Big Ten Football: Preview and Predictions for 2023 Season

Led by two-time reigning champ Michigan, the Big Ten is poised for another strong showing in the 2023 college football season.

Once again, the Wolverines have College Football Playoff potential. Michigan will be fending off charges from Ohio State and Penn State, among other playoff hopefuls such as Iowa and Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, the upcoming campaign is the last of an era.

Next season, Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington will leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten. Divisions will be scrapped as the league expands to 18 schools, so it's the final season of the East vs. West format.

Can anyone in the West stop the East—presumably Michigan, Ohio State or Penn State—from securing a 10-0 record in Indianapolis?

Perhaps the easiest way to explain the Big Ten's abundance of talent is that it landed 10 preseason first-team Associated Press All-American selections and four second-team picks.

The first-team group of offensive players features Michigan running back Blake Corum, Ohio State receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, Penn State left tackle Olu Fashanu and Michigan right guard Zak Zinter.

On defense, the Big Ten has Illinois defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton, Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, Penn State corner Kalen King and Iowa corner Cooper DeJean.

Heck, Iowa punter Tory Taylor made the cut, too.

Second-team picks are Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen, Ohio State left guard Donovan Jackson, Ohio State edge-rusher J.T. Tuimoloau and Michigan corner Will Johnson.

That list doesn't even include Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy or standout running backs Donovan Edwards (Michigan), Tre'Veyon Henderson and Miyan Williams (Ohio State) and Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen (Penn State).

Ryan Day's Tepid Hot Seat

Let's keep the proper perspective. In four seasons as Ohio State's permanent head coach, Ryan Day has gone 42-6, with exactly two losses in conference play. Still, there's a bit of angst brewing in Columbus since those two losses happened at the hands of rival Michigan, which then won a Big Ten title. Day shouldn't be fired if U-M topples OSU again, but he's certainly under more pressure in 2023.

Michigan's Race for Another Title

Thanks to those victories over the Buckeyes, Michigan has become the class of the Big Ten. Jim Harbaugh is set to serve a three-game, school-imposed suspension, but the Wolverines should emerge from an easy nonconference slate at 3-0. Their road to a third straight Big Ten crown includes a trip to Penn State and the season-ending showdown against OSU at home.

Final Round Before Realignment

Lopsided only begins to describe the Big Ten's divisions. Since the East/West split in 2014, the East is 9-0 in the conference title game, and it enters the 2023 campaign riding a five-year streak of winning by 12-plus points. As usual, the East boasts the strongest teams. But perhaps Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota or Wisconsin have a miracle in store before the four Pac-12 arrivals show up?

Tier 1: The Co-Favorites

Michigan might have the best offense and defense in the conference. The Wolverines also may fall narrowly short of that status. Either way, Michigan has an exceptionally balanced and highly talented roster. Ohio State will lean on its offensive firepower in its attempt to dethrone the Wolverines.

Tier 2: Penn State

The schedule is rather difficult for Penn State, which travels to Illinois and hosts Iowa in September before heading to Ohio State in October and hosting Michigan in November. Behind a top-tier defense and an intriguing, young offense, though, the Nittany Lions are a true CFP threat.

Tier 3: The West Division

No one should expect a West team to win the Big Ten. Wisconsin is adjusting to an Air Raid offense, while Iowa is a mess offensively and Illinois may also struggle to score consistently. Minnesota is the wildest of the West's wild cards. But one team from the West is guaranteed to play for the Big Ten title in Indianapolis, so we're obligated to mention the division.

Tom Allen, Indiana

After the beloved #NINEWINDIANA chase of 2019, Tom Allen seemed to have Indiana on the rise. In the shortened 2020 campaign, the Hoosiers ripped off a 6-2 record. But they've since finished 2-10 and 4-8, respectively, in the last two years. Allen's buyout is north of $20 million, yet a change may happen if IU hardly competes for a bowl bid.

Greg Schiano, Rutgers

Greg Schiano's return to his former stomping grounds hasn't gone as planned. While the Scarlet Knights have nine combined wins in the last two seasons—not terrible, relatively speaking—they've mustered only three Big Ten victories. Does the school feel it needs to be more competitive in the Big Ten? At the same time, Rutgers runs a legitimate risk of imploding the program if it fires Schiano before the conference expands.

Mel Tucker, Michigan State

Given that his fully guaranteed $95 million contract runs through the 2031 season, the idea of canning Mel Tucker at any point this year is something close to preposterous. What if MSU—which posted an 11-2 mark in 2021—tumbles even farther than its 5-7 record from last season? Still no, right? That's probably the answer, but we've seen wackier decisions.

Nonconference Games

Sep. 2: West Virginia at Penn State
Sep. 8 and 9: Illinois at Kansas; Wisconsin at Washington State
Sep. 16: Washington at Michigan State; Minnesota at North Carolina
Sep. 23: Ohio State at Notre Dame

The obvious headliner is Ohio State's trip to South Bend for a rematch with Notre Dame. Last year, OSU won 21-10 in Columbus. Michigan State also has a major opportunity for a statement win over Washington, which landed 10th in the preseason AP poll.

Top Conference Games

Oct. 21: Penn State at Ohio State
Oct. 28: Ohio State at Wisconsin
Nov. 11: Michigan at Penn State
Nov. 25: Ohio State at Michigan

In all likelihood, the results of these contests—particularly the head-to-head showdowns with U-M, OSU and Penn State—will determine the Big Ten champion and the league's College Football Playoff representative.

Sep. 16: Penn State at Illinois
Sep. 23: Iowa at Penn State
Oct. 14: Iowa at Wisconsin
Oct. 21: Wisconsin at Illinois
Nov. 18: Illinois at Iowa

This section includes the round robin of top West Division contenders, along with crossover games against Penn State. Of note: Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin each avoid Michigan in the regular season.

Michigan is the known commodity, returning a star-studded cast of quarterback J.J. McCarthy and running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards with a presumably stout offensive line.

I'll lean on Ohio State's depth of elite playmakers, though.

Now, the championship-worthy question is whether Kyle McCord or Devin Brown will thrive as the Buckeyes' starting quarterback. Seeing as both players have minimal experience at the college level, tempering expectations in September would be reasonable.

But Ohio State has too much talent not to regularly wreak havoc on the scoreboard.

Marvin Harrison Jr. is the nation's top receiver, and Emeka Egbuka has a legitimate claim to the No. 2 spot. Tre'Veyon Henderson and Miyan Williams are both top-10 backs in the country, and they'll be running behind what should be a steady blocking group.

While an elite offense does not guarantee even a Big Ten crown, Ohio State should have a dynamic group.

If you want to say Iowa or Michigan has the best defense in the Big Ten, I wouldn't argue. The conference is stacked with elite defenses.

However, Penn State boasts two edge-rushers in Adisa Isaac and Chop Robinson who collected 10-plus stops for loss in 2022. Defensive tackle Hakeem Beamon added six more.

The Nittany Lions linebacker corps is extremely deep and returns plenty of experience. Abdul Carter collected 56 tackles with 10.5 for loss, while Curtis Jacobs (52 tackles), Tyler Elsdon (44), Kobe King (41) and Dominic DeLuca (29) all held starting or key supporting roles.

While the secondary must replace Joey Porter Jr. and Ji'Ayir Brown, the Nittany Lions are built to continue thriving. Kalen King and Johnny Dixon form a promising duo at corner, while safeties Jaylen Reed, Keaton Ellis and Zakee Wheatley each played significant snaps last year.

The scariest part? Depending on NFL draft decisions, this youth-filled unit could be even stronger next season.

East Division

Michigan: 11-1 (8-1 in Big Ten)
Ohio State: 11-1 (8-1)
Penn State: 10-2 (7-2)
Maryland: 7-5 (4-5)
Michigan State: 5-7 (3-6)
Indiana: 4-8 (2-7)
Rutgers: 4-8 (2-7)

West Division

Wisconsin: 9-3 (6-3)
Iowa: 8-4 (5-4)
Illinois: 8-4 (5-4)
Nebraska: 7-5 (4-5)
Minnesota: 6-6 (4-5)
Purdue: 5-7 (4-5)
Northwestern: 3-9 (1-8)

For the third straight season, the East Division's rep in the Big Ten championship will hinge on The Game.

And once again, Michigan leaves on top.

The strength of the Wolverines' running game overwhelmed the Buckeyes in both 2021 and 2022. Ohio State's defensive line is a star-studded group, but I'm officially in "believe it when I see it" mode—a feeling that had followed Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh until two years ago.

On the opposite side, the West remains a total guessing game. Wisconsin's transfer-infused roster has the most promising offense in the division. Yet if the Badgers don't escape an October stretch of Iowa, (at) Illinois and Ohio State at 2-1 or better, the West may be another wide-open race.

No matter that outcome, though, the trophy will remain in the hands of the East winner—in our view: Michigan.