Big Ten schools ranked academically by U.S. News for 2025
Big Ten schools ranked academically by U.S. News for 2025
After a full calendar year of athletics, the 18-member Big Ten Conference now has a sense of permanence.
At this time last year, former Pac-12 schools Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA had yet to take the football field or basketball court as conference members. At that point, the memory of the Pac-12 Conference was still prominent.
Now, Oregon football is the reigning Big Ten champion and UCLA men's basketball is one of the conference's top contenders. Outside of the two major sports, those new programs claimed multiple conference titles, including Oregon women's cross country, USC/UCLA women's soccer, Oregon men's and women's indoor track and field, USC/UCLA women's basketball, UCLA women's gymnastics, Oregon women's golf and UCLA men's golf.
In the classroom, the new 18-member conference is unmatched. Its Academic Progress Rate performance is one major indicator, and several conference football programs are among the nation's best.
Another indicator is U.S. News & World Report's latest 2025 academic rankings. Unsurprisingly, the Big Ten again delivered terrific results:
18. University of Nebraska -- Lincoln
City: Lincoln, Nebraska
National ranking: No. 152 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 159 overall, No. 18 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 77%
Nebraska rose seven spots in the national rankings in 2025. Still, there is a big gap between it and the 17th-ranked school. A significant jump is needed for it to join the rest of the conference.
Get more (Nebraska) news, analysis and opinions on Cornhuskers Wire
17. University of Oregon
City: Eugene, Oregon
National ranking: No. 109 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 98 overall, No. 17 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 85%
Oregon slipped in U.S. News' latest college hierarchy. The football program, while the Big Ten champion, is also last in the conference in Academic Progress Rate. The Ducks look to trend positively in both of those numbers in the coming years.
Get more (Oregon) news, analysis and opinions on Ducks Wire
16. University of Iowa
City: Iowa City, Iowa
National ranking: No. 98 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 93 overall, No. 16 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 85%
Iowa's ranking, like Oregon's, experienced a slight dip from 2024 to 2025. The school is tied with Colorado, Temple, Rutgers (Camden), Gonzaga, FIU and Yeshiva at No. 98 overall.
Get more (Iowa) news, analysis and opinions on Hawkeyes Wire
15. Indiana University -- Bloomington
City: Bloomington, Indiana
National ranking: No. 73 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 73 overall, No. 15 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 80%
Indiana held its position from 2024. The rankings look largely similar from top to bottom, given many schools need significant jumps to overtake conference foes. Indiana is tied with SUNY Binghamton and Syracuse at No. 73.
13 (tie). Pennsylvania State University -- University Park
City: University Park, Pennsylvania
National ranking: No. 63 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 60 overall, No. 14 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 54%
Penn State is tied with one other Big Ten school at No. 63 as well as Miami, Tulane, Santa Clara, George Washington and Brandeis. It dipped just three spots from its 2024 standing, though it remains in the same Big Ten tier.
Get more (Penn State) news, analysis and opinions on Nittany Lions Wire
13 (tie). Michigan State University
City: East Lansing, Michigan
National ranking: No. 63 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 60 overall, No. 13 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 84%
Michigan State saw an identical move to Penn State, dropping three spots nationally while maintaining the same Big Ten standing. The football program's APR of 968 is 14th in the conference, a similar standing to its overall ranking. Out of the classroom, the Spartans, to no surprise, are the reigning Big Ten men's basketball champions.
Get more (Michigan State) news, analysis and opinions on Spartans Wire
12. University of Minnesota -- Twin Cities
City: Minneapolis, Minnesota
National ranking: No. 54 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 53 overall, No. 12 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 77%
Minnesota held its position in 2025. It is the last of the Big Ten schools ranked outside the nation's top 50, although it is not far from that group.
10 (tie). University of Washington
City: Seattle, Washington
National ranking: No. 46 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 40 overall, No. 8 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 43%
Washington had one of the largest drops of any Big Ten member in the latest U.S. News ranking, dropping six spots nationally and two in the Big Ten. Still, it starts a run of 11 Big Ten members in the nation's top 50.
Get more (Washington) news, analysis and opinions on Huskies Wire
10 (tie). Purdue University -- Main Campus
City: West Lafayette, Indiana
National ranking: No. 46 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 43 overall, No. 10 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 50%
Purdue, like many other Big Ten schools, saw a slight dip nationally. It is tied with Washington for 10th in the Big Ten. However, just six national ranking spots stand between it and the conference's No. 7 school.
9. University of Maryland, College Park
City: College Park, Maryland
National ranking: No. 44 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 46 overall, No. 11 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 45%
Maryland rose slightly from its 2024 standing. While just ninth in the conference, it isn't far from a major step toward the top five. The school's athletic programs will be an interesting watch in 2025-26. Former Atlanta Braves executive James Smith is the new athletic director. He looks to provide Maryland much-needed stability after the school's basketball coach and AD each left in March.
7 (tie). Rutgers University -- New Brunswick
City: Piscataway, New Jersey
National ranking: No. 41 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 40 overall, No. 7 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 65%
Rutgers maintained its position in the U.S. News rankings. It sits comfortably within the nation's top 50, tied with one other Big Ten school and Boston University at No. 41. As noted, just a few rankings spots separate the school from the conference's top five.
7 (tie). The Ohio State University
City: Columbus, Ohio
National ranking: No. 41 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 43 overall, No. 9 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 51%
Ohio State's football national title was followed by a slight step forward in U.S. News' rankings. Just as impressive, the Buckeyes are the only football program with a perfect APR (1000). It's safe to say the school is in a strong standing both in and out of the classroom.
Get more (Ohio State) news, analysis and opinions on Buckeyes Wire
6. University of Wisconsin -- Madison
City: Madison, Wisconsin
National ranking: No. 39 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 35 overall, No. 5 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 43%
Wisconsin trended negatively in this year's rankings. It is tied with UC Santa Barbara at No. 39 overall, now with significant separation between it and the conference's fifth-highest-ranked school.
5. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
City: Champaign, Illinois
National ranking: No. 33 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 35 overall, No. 6 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 44%
Illinois inched forward to No. 33 nationally. That rise overtook Wisconsin for No. 5 in the Big Ten. Illinois has impressive company at No. 33: UC-Davis, UC-Irvine and Georgia Tech.
4. University of Southern California
City: Los Angeles, California
National ranking: No. 27 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 28 overall, No. 4 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 10%
USC begins the Big Ten's leading tier of schools ranked within the nation's top 30. The school is impressively tied with North Carolina for the No. 27 position. While the Trojans' football and men's basketball programs work to establish themselves in the Big Ten, the school already more than holds its own.
Get more (USC) news, analysis and opinions on Trojans Wire
3. University of Michigan -- Ann Arbor
City: Ann Arbor, Michigan
National ranking: No. 21 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 21 overall, No. 3 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 18%
No change for Michigan in this year's ranking. The school is tied with Washington University and Carnegie Mellon at No. 21. It held the Big Ten's second-highest ranking for an extended time, until another conference newcomer stole that position.
Get more (Michigan) news, analysis and opinions on Wolverines Wire
2. University of California -- Los Angeles
City: Los Angeles, California
National ranking: No. 15 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 15 overall, No. 2 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 9%
UCLA has some breathing room at No. 2 in the conference, sitting a full six national ranking spots higher than Michigan. The school is tied with Dartmouth at No. 15. While not in the nation's top 10, UCLA still sets the standard for Big Ten academics.
Get more (UCLA) news, analysis and opinions on UCLA Wire
1. Northwestern University
City: Evanston, Illinois
National ranking: No. 6 (tied)
2024 rank: No. 9 overall, No. 1 Big Ten
Acceptance rate: 7%
No one should be surprised Northwestern again captures the title as the Big Ten's highest-ranked school. It actually took a significant jump forward from 2024, rising three spots to No. 6. Northwestern trails only the following schools atop the national rankings: Yale, Stanford, Harvard, MIT and Princeton.
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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Big Ten football 2025 win-loss record predictions, per ESPN's FPI
Big Ten football 2025 win-loss record predictions, per ESPN's FPI The 2025 Big Ten football season continues to draw closer. As of June 7, only 82 days remain until Rutgers, Minnesota and Wisconsin kick off their Week 1 games on Thursday, August 28. We continue to pass important offseason milestones as we count down the days until the season begins. The latest milestone is the release of season power rating metrics, specifically ESPN's SP+ and Football Power Index. Once those numbers are released and updated through the spring, the countdown to the upcoming season can truly begin. This topic is timely because ESPN released its FPI for the 2025 season earlier this week. With SP+ already out, we now have a full picture of what to expect when the games kick off. As a reminder, here is how ESPN describes the methodology behind its Football Power Index. The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily. FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete. That picture is both sport-wide and conference-specific. While it's valuable to compare the Big Ten's best to the top teams in the SEC, Big 12 and ACC, it's also important to focus on how the 18 Big Ten members line up. For that specific lineup, here are ESPN's FPI's record predictions for every Big Ten football team in 2025, ordered from lowest to highest. They're also compared with our recent win-loss projections for each team after spring practice. Purdue Boilermakers FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 3.2 - 8.8 FPI Rating: -6.9 (No. 92 overall) Purdue enters 2025 with low expectations. New coach Barry Odom won't have much trouble improving on the team's 1-11 2024 campaign. But anything more than three wins would be surprising. The FPI gives the Boilermakers only a 6.3% chance to make a bowl game Northwestern Wildcats FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 4.1 - 7.9 Badgers Wire Record Prediction: 3-9 FPI Rating: -3.6 (No. 74 overall) Northwestern forms the Big Ten's bottom tier with Purdue. David Braun was the conference's coach of the year just two years ago after leading the Wildcats to an 8-5 record in his first year in charge. 2024's 4-8 output created questions about the sustainability of that success. The FPI sees a repeat of that performance in 2025. Michigan State Spartans FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 5.2 - 6.8 Badgers Wire Record Prediction: 6-6 FPI Rating: 2.3 (No. 59 overall) Michigan State needs to build momentum somehow, whether on the field or the recruiting trail. Since the latter is not happening at the moment, Jonathan Smith will need to show significant improvement when the team takes the field for his second year in charge. The FPI gives the Spartans a 42.4% chance to reach a bowl game and quiet the outside noise. Get more (Michigan State) news, analysis and opinions on Spartans Wire UCLA Bruins FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 5.4 - 6.6 Badgers Wire Record Prediction: 8-4 FPI Rating: 4.6 (No. 47 overall) UCLA is one of our breakthrough picks in 2025. The FPI disagrees, forecasting another fringe-bowl season for the program. Tennessee transfer QB Nico Iamaleava will have a significant say in the season's result. Get more (UCLA) news, analysis and opinions on UCLA Wire Wisconsin Badgers FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 5.6 - 6.5 Badgers Wire Record Prediction: 6-6 FPI Rating: 6.3 (No. 38 overall) Wisconsin is not far down this list due to a lack of quality -- the team holds a top-40 ranking entering the year. It is instead due to a gauntlet schedule that includes games against the FPI's No. 3 (Alabama), No. 4 (Ohio State), No. 6 (Oregon), No. 17 (Michigan), No. 27 (Washington), No. 31 (Indiana) and No. 39 (Iowa) teams. The Badgers would do extremely well to make a bowl game, something the FPI gives them a 51.1% chance to do. Rutgers Scarlet Knights FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 5.8 - 6.2 Badgers Wire Record Prediction: 4-8 FPI Rating: 3.5 (No. 55 overall) The FPI gives Rutgers a 57.1% chance to extend its bowl streak to three seasons. We're less optimistic about the team's chances after it lost numerous defensive starters and contributors to the portal or graduation. Maryland Terrapins FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 5.9 - 6.1 Badgers Wire Record Prediction: 5-7 FPI Rating: 1.9 (No. 61 overall) Mike Locksley might need a bowl-eligible season to keep his job. Maryland just hired a new athletic director, which only heightens questions surrounding the program after its 4-8 record last season. The FPI gives it a 59% chance to reach the postseason, thanks in part to an easy nonconference slate. Iowa Hawkeyes FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 6.2 - 5.8 Badgers Wire Record Prediction: 7-5 FPI Rating: 6.3 (No. 39 overall) Iowa can be projected as a fringe-six-win team entering 2025, but history matters. The Hawkeyes haven't won fewer than seven games in any non-COVID season since 2012, and only once since 2000. Given that trend, I'll comfortably predict another seven or eight-win campaign. 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Washington Huskies FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 7.1 - 4.9 Badgers Wire Record Prediction: 8-4 FPI Rating: 8.8 (No. 27 overall) Washington is another of our breakthrough picks in 2025, especially if young quarterback Demond Williams Jr. pans out. The FPI agrees, slotting the Huskies as a fringe-top-25 team. The schedule is a challenge, but don't be surprised if Washington threatens a playoff spot this season. Get more (Washington) news, analysis and opinions on Huskies Wire Indiana Hoosiers FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 7.5 - 4.5 Badgers Wire Record Prediction: 6-6 FPI Rating: 8.3 (No. 31 overall) Indiana is an interesting test case entering 2025. The team lost significant production off a stellar 2024 team. However, coach Curt Cignetti proved last year that he doesn't need years of continuity to win at a high level. The FPI gives the Hoosiers an 87.5% chance to reach a bowl game and an 8.9% shot to return to the CFP. Nebraska Cornhuskers FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 7.5 - 4.5 Badgers Wire Record Prediction: 8-4 FPI Rating: 9.3 (No. 25 overall) Projections are high on Nebraska entering the season. The Cornhuskers are the FPI's sixth-highest-ranked Big Ten team, with a 1.5% chance to win the conference title. The team's success, or lack thereof, will come down to the development of sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola, who showed flashes during his true freshman season. Get more (Nebraska) news, analysis and opinions on Cornhuskers Wire USC Trojans FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 8.3 - 3.9 Badgers Wire Record Prediction: 8-4 FPI Rating: 13.0 (No. 19 overall) USC always finds itself near the top of the FPI. The metric gives the Trojans a whopping 21% chance to make the CFP and a 4.2% shot to win the Big Ten. Remember, those numbers are for a program that is just 15-11 over the last two seasons. Get more (USC) news, analysis and opinions on Trojans Wire Michigan Wolverines FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 8.4 - 3.7 Badgers Wire Record Prediction: 9-3 FPI Rating: 14.6 (No. 17 overall) The question surrounding Michigan entering 2025 isn't whether the team will be good. The question is whether it is good enough to contend for the Big Ten and reach the CFP. The FPI's prediction is a bit measured, giving the Wolverines a 25.3% chance to reach the CFP and 6% shot to win the conference. Get more (Michigan) news, analysis and opinions on Wolverines Wire Oregon Ducks FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 10.0 - 2.4 Badgers Wire Record Prediction: 9-3 FPI Rating: 20.5 (No. 6 overall) Oregon begins the Big Ten's top tier entering 2025. That tier mirrors the 2024 standings, which doesn't come as a surprise. The Ducks are an odds-on favorite to return to the CFP (57.5%), with a 4.3% shot to win the national title. Get more (Oregon) news, analysis and opinions on Ducks Wire Penn State Nittany Lions FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 10.2 - 2.2 Badgers Wire Record Prediction: 11-1 FPI Rating: 21.5 (No. 5 overall) Penn State finally broke through in 2024. With it returning its starting quarterback and its two star running backs, expectations are even higher entering 2025. The FPI gives the Nittany Lions a 25.1% shot to win the Big Ten, a 63.8% chance to return to the CFP, a 14.4% chance to, unlike last season, reach the national title game and a 7% chance to win it. Get more (Penn State) news, analysis and opinions on Nittany Lions Wire Ohio State Buckeyes FPI Projected Win-Loss Record: 10.4 - 2.2 Badgers Wire Record Prediction: 10-2 FPI Rating: 23.8 (No. 4 overall) The only numbers that matter for Ohio State are its win-loss result against Michigan, which it hasn't defeated in a half-decade, and its chance to win the national title. The FPI has the latter at 10.8% entering the year, tied for the third-shortest with Alabama. Only Texas (24.1%) and Georgia (17.9%) have better odds. Get more (Ohio State) news, analysis and opinions on Buckeyes Wire Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Three Wisconsin Badgers appear on PFF's list of the NFL's top centers for 2025 season
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Associated Press
5 hours ago
- Associated Press
Saint Louis City SC looks to end road losing streak in matchup with the Portland Timbers
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