Conference names are as deceiving as a politician asking for your vote this November. The Big 12 Conference has 16 teams now. The Atlantic – emphasis on the word Atlantic – Coast Conference has notable eastern schools like Stanford and California joining this season.
Perhaps the biggest misnomer of them all is the Big Ten Conference as the league now boasts 18 schools that make up its membership. The conference decided decades ago that it would not change its name when Penn State became the 11th member back in the 1990s.
Yet the biggest lie anyone will tell you is that Big 18 – err, 10 – is a wide-open conference with schools like Washington, Oregon, USC, and UCLA joining this year. It’s not. There are only four teams that have a chance to win the league’s conference championship game in December. Here is a look at those four schools.
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When former national championship coaches Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel say it, you can rest assured it's real. That’s the case with the talent Ohio State has on its roster this season as both former coaches have called this one of the most talented rosters they’ve seen at the Big Ten program.
Ryan Day’s squad will be led by Kansas State transfer quarterback Will Howard and former Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins. Incoming freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith will complement Emeka Egbuka as one of the top passing duos in the country.
Defensively, the Buckeyes received a boost when defensive end Jack Sawyer returned to school this fall. The defensive backfield is set with Denzel Burke and Alabama transfer Caleb Downs set to lock down wide receivers this season.
Winning the Big Ten won’t be easy as the Buckeyes have four ranked conference opponents on the schedule. Ohio State hosts Iowa (Oct. 5) before traveling to Oregon (Oct. 12). After Nebraska’s visit, the Buckeyes again travel to Penn State (Nov. 2) before hosting Michigan (Nov. 30) to end the year.
Prediction: The Buckeyes won’t go undefeated, but anything shy of 11 wins would be a complete disaster for this squad. Ohio State should run through most of this schedule en route to the Big Ten Championship game.
While Ohio State may have the most talented roster in college football, Oregon may have one of the most veteran rosters. The Ducks have 20 seniors and 25 juniors on their roster, a rarity in the transfer portal age.
Dan Lanning’s bunch will again be led by a transfer quarterback in Dillon Gabriel. The former Oklahoma Sooner is also a Heisman favorite at +750 heading into the season. Top target Tez Johnson returns this season, looking for a second-straight 1,000-yard season.
Defensively, Jordan Burch will lead the linemen this season after his breakout performance last year. Linebackers Jestin Jacob and Jeffrey Bassa are the heart of this defense and can quickly end their opponent’s drives with their athleticism.
The Big Ten’s initiation is a doozy for Oregon. The Ducks will host Michigan State (Oct. 4) and Ohio State (Oct. 12) before hitting the road to face Michigan (Nov. 2) and Wisconsin (Nov. 16). Should the Ducks navigate that, former PAC 12 foe Washington awaits as the season finale.
Prediction: Oregon will be among the best teams in the country this season, but winning 11 games will be rough in their first-ever foray into the Big Ten. Expect the Ducks to win 10 games and finish among the top 10 – both strong showings for this proud program.
When Jim Harbaugh bolted for the NFL, a young, relatively unknown coach took the reins of the program. That coach successfully carried on the team’s winning ways, earning 34 victories and three straight New Year's Six Bowl game berths.
No, this isn’t a prediction. This is what happened when Harbaugh left Stanford and David Shaw took over in 2010. Shaw went 34-7 in his first three years with two Rose Bowl bids and three straight top-10 finishes.
Can Sherrone Moore have similar success? If so, he’ll have to do with 15 starters who joined Harbaugh at the next level following the team’s championship run. Running back Donovan Edwards returns this season, as does cornerback Will Johnson. Beyond that, only Wolverine fans would know these players’ names heading into the 2024 season.
The schedule is among the worst in the Big Ten Conference, especially for the contenders. The Wolverines host USC (Sept. 21) and Oregon (Nov. 2), but road trips to Washington (Oct. 5) and Ohio State (Nov. 30) await Michigan. That doesn’t include a trap game on Oct. 26 against Michigan State.
Prediction: Like Shaw, expect Moore to continue Michigan’s successful ways – at least initially. But nine wins? No, not against this schedule. But the consolation prize is the entire season Michigan will be referred to as the defending champions.
After a decade at State College, Penn State head coach James Franklin finds himself at a crossroads. The Nittany Lions are again ranked as one of the best teams in the conference; yet outside of a surprise conference championship in 2016, Penn State has not been a contender for a playoff bid.
With the new 12-team playoff, Penn State could find itself getting back into the discussion of national prominence. They’ll rely on quarterback Drew Allar and a pair of running backs in Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton to power their offensive attack.
If the old adage that defense wins championships is true, Penn State has one of the best in recent memory. The line is set with edge rusher Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton manning the ends. Safeties Jaylen Reed and Kevin Winston, Jr., lead a strong backfield that features cornerback Cam Miller. All of these athletes are returning stars from a season ago.
The schedule sets up impeccably well for the Nittany Lions this year. A road trip to USC (Oct. 12) is the toughest road conference game, and Penn State hosts both Ohio State (Nov. 2) and Washington (Nov. 9). Their trap game would be against Wisconsin on Oct. 26 as it looms between two other highly anticipated battles.
Prediction: This could be Penn State’s best shot at winning the Big Ten Conference Championship game for the foreseeable future. Anything short of nine wins may spell the end of Franklin’s tenure in Happy Valley so take the over and bet on a head coach who consistently finds ways to games every year.