ESPN Predicts Surprising Matchup for the Big Ten Championship Next Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Jan 30, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Big Ten Conference has dominated the college football scene over the past two seasons. In the 2023 season, the Michigan Wolverines secured the national championship, followed by their archrivals, the Ohio State Buckeyes, winning it in the 2024 season.

Projections are being released for the upcoming college football season. According to ESPN's Bill Connelly , the creator of the SP+ rankings, a method that assesses a team's efficiency by considering both tempo and the quality of opponents, he has made a prediction for next year's Big Ten Championship game. His forecast may come as a surprise: Connelly believes that the matchup will be between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Michigan Wolverines.

"For grins, we'll say it's Drew Allar and PSU against Bryce Underwood and Michigan, and the senior blue-chipper beats the freshman blue-chipper in Indianapolis," Connelly wrote.

Connelly stated that his criteria for selecting the Big Ten winner is to choose the best team other than Ohio State because that team has won four consecutive Big Ten titles. This consideration left him with three contenders: Penn State, Michigan and the Oregon Ducks, who won the title last year. Ultimately, he decided to go with Michigan and Penn State.

The Nittany Lions should not come as a surprise as they finished the previous season with a record of 13-3. They made it to the Big Ten Championship Game and reached the College Football Playoff semifinals before losing to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

However, Michigan's selection might raise some eyebrows. Despite winning the national championship in 2023 and claiming the Big Ten title for three straight seasons from 2021-23, the Wolverines had a disappointing record of 8-5 last season.

Connelly predicts that quarterback Bryce Underwood, the nation's top prospect in the 2025 class, will help them get back on track. He also predicts they will defeat the Buckeyes for the fifth consecutive season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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