Tide are coming off a very trying first season under Kalen DeBoer, which ended in a disappointing loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The team is ultimately looking for a bounce-back year in a very friendly College Football Playoff era. For a decade, the Crimson Tide were atop the SEC, making the four-team field annually under former head coach Nick Saban. Under DeBoer, this program will expect to participate annually in the new twelve-team bracket.
Alabama football took a positive step in the right direction on Wednesday toward reaching those goals. According to On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons, Class of 2026 CB Jorden Edmonds has committed to the Crimson Tide. The Marietta, Georgia native is currently this class’s No. 17 overall prospect and the second-ranked cornerback. Edmonds was weighing offers from 26 schools, including 13 SEC programs.
Alabama football is continuing to bring in strong recruiting classes under Kalen DeBoer
Kalen DeBoer could even turn to true freshman Keelon Russell as his starting quarterback this season. The five-star recruit is locked in a quarterback battle with long-time backup Ty Simpson for this spot. While Jorden Edmonds will not be in Tuscaloosa until a year from now, he has the talent to contribute immediately when he makes the jump to college. But for now, the 6’3, 180 lb cornerback from Sprayberry will look to continue to hone his skills on the high school level.
Overall, the Crimson Tide will need to provide results in 2025 for Kalen DeBoer to gain momentum with the fanbase. Alabama football will open the season at Florida State and will also see Wisconsin in the nonconference slate. In SEC play, this team will face familiar foes like Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and LSU during the regular season. The standard does not change under a new head coach. The Crimson Tide expect to be in the College Football Playoff and to be a legitimate national title contender. To achieve that, the more good news and recruiting wins this offseason, the better.
