Big Ten football is just weeks away when Nebraska and Northwestern face off on Aug. 27 in Dublin, Ireland. Air travel will be a big part of the Big Ten's future as the college football world was shocked when USC and UCLA announced they would be joining the conference in 2024. That will bring the conference ranks up to 16.
It'll be interesting to see if either of those schools will have any interest in destroying the evil empire built in Columbus that continues to churn out victories. The Buckeyes might have lost to the Wolverines last year, but their Rose Bowl performance let everyone know that they are still the king of the mountain. Michigan looks to make it back-to-back victories over tOSU since 2000. Spartan fans will no doubt remind big brother that they've won the last two meetings with their rival.
In my rankings, the Big Ten boasts 8 teams in the Top 50 and none of them appear lower than 97 (Indiana). It's the only Power 5 conference to boast no teams in the 100s as even the SEC has to take responsibility for Vanderbilt (109). Here's a look at the greatest (heavily biased) conference in all of sports.
East
Ohio State
Head Coach: Ryan Day (34-4, 4th Season)
Last Year Rank: 12 (11-2)
Preseason Rank: 2
Prediction: 11-1
The Buckeyes will be giving defensive coordinators nightmares after they watch that Rose Bowl tape where CJ Stroud threw for 570 yards. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were his favorite targets in that game and return to scorch defenses. Looking to keep them on the ground, well you'll get pummelled by TreVeyon Henderson, who amassed over 1,200 yards in 2021 as a Freshman! The defense will have a lot of new faces, but Zach Harrison will be there to provide the leadership on the front line. Besides, we know that Ryan Day recruits beasts only in Columbus, likely because he continued the pact that Jim Tressel made with the devil to continually put me into a seasonal depression that lasts from September to early January since 2001.
The schedule is a tough one as they actually scheduled a respectable non-conference opponent when the Fighting Irish roll in Week 1. They are also fortunate enough to get Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan at home as well. They do have to venture into Happy Valley, likely for a whiteout around Halloween weekend, so that game always has Buckeye fans on edge.
Michigan
Head Coach: Jim Harbaugh (61-24, 8th Season)
LYR: 6 (12-2)
PR: 5
Prediction: 10-2
Just a friendly reminder of where you can find the Big Ten Championship trophy, it's Ann Arbor. Like most Wolverine fans it might seem a little dangerous to be so boastful, but to be fair Buckeye fans don't exactly win with humility so why should we? The offense returns Blake Corum, a healthy Ronnie Bell, Erick All, and Cornelius Johnson at the skill positions. The big question will be if Cade McNamara will be the go-to guy or if J.J. McCarthy will take over more and more snaps. The defense lost a lot of talent including Aidan Hutchinson who was the second overall pick in the NFL Draft. The good news is the secondary will have plenty of time to prep for Ohio State's nasty receiving corps and the non-conference schedule is admittedly softer than Charmin. The Maize and Blue also get Penn State and Sparty at home, but they will have road trips to Iowa and Ohio State which have not been kind places for Harbaugh. If the defense comes together they can make noise, but it better be the 85 Bears if they want to make it back to Indianapolis.
Michigan State
Head Coach: Mel Tucker (13-7, 3rd Season)
LYR: 13 (11-2)
PR: 16
Prediction: 8-4
The Spartans arguably have the biggest offensive weapon to replace in running back Kenneth Walker III. Jayden Reed looks to be the talk of East Lansing as he returns for his senior season to catch passes from Payton Thorne. The pass defense was atrocious last season, ranking dead last in the FBS, so maybe it's not great that they return most of their starters in the secondary. They'll get Wisconsin and Ohio State at home, but in back-to-back weeks before getting a week off before heading to Ann Arbor. They also end the season in Happy Valley and have a non-conference road trip to face the Huskies in Seattle during Week 2.
Penn State
Head Coach: James Franklin (67-34, 9th Season)
LYR: 53 (7-6)
PR: 27
Prediction: 9-3
Last year was a disappointment for the Nittany Lions as they barely finished above .500 and were knocked around by Arkansas in their bowl game. Sean Clifford returns for his 12th season (ok 4th season) as the QB in Happy Valley and will likely need to be a game manager while the defense does their thing. Clifford will have a new receiver in Mitchell Tinsley who comes over from pass-happy Western Kentucky where he racked up over 1,400 yards last season. The schedule makers bring Ohio State and Michigan State to stare at all the white shirts in the stands, but the Nittany Lions get tough road games at Auburn and Michigan. They are also lucky enough to skip Wisconsin and Iowa.
Maryland
Head Coach: Mike Locksley (13-23, 5th Season)
LYR: 61 (7-6)
PR: 71
Prediction: 7-5
The Terrapins are one of the most exciting offenses in college football when they don't play teams with a defense. Against Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, and Penn State, they were outscored 247-84. In their seven wins, they outscored opponents 281-118, so when it clicks, it really clicks. Taulia Tagovailoa leads the Terps again offensively and likely they'll score points and make it to their second straight bowl appearance, but look for ugly losses again to the big dogs in the conference.
Rutgers
Head Coach: Greg Schiano (8-14, 2nd Season/14th overall at school)
LYR: 96 (5-8)
PR: 80
Prediction: 3-9
It was really nice that Rutgers got invited to a bowl game as a replacement so they could get waxed by Sam Hartman and Wake Forest, but it ended the eight-year bowl drought. Greg Schiano's second turn as Rutgers head coach has been bumpy and the quarterback situation will be a question mark again this season. Fortunately, they get Indiana at home so they shouldn't go winless in Big Ten play this season.
Indiana
Head Coach: Tom Allen (26-32, 7th Season)
LYR: 122 (2-10)
PR: 97
Prediction: 2-10
Whoever made this non-conference schedule couldn't possibly have anticipated the success that Western Kentucky and Cincinnati had last season. Fortunately, there's former FBS member Idaho coming to town in Week 2 and that may be the highlight of the season. Tom Allen doesn't have a reliable QB after Michael Pennix Jr. transferred to Washington and not much else to write home about on offense if he did have a QB. Send care packages to Bloomington when they face Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan State in consecutive weeks in November.
West
Wisconsin
Head Coach: Paul Chryst (65-23, 8th Season)
LYR: 31 (9-4)
PR: 19
Prediction: 10-2
The Badgers needed to win against rival Minnesota to make yet another trip to Indianapolis, but the Gophers really wanted that ax and axed Wisconsin's chances at a Rose Bowl. Graham Mertz returns under center and looks to give the ball to his 1,000-yard rusher, Braelon Allen. The Badgers should make it through their first three games unscathed to set up an early showdown in Columbus for Big Ten supremacy, but like many Wisconsin teams, this doesn't seem to be a high-powered offense that can keep up with the higher-scoring teams in the league. The good news is that they miss Michigan and Penn State in this year's rotation.
Iowa
LYR: 26 (10-4)
PR: 20
Prediction: 8-4
Here's my question, how does the longest-tenured coach in the FBS not have 200 wins in 23 seasons of work? Iowa looks to do more Iowa-like things with ball control and a staunch defense. It's been Ferentz's plan this whole time, so why change now? Really, the only time it didn't keep them in a ballgame was the Big Ten Championship when Michigan stampeded the Hawkeyes 42-3. There's a lot of talent returning on both sides of the ball, but there's also this feeling that they could easily be caught off guard by FCS powerhouse South Dakota State in Week 1 and maybe even stumble late in the season at Minnesota or Purdue, because those are things that the Hawkeyes under Ferentz have done.
Purdue
Head Coach: Jeff Brohm (29-29, 6th Season)
LYR: 34 (9-4)
PR: 31
Prediction: 8-4
The Boilermakers were the beneficiaries of some terrible officiating in their bowl game, but it came at the expense of an SEC team so there are no complaints here. What Aidan O'Connell showed in that game was the moxy to hang in tough games and make big plays. Purdue will need that when they get a visit from Penn State in Week 1 and head to Wisconsin later in the year. Perhaps the luckiest of the West contenders, they miss Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State this year.
Minnesota
LYR: 32 (9-4)
PR: 43
Prediction: 8-4
The Golden Gophers played spoilers in 2021 and finished on a three-game win streak. Tanner Morgan is back to row the boat and he should be able to navigate a very friendly schedule. After a weak non-conference, they'll miss out on Michigan and Ohio State, but will have trips to Michigan State and Penn State. Morgan along with running back Mo Ibrahim are back for a sixth season thanks to the COVID-shortened season in 2020.
Nebraska
Head Coach: Scott Frost (15-29, 5th Season)
LYR: 111 (3-9)
PR: 81
Prediction: 6-6
The Cornhuskers were a pain in everyone's sides last season as they were the most competitive 3-9 team in college football history. Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan State all needed late rallies or needed to fend off a last-minute drive by Nebraska to win. Their largest margin of defeat was nine as they held the Buckeyes to a season-low 26 points. The defense returns most of their linebacking corps, but Adrian Martinez won't be the QB for the first time in four seasons. Martinez opted to transfer to Kansas State while Casey Thompson comes over from Texas to take the role. The biggest question for Nebraska is, will Scott Frost be on the sidelines in 2023 if this season gets off to a rocky start?
Illinois
LYR: 86 (5-7)
PR: 89
Prediction: 3-9
The Fighting Illini played in perhaps the wildest game of last season when they won a nine-overtime thriller at Penn State. They followed that game with a loss to Rutgers, so it wasn't all fairy tale endings in Champaign. The quarterback situation is a mess and the schedule is pretty brutal when the calendar reaches October, starting in Wisconsin and ending in Michigan the week before Thanksgiving.
Northwestern
LYR: 114 (3-9)
PR: 91
Prediction: 4-8
It might be another tough season in Evanston, but Pat Fitzgerald is easily the greatest coach in Northwestern history and the Big Ten's second-longest tenured coach, so there's grace to be found. Most of the success should come early in the season before they welcome the likes of Wisconsin and Ohio State to campus.
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