It was Michigan last year and Ohio State this year. Two in a row isn’t much of a streak, but for the Big Ten, it is something after the SEC ruled over the sport for so long.

There might not be a 2019 LSU, 2020 Alabama or 2021 Georgia among those teams, but there are a lot of star-studded programs that will carry playoff expectations into the 2025 season. And this time, ...