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ESPN ranks Big Ten Football teams from first to last after Week 11

On3 imageby: Dan Morrison11 hours agodan_morrison96
big ten -collage (1)

Week 11 is in the books, and now there are only a few weeks left in the 2025 season. Now mid-November and with football weather in the air, ESPN ranked every Big Ten football team, from first to last.

These Big Ten rankings were created using the FPI metric from ESPN. That’s a tool that is used in college football, primarily for predictive purposes. In other words, it’s not simply a regurgitation of the standings or putting together a power ranking based on past performance. It’s looking to show where teams will stand in the future. ESPN uses the language “FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is” to describe the metric.

Keeping all of that in mind, these Big Ten rankings are still a glance at the conference in a moment in time and can fluctuate throughout the season. Here’s what they look like coming out of Week 11.

1. Ohio State (9-0, 6-0)

The Ohio State Buckeyes are the defending national champs and still undefeated in that title defense. Coming off a comfortable road win against Purdue, it’s not a surprise they managed to end up first in the ESPN rankings.

Now one of two undefeated teams in the Big Ten, Ohio State controls its own destiny. Win out, and they’ll play for the Big Ten Championship Game. Win out, and the Buckeyes will be one of the highest seeds in the College Football Playoff.

2. Indiana (10-0, 7-0)

Omar Cooper, Indiana
Nov 8, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (3) makes a catch in the end zone for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images

The Indiana Hoosiers are the first 10-win team in the Big Ten. This comes after they survived an upset bid in Happy Valley from Penn State and had a near-miracle catch from Omar Cooper in the closing seconds. All of that was good enough to end up second in these rankings.

Much like Ohio State, Indiana controls its proverbial destiny. Unbeaten in conference play, they appear to be on a collision course for the Big Ten Championship Game. That is, assuming the Hoosiers don’t get upset by Wisconsin or Purdue.

3. Oregon (8-1, 5-1)

The Oregon Ducks survived an upset bid by Iowa over the weekend. Now, ESPN has them coming in third in the Big Ten rankings. That’s as their only loss on the season remains at home to Indiana.

By no means is Oregon out of the conference title race. They’ll just need some help. More important to the Ducks is getting back to the College Football Playoff, though, and they’ll need to avoid a second loss in the coming weeks to be secure in that spot.

4. USC (7-2, 5-1)

The USC Trojans have taken a couple of losses this season, but only one in Big Ten play. They’re also on a two-game winning streak since their last loss. All of that has helped the Trojans move up in the current rankings.

With three games left, the Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff aren’t off the table just yet. However, as is often the case, the Trojans need to be perfect coming home. That’s not an easy task where the schedule comes into play for USC. Iowa, Oregon, and even rival UCLA still remain.

5. Michigan (7-2, 5-1)

Justice Haynes, Marlin Klein, Michigan
Oct 25, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Justice Haynes (22) celebrates his touchdown run with tight end Marlin Klein (17) during the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

The Michigan Wolverines come in at fifth in ESPN’s Big Ten rankings. This comes after winning three games in a row before getting a bye week in Week 11. That moved the Wolverines to 7-2 overall and 5-1 in conference play.

With just one loss and three games left, Michigan is still in the conference title race. They’ll need some help, though. A loss to USC means they don’t even have the tiebreaker among the one-loss conference teams. At the same time, with Ohio State still to come, the Wolverines could help themselves out too and create some chaos.

6. Iowa (6-3, 4-2)

The Iowa Hawkeyes are coming off a heartbreaking loss to Oregon. That was their third loss on the season, all of which have come in one-score games against well respected opponents. So, their spot in ESPN’s Big Ten rankings makes some sense.

It would appear, with two losses in conference play and five teams ahead of them in the standings, that the conference championship game is a longshot. However, winning out would give them a chance to get to 10 wins in their bowl game.

7. Penn State (3-6, 0-6)

Penn State being this high in the Big Ten rankings might come as a surprise. After all, they’re winless in conference play and on a six-game losing streak. Still, FPI has found plenty to like about the Nittany Lions.

Penn State already fired James Franklin and is just trying to make a bowl game now. They’ll need to win out to do so. That starts with Michigan State this week.

8. Washington (6-3, 3-3)

Denzel Boston, Washington
Oct 4, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver Denzel Boston (12) celebrates after the Huskies comeback victory over the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

The Washington Huskies just suffered a massive loss to a struggling Wisconsin team. It dropped them to just 3-3 in Big Ten play on the season and it certainly didn’t help in any rankings, with the team’s reputation taking a hit in the loss.

Still, Washington is already bowl eligible. Now, it’s a matter of how big a bowl the Huskies go to. Win out, and they’ll even be in a position to have a 10-win season, counting the bowl, too. So, they need to bounce back against Purdue next week.

9. Illinois (6-3, 3-3)

Illinois came into the season with hopes of being a College Football Playoff darkhorse. That hasn’t worked out, and after losing two of their last three games, the Illini are in the middle of the Big Ten for ESPN’s conference ranking.

Like a few other teams, there is a chance for Illinois to end on a really strong note. Like those other teams, winning out, including winning a bowl game, would get Illinois to 10 wins. That’s not a small feat, so it’s worth locking in and trying to bounce back from some tough conference games.

10. Nebraska (7-3, 4-3)

After leading Nebraska to its first bowl game since 2016 a season ago, Matt Rhule is trying to set a new personal best for wins as a Cornhusker. He’s already tied last year’s mark at seven with two games to go. So, while they’re out of the Big Ten race, Nebraska is definitively building.

If there is a major challenge in the final few weeks of the season for Nebraska, it’s going to be finding wins without quarterback Dylan Raiola. The star is out for the season. So, avoiding further injuries is going to be key for Nebraska in its final two games.

11. Northwestern (5-4, 3-3)
12. Rutgers (5-5, 2-5)
13. Wisconsin (3-6, 1-5)
14. Minnesota (6-3, 4-2)
15. Maryland (4-5, 1-5)
16. Michigan State (3-6, 0-6)
17. UCLA (3-6, 3-3)
18. Purdue (2-8, 0-7)