Odds, picks, and predictions for Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, and more

The Big Ten was forever changed by realignment.

The arrival of Oregon, USC, and UCLA not only added to the conference’s depth, but it also turned the Big Ten into a coast-to-coast competition that feels awfully like a professional league.

Oddsmakers project that the Big Ten will be top-heavy once again in 2025, with Ohio State, Penn State, and Oregon sitting as the three clear favorites, with Michigan lurking after a terrific close to their 2024 campaign.

The odds don’t look too different from how they sat entering the 2024 season, which ended with Oregon winning the Big Ten title over Penn State, just a few weeks before Ohio State won the National Championship.

Will things look similar in 2025? Let’s dive in.

2025 Big Ten odds

The Favorites

Ohio State is the defending national champion, but the Buckeyes have had to deal with a lot of turnover this offseason.

Not only did several key contributors move on, but Ohio State will also have a new coordinator on both sides of the ball.

Julian Sayin will get the first say as the starting quarterback for Ryan Day, and while there will always be questions about a new starter, Sayin, a former blue-chip recruit from Alabama and has the best wide receiver in the country, Jeremiah Smith, on his side.

Ohio State comes into the season as the No. 3 team in the AP Poll, but Bill Connelly has them at No. 1 in his SP+ rankings.

The Buckeyes are the team to beat, but there are just too many heavyweights to back them at this price.

The same goes for the other favorites.

There are a lot of sharp bettors out there who are going to start the season with Penn State as the No. 1 or No. 2 team in their power rankings, but the Nittany Lions have yet to shake the bridesmaid reputation under James Franklin.

You will need to win several big games to win the Big Ten, and Franklin doesn’t do that with any regularity. Pass.

Oregon has gone 25-3 in the past two years, but the Ducks rank 109th in returning production and will be breaking in another new quarterback. Talent is there, the coach looks like a star, but that’s too many holes to fill when you’re dealing out a +350 in this setup.

The shine is back on Michigan, thanks to a strong finish to 2024 and the arrival of highly-touted freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, but beating out Ohio State, Penn State, and Oregon (as well as some of the other teams below them in the pecking order) is a tall ask of a freshman. Especially with so much turnover on offense.

Dark horses

USC is the fifth-favorite in the Big Ten, but the Trojans seem to have their eye on 2026 thanks to a program-changing recruiting class.

Nonetheless, Lincoln Reilly has a veteran-laden roster with a high floor for this season, but the ceiling doesn’t seem high enough when you look at some of the teams being offered at much bigger prices.

In fact, while you’re stretching to find reasons to back USC at their odds, I think you could make a pretty solid argument for any of the next five teams (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and Washington) as good value bets to win the Big Ten.

Picking between them may feel like splitting hairs, but I’ve landed on Nebraska (40/1) and Illinois (40/1) for similar reasons.

For the Huskers, this is Year 3 under Matt Rhule and Year 2 with Dylan Raiola under center.

Raiola’s freshman campaign featured plenty of bumps, but that’s to be expected, especially since he was leading an inexperienced offense. Another season under the entire unit’s belt should be a massive step forward.

Just as important is Nebraska’s schedule. The Huskers are 6.5-point favorites over Cincinnati in Week 1, and things don’t get too choppy until they host Michigan in Week 4.

If the Huskers come out on top in that game, they stand a pretty good chance of being 10-0 or 9-1 when they travel to Beaver Stadium on Nov. 22.

Like Nebraska, Illinois drew a great schedule for 2025.

The Illini open conference play with a tricky one against Indiana, but a win over the Hoosiers could set them up to crash the gates with Ohio State as the only true heavyweight on their schedule after that.

Betting on College Football?

And it’s not just the schedule that boosts Illinois’ chances this year, they are also legitimately building towards something under Brett Bielema.

The Illini won 10 games for the first time in 23 years in 2024, and they lead the conference in returning production, highlighted by quarterback Luke Altmyer.

Long shots

There’s bound to be a lot of cannon fodder in an 18-team conference, and the Big Ten certainly isn’t short on pedestrian teams.

Ignoring Purdue, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, we’ll focus on the long shots that have some upside to cause a stir, likely by going over their win total or pulling the big upset in the Big Ten.

Northwestern’s schedule is a bear, but they should see some marked improvement on offense with Preston Stone (formerly of SMU) under center. A stingy defense with a high-ceiling quarterback could put Oregon, Penn State, and/or Michigan on upset alert.

UCLA will also pin its hopes on a blue-chip quarterback. Nico Iamaleava joins the Bruins from Tennessee and could win games on his own, but there’s so much turnover on this roster that it’s almost impossible to get a read on DeShaun Foster’s bunch.

And then there’s Rutgers, which, so long as Greg Schiano is in charge, will defy preseason expectations and overachieve.

The Scarlet Knights should be a real thorn in the side, especially on defense, for the big boys.

Best Bets for the Big Ten

• Nebraska to win the Big Ten (40/1, bet365)
• Illinois to win the Big Ten (40/1, BetMGM)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.