The Top 5 sleeper teams in the Big Ten for the 2025 football season

Seemingly every year, one team comes out of nowhere in the Big Ten to compete for the conference championship. Who could be that team this year? Here are our Top 5 potential sleeper teams for the 2025 football season:

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. But who will that sleeper team be in 2025?

Today, we’ll take a look at five teams that could be flying too low under the radar.

Washington

Washington has found itself on a similar roller coaster ride as Michigan recently. After both teams made it to the National Championship in 2023, they both struggled in 2024 and have shots to re-establish themselves in 2025.

The Huskies are entering Year 2 of the Jedd Fisch era, and much of the optimism for their growth stems from sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. He is only 5-foot-11, but he’s a true dual-threat that was employed in certain packages last year. In limited action as a true freshman, he completed 78.1 percent of his passes for 944 yards, eight touchdowns and just one interception. He also had 282 rushing yards.

The Huskies also bring back running back Jonah Coleman and wide receiver Denzel Boston, two of the best at their position in the Big Ten. Washington should also be stout defensively, especially in the secondary with Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock. They might not be a College Football Playoff team, but nine or 10 wins could be in the cards.

Indiana

Why would we include the Hoosiers here if they just won 11 games a year ago? Because they might just be here to stay as one of the better teams in the conference, at least for this year, so don’t get caught assuming their 2024 season was a flash in the pan.

Curt Cignetti and Indiana are going back to their same script from last year, bringing in transfers all over the roster. Fernando Mendoza was the biggest name brought in this year; he’ll start at quarterback after two successful years at Cal. The offensive line also got a boost from the portal, headlined by former Notre Dame center Pat Coogan.

Indiana also returns a handful of big contributors. Its trio of wide receivers — Elijah Sarratt, E.J. Williams, and Omar Cooper — are all back. So are edge Mikail Kamara and cornerback D’Angel Ponds, two of the best players in the conference at their positions. All the ingredients are still there for Indiana to be a conference title competitor once again.

Iowa

Pigs flew, hell froze over, and Iowa improved on offense in 2024. Prior to last season, the Hawkeyes brought in new offensive coordinator Tim Lester and were no longer one of the nation’s least productive units. Iowa still didn’t rely on flashiness, using its run game and Kaleb Johnson to fuel its 27.7 points per game, but it offered some hope the Hawkeyes might not be in the offensive stone age in 2025.

Kirk Ferentz and company dipped into the transfer portal to get their quarterback for this season, sixth-year senior Mark Gronkowski from South Dakota State. Last season, he threw for 2,721 yards and 23 touchdowns, while running for 380 yards and 10 touchdowns for good measure. He’ll look to be the best option Iowa has had at the position in some time.

Defensively, Phil Parker will once again have his unit among the nation’s best. The Hawkeyes only allowed 17.8 points per game last season and bring back several contributors like Aaron Graves, Ethan Hurkett and Xavier Nwankpa. Overall, Iowa should once again be an opponent that nobody can overlook, especially if (big if) its offense takes another step.

Nebraska

Nebraska seems to be a program on the rise entering the third year of Matt Rhule’s tenure as head coach. The Huskers went from 5-7 in 2023 to 7-6 in 2024, and another step could be in order.

Last season, Dylan Raiola entered college with plenty of hype as a five-star recruit. He was thrown into the fire right away as the Week 1 starter and had some mixed results. He completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 2,819 yards, but he also had 11 interceptions, a number that needs to come down in 2025. Additionally, Nebraksa added Dane Key and Nyziah Hunter at receiver through the portal, while also bringing back a veteran-laden offensive line.

On the other side of the ball, Nebraska lost a handful of defensive contributors from 2024, including star defensive tackle Ty Robinson. Rhule brought in eight defensive transfers that should at least provide some solid depth. If the defense can hold its own, Nebraska could be looking at eight or nine wins this year.

Illinois

Finally, we turn our attention to Illinois, which seems to have taken over Maryland’s role as the perennially pesky Big Ten program. We saw the Fighting Illini dominate Michigan a year ago, and they’ll look to topple some more big programs in the conference this year with Ohio State, USC and Washington on the schedule.

Luke Altmeyer has been a big reason for Illinois’ recent run of success, and he’s back as one of the better quarterbacks in the conference. However, he will have to find success without Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin, as they both left for the NFL. Fortunately, Malik Elzy, Hudson Clement and Tanner Arkin still form a solid pass-catching group.

What has really helped Illinois recently, though, has been its defense, and there’s no reason to believe that will change this year. Illinois brought in three transfers along the defensive line with Tomiwa Durojaiye, James Thompson Jr. and Curt Neal. They should all play significant snaps. Edge rusher Gabe Jacas is also back, and he’ll prove to be one of the best edges in the conference. Illinois went 10-3 a year ago, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if it found similar success in 2025.