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Spring football is just weeks away with Michigan football set to begin the spring sessions on March 18. Other teams will be starting earlier and analysts are starting to piece together how good they think some teams might be.
Enter ESPN resident advanced stats guru Bill Connelly, who last week put out his initial 2025 SP+ rankings (subscription required) taking into account recent history, personnel, and recruiting rankings to predict how every team in college football ranks.
College football is becoming more and more of a monolith with expanded conferences and playoffs, and the Big Ten is one of the conferences leading the charge there. Now entering its second season with 18 teams, we’re taking a look at how ESPN ranks all 18 programs, while ranking them against each other.
Here is how the Big Ten fares in the latest ESPN SP+ rankings.
Photo: Isaiah Hole
SP+ rank: 116
Offense: 121
Defense: 99
Purdue is a candidate to be one of the biggest risers with Barry Odom taking over. But how fast can the Boilermakers turn things around?
Photo: Isaiah Hole
SP+ rank: 87
Offense: 122
Defense: 40
David Braun did a masterful job as interim coach but last year, the Wildcats looked like it did before Braun took over. There are questions on offense that don’t appear anywhere close to being answered.
16. Michigan State Spartans
SP+ rank: 76
Offense: 107
Defense: 37
The defense was surprising given the past few years, but the offense was too turnover-prone and reliant on big plays rather than consistently moving down the field. Will Aidan Chiles find some consistency and keep from throwing to other teams’ defensive backs in his third year?
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
SP+ rank: 69
Offense: 94
Defense: 46
UCLA improved greatly over the year, going from looking like a pushover to a tough, gritty team. Led by the defense, there are some pieces on…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/ranking-18-big-ten-teams-213301335.html
Author : Wolverines Wire
Publish date : 2025-03-03 21:33:00
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