Penn State
Over the last 11 years, the Penn State Nittany Lions have consistently found themselves near the top of the Big Ten standings under head coach James Franklin. Having won their last conference championship in 2016, the nine-year drought has raised a sense of frustration and distrust directed at Franklin in the media.
That nine-year drought should end in December.
Not only do the Nittany Lions enter the 2025 season with a roster full of NFL first-round talent, but they also come loaded with experience. In fact, according to a report from CBS Sports’ Cody Nagel, Penn State ranks fourth in the country among Power Four schools in returning starters with 14.
Among those returning starters lies the focal points of the offense: quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Nic Singleton and
Kaytron Allen.
Fourth-year Allar ranks second in Bleacher Report’s Top-25 Quarterback Rankings. While he struggled in their playoff semifinal matchup with Notre Dame, let’s not forget the amazing junior season the quarterback had. With 3,629 total yards and 30 total touchdowns, there’s no denying Allar was a difference maker and will prove pivotal to the Nittany Lions’ success this season.
Penn State’s one-two punch running back room is easily the best in the nation. With two 1,000+ yard rushers in Singleton and Allen, the Nittany Lions will not only thrive in the passing game with Allar but will have the ability to dominate in the run game as well.
The Nittany Lions are loaded and hungry after last season’s disappointing conclusion, having missed out on a spot in the Big Ten championship game and losing in the College Football Playoff semifinal. Penn State is built to achieve Big Ten glory this season and even have a shot at capturing a national championship as well.
Ohio State
Realistically, the Big Ten champion this year will boil down to either Penn State or Ohio State, and if the first week was any indication, the Buckeyes will take the conference by storm.
Before the season even began, Ohio State was ranked by the Associated Press as the No. 3 team in the nation, and for good reason. The Buckeyes had an explosive 2024-25 season that ended with the honor of being the lowest-seeded team in college football history to win the national title.
Despite the loss of key seniors, such as running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who recorded a career-high in receptions, Ohio State came out with a burst of energy to start the 2025-26 season, knocking off No. 1 Texas, 14-7.
While the Nittany Lions also won their season opener, it was a 46-11 blowout against a less- polished Nevada team. In other words, it was a game they should have won. While both teams will run a similar gauntlet of Big Ten foes, the first week alone has given the Buckeyes a more challenging overall schedule.
The ultimate test will be when these two titans face each other in the Nov. 1 game. It will no doubt be Penn State’s toughest game of the season, but for Ohio State, it will more or less be another Longhorn matchup.
In terms of tangible statistics, the Buckeyes are looking strong as ever, with quarterback Julian Sayin up to 126 yards in one game, not to mention a team receiving average of 9.7 yards per reception.
Maybe it’s a little basic to pick last year’s national champion, but Ohio State simply has the best odds to be a Big Ten champion, much like they would have been last year had it not been for ill-timed losses to Oregon
and Michigan.