2025 Big Ten Week 14 Football Release
https://bigten.org/fb/standings/
• All 18 Big Ten teams will take the field in the final week of the regular season. The slate begins with Iowa traveling to Nebraska on Black Friday at noon ET on CBS and concludes with an in-state matchup between Illinois and Northwestern on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT on FOX.
• Entering the final week of play, four Big Ten teams remain in contention for berths in the 2025 Discover Big Ten Championship Game: Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State, and Oregon. The 15th annual title game will be played on Saturday, December 6, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and will be broadcast by FOX. The winner will represent the conference as the Automatic Qualifier (AQ) to the College Football Playoff. A full list of tiebreakers can be found on page 4.
• Nine of the Big Ten’s 18 teams are mentioned in this week’s AP or US LBM Coaches Polls, announced on Sunday. The AP poll includes No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana, No. 5 Oregon, No. 15 Michigan, and No. 19 USC, with Washington, Iowa and Illinois receiving votes. At No. 1, Ohio State leads eight Big Ten teams in the coaches’ poll (No. 2 Indiana, No. 5 Oregon, No. 15 Michigan, and No. 20 USC); Washington, Iowa, Penn State and Illinois also received recognition.
• The Big Ten had five teams included in the College Football Playoff’s fourth rankings of the season on Nov. 25: No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana, No. 6 Oregon, No. 15 Michigan and No. 17 USC. The CFP will release its next top 25 rankings on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
• The Big Ten has two of the remaining three undefeated teams in the FBS heading into the final week of regular season play: Ohio State (11-0) and Indiana (11-0). Indiana plays in-state rival Purdue on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Ohio State travels to Ann Arbor to take on rival Michigan on Saturday at noon E.T on FOX.
• The Big Ten announced its Football Players of the Week, presented by IFS.ai on Monday, with Northwestern’s Preston Stone and Penn State’s Kaytron Allen sharing Co-Offensive Players of the Week.
• Stone went a perfect 15-15 passing in the second half to overcome a 15-point deficit as the Wildcats defeated Minnesota 38-35 to reach bowl eligibility. He also had two touchdowns on the day.
• Allen recorded his second-straight offensive player of the week after recording 160 yards rushing and two touchdowns in Penn State’s 37-10 win against Nebraska. Allen eclipsed 3,954 career yards to become the all-time career rushing yards leader at Penn State, passing Evan Royster (3,932).
• Wisconsin’s Darryl Peterson won Defensive Player of the Week honors after accumulating six tackles, three sacks a forced fumble, two PBUs and two QB hurries in Wisconsin’s win against No. 21 Illinois.
• Iowa’s Kaden Wetjen claimed Special Teams Player of the Week after recording a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown in Iowa’s 20-17 win against Michigan State. This marked his third punt return touchdown, tied for the third-most in Big Ten history.
• Ohio State running back Bo Jackson garnered Freshman of the Week honors, as he recorded 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 42-9 victory over Rutgers. It marked his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game.
• Ten Big Ten Football student-athletes were announced as Institution Winners for the Big Ten Jackie Robinson Award presented by Discover last week. Each winner will dawn a Jackie Robinson Award patch on their jersey, and overall winners will be announced this spring.
• Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin were two of three finalists who were on the shortlist for the Maxwell Award, awarded to the college football’s player of the year. The award will be announced on December 11, 2025.
• Ohio State’s Caleb Downs was named one of three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s best defensive back. The award will be announced on December 12, 2025.
• Two Big Ten players were named finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, the award for the nation’s best wide receiver. Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and USC’s Makai Lemon were two of the three players on the shortlist. The award will be announced on December 12, 2025.
• Iowa’s Logan Jones was named one of three finalists for the Outland Trophy, given to the nation’s best interior lineman on offense or defense. The award will be announced on December 12, 2025.
• Ohio State’s rushing defense is second best in the nation and only allows 80 yards per game, while Michigan’s rushing offense is 10th best with 223.5 yards per game. It will be the 121st meeting between the two on Saturday, with Michigan having won four straight.
• Seven Big Ten teams rank among the top 25 nationally in Relative Scoring Offense, the statistic most closely correlated with winning over the last ten years. Indiana leads the nation and the conference (175.83%), followed by Oregon at No. 3 (173.53%), No.6 USC (161.11%), No. 11 Penn State (155.26%), No. 13 Ohio State (152.35%), No. 22 Washington (136.64%) and No. 23 Illinois (134.32%).
• Four Big Ten quarterbacks rank in top ten nationally for passing efficiency. Ohio State’s Julian Sayin (185.4) leads the nation and is followed closely by Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza in second (184.8). Oregon’s Dante Moore is sixth in the NCAA (167.8) and Washington’s Demond Williams Jr. sits seventh (165.1).
• The Big Ten paces other conferences for teams ranked within the top 25 in total defense, claiming eight. Ohio State leads the FBS with 206.6 yards per game, followed by three other teams within the top ten: Oregon (3rd, 248.7), Indiana (4th, 249.0), and Iowa (8th, 267.9).
• The Big Ten claimed back-to-back national championship titles for the first time since 1942 last season as Ohio State defeated Notre Dame, 34-23, in the 2024 College Football Playoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The Buckeyes brought home their sixth national championship to the Horseshoe in Columbus and first since the inaugural CFP National Championship in the 2014-15 season.
