B1G vs Everybody

Ranking the biggest B1G non-conference games of 2025.

12. Notre Dame at Purdue – Week 4

Purdue is the worst team in the Big Ten. This is basically a scrimmage for Notre Dame.

11. Boston College at Michigan State – Week 2

A pair of mediocre teams that have next to zero national intrigue

10. Nebraska vs Cincinnati – Week 1 (Thursday)

New Big 12 vs Old Big 12… at a neutral site in Indianapolis. Eh.

9. Minnesota at Cal – Week 3

Minnesota could be decent, and Cal could be okay. And it’s a “Pac-12 After Daek” game. I’ll tune in.

8. Illinois at Duke – Week 2

Illinois is the most popular sleeper pick in the B1G. They will have to win on the road in week 2 to deserve that level of support

7. Oklahoma State at Oregon – Week 2

This game would be a lot more interesting if OK State wasn’t god awful last year. This is the first game we get to see B1G champ Oregon play against an opponent with a pulse.

6. Utah at UCLA – Week 1

A revival of an OG Pac-12 matchup, that should be competitive, late night, week one.

5. Iowa at Iowa State – Week 2

Massive Rivalry, both teams are good (ish). This is a top 5 B1G non-con game.

4. Wisconsin at Alabama – Week 3

Will Wisconsin die? Probably. But Big Ten vs SEC games are few and far between, and Wisconsin has to be better than last year, right?

3. USC at Notre Dame – Week 8

USC hasn’t renewed this series with Notre Dame for 2026 and beyond yet. This could be the last matchup we see in a historic, 100 year rivalry for a while. This is can’t miss television.

2. Michigan at Oklahoma – Week 2

Michigan Head Coach Sharone Moore went to Oklahoma. And to make sure he didn’t miss the opportunity to return to his alma mater, Michigan imposed his 2 game suspension for weeks 3 and 4. Seems like BS to me, but it also makes this game even more interesting.

1. Texas at Ohio State – Week 1

They played in the playoffs last year. And this year, they are the top 2 teams in the odds market to win the national championship. This week 1 game could very well be a preview of the title game 5 months later.

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This article was written by Cole Tollison and edited by Hayden Breene