Big Ten strength of schedule rankings 2025: Favorite Ohio State faces tough climb, Purdue can't catch a break

Absolutely no surprise here, as Wisconsin having the most difficult schedule was the expected outcome. If you haven’t taken a look at what the Badgers are dealing with this season, they’ll be on the road for games against Alabama, Michigan, Oregon and Indiana. But don’t worry! At least they get to play Ohio State and Illinois at home! Making it worse, Alabama, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State and Oregon all come in a seven-week span. By the time November rolls around, this team might be dusted. 2

Purdue was the worst Power Four team in the country last year, failing to win a single game against an FBS opponent. Looking at this season’s schedule, I’m not optimistic things will be much better in 2025, even with a new coach and a nearly brand-new roster. Purdue gets Notre Dame again this year, but this time it’s in South Bend. It’s also a week after the Big Ten opener against USC, and it’s followed by a game against Illinois. November starts with consecutive games against Michigan (in Ann Arbor) and Ohio State. After that, the Boilermakers get to fly across the country to take on Washington before returning home to face Indiana. The most “winnable” conference games are Minnesota and Northwestern, and they’re both on the road. 3

We don’t typically see the Ohio States of the world ranked this highly because they don’t get the benefit of playing Ohio State to add to their SOS. Of course, there was also the fact that the Buckeyes nonconference schedule has been extremely easy in recent years. This season it includes Texas. Yeah, adding a CFP semifinalist and the possible preseason No. 1 team to your schedule will give it a boost. Toss in another semifinalist in Penn State road trips to Michigan, Illinois and Washington, and it starts to add up quickly. 4

Rutgers’ nonconference schedule is sneaky. On the surface, you see two MAC teams and Norfolk State, but the two MAC teams are Ohio and Miami OH. They’re two of the most consistent programs in the league. Still, it’s the Big Ten slate doing most of the lifting here. There might not be an East Division anymore, but Rutgers will still play at Ohio State and Penn State to finish the season. What’s sneaky cruel, however, is the Knights will play consecutive road games twice. They’re at Minnesota then at Washington, though at least there’s a bye between. The same can’t be said of consecutive road trips to Purdue and Illinois. 5

I ranked UCLA’s 2024 schedule as the most difficult in the league. While it eases up a bit this year, it’s still far from easy. The Bruins start the season with Utah and a tricky road trip to UNLV. In conference play, they’ll be playing three games in the Central or Eastern Time Zone (Northwestern, Michigan State, and Ohio State), and Northwestern is on the eastern edge of the Central. The home slate won’t be easy, either, as Penn State, Nebraska, Washington and Maryland come to the Rose Bowl. Then there’s the season finale against USC at the Coliseum. 6

Missouri State and Georgia Southern should be gimmes to start the season, but that third nonconference game at Notre Dame in mid-October won’t be. Nor will it be the Trojans only difficult road trip, as they’ll be on a plane for games against Oregon, Nebraska, Illinois and Purdue. The toughest home game will be Michigan — but Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern and UCLA are manageable. 7

It’s hard to project how good Oklahoma State or Oregon State will be in 2025, but Montana State is one of the best FCS programs going these days. Still, those three games don’t feel overpowering. In the Big Ten, there’s no visit from Ohio State this year, but the Ducks do face Penn State, Iowa and Washington on the road. And while you’re tempted to write off a road trip to Rutgers as easy, we saw plenty of evidence last year that games between the league’s coastal teams are never easy for the road team. The Ducks only get four B1G home games, and I’ll let you fight over which one is the toughest (Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, USC). 8

A nonconference slate of Western Michigan, Boston College and Youngstown State presents the Spartans with a chance to begin the season 3-0, which is likely a must if they’re going to get to a bowl game. There are only four home games in conference play, and I don’t know that any are easy pickings (UCLA, Michigan, Penn State, Maryland). The road games aren’t easier (USC, Nebraska, Indiana, Minnesota, Iowa). The good news is the Spartans avoid Ohio State and Oregon, but this still feels like a lot for them to handle. 9

Will anybody be shocked if Northwestern opens the year with a road loss against Tulane? The other two noncon games (Western Illinois and ULM) should be wins. As for Big Ten play, the Wildcats avoid Ohio State, but get Oregon, Penn State and Michigan — at least the Nittany Lions are the only one of those on the road. Don’t let that lead you to believe the road slate is easy, though, because it includes Nebraska, USC and Illinois, too. 10

There are only four road games on the schedule, and the first isn’t until Oct. 11. Cincinnati (at Arrowhead Stadium) could be tricky, but Akron and Houston Christian should be glorified scrimmages. The toughest home tests will be Michigan and USC, but if Nebraska considers itself a legit playoff contender, Penn State is the only team that could be too much to handle. There is no Ohio State or Oregon. The wild care? The Huskers four road contests both come in back-to-back spurts, though there is a bye week between November trips to UCLA and Penn State. 11

The Hawkeyes play the hated Iowa State Cyclones on the road this year, and who knows how that two-hour bus ride will impact their bodies for the rest of the season? Nonconference games against Albany and UMass project as comfortable wins. Iowa also catches by avoiding Ohio State and Michigan — and while it has to play both Oregon and Penn State, they’re coming to Iowa City. The road slate in B1G play includes Rutgers, Wisconsin, USC and Nebraska. There’s also a home game against Indiana that could prove troublesome if the Hoosiers are playoff contenders again. 12

I can already hear the angry cries of Michigan fans who want to know how a schedule that includes Ohio State and a road game against Oklahoma could be this easy, but take it up with Oklahoma. The Sooners are averaging 7.3 wins per year under Brent Venables. Don’t get me wrong, the game carries weight, but it would’ve carried a lot more in 2021. Anyway, outside of those two games, this schedule isn’t overbearing. Road trips to Nebraska and USC won’t be easy, but the home slate is extremely manageable outside Ohio State and a four-game stretch of Michigan State, Purdue, Northwestern and Maryland before that game seems beneficial. 13

One of the reasons people are pegging Illinois as “this year’s Indiana” is its schedule, but my numbers suggest it’s more of a mid-tier Big Ten schedule than an easy one. The nonconference slate includes a road game against a Duke team that’s won at least eight games each of the last three seasons. In Big Ten play, the Illini avoid Oregon, Michigan and Penn State but get Ohio State at home. They also face USC in Champaign, but other than those two, the home slate seems relatively friendly. The road schedule doesn’t include any monsters, but trips to Indiana, Washington and Wisconsin shouldn’t be overlooked. 14

Considering Washington’s schedule includes home games against Ohio State, Oregon and Illinois, plus a road trip to Michigan, you’re likely a bit surprised to see it ranked so low. I am, too, but games against UC Davis, Washington State, Maryland, and Purdue dragged it just below Illinois (the spots between Iowa and Washington were separated by five “points” total). It also helped a little that the three flights across the Rockies are spaced out, and the Huskies will spend every game but the Wisconsin trip in the Pacific Time Zone from Oct. 25 on. 15

Minnesota’s nonconference scheduling habits and time in the Big Ten West have made it an perennial “easy schedule” team in these rankings, but they’re typically closer to the bottom. The noncon includes a road trip to Cal, and the Gophers also have to play Ohio State and Oregon on the road. A manageable home schedule helps matters. The Gophers welcome Buffalo, Northwestern State, Rutgers, Purdue, Nebraska, Michigan State and Wisconsin to Minneapolis. It’s not crazy to think they could go 7-0 in those games. 16

You hear plenty about what Penn State brings back when people explain why they’re high on the Nittany Lions in 2025 — but the schedule doesn’t hurt, either. Yes, the Lions have to face Oregon and Ohio State, but Oregon has to come to Happy Valley. The rest of the road slate, outside of the Buckeyes, includes UCLA, Iowa, Michigan State and Rutgers. Of those, only the trips to Iowa and UCLA take them out of the Eastern time zone. The nonconference schedule? Nevada, FIU and Villanova. The bigger question: how much will the starters even play in the second half of those games? It all sets up quite well for Penn State in 2025.

I projected Indiana’s schedule as the easiest in the Big Ten last year, and, well, I’ll let the results speak for me. This year’s slate is more difficult, but the nonconference lineup drags things down considerably. Games against Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State should be snoozefests. Life will be far more difficult in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers open at home against Illinois before consecutive road dates against Iowa and Oregon, with a bye between. There is no bye between road trips to Maryland and Penn State to start in November. Outside the opener against Illinois, the home slate (Michigan State, UCLA and Wisconsin) seems very manageable, as is the road trip to Purdue to finish the year. 18

The schedule sets up well to allow the Terps to rebound from a 4-8 record last year. The nonconference slate isn’t the easiest in the league (FAU, Northern Illinois, Towson), but it certainly won’t be daunting. What makes this schedule stand out is which teams aren’t on it. The Terps won’t play the three Big Ten favorites (Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon). And while they get Michigan, at least it’s at home. The road slate of Wisconsin, UCLA, Rutgers and Illinois is one of the more manageable in the league, and home games against Washington, Nebraska, Indiana and Michigan State will provide opportunities to improve on last year’s 1-8 mark in Big Ten play.