But overhauls are never sure things, even with the collection of talent that OSU has. Where is Ohio State? Iowa won the division in 2021 before being dumped 42-3 by the Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium. Wisconsin has a new offensive coordinator in Bobby Engram, as Graham Mertz looks to put it all together at quarterback. December 27, 2023 12:00 am Mike Margittai. Will either Minnesota or MSU surge in the standings? This will not be a "White Out" game for some reason; perhaps because Ohio State has won the last five meetings since the 2016 loss at Happy Valley. Nebraska lost nine games by nine points or less last season, and Northwestern is trying to bounce back after its own nine-loss season. There is always an above-average squad, but there's rarely a national contender. 247Sports writer Kevin Flaherty joined Athlon Sports in predicting Texas to finish first in the Big 12 conference. Big Ten football order of finish predictions for 2022 season from Phil Steele. Taulia Tagovailoa returns as one of the best quarterbacks in the conference, and he should be getting some help back in Dontay Demus and Rakim Jarrett. You can view the entire list of bowl projections here. 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. ESPN FPI Predicted Record. Can they finish some of those close games in 2022? Florida was very lucrative to the Oklahoma Sooners in the class of 2023. 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. March 1, 2023 12:56 pm CT. College football writers are taking notice of the Longhorns loaded returning roster. Will Allen break through for the Heisman like Ron Dayne did in 1999? Wisconsin is expected to bounce back, but the pressure is on veteran quarterback Graham Mertz to make that happen. Michigan and Michigan State shocked everyone and finished well Singleton has good size at 6-0, 210 pounds, and the high-school highlight reel is predictably amazing. The offensive line led the way last year, and while there will be some losses, it still should provide enough push for whoever ends up carrying the ball, given what we saw last year. 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. Oct 30, 2021; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Nick Herbig (19) strips the ball away from Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Spencer Petras (7) during the second quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. By JPinIC @JPinIC_BHGP Aug 18, 2022, 11:50am CDT / new. They miss Penn State and Ohio State but have to play Wisconsin, Nebraska and Michigan on the road along with home dates versus Iowa and Michigan State. By Kevin Flaherty 5 hours ago. Minnesota was another team that made a big jump from 2020 to 2021, and with Tanner Morgan returning, yet again, theres an opportunity for the Gophers to continue that ascent. Credit: USA TODAY Sports. The Buckeyes won the conference's only titles in the CFP era (2014) and BCS era (2002). It might be way too early for college football predictions, but before the rest of the country hits the field for spring ball, here are our early predictions for Power-5 The question is: can the Boilermakers sustain that success in 2022? The Gophers could take on an interesting South Carolina team in the ReliaQuest Bowl, the new namesake of the old Outback Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports. Can Harbaugh erase the heartaches of 2016 and 2018 in The Shoe? Northwestern vs. Illinois 11/27/21 FREE College Football Picks and Predictions on NCAAF Betting, NCAA Football 08 PS2 Campus Legend BJ Simmons And Your Heisman Award Winner Is, This I Remember: 2004 Michigan Football season, LIVE Texas vs Baylor Postgame Show | Bijan Robinson | Reactions | Big 12 | Longhorns. Last year, Michigan State soared from 2-5 to a transfer-fueled 11-2. Greg Schiano has improved this team greatly, but the schedule is brutal in 2022. Football. Was that an indirect shot at the rest of the competition? The road to Indianapolis and the Big Ten Championship Game goes through Columbuseven though it technically starts in Ireland. View 13 items Too-early 2023 Big Ten football game-by-game predictions by team. 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. Stroud and Ohio State having a field day against the Spartans secondary. Until last season, the Badgers hadn't had a drought longer than two seasons since the conference split in 2011. The word: Purdue might be the conference's most difficult-to-project team in 2022. Florida was very lucrative to the Oklahoma Sooners in the class of 2023. Michigan football might not go back to the playoff in 2022, but dont expect a big dropoff from the Wolverines. Kaevon Merriweather is back at safety, so the only new starters are the Cash hybridlikely Cooper DeJeanand safety Quinn Schulte. 247Sports writer Kevin Flaherty joined Athlon Sports in predicting Texas to finish first in the Big 12 conference. Wins: Colorado State, Hawaii, UConn, Maryland, at Iowa, at Indiana, Penn State, at Rutgers, Nebraska, Illinois. Still, a return to Indianapolis would be a welcomed sign for Wisconsin. This site is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with these schools or teams. Fleck's team intends on toppling Iowa and Wisconsin down the stretch to advance to the Big Ten Championship Game. It's a safe bet to project next season's Big Ten champion back in the College Football Playoff, given the expectation the conference will produce several elite teams in 2022. 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. This is a team hit hard by personnel losses, with Penix, Ty Fryfogle, Stephen Carr, and Peyton Hendershot all moving on. Iowa has several key pieces to replace, but every unit of the defenseone that ranked seventh nationally in yards allowed per play last seasonreturns a couple of starters. Stroud, and Ohio State has a favorable schedule with most of the tough games at home. The running back room will lead the way as Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi return to form a duo with unlimited potential. The opener against Notre Dame could be worrisome as well. I am much higher on Luis Robert Jr. than most analysts, It wouldnt be a surprise if there are some missteps along the way. However, the appeal isn't solely about the Buckeyes' superstar trio. It should be a good season, but can the Wolverines repeat? But Ohio State could be right back in the playoff mix and paired up with the two-time defending national champions in the Sugar Bowl. 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. We may be months away from the start of the 2023 season, but it is never too early to start making bowl projections, right? https://buckeyeswire.usatoday.com/lists/big-ten-football-way-too-early-power-rankings-for-2022-ohio-state-buckeyes/, All of Ohio State football's historical, unanimous first-team All-Americans, Way-too-early Big Ten bowl projections and College Football Playoff predictions. The Wolverines are the spring way-too-early pick to take on Georgia in the national championship on the 247Sports bowl projections. Three Big Ten teams appeared earlier this month in our preseason bowl projections in the New Year's Six and Playoff, so we expect another banner year from the Wins: Illinois, Idaho, Western Kentucky,Maryland, Losses: at Cincinnati, at Nebraska, Michigan,at Rutgers, Penn State, at Ohio State, at Michigan State, Purdue. It's still the toughest road test on the Buckeyes' schedule and part of a thrilling day in the Big Ten East. https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/lists/too-early-big-ten-power-rankings-winter-2022-edition-college-football/, Notable Michigan football position switches under Jim Harbaugh, Who could be next? Sept. 3: Notre Dame at Ohio StateSept. Ohio State and Wisconsin had down years by their standards and missed the Big Ten Championship game entirely. Ohio State Buckeyes (-225 to win the Big Ten) 2021 record: 11-2 (8-1 Big Ten) National title odds: +320. USA TODAY - Bryant Crews 1h. #GoBucks. Stroud and his weapons abounding. Both coordinators exited for new opportunities, while Michigan lost five draft picks and a half-dozen more pro signings. We help YouTubers by driving traffic to them for free. Heading into 2022, there are major questions for just about everybody not named Ohio State. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports. Wins: Illinois State, Washington State, New Mexico State, Illinois, at Northwestern, Purdue, Maryland, Minnesota, Losses: at Ohio State, at Michigan State, at Iowa, at Nebraska. It will be difficult to repeat last years magic. Wins: Duke, Southern Illinois, Miami (Ohio), Losses: Nebraska (Dublin, Ireland), at Penn State, Wisconsin, at Maryland, at Iowa, Ohio State, at Minnesota, at Purdue,Illinois. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, the result will flip in 2022. Well this would be a dream scenario for the Big Ten. With plenty of time to change our minds, as were currently in the thick of winter conditioning, here are our far-too-early Big Ten power rankings. The talent level still isnt where it needs to be for the Illini to jump up too far, and we can probably expect another season where Bret Bielema would be happy to squeak into a bowl. 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. DECOURCY: Michigan restores rivalry with Ohio State with dominant win. The word: For the first time in Scott Frost's tenure, the Huskers will appear in a bowl game in 2022 with the collective backs against the wall in the Big Ten. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports. Score Prediction: Wisconsin 27, Washington State 24. The rest of the slate is treacherous. Will it be Tommy DeVito or Artur Sitkowski under center when Week 1 rolls around? Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports. 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. Iowas defense could make for a scrappy game in this bowl matchup as neither team has had much of a dangerous offense. Maryland does travel to Ann Arbor in Week 4, but it will face a rebuilding Michigan defense, which could help matters. 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. It was a strange 2021 campaign for Bret Bielema in his first year at Illinois. Score Prediction: Wisconsin 27, Washington State 24. Last season, Ohio State lost to Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports. Minnesota head football coach P.J. How it will unfold: Arguably the toughest team to project in 2023, He completed 63 percent of his passes in 10 games for 2,407 yards with 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Will Cade McNamara comfortably retake his starting job or can former five-star talent J.J. McCarthy make a push? The schedule doesn't let up at any point once the non-conference slate is over and there are a few 50-50 games that may not going in the Wildcats' direction. Bill Bender is a national college football writer for The Sporting News. Record prediction: 10-2. Bielema vs. Pat Narduzzi? A QB competition is the highlight of the offseason, as Noah Vedral brings experience while Gavin Wimsatt and Evan Simon await an opportunity. That's what it'll take for Minnesota to be a serious factor in the division, if P.J. Florida was very lucrative to the Oklahoma Sooners in the class of 2023. 29: Michigan State at MichiganNov. That's the game that turns the Spartans' season one way or the other.