Who’s the Next Indiana?: Big 10 Edition

(Image/Northwestern Now)

By: Lucas Kochevar

This conference is massive with a number of guys to point to that could be the next Indiana. The Hoosiers emerged from this very conference through a new regime and a culture that just punched opponents in the face. Who is that next team in line to make that leap? 

The options are slim. Purdue barely squeezed one win out of their schedule, but they’re still too far away from winning meaningful games. Maryland was horrific in conference play, but their quarterback position is still sketchy. Wisconsin and UCLA feel too easy as picks to turn it around. Now, the only team that’s left is Northwestern. 

The Wildcats haven’t been relevant in a couple years, but they squeezed out an eight win season with David Braun filling in on an interim basis. The eight win season landed him the full time gig for the Wildcats, but the regression monster came to roost and they fell back to a four win team in 2024. If they continue to fall in 2025, the Wildcats could look elsewhere. 

Honestly, I think Wake Forest’s chances are better than Northwestern’s to make the jump, but the reason I chose the Wildcats in the Big 10 leads back to the transfer they’ve landed. Starting at the head of the snake, Preston Stone is the incoming quarterback. Stone is most notable as the starting QB for SMU in 2023. Although he lost the starting job in 2024, he stayed with the program throughout the playoffs and moved on afterwards. He’s far from perfect, but having a grownup in the room could help stabilize an offense that’s struggled in previous years.

Another group that’s seen a big change on offense is the wide receiver room. The stats don’t jump off the screen for the group that’s in the building, but one of the guys that’s transferring in shows real promise. Griffin Wilde comes over to D-I ball from the South Dakota Jackrabbits. Wilde totaled 1,154 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2024. The 6’2 receiver could be one of those guys that just needed a bigger stage to get the notoriety he deserves.

On top of the skill guys, Northwestern is another one of those teams that overhauled their offensive lineman group. They brought in 3 grad transfers along the line with a new pair of guards and right tackle. They can’t rely solely on the passing game, they’ll need some big boy football with their experienced running back group that includes graduate student Cam Porter. 

The Wildcats defense maintains a lot of experience with guys in the line, but are hoping to see sophomores step up in the back end. An interesting transfer they’re bringing in is Yanni Karlaftis and if you’re curious, yes, his brother is George Karlaftis. He isn’t coming off the edge like his brother, but he should help in the middle as a leader for a group that needs it.
The schedule isn’t very nice to the Wildcats as they take on Oregon and travel to Penn State. They also take on Nico Iamaleva and UCLA, Bryce Underwood and Michigan and, lastly, Lincoln Riley and USC. It would take quite the turnaround for the Wildcats to make that Indiana jump, but if the offense makes strides and defense can bend, not break, this team could be the next surprise team to go from worst to first.

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