Five best college football futures bets to make, including our Syracuse Orange, who return 80% of their starters this season. Was that an indirect shot at the rest of the competition? Penn State was much better than its record indicated last season. Jim Harbaugh peeked into an NFL position but decided to stay. Oct 23, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions offensive lineman Rasheed Walker (53) and linebacker Jesse Luketa (40) and safety Jaquan Brisker (1) and safety Jonathan Sutherland (0) walk on the field for the coin flip prior to the game Illinois Fighting Illini at Beaver Stadium. That's the next step. This is a major chance at redemption after the Cougars took down the Badgers at Camp Randall in 2022. Gone is quarterback Adrian Martinez, but hell be replaced by former Texas QB Casey Thompson. Everything sets up for the Wolverines to defend their crown, and ultimately, it will likely come down to Michigan and Ohio State, once again. Then in November, the main contenders in the West and East divisions, respectively, meet for potentially decisive games. The word: Perhaps one of the more surprising teams in the Big Ten next season could be the Nittany Lions, who underachieved in 2021, but will be on a mission to get to double-digit wins in 2022. He started 35 games for Virginia the last three seasons and was a semifinalist for the Rimington Trophy. Michigan and Michigan State shocked everyone and finished well above their projections. Record prediction: 10-2. Will that allow a school such as Purdue or Minnesota to sneak up the standings this year? The Big Ten sent two teams to the CFB Playoff in 2022 for the first time in conference history. He completed 63 percent of his passes in 10 games for 2,407 yards with 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. You bet. Up and down puts it mildly when talking about the 2021 Illini. They'll have to go through arguably the league's toughest four opponents to get there and October is the most important month with battles against Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio State defining the month. Son of former Michigan offensive lineman Mike Sullivan. Palmer should thrive in a more pronounced role and will emerge as a breakout player for the Huskers. Not since 2010-13 has OSU gone The goal for 2022 might just be to get into a bowl, this time with a winning record. Jackson was a top-15 recruit in the 2021 class according to On3 Sports consensus. And while quarterback Spencer Petras will be better with another year of seasoning, hes not the type that is going to put the team on his shoulders and win games against the more athletic and talented teams out there. Football. The Buckeyes will get preseason Heisman hopeful CJ Stroud back after an impressive first campaign as a starter and should comfortably be the preseason favorite in the Big Ten East. Losing Kenneth Walker III is going to be huge, but with Payton Thorned back and a talented wide receiving corps, the offense will still be able to move the ball. Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports. The questions on offense surround the quarterback position. But Artur Sitkowski isnt exactly the ideal quarterback, and this is a roster mostly bereft of talent. There are a lot of questions across the Big Ten Conference, in the final season before USC and UCLA join the fray. In the history of the Big 12, 2023 will always stand as an outlier. The word: Bret Bielema expects a much-improved team after a 5-7 finish last fall, but unfortunately for the Fighting Illini, that may not show up in the win-loss column, given the brutality of the slate. Michigan and Michigan State shocked everyone and finished well It's a new QB for Frost, and it might just work this time. Quarterback Aidan OConnell is back in the fold as the Boilers try and fill holes at receiver. The word: The reigning Big Ten champions play four consecutive home games prior to their first road affair at Iowa and should be favored in 11 of 12 regular-season games in 2022. The promising news is the defense should be superb, and the conference slate is quite manageable. And their opponent being USC, who is set to join the Big Ten in 2024, is icing on the cake. Here is a look at the spring way-too-early Sep 17, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema walks off the field after the loss against the Maryland Terrapins at Memorial Stadium. 18:12-36:45 Big Ten East https://nittanylionswire.usatoday.com/lists/big-ten-spring-football-bowl-projections-from-247sports/, Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Michigan State vs. Texas Tech, ReliaQuest Bowl: Minnesota vs. South Carolina, Sugar Bowl, College Football Playoff: Ohio State vs. Georgia, Rose Bowl (College Football Playoff): Michigan vs. USC, College Football Playoff National Championship: Michigan vs. Georgia, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Worst of all, the Huskers bottomed out in 2022. Iowa Hawkeyes players Ryan Gersonde (2) Riley Moss (33) quarterback Spencer Petras (7) wide receiver Max Cooper (19) and defensive back Jack Koerner (28) get pumped up before an NCAA Big Ten Conference football game against Indiana, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. That hopeful rise starts with a September victory in East Lansing. Maryland will play arguably the five top teams in the conference this season which will mark a considerable challenge for Taulia Tagovailoa and company. February 22, 2023 12:24 pm ET. Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras (7) stands with teammates tight end Bryce Schulte (48) and defensive back Riley Moss (33) after an NCAA college football game in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl against Kentucky, Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. Credit: USA TODAY Sports Network. Michigan has to travel to Ohio State this season, so thats going to be an issue too. Important tilts against Michigan State and Penn State come at home with the possible division-deciding game against Ohio State happening in Columbus this time around. Since returning to his alma mater in 2018, the former Nebraska quarterback is 15-29 overall with a 10-25 conference record. On the opposite side of the coin, Michigan redeemed themselves after a difficult 2020 season and outlasted Ohio State to take the Big Ten East crown. 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. Stroud (7) throws a pass during the fourth quarter of the Rose Bowl against the Utah Utes in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2022. Credit: USA TODAY Sports. Stroud, and Ohio State has a favorable schedule with most of the tough games at home. Apr 17, 2021; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback CJ Stroud (7) during the annual spring game at Ohio Stadium. Score Prediction: Wisconsin 27, Washington State 24. 3. This article was gathered automatically by our news bot. Michigan and Iowa square off Saturday in a Big Ten confrontation that sets up as a defensive struggle if the Hawkeyes have it their way. The defense loses some key components and the Wolverines arent dynamic enough on offense to have the same success they enjoyed this year. That's when the campaignultimately swings in the wrong direction with a brutal stretch versus the Nittany Lions followed by road games against likely top-10 teams Ohio State and Michigan State. Iowa won the division in 2021 before being dumped 42-3 by the Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium. Losing Adrian Martinez via transfer to Kansas State wont help matters in 2022, but perhaps Scott Frost has the pieces outside the quarterback position that could help the Huskers get over that hump. 36:46-38:23 Conclusion, #collegefootball #ohiostatefootball #michiganfootball #nebraskafootball #michiganstatefootball #pennstatefootball #wisconsinfootball #collegefootballrecruiting #football. The Scarlet Knights will have to get through nonconference unscathed if it really wants to turn the corner, because the early conference schedule is no joke. Not since 2010-13 has OSU gone two-plus seasons without standing atop the conference. The defense will still be feisty, but there still needs to be O-line improvement, as well as more consistency from quarterback Graham Mertz. And Penn State has some good bowl history against the Vols. (soft launch) Air Force Falcons. Stroud could change that. 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. It should be a good season, but can the Wolverines repeat? But you try herding these After a solid 2021 season, Purdue will be looking to fill massive holes on either end of the football. They could be mitigated by Payton Thorne and Jayden Reed returning, but the defense will need some major work to be able to stop the increasingly good passing attacks in the conference. While the Hoosiers have some young talent, and running back GiBran Payne certainly could be a beast, with oft-injured quarterback Michael Penix Jr. having departed for Washington, its hard to envision things turning around in a hurry for IU. Late Kick Live Ep. 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. This is a team and program hoping to get back to winning the Big Ten East and competing for playoff spots. And can Matt Rhule finally get Nebraska back into the postseason? 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. The Ohio State Buckeyes will look to get back into the College Football Playoff this season. That is what 247Sports has done with a spring edition of its way-too-early bowl projections for the 2023 season. Oct 16, 2021; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald looks on in the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Ryan Field. #GoBlue, Cant wait to see what he does in his first year at #Michigan! 1. The word: The Hoosiers play eight straight games before their late-season open week prior to a home showdown with Penn State and by that time, they should be hovering near the .500 mark. Without knowing how two-deep depth charts are going to shake out, we'll take a stab anyway at way-too-early final record predictions for every team in the conference entering the offseason with a caveat these will be amended after spring practice and just before games kickoff in the fall. He recorded 17 catches for 300 yards and three touchdowns while playing in six games this year. The word: With a much-improved defense and one of the nation's most explosive units offensively, an extremely hungry Ohio State team should be able to get through the regular season unscathed if the Buckeyes are able to avoid road losses to Michigan State or Penn State entering the rivalry showdown versus Michigan at the end of November. Ferentz just re-upped his contract and will have a talented, veteran team this upcoming season. 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. According to the 247Sports bowl projections, Wisconsin just barely gets into the Orange Bowl ahead of Penn State. Michigan will have a tough test there in the finale. C.J. Predicting every team's final record this far out is next to impossible, but peeking at matchups this early is whatevery staff does this time of year in prep for the new season. The schedule is no breeze. The offense has to show more explosion and the defense more consistency. Michigan 3. Nebraska makes a bowl this year and gains some much-needed momentum. Can Michigan [] The new receivers include Marvin Harrison Jr, who caught three touchdowns in the Rose Bowl, and former top prospects Julian Fleming and Emeka Egbuka. 7 of 14. The Buckeyes won the conference's only titles in the CFP era (2014) and BCS era (2002). The Wildcats have no favors from the Big Ten schedule, as they have to head to Penn State and welcome Ohio State at home. Credit: USA TODAY Sports. 8: Ohio State at Michigan StateOct. Illinois Fighting Illini: 5-7, 2-7 BIG. Luis Robert Jr., CF, White Sox. By JPinIC @JPinIC_BHGP Aug 18, 2022, 11:50am CDT / new. Michigan State we had ranked 10th. You can view the entire list of bowl projections here. They had a season of close losses yet registered a Big Ten-worst 1-8 league mark. Ryan Day's team still finished 11-2 last year and returns All-American quarterback C.J. Iowa was ranked No.2 at some point in the season but finished with a 10-4 record. Montee Ball (2012), Melvin Gordon (2014) and Jonathan Tayor (2018-19) all have won the Doak Walker Award since 2012. To close October, Michigan aims for revenge on rival Michigan State. The giant-killers now know what they have at quarterback, with Aidan OConnell leading the charge. Yes, MSU brought in former Wisconsin back Jalen Berger to replace Kenneth Walker III, but those are some mighty big shoes to fill. #GoBlue. Grant Stec, a four-star tight end and class of 2024 Badger commit from Algonquin, Illinois was ranked as the fourth best at his position in the country by ESPN. The road game at Iowa probably determines which one of those two squads reaches the conference championship game. They get Michigan, Iowa, and Wisconsin at home, have the best offense in college football, and are coming off of a Rose Bowl victory in 2021. Smith-Njigba's last impression was a 15-catch, 347-yard, three-TD effort in the Rose Bowl against Utah. Maryland does travel to Ann Arbor in Week 4, but it will face a rebuilding Michigan defense, which could help matters. Nebraska lost nine games by nine points or less last season, and Northwestern is trying to bounce back after its own nine-loss season. Knowles will bring a more aggressive defense, and sophomores Jack Sawyer and J.T. Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports. Washington State quarterback Cam Ward has opted to return to school in 2023, and this should be a down-to-the-wire fight in Pac-12 country. Ohio State The path to a Big Ten title should go through Columbus in 2022. Both coordinators exited for new opportunities, while Michigan lost five draft picks and a half-dozen more pro signings. Michigan football might not go back to the playoff in 2022, but dont expect a big dropoff from the Wolverines. ESPN FPI Predicted Record. 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