Josh Helmer
May 27, 2024 1:55 pm CT
The Big Ten enters a new era in 2024.
With Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington joining the conference, the West Coast infusion means the Big Ten is more talented, deeper and will have more College Football Playoff and national championship contenders on an annual basis than ever before.
Where do the Iowa Hawkeyes fit into that equation? Which of the West Coast newcomers have a serious chance to capture the Big Ten championship in their first seasons in the league?
There’s plenty to dissect as the start of the 2024 college football season is now inside 100 days away. Now that spring transfer portal moves and roster reconstructions are complete, let’s take a look at On3’s post-spring Big Ten power rankings.
1
Ohio State Buckeyes
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Record in 2023: 11-2 (8-1 Big Ten)
Outlook: Ohio State is On3 and Jesse Simonton’s pick to win the Big Ten championship. The Buckeyes brought in Kansas State transfer quarterback Will Howard, though Ohio State head coach Ryan Day will not name him the starter just yet.
The Buckeyes also added former Alabama safety Caleb Downs and former Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins. Can Ohio State solve its Michigan problem in 2024?
For more information on Ohio State, visit Buckeyes Wire.
2
Oregon Ducks
Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Record in 2023: 12-2 (8-1 Pac-12)
Outlook: Oregon is a trendy pick to step right in and capture the Big Ten crown. With Oklahoma transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel on hand, the Ducks have a signal-caller that has thrown for nearly 15,000 yards and 125 touchdowns.
For more information on Oregon, visit Ducks Wire.
3
Michigan Wolverines
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
Record in 2023: 15-0 (9-0 Big Ten)
Outlook: Fresh off a national championship, Michigan embarks on its first season with new head coach Sherrone Moore. The good news for Wolverine fans? Moore served as the fill-in head coach on several occasions last season with Jim Harbaugh serving a suspension, including the win over Ohio State.
Michigan is replacing first-round NFL draft pick and new Minnesota Viking J.J. McCarthy. Junior Alex Orji, senior Davis Warren and graduate Jack Tuttle are among those in the mix to win the job.
For more information on Michigan, visit Wolverines Wire.
4
Penn State Nittany Lions
Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
Record in 2023: 10-3 (7-2 Big Ten)
Outlook: Penn State brought in former Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to revamp the Nittany Lions’ offense and former Indiana head coach Tom Allen as the new defensive coordinator. Kotelnicki worked wonders with the Jayhawks. Can he do the same for Drew Allar?
For more information on Penn State, visit Nittany Lions Wire.
5
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Record in 2023: 5-7 (3-6 Big Ten)
Outlook: Matt Rhule’s second seasons at Temple and Baylor featured four- and six-win turnarounds. Does he have that in store in Lincoln, too? If so, it would have the Huskers in the mix for a Big Ten championship. Nebraska hinges its hopes on a five-star freshman quarterback in Dylan Raiola. The Huskers added a pair of wide receivers out of the transfer portal, former Texas receiver Isaiah Neyor and former Wake Forest receiver Jahmal Banks, to help Raiola out.
For more information on Nebraska, visit Cornhuskers Wire.
6
Iowa Hawkeyes
Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Record in 2023: 10-4 (7-2 Big Ten)
Outlook: Iowa’s defense returns one of the nation’s top linebacking duos in Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson. Plus, defensive backs Sebastian Castro, Quinn Schulte, Xavier Nwankpa and Jermari Harris return, too. Up front, Ethan Hurkett, Deontae Craig, Aaron Graves and Yahya Black are all back as well. It should be a stingy unit for Phil Parker once more.
The age-old question about Iowa applies once again. How much can the offense improve? Iowa brought in former Western Michigan head coach Tim Lester to fix the Hawkeyes’ offensive woes. Cade McNamara continues to work back from an ACL injury. In the meantime, Iowa supplemented its quarterback competition with Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan.
7
USC Trojans
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Record in 2023: 8-5 (5-4 Pac-12)
Outlook: This could be a make-or-break season for Lincoln Riley in Hollywood. Caleb Williams is off to the Chicago Bears as the No. 1 draft pick. The Trojans turn to Miller Moss at quarterback. But, more eyes out west will be on whether or not new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn can help the Trojans turn the corner defensively.
For more information on USC, visit Trojans Wire.
8
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
Record in 2023: 7-6 (3-6 Big Ten)
Outlook: Rutgers added Minnesota transfer quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, and he promptly beat out Gavin Wimsatt for the starting gig. A season ago, the Scarlet Knights boasted the nation’s No. 16 total defense.
For more information on Rutgers, visit Rutgers Wire.
9
Washington Huskies
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Record in 2023: 14-1 (9-0 Pac-12)
Outlook: Washington embarks upon the encore act to its magical 2023 season. The Huskies toppled Texas in the College Football Playoff to meet Michigan in the national championship game. Michael Penix Jr. is off to the Atlanta Falcons and former head coach Kalen DeBoer has taken over at Alabama.
Washington hired former Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch. Fisch then went out and brought in Mississippi State transfer quarterback Will Rogers to run the show in his first campaign in Seattle.
For more information on Washington, visit Huskies Wire.
10
Wisconsin Badgers
Megan Briggs/Getty Images
Record in 2023: 7-6 (5-4 Big Ten)
Outlook: The Luke Fickell, Phil Longo “Dairy Raid” makeover wasn’t as immediate as some thought it might be in 2023. Wisconsin hopes Tyler Van Dyke brings more explosiveness to the Badger offense than Tanner Mordecai did.
For more information on Wisconsin, visit Badgers Wire.
11
Michigan State Spartans
Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Record in 2023: 4-8 (2-7 Big Ten)
Outlook: Jonathan Smith did a fabulous job at Oregon State. Now, he takes over in East Lansing. The Spartans bring in quarterback Aidan Chiles from Oregon State as part of their 24-person transfer class. This is probably going to take time to reconfigure at MSU, though. The Spartans saw 38 players depart the program in the wake of the Mel Tucker mess.
For more information on Michigan State, visit Spartans Wire.
12
Illinois Fighting Illini
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Record in 2023: 5-7 (3-6 Big Ten)
Outlook: After a breakout 2022 season, the Illini slumped in 2023. In his nine games last season, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer completed 64.8% of his passes for 1,883 yards and 13 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. The Illini need more from Altmyer as they look to replace NFL defensive linemen Johnny Newton and Keith Randolph Jr. on the interior defensively.
13
Maryland Terrapins
Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports
Record in 2023: 8-5 (4-5 Big Ten)
Outlook: What does life after longtime starting quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa look like? That’s the million-dollar question. If Mike Locksley can keep it rolling with NC State transfer quarterback MJ Morris, he’ll earn himself a nice payday and start to change the perception surrounding Maryland football. Morris passed for 719 yards and seven touchdowns last season with the Wolfpack.
14
Northwestern Wildcats
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Record in 2023: 8-5 (5-4 Big Ten)
Outlook: David Braun did such a great job taking over in place of the ousted Pat Fitzgerald that he earned himself the full-time gig. Northwestern morphed from a one-win team in 2022 to an 8-5 club in 2023. There’s some serious questions at quarterback, though. The Wildcats will need the defense to be good and the offense to be better than expected in order to climb these initial power rankings.
15
UCLA Bruins
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Record in 2023: 8-5 (4-5 Pac-12)
Outlook: DeShaun Foster is UCLA’s new head football coach. Foster brought in longtime NFL offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy as associate head coach and offensive coordinator. UCLA just landed the commitment from four-star class of 2025 quarterback Madden Iamaleava. This might be a bridge season for the new staff until the Bruins can hand the reins over.
For more information on UCLA, visit UCLA Wire.
16
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Mark Brown/Getty Images
Record in 2023: 6-7 (3-6 Big Ten)
Outlook: P.J. Fleck enters his eighth season at the helm in Minnesota. Fleck and the Gophers hope that Max Brosmer can reignite Minnesota’s offense. Brosmer was the top Football Championship Subdivision passer a season ago, throwing for 313.5 yards per game. The 6-foot-2, 210 pound signal-caller passed for 3,459 yards and 29 touchdowns last season in the FCS ranks.
17
Purdue Boilermakers
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Record in 2023: 4-8 (3-6 Big Ten)
Outlook: Year 1 for Ryan Walters at Purdue was rough. Hudson Card returns as the Purdue starting quarterback after passing for 2,387 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago. The Boilermakers lost their top receiver, Deion Burks, to Oklahoma and their top defensive player, defensive end Nic Scourton, to , though.
18
Indiana Hoosiers
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
Record in 2023: 3-9 (1-8 Big Ten)
Outlook: Someone has to start in the cellar, right? Unfortunately, that distinction belongs to the Indiana Hoosiers. New head coach Curt Cignetti is in charge after a successful stint at James Madison. Cignetti and the Hoosiers brought in Kurtis Rourke from Ohio as their new starting quarterback.
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