Big Ten Football: Preview and Predictions for 2022 Season

Michigan won the league last year. Ohio State finished 11-2 last season. The Big Ten Championship Game starts in Dublin. B/R's preview of the Big League includes star players, top storylines, key games and just about everything short of USC and UCLA.

C.J. Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and TreVeyon Henderson are the top-rated players in the Big Ten. Mohamed Ibrahim missed all of 2021, but he has 3,003 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns in his career. Wisconsin bruiser Braelon Allen had 1,268 yards, 12 touchdowns last season. Peter Skoronski is a two-year starter for Northwestern and is considered an NFL prospect.

Jim Harbaugh stayed at Michigan despite leaving the team for an NFL position. Ohio State is looking for redemption after winning the Rose Bowl last year. Minnesota had a 7-6 season in 2018 and finished 11-2 in 2019. Northwestern went 3-9 in 2020 and went 7th in the AP poll. Michigan State went from 2-5 to 11th place in 2022.

Ohio State is the favorite for the 2022 Big Ten championship. Michigan and Wisconsin are the other contenders. Penn State's offense was awful last season, but the defense should be superb. The West is a division with an average team. Minnesota should compete, while the West Division is uninspiring. There is no national contender in the division.

Scott Frost's contract with Nebraska ends on October 1. He is 15-29 overall and 10-25 in conference. His buyout drops from $15 million to $7.5 million after October.

Nebraska plays Northwestern in Dublin on August 27. Notre Dame plays Ohio State on September 3. Wisconsin, Penn State and MSU play each other on two weekends in September. The Big Ten's Big 4 play division rivals on the final weekend of September and in November. Michigan plays Michigan State in October.

Stroud, Henderson and Smith-Njigba are all considered top-15 players nationally. The OSU offensive line returns three starters plus Matthew Jones. Marvin Harrison Jr. caught three touchdowns in the Rose Bowl. New receivers include Julian Fleming and Emeka Egbuka.

Iowa's defense ranked seventh nationally in yards allowed per play last season. Zach VanValkenburg left the team, but the rest of the starters return. Jack Campbell and Seth Benson are the only players who made more than 100 tackles. Riley Moss is the league's 2021 Defensive Back of The Year. Jermari Harris will play opposite him at corner. Kaevon Merriweather is back at safety.

The Big Ten split in 2011. Michigan has a good team and a soft schedule. Wisconsin will play in the conference championship game. The West will continue to lag behind the East. Ohio State is the projected champion for 2022.