By: RJ Carrel

With Week 0 in the books, the 2024 college football season is officially underway. However, toe
has not met leather yet for many teams in the Big Ten which means there is still time to make some
early predictions. The conference ballooned to 18 teams during the offseason, making it more
competitive, but the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams has created many
more opportunities and upwards of four Big Ten schools could see themselves in the tournament.
It is a clean slate for everyone and here are the preseason Big Ten power rankings from WSUM
Sports.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

This offseason Ohio State assembled not only one of the best rosters in college football. They have players on their roster like wide receiver Emeka Egbuka who could have left to play on Sundays but decided to come back and get one more shot at a national championship. Their defensive backs room is ridiculously good, led by Caleb Downs and Denzel Burke, they have a plethora of pass rush options, and they carry the best running back duo in the country with TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Last year they were held up a little bit by their quarterback play, but Kansas State transfer Will Howard will be an immediate upgrade. Their only minor weakness is the offensive line as they had trouble with that position group last year and did not do much to improve it, but if Howard can use his legs like he is capable of they will be let off the hook. This season seems to be Ryan Day's last chance to win at Ohio State and anything short of a national championship game berth will be a failure.

2. Oregon Ducks

Oregon seems to be Ohio State's biggest challenger for the Big Ten title and rightfully so. They added loads of talent in the transfer portal on both sides of the ball including current Heisman favorite Dillon Gabriel. Their offense is arguably the scariest in the Big Ten with many flashy players, but they also have the best offensive tackle duo in the conference in Josh Conerly Jr. and Ajani Cornelius. The secondary is experienced and new with all five starters being seniors and four of them as transfers. The only concern have with them is their pass rush and whether they will be able to handle the physicality of the Big Ten. A College Football Playoff berth seems inevitable for the Ducks, but do not be surprised if they find themselves in the last four as they host Ohio State during the regular season and the winner of each power conference gets an automatic bye.

3. Michigan Wolverines

I have seen way too many people rank Michigan outside the top 3 and even top 4 of this conference and while I do expect them to take a small step back this year they are still the defending national champions. The concerns about Alex Orji and the quarterback position are understandable, but they still have, in my opinion, the best tight end in the country with Colston Loveland, a proven running back in Donovan Edwards, and an elite offensive line. On top of this, they still have one of the best defenses in the country with three potential first-round picks next year in Will Johnson, Kenneth Grant, and Mason Graham. If Alex Orji can be a solid quarterback and not make many mistakes there is no reason this team can't return to the College Football Playoff.

4. Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State is a team that will benefit greatly from the expanded playoff format as they always seem to finish the season ranked from 8-12 and expect this year to be no different. They have Ohio State at home and a couple of tough road games including the season opener against West Virginia, but finishing 10-2 in the Big Ten should be enough to get them in the field of 12. There are lots of questions surrounding the offense and if Drew Allar is the guy, but I expect new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to make a huge impact and they still have a great running back duo. On the defensive side they are still very solid and have one of my favorite players in all of college football, Abdul Carter, coming off the edge. With the expanded playoff and the high standard Penn State has for its football team, not making the College Football Playoff would be very disappointing and could have James Franklin near the hot seat when next season comes around.

5. Iowa Hawkeyes

I had trouble deciding whether to put Iowa or USC at No. 5, but chose Iowa because I know what I can expect from them. They always have a tough defense, this year should be no different, and Kinnick is a very difficult place to play. Also, the offense should be much improved from last year as they went 10-2 with a quarterback who was very below average. New OC Tim Lester is a welcomed addition, Cade McNamara is a solid quarterback, and Luke Lachey is a great Tight End. Sometimes Iowa only needs 20 points to win and the pieces on this offense are more than capable of doing that. My only concern is their strength of schedule as they don't have the luxury of playing the Big Ten West anymore, but if they aren't hit by the injury bug again 9 wins can be in their future.

6.USC Trojans

It is time for life after Caleb Williams in Southern California as the Trojans have a lot of talent on their roster, but also many concerns. Miller Moss showed in their bowl game against Louisville that he can be a formidable replacement and Zachariah Branch is maybe the most explosive player in the country. However, the defense is a huge question mark and it is up to new DC D'Anton Lynn to make them respectable. Last year they gave up more than 34 points per game and are the reason why the team only managed to go 8-4 with Caleb Williams as their quarterback. Five of their projected starters on defense are transfers and I expect them to be very much improved, but if they can't figure things out they might find themselves in the bottom half of the Big Ten standings because, while Miller Moss is good, he is no Caleb Williams.

7. Wisconsin Badgers

It's year two of the Luke Fickell era in Madison and I expect his squad to be very much improved. They have a gauntlet of a schedule, but most of the roster looks very nice on paper. Tyler Van Dyke is a solid option at quarterback, they have loads of depth at receiver and running back, and an experienced offensive line. They also have one of the most underrated defensive back rooms in the country led by safety Hunter Wohler and cornerback Ricardo Hallman who led the nation in interceptions last year. The main hole in this team is their defensive line and losing James Thompson Jr. for the season earlier this week made it even worse. Teams on their schedule with good running games like Alabama and Penn State could potentially have a field day on the ground. Nonetheless, this team will be very much improved and if they can get a couple of signature wins on their schedule they could find themselves in the top 5 of the conference once the season is over.

8. Nebraska Cornhuskers

It seems like people say this every year, but I truly believe this is the year Nebraska becomes a winning football program again and it starts with quarterback Dylan Raiola. The entire world of Nebraska football is on his shoulders and their staff did him some favors by adding two impact wide receiver transfers in Jahmal Banks and Isaiah Neyor. Pass protection could be an issue, but Raiola has the ability to make the front look better than they actually are. On the other side of the ball, the secondary is very solid led by Isaac Gifford and they are returning everyone on their front three. If they can get past Colorado in Week 2, there is a decent chance the Cornhuskers could be undefeated by the time they play Ohio State in Week 9 and year two of the Matt Rhule era could be special.

9. Washington Huskies

It feels weird putting the reigning national runner-ups at No. 9, but there are so many unknowns that I was not confident enough to have them any higher. It seems like everything is new in Seattle this season from the coaching staff down to the roster and there could be some growing pains at first. Luckily, their first four games are all very winnable and at home and I do like quarterback Will Rogers and running back Jonah Coleman, but the wide receiver room is not impressive. The linebacker room is solid and the secondary has high upside, but the defensive line is worrisome. I expect them to have trouble in the trenches on both sides of the ball as they will be playing more physical opponents on a weekly basis. We saw an example of that in the National Championship against Michigan. This team has some very good pieces, but they are all scattered around the depth chart. With a difficult schedule, if they can manage to be above .500 in conference play I would say Jedd Fisch had a successful first year.

10. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Greg Schiano has started to make Rutgers football exciting again and that is set to continue this year. They have the easiest schedule anyone could ask for in the Big Ten, avoiding Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, and Penn State, and have a very experienced roster that can win tricky games on the road. 10 of their 11 starters on defense are seniors and they were already good last year, allowing just 21 points per game. Their pass rush is a concern but Florida State transfer Malcolm Ray should help with that. Offensively, I don't love Kaliakmanis at quarterback, but he does have weapons and Kyle Monangai lined up behind him. Monangai is one of the best running backs in the country and is a player who runs hard every play and is tough to bring down despite only being 5 ‘9″. While Rutgers is a much-improved team their record at the end of the season will likely look better than what the actual team is as I could see them ending up with 9 or 10 wins due to their weak opponents.

11. Maryland Terrapins

Maryland is a tricky team to get a grasp of. They have a lot of talent and have recruited very well in the Mike Locksley era, but have never put it together and gotten a win against a top team in the Big Ten. Now, with four new teams coming in and the loss of Taulia Tagovailoa, I expect them to take a step back and be a bottom half team in the conference. The quarterback position is a complete unknown as it seems like Billy Edwards Jr., who has 436 career passing yards, will win the job. They do still have a loaded receiver room, a revamped offensive line through the portal, and a solid room of defensive backs that had 17 takeaways last year, but they are a step behind where they were last year and even that wasn't good enough to contend for anything.

12. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota took a step back last year finishing the regular season 6-6 and that trend is likely to continue as they will not be facing the kind Big Ten West schedule anymore. They have a great running game led by Darius Taylor, a solid defensive line that has trouble stopping the run sometimes, and a great secondary per usual. The X-factor will be transfer quarterback Max Brosmer. He put up impressive numbers last year at New Hampshire, but it will be interesting to see if that will continue against better opponents. They have a solid team, but nothing that stands out and gives them a high ceiling. We will figure out if they will be an eight win team or a team fighting to make a bowl game when they take on North Carolina in Week 1. (Editors note: oh dear.)

13. UCLA Bruins

The first year of the Deshaun Foster era in Los Angeles will not be an easy one as the Bruins have the 3rd hardest schedule in the country. Other than Hawaii, they have no easy games on their schedule. Offensively, Eric Bienemy is sure to have a positive impact and Ethan Garbers is a solid quarterback who will return his top 3 targets from last year and add Rico Flores Jr. from Notre Dame. TJ Harden is a strong running back as well that can cause problems, but the defense is where this team will struggle. They are only returning 2 of their 11 starters from last season and lost defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn to USC. Their secondary added a lot of transfers who could be good, but it will be difficult for the new-look pash rush to create havoc against the physical offensive lines in the Big Ten. This is a team that could probably do well in a weaker conference like the Big 12 and their record will likely look a lot worse than the team actually is.

14. Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern was one of the more surprising teams last year winning eight games, but the Cinderella story for Head Coach David Braun may end this year. They have an interesting quarterback situation as it seems like dual-threat transfer Mike Wright will take over, but the line lost some key pieces and while they return two of their key targets there is no explosiveness in the offense and relying on the defense like last year will be tougher. The defensive front is strong, but the secondary took a big hit losing three
impact players. It will be difficult for them to stop all of the new high-powered offenses in the Big Ten and if their offense can't find some sort of rhythm it could be a long season.

15. Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State is a team I fully expect to perform better than where I am ranking them in the preseason, but they have so many new players it's tough to judge if they will have good chemistry. They are expected to have nine transfers starting for them and have an entirely new coaching staff run by Jonathan Smith. Two of their best additions are from Oregon State in quarterback Aidan Chiles, who I believe can be top 5 in the conference, and tight end Jack Velling. They also have a formidable group of receivers and a tough running back in Nathan Carter who can cause problems for any defense they face. The thing that will determine if this team can make a bowl game or not is their defense. They got torched by every good team they played and losing top safety Jaden Mangham to Michigan won't help. It will be up to new coordinator Joe Rossi to try and patch up the secondary and create a solid pass rush with the new pieces on campus because the offense is set to do their part.

16. Illinois Fighting Illini

After last season Illinois has now had a losing record in 11 of the last 12 years and after losing star defensive tackle Jer'zhan Newton along with having four ranked teams on their schedule it will be difficult not to make it 12 of the last 13. Other than Newton, however, they didn't lose all that much on defense and they should have a respectable group that can stop the run very well. One thing they will need to do this year is have more takeaways because their offense will need a short field to score points. Quarterback Luke Altmyer is nothing special and he lost his two top receivers from last year. Adding on, the offensive line is not good as they allowed 40 sacks last year. If this team finds a way into a bowl game it will be because their defense turned out to be one of the best inthe Big Ten.

17. Purdue Boilermakers

It pains me to put a team with possibly the next great safety in Dillon Thieneman and a high-upside quarterback in Hudson Card so low, but the Boilermakers don't have much else to offer. The offensive line is above average, but they lost their four best receivers from last year along with running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. Where the production will come from this year is still a mystery. Additionally, despite having Thieneman, the defense was the worst in the Big Ten against the pass and had a hard time generating third-down stops. The pass rush isn't primed to see much improvement either as they lost their best player Nic Scourton to Texas A&M. Ryan Walters has a couple of really good players on his team, but not a really good team that can win a lot of games.

18. Indiana Hoosiers

Last, but not least, in my preseason power rankings are the Indiana Hoosiers. This is another team that is very tough to predict as over half of their starters will be transfers and they have a new coach in Curt Cignetti who led James Madison to an 11-1 record last season. Kurtis Rourke is a solid quarterback who will take a step up in competition this year and he will have the Hoosiers leading receiver from last year to throw to in Donaven McCulley. Both running backs are unproven and running behind a below-average
offensive line won't help. Defensively, everything is pretty much new and it's easier to look at how James Madison's defense did last year to get a better idea of how they will be. The run defense should be very good which will be important because of all the good running backs the Big Ten provides and their secondary will be shaky, but James Madison transfer cornerback D'Angelo Ponds is going to be one opponents should avoid throwing near. If all the new pieces can gel together the Hoosiers could find themselves at least better than their in-state rival Purdue and possibly Illinois.