Northwestern and Purdue mark the Big Ten's clear bottom tier entering 2025. The Wildcats even did well to win four games last year, given a near Football Bowl Subdivision-worst offense (No. 128 of 134) and below-average defense (No. 79 of 134). 2025 is a critical year for head coach David Braun to prove that 2023's 8-5 output was not an anomaly.

The College Football Playoff's expanded 12-team format made its debut last season, reshaping the postseason as we knew it and showing just how brutal the path to a national championship can be. Add in a flurry of conference realignments (with the grueling travel schedules they created),

Nittany Lions are sitting pretty months before college football season begins as they are among top predicted playoff teams.