Expect Indiana to find its neutral level after extremes in either direction over the past two seasons. Wins: Illinois, Idaho, Western Kentucky,Maryland, Losses: at Cincinnati, at Nebraska, Michigan,at Rutgers, Penn State, at Ohio State, at Michigan State, Purdue. The Nittany Lions lost a lot of talent in the NFL draft, and will have to restructure a defense that was in the bottom third of the conference last season. The Vols are coming off a strong season in 2022 and could be in for another good season. Will Ohio State earn revenge? They also lost at home to Rutgers and UTSA. There is still news were waiting on with NFL decisions, transfers and all of that, but were taking a stab at what we believe the landscape of the conference will look like once all the games are gloriously shown on a television or streaming device near you next fall. 29: Michigan State at MichiganNov. Wisconsin was red hot after the loss to Michigan before the loss to Minnesota. The schedule is brutal, with Western Kentucky and Cincinnati again on the nonconference. This is a team and program hoping to get back to winning the Big Ten East and competing for playoff spots. So, though college football media tends to be quite reactionary (we include ourselves in that estimation) were taking yet another too-early stab at the complexion of the Big Ten conference, now taking into account personnel losses, the schedule, and overall trajectory for each team. That hopeful rise starts with a September victory in East Lansing. Greg Schiano has improved this team greatly, but the schedule is brutal in 2022. Look for a season similar to what we just saw in 2021. Bill Bender is a national college football writer for The Sporting News. Following a 5-0 start last season, Penn State tumbled to six losses in the last eight games. He's also a valued NFL prospect, should he turn pro following his junior campaign this fall. The offense will be one of the best in the country again with C.J. While the defense loses Jack Sanborn, Leo Chenal, and others to the NFL, Wisconsin has shown their ability to reload under defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. This site is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with these schools or teams. Sign up for the WolverinesWire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning, #Michigan has an incredible track record with edge rushers under Jim Harbaugh. They'll likely need to split those two contests and get help elsewhere to advance. The defense will still be feisty, but there still needs to be O-line improvement, as well as more consistency from quarterback Graham Mertz. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports. Stroud finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting and was a third-team AP All-America choice. 2 overall to the hometown Detroit Lions headlines the losses in the 2022 NFL draft. Nov 6, 2021; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Aidan OConnell (16) drops back to pass the ball in the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Ross-Ade Stadium. That's the next step. Dec 30, 2021; Atlanta, GA, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Payton Thorne (10) celebrates after a victory against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the second half during the 2021 Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Will Michigan repeat as Big Ten champions or will Ohio State reclaim top dog status? Credit: USA TODAY Sports. That defense returns much of the same personnel and will once again be near the top of the Big Ten. Aug 28, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Nebraska head coach Scott Frost watches his team in the first quarter with Illinois at Memorial Stadium. While Wisconsin fans can often count on a game that is too close for comfort when the Badgers meet the Wildcats, this Northwestern team is going to once again have a difficult time generating offense. But, in general, if the Terrapins cant stop anybody, it still is, at best, a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team. Ohio State and Wisconsin had down years by their standards and missed the Big Ten Championship game entirely. Singleton, a five-star running back from Governor Mifflin High School (Reading, Pa.), gives the Nittany Lions an exciting backup option for junior Keyvone Lee. December 27, 2023 12:00 am Mike Margittai. There are plenty of questions across the Big Ten Conference in the final season before USC and UCLA join the fray. You could use consensus thought, preseason polls and betting odds, but ESPN's Football Power Index giving the Buckeyes a 73.7 percent chance of winning the Big Ten is wild. It looks like there could be plenty of black and gold in the Bronx in this seasons Pinstripe Bowl with a matchup of Purdue and Wake Forest in a Big Ten-ACC clash. Michigans third consecutive playoff appearance and Big Ten title could finally be capped with a national title for Jim Harbaugh, although a matchup with Georgia going for the first national title three-peat in nearly 90 years is no easy hurdle to clear (Minnesotas run from 1934-1936 is the last three-peat national title run in the FBS). Iowa, Wisconsin and Northwestern are 0-8 in the Big Ten championship game since the conference switched to the East and West division setup. C.J. USA TODAY - Bryant Crews 1h. Then in November, the main contenders in the West and East divisions, respectively, meet for potentially decisive games. Michigan has to travel to Ohio State this season, so thats going to be an issue too. For the first time in nearly a year, Penn State adds another commitment to the board for the Class of 2024. The 2021 Big Ten Football season had plenty of surprises. Wins: Wyoming, Virginia,Chattanooga, Purdue,at Northwestern, Losses: at Indiana, at Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, at Nebraska, Michigan State, at Michigan. PSU wasnt the same team after that, and still has loads of talent. They had a season of close losses yet registered a Big Ten-worst 1-8 league mark. That is what 247Sports has done with a spring edition of its way-too-early bowl projections for the 2023 season. The Big Ten sent two teams to the CFB Playoff in 2022 for the first time in conference history. Four-star safety Kye Stokes (Armwood, Seffner, Fla.) also was impressive in the spring game. Thats the question that holds they key to Iowas potential in 2022. And crossovers against Penn State and Ohio State certainly dont help matters. 2022 College Football Game Result (Winner and Score) Predictions (RP predictor): - predictions of the winner, score, margin of victory, probability of victory of each game in the season. After a brutal 2021 campaign followed a miraculous 2020 season, Tom Allen and the Hoosiers retooled by adding Missouri transfer quarterback Connor Bazelak. Wisconsin had the Big Ten West trophy all but in their hands, yet fell short at Minnesota. Please check your email for a confirmation. Projected Big Ten Champion: Ohio State Buckeyes. In what could be USCs final game as a Pac-12 member, will the Trojans carry some bragging rights into the conference in year one? The thing about college football is that its entirely impossible to pin down. New defensive coordinator Jim Knowles will bring a more aggressive scheme to Ohio State, and Hicks (Archbishop Alter, Dayton, Ohio) is a five-star linebacker that could work into the middle two-linebacker rotation with Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg. In our 2021 too-early power rankings, eventual Big Ten champion, the hometown Michigan 247Sports writer Kevin Flaherty joined Athlon Sports in predicting Texas to finish first in the Big 12 conference. All 14 coaches returned to the Big Ten, but Nebraska's Scott Frost is on the hottest of hot seats. Ohio State will be the most talented team in the Big Ten next year, it just depends on some breaks and being able to be better on defense. Big Ten Football B1G 2022 FULL Big Ten Record Predictions and 2022 Season Preview Who wins the West? really being the only question worth a damn here. Michigan State had a rough 2022 season but the odds are probably pretty good that the Spartans will at least make a return to the postseason next bowl season. The Wolverines finally broke through under coach Jim Harbaugh for the program's first Big Ten championship since 2004, and that snapped Ohio State's run of four straight conference titles. The word: What are the outside expectations for the Badgers in 2022? He's the next elite back off the Wisconsin assembly line. With the stroke of midnight and the calendar flipping over, the Buckeyes once-promising 2022 campaign ended instantly in 2023. 247Sports writer Kevin Flaherty joined Athlon Sports Indiana severely underperformed in 2021 despite having a lot of key pieces back. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. (Photo: Stacy Revere / Contributor, Getty), (Photo: Matthew OHaren, USA TODAY Sports), (Photo: Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier, USA TODAY Sports), (Photo: Tommy Gilligan, USA TODAY Sports), (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports), at Illinois, Northwestern, Wisconsin, at Minnesota, Nebraska, (Photo: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire, Getty), in our preseason bowl projections in the New Year's Six and Playoff. Win or lose that first game, the Boilermakers could be in a good spot in 2022. There are enough soft spots to get this team back to bowl eligibility it looks like and the Boilermakers could push for seven or eight wins, if they're able to knock off one of the better teams on the schedule, but expecting this team to win the division will be a lot to ask. Meaningful? What about the Big Ten West? It wouldnt be a surprise if there are some missteps along the way. March 1, 2023 12:56 pm CT. College football writers are taking notice of the Longhorns loaded returning roster. Still, this is a team that will be struggling to make a bowl game, especially with another game against Virginia to go along with cross-divisional games against Michigan and MSU. Itll have to show that it can win big games before we can place the Cornhuskers higher. Sign up for our newsletter and get every update delivered to your inbox! Well, well, well, another year of being high on the Cornhuskers in preseason predictions. The word: Can the Spartans get back to the New Year's Six as one of the hunted at the top of the Big Ten next season? Indiana we had ranked third. Luis Robert Jr., CF, White Sox. Sign up for the Nittany Lions Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. The Illinois Fighting Illini look poised for another positive season that could lead to a spot in a bowl game. The opener in Dublin is a huge tone-setter for both teams. Michigan State beat Michigan and finished with an 11-2 record and a No.9 finish in the AP poll with a Peach Bowl victory. And Penn State has some good bowl history against the Vols. For more sports, news, and entertainment, follow us on Twitter @WBSNsports or like our page on Facebook. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports. Last year, Michigan State soared from 2-5 to a transfer-fueled 11-2. The defense has to be better, especially against the pass. WebAll that plus Josh revisits 5 more bold predictions from the preseason. Day repeatedly used the word "edgy" at Big Ten Media Days to describe the team's mindset in the offseason. The defense, however, was as good as any unit in the country. Everything sets up for the Wolverines to defend their crown, and ultimately, it will likely come down to Michigan and Ohio State, once again. 2022 Summary Casey Thompson turned in a season-long performance worthy of mixed reviews. Though the frontline talent is at a level that Maryland can win games against some quality teams, Im still not sold on the depth and physicality the program will need to be consistently competitive in the Big Ten. Here's a game-by-game look at every team's schedule in 2022 and final predictions for every program in the Big Ten. Bret Bielema certainly improved the Illini in his first year in Champaign, and Illinois did somehow manage to beat Penn State on the road. The promising news is the defense should be superb, and the conference slate is quite manageable. Looking ahead to next season, there are a lot more question marks. Oct 9, 2021; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Cade McNamara (12) hugs head coach Jim Harbaugh after a 32-29 win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium. The road to Indianapolis and the Big Ten Championship Game goes through Columbuseven though it technically starts in Ireland. How we are betting the Michigan Wolverines as they look to oust the Iowa Hawkeyes. However, Penn State has a lot of returning talent and plays Ohio State, Michigan State, and cross-division Minnesota at home. + Show More. The word: Bowl hopes for Greg Schiano and the Scarlet Knights may come down to the regular-season finale at Maryland, unless Rutgers is able to beat a Big Ten rival as an underdog in the previous weeks. Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. 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