Heading into the 2025 season, most fans of the Big Ten are familiar with the top dogs that should be competing for the conference championship and, potentially, the national championship. Teams like Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon have rosters flush with talent, and you’ll find them picked as favorites in most, if not all of their games.
However, it’s a tale as old as time that at least one team comes out of nowhere to make some noise. They prove to be a formidable challenge that fans might not have seen coming back in the summer. Just last year, Indiana came out of nowhere and went 11-2 and made it to the College Football Playoff.