Big Ten Football: Selecting team slogans for 2025 season

The 2025 Big Ten football season is right around the corner. Many programs are closing in on their spring games (or practices, or scrimmages, or… ), and that got those of us at Tradition thinking.

What’s in a slogan?

For some companies or organizations, it’s a symbol of pride. Simply uttering the words “Just Do It” will conjure up images of a swoosh and many star athletes giving it their best.

So, what does that have to do with Big Ten football? Well, everyone needs a slogan, a moniker for the direction that the program is heading, and we’re not talking “I-L-L” or “Chop” or any of that nonsense.

No, we scoured far and wide for the best slogans from companies all over the globe and picked the best one for each team in the B1G. At least, that’s what we tried to do.

2025 Big Ten slogans

Here is the full list of slogans we have compiled for the 2025 season:

Illinois — “Built to last.” (Ford)

For the first time in ages, Illinois fans can entertain thoughts that their football program is built on a firm foundation. Bret Bielema has multiple 8-win seasons in the past 3 years, and the Illini most recently beat a South Carolina squad from the SEC.

Indiana — “Think Different.” (Apple)

After 11 wins and a College Football Playoff appearance, it’s indeed time to think differently in Bloomington. Can Curt Cignetti develop the Hoosiers into a consistent winner? Time will tell, but there’s no use entertaining the old way of thinking for Indiana.

Iowa — “Expect more. Pay less.”(Target)

Iowa tried to make a splashy move in the transfer portal 2 years ago, bringing in Cade McNamara after he lost the starting job at Michigan. Clearly, it didn’t work out, so it’s time to get back to the basics in Iowa City.

Maryland — “We have a place for everyone.” (Vrbo)

Maryland’s roster quite literally has a place for everyone, or so it would seem after Mike Locksley’s 3-year bowl streak was snapped this past season. The Terrapins saw a mass exodus with 21 outgoing transfers after a 4-8 season. So, if you need a place to stay, Maryland has a spot!

Michigan — “Be what’s next.” (Microsoft)

After getting a taste of the national title, Michigan is looking to rebound from a rough debut season from Sherrone Moore’s program. The Wolverines still won a bowl game, but all anyone wants to see is Bryce Underwood, and he has a chance to embody Microsoft’s slogan as a true freshman.

Michigan State — “Let’s do the work.” (Caterpillar)

Jonathan Smith is a blue-collar coach who slowly and steadily developed Oregon State into a consistent program. That’s not what fans want to see these days with the transfer portal and NIL running rampant, but it’s still his style of program building. Michigan State and its fans need to be willing to roll up their sleeves and get a little dirty in Year 2, hopefully seeing the work lead to incremental progress over time.

Minnesota — “Quality never goes out of style.” (Levi’s)

PJ Fleck has his detractors outside of Minnesota, but there’s only one word to describe his time with the Golden Gophers: Quality. How else would you describe a 6-0 bowl record with trips to the postseason in all but 2 seasons at the helm?

Nebraska — “See what’s next.” (Netflix)

The long bowl drought nightmare is over in Lincoln. Now, Nebraska fans can’t wait to see what comes next. Hopefully, it’s the traditional Year 3 breakthrough that Matt Rhule’s programs experience at his previous destinations.

Northwestern — “Diamonds are forever.” (De Beers)

Okay, no stadium is truly “forever,” but the new Ryan Field project is sure to be a diamond for the Wildcats. After Ryan Braun’s 2nd year at Northwestern came crashing back down, fans can look forward to that diamond… in 2026.

Ohio State — “I’m lovin’ it.” (McDonald’s)

Ohio State is back on top of the college football world after Ryan Day captured his first national title as a head coach. Entering the season, there’s no other way to describe the vibe in Columbus right now.

Oregon — “Have it your way.” (Burger King)

Dan Lanning continues to keep Oregon among the top programs in the country, but that’s not what we’re going for here. If you like options and customization, Eugene is the place to be with a new uniform flavor on a regular basis.

Penn State — “We are the competition.” (Ferrari)

After years of playing second fiddle to the top dogs in the conference, Penn State invested heavily to grab Jim Knowles and a key group of returners. Realistically, this is James Franklin’s best shot to prove they are the team to beat in the B1G and make a run at a CFP national title.

Purdue — “Maybe it’s Maybelline.” (Maybelline)

I’m not saying Barry Odom is destined to fail at Purdue. What I am saying is he’s going to need a lot of makeup to cover the blemishes and the warts left behind by Ryan Walters in West Lafayette.

Rutgers — “Guaranteed tough.” (Dewalt)

Over the years, there have been a lot of things that Rutgers football has not been. The one thing you can count on as long as Greg Schiano’s around? Toughness.

UCLA — “There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s MasterCard.” (MasterCard)

Listen, whether it’s obtained with money or MasterCard, UCLA is in need of a talent upgrade at many positions after a 5-7 mark in DeShaun Foster’s first season. Unfortunately, that’s troubling with UCLA earning the 42nd transfer portal class in the country per 247Sports thus far.

USC — “Think big.” (IMAX)

With a new GM and renewed focus on recruiting under Lincoln Riley, it feels like the time has come for USC to finally begin dreaming big once again. It might not be immediate, but the future has to be full of elite Big Ten showdowns and trips to the Playoff down the road… right?

Wisconsin — “Nothing runs like a Deere.” (John Deere)

Wisconsin tried the Air Raid thing with Luke Fickell bringing Phil Longo with him to Madison. Why, we may never know, but it didn’t work out. Now, let’s get back to running things at Wisconsin, and nothing runs quite like a Deere.