big ten football preview
Who is excited as Big Ten Football is getting ready to kick off its season?
With less than 45 days to go, we have some very interesting schedules to discuss and bold predictions to be made. We know who is going to take the cake this year. It is going the Buckeyes of Ohio State.
The Buckeyes should return to the top of the Big Ten behind a high-powered offense (7.96 yards per play in 2021) led by quarterback C.J. Stroud, running back TreVeyon Henderson and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Their offensive line returns tackles Dawand Jones and Paris Johnson Jr., who should be among the best in college football. Scoring points won’t be a problem for coach Ryan Day’s team, but Ohio State’s defense has room to improve after allowing 22.8 points a game and 5.3 yards per play last fall.
Jim Knowles was hired to coordinate this unit after a successful stint at Oklahoma State, and talent isn’t in short supply with defensive end Zach Harrison, linebackers Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers and defensive backs Denzel Burke and Ronnie Hickman in the lineup.
But the big question is who is going to come in second? Will it be the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Michigan Wolverines, the Michigan St Spartans, the Wisconsin Badgers, or the Penn St Nittany Lions. Posted on July 7, the NCAA released a top 25 preseason rankings with 5 Big Ten teams being in the top 25.
Ohio St was number two, Michigan was nine, Michigan St was 14, Iowa was 19, and Wisconsin was 23. Michigan should be an interesting team to watch this year. Jim Harbaugh got Michigan over the hump last season by defeating Ohio State, winning the Big Ten title for the first time since 2004 and earning a trip to the CFB Playoff.
However, the Wolverines have some retooling to do in order to reach that level once again this fall. A defense that limited teams to 17.4 points a game and 4.93 yards per play lost coordinator Mike Macdonald to the NFL and several key players, including ends Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo and defensive backs Brad Hawkins, Dax Hill and Vincent Gray.
Filling the voids up front and replacing the lost pass rush by Hutchinson and Ojabo remains the team’s biggest concern going into the fall under new play-caller Jesse Minter. Although the defense is likely to take a small step back, Michigan’s offense should be among the best in the Big Ten.
Next up we have Michigan St. Michigan State, who lost their star running back Kenneth Walker III to the NFL Draft. So it should be interesting to watch the offense without his contributions on the field this year. Michigan State Head Coach Mel Tucker made it very clear at Big Ten Media Day on July 26 and July 27 that his intentions were to bring a championship to East Lansing. Other than losing Kenneth Walker they really didn’t loss much. They did gain a couple of transfer would should be very beneficial to both the offense and the defense. Transfers Jalen Berger (Wisconsin) and Jarek Broussard (Colorado) will handle the bulk of the carries with Walker departing, and the offense will ask more of quarterback Payton Thorne (27 TDs) and receiver Jayden Reed. The addition of transfer Ameer Speed (Georgia) should help to bolster last year’s leaky secondary, but the Spartans should have optimism about their defensive front with the return of end Jeff Pietrowski, linebacker Cal Haladay and Florida transfer Khris Bogle (edge). Road trips to Michigan and Penn State won’t be easy. I must say I believe more in Michigan State than I do Michigan. This is because Michigan had to rebuild the whole defense and they might come out a little cocky after making it to the playoffs last season.
Next we have the Hawkeyes. A repeat of last year’s Big Ten West Division title will hinge on one thing for Iowa: Offensive improvement. In conference games last season, the Hawkeyes averaged only 4.5 yards per play and 23 points a game. Also, this unit struggled to generate big plays and ranked near the bottom of the league in third-down and red-zone offense. Adding to the challenges of generating improvement is the departure of running back Tyler Goodson and standout center Tyler Linderbaum, along with an ongoing quarterback battle between Spencer Petras and Alex Padilla. Gavin Williams and Leshon Williams should be a capable one-two punch on the ground, and there are capable options in the receiving corps, including tight end Sam LaPorta and receivers Nico Ragaini and Keagan Johnson. the Hawkeyes should have one of the top defenses in college football. Jack Campbell and Seth Benson lead a strong linebacker unit, while Riley Moss is one of the top cornerbacks returning in college football. Logan Lee, Noah Shannon and Lukas Van Ness are back to anchor one of the Big Ten’s top defensive lines, forcing 31 turnovers again is a tough ask for this defense, adding to the urgency of finding improvement on offense in preseason practices this fall. It should be interesting to see if they can remain in the top 25 like they did last season. We will watch them be tested week one against Iowa State. I am super excited to watch Spencer Petras on the field again this year. He was incredible last year. When he’s on and his feet are set, he throws a really nice deep ball.
Next we have Wisconsin. The Badgers return only eight overall starters, but the guess here is the defense remains among the best in the conference with a quick reloading effort behind coordinator Jim Leonhard, and the offense does just enough behind rising star running back Braelon Allen. Wisconsin isn’t without question marks, however. Quarterback Graham Mertz averaged only 6.8 yards per attempt and tossed eight touchdowns to six interceptions in conference play last fall. Complicating efforts to spark the passing game is the turnover at receiver (Danny Davis III and Kendric Pryor are gone), and tight end Jake Ferguson is off to the NFL. They do have a tough schedule featuring Ohio St, Michigan State, and Iowa.
Purdue should be an interesting team to watch this year. Last year’s 9-4 record was Purdue’s highest win total under coach Jeff Brohm and the program’s best season since 2003. The Boilermakers have a few concerns to address, namely how the defense improves under a new coordinator, but contending for the Big Ten’s West Division title is within reach. A favorable schedule sees Purdue miss Ohio State, Michigan State, and Michigan in crossover play, and Penn State visits West Lafayette in the season opener. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell ranks among the Big Ten's top signal-callers after throwing for 3,708 yards and 28 touchdowns last fall. A better rushing attack (2.8 yards per carry) and some new receivers are needed. Losing their star receiver in the draft and losing another to academic ineligibility Iowa transfer Charlie Jones and Broc Thompson are likely to be the go-to options on the outside. New defensive signal-caller Ron English inherits a group that limited teams to 5.5 yards per play and 22.4 points a game last season, but ends DaMarcus Mitchell and George Karlaftis, safety Marvin Grant and linebacker Jaylan Alexander departed.
The Nittany Lions are a team to watch with the return of star quarterback Sean Clifford. Clifford needs better pass protection, the line has to improve its run blocking after the Nittany Lions failed to have a 100-yard rusher and managed just 2.96 yards per carry in 2021. Assuming Clifford takes a step forward and the line improves, the skill talent of receiver Parker Washington and talented true freshman running back Nick Singleton headline the key returning playmakers is there for the offense to improve. New defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has to retool a bit up front after the losses of linebackers Brandon Smith and Ellis Brooks, along with linemen Arnold Ebiketie, Jesse Luketa and Derrick Tangelo. However, the return of end Adisa Isaac and tackle PJ Mustipher from injury is a huge boost. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and safety Ji’Ayir Brown lead the way in the secondary.
The Golden Gophers should be interesting. They have a returning quarterback in Tanner Morgan. They have a star running back Mohamed Ibrahim. But they only have one returning lineman so this might impact the offense. Restocking the defense is also a priority with the departure of Boye Mafe, Esezi Otomewo, Nyles Pinckney and Micah Dew-Treadway. The rest of the defense is in better shape, especially with Mariano Sori-Marin at linebacker and the secondary led by cornerback Justin Walley and safeties Tyler Nubin and Jordan Howden.
The last 6 teams I can promise you are going nowhere. This is just my opinion and I could be dead wrong. The Northwestern Wildcats, the Illinois Fighting Illini, the Indiana Hoosiers, the Maryland Terrapins, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Northwestern’s program is just a mess. The offense struggled last year and I expect the same this year. They have the same quarterback who did nothing last year and is probably going to do nothing again this year.
Indiana rebuilt the coaching staff, also rebuilt the offense, and rebuilt the defense after having the worst record in the conference.
This is a make-or-break year for Nebraska head coach Scott Frost in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers are 15-29 and have yet to earn a winning season or reach a bowl under his watch. Last year’s 3-9 record sparked major changes in hopes of a turnaround this season. Whipple is highly-regarded for his work in developing signal-callers, and that acumen will be tested right away with Texas transfer Casey Thompson, Omar Manning, and Trey Palmer headline the weapons for Thompson in the receiving corps, while a backfield-by-committee approach is likely with Rahmir Johnson, Anthony Grant, and Jaquez Yant in place. However, improvement on offense is unlikely without better play up front and fewer turnovers lost. The defense has been a strength in each of the last two seasons and returns a strong linebacker unit.
The Fighting Illini has a brand new offensive line and brought in a lot of offensive transfers so it should be interesting to watch this season. They have six returners on defense but they will be missing some key edge rushers.
The Scarlet Knights may have some trouble at quarterback. They also failed to produce big plays last season. They only have five defensive returners. They struggled against the run last year and I expect the same thing this year.
Lastly the Maryland Terrapins. The unquestioned strength of Mike Locksley’s offense featuring quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. And one of the worst defenses in the conference last year this team is not going anywhere this year.