One of college football’s most storied conferences is slated to take the field for another season – and this year, the Big Ten is bigger than ever.
Big Ten teams will bring their talent to the gridiron in hopes of earning rights to the conference crown and an eventual College Football Playoff National Championship, with the most anticipated matchups coming to you on NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night.
As football-filled Saturday nights draw closer, there is no shortage of storylines for these programs. See below for the top 10 storylines to watch for ahead of the 2023 Big Ten football season.
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Can Ohio State claim the Big Ten without Stroud?
The Ohio State Buckeyes were one 50-yard field goal shy of a trip to last season’s College Football National Championship. Now, the team that made a deep College Football Playoff run will bear little similarity to the one hitting the field this fall.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud moved on from Columbus to Houston as the #2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, hoping to play a pivotal role in reviving a struggling franchise under the Demeco Ryans regime. Three key offensive pieces in the trenches – LT Paris Johnson, RT Dawand Jones and C Luke Wypler – also departed the program for the NFL, leaving numerous holes to be filled in first-year OC Brian Hartline’s offense.
The talent sliding in to take over on the offensive line is largely unproven but will be monumental in aiding the expected No. 1 quarterback Kyle McCord in his transition to a starting role. While head coach Ryan Day has yet to name Stroud’s replacement, McCord appears to have the edge in his competition with sophomore Devin Brown.
Regardless, all eyes will be on this Buckeyes offense to see whether the Big Ten powerhouse can prolong its success and make a return to the College Football Playoff.
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How far will Michigan go?
The expectations for Jim Harbaugh and his Michigan Wolverines are as high as ever. With a returning starting quarterback in J.J. McCarthy and the brilliant backfield duo of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, the question marks for this powerful offense are scarce.
Harbaugh’s roster is considered to be his most talented in quite some time on both sides of the ball, while the defense held opponents to just 16.1 points per game last season and returns six starters.
The loss to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl was staggering, and for a team that claimed the Big Ten Championship in both 2021 and 2022, a College Football National Championship is the new expectation.
The only wrench in the championship plans is the likelihood of Harbaugh’s four-game suspension due to NCAA rule violations. Can the Wolverines press on without Harbaugh and meet the expectations of best in the nation?
RELATED: 2023 Big Ten Betting Preview: Michigan Wolverines
Intriguing new quarterbacks under center
The Big Ten is seeing turnover at the quarterback position this season like never before. Of the 14 teams in the conference, only three have a returning starting quarterback. And of the 11 newcomers, a few names draw a bit more interest than the others.
The Nittany Lions no longer have all-time program passing leader Sean Clifford at the helm operating the team’s efficient offense. After six years with the team, Clifford made the jump to the NFL, selected in the fifth round by the Green Bay Packers.
With Clifford out of the limelight, excitement grows for the potential of former five-star prospect Drew Allar. The highest-rated Penn State quarterback prospect since Christian Hackenberg in 2013, Allar is expected to elevate the offense that ranked No. 46 in passing yards per game last season. And with a refurbished, healthy offensive line and a slew of new playmakers to aid the transition, anticipation abounds for the first-year starter to take the field.
In Madison, however, the Badgers have a potential talent themselves in Tanner Mordecai. Mordecai had a disappointing spring practice performance where he threw four interceptions, but did nothing but impress in his two seasons under center at SMU.
Mordecai completed 66% of his passes for 7,152 yards and 72 touchdowns as a Mustang, leaving the program as a two-time Davey O-Brien Award semifinalist. He now must prove that he can do the same against relentless Big Ten defenses.
In the case of Michigan State, efforts to revamp the offense in the offseason saw a huge setback when two-year starting quarterback Payton Thorne made the decision to join head coach Hugh Freeze with the Auburn Tigers.
With the absence of Thorne, the Spartans are now in the midst of a quarterback competition between redshirt junior Noah Kim and redshirt freshman Katin Houser.
Kim, a three-star prospect hailing from Virginia, is regarded as the favorite for the job after completing 14-of-19 passes for 174 yards in his limited time taking snaps last season. Houser, however, is a source of intrigue for the team as a four-star recruit who chose Michigan State over the likes of Iowa, Washington and Colorado.
While the two will continue to battle in fall camp, Spartans head coach Mel Tucker has hinted to media that the long-awaited decision may not be announced until gameday.
New regimes in motion
All eyes are on Matt Rhule and his Nebraska Cornhuskers.
It’s been six straight seasons of losing records for Nebraska, but many believe the hiring of the former Temple, Baylor and Carolina Panthers head coach is the Huskers’ best chance at revival in an elite conference.
Rhule is known for his ability to rebuild and return programs to relevance, as he did at both Temple and Baylor. But can he do the same in the Big Ten? Reliable offensive pieces in Jeff Simms, Arik Gilbert and Billy Kemp will certainly help, but whether that translates to wins is yet to be seen.
The most intriguing move in this year’s hiring cycle, however, could have possibly been the Wisconsin Badgers bringing on Luke Fickell.
The firing of Paul Chryst in October 2022 after a 2-3 start came as a shock to most. After all, Chryst was 67-26 in his seven-plus seasons, winning 10 games or more in his first five seasons with the Badgers.
But after defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard stepped in as interim head coach, athletic director Chris McIntosh made the astounding move of landing the hottest coaching name in Cincinnati’s Fickell.
The Columbus native and Ohio State alum amassed a 57-18 record with the Bearcats, making him the winningest head coach in Cincinnati history. He was also known for constructing pristine defenses, like the one that powered the team’s 13-0 record and playoff berth in 2021.
Fickell’s entrance in Wisconsin, along with the hiring of first-year OC Phil Longo, could be just what the Badgers need to improve their fifth-place West division finish in 2022.
The Badgers and Huskers, however, aren’t the only Big Ten teams adjusting to a new regime.
When former Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters – who led one of college football’s top defenses in his time with the Illini – entered the picture to replace Brohm, it was clear that a plethora of changes were in store for Purdue.
Walters brought in offensive coordinator Graham Harrell to tackle the challenge of losing quarterback Aidan O’Connell, wide receiver Charlie Jones and tight end Payne Durham to the 2023 NFL Draft.
Harrell and Walters then made a striking move, landing Texas quarterback Hudson Card via the transfer portal. The four-star prospect is expected to mesh well with returning targets TJ Sheffield and Mershawn Rice.
Regardless, fans are eager to witness the changes that Walters’ defensive mind brings to the group that must take on the high-powered offenses of its Big Ten opponents.
Brian Ferentz facing contractual pressure
The Hawkeyes offense struggled immensely in 2022, gaining a meager 252 yards per game and putting 17.7 points per game on the board. They ended the season ranked 130th in total offense and 123rd in scoring offense. The lack of production from the sixth-year offensive coordinator’s group forced the program to put some pressure on Ferentz, announcing changes made to the 40-year-old’s contract.
Ferentz’s offense reportedly must average 25 points per game and the team must win at least seven games for the coordinator to keep his job in 2024.
To make the stipulations more manageable, Iowa brought in former Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara, who posted 2,576 years and 15 touchdowns in 2021 before suffering a season-ending knee injury that sidelined the quarterback for the majority of 2022.
Former Ohio State WR Kaleb Brown and former Charleston Southern WR Seth Anderson will both bring playmaking ability to Ferentz’s lineup, increasing his chances of fulfilling his demanding contract requirements.
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Northwestern enters 2023 season amidst hazing scandal
This summer, the Northwestern athletic program has been the subject of several allegations of hazing, retaliation, sexual abuse and racially charged comments. The football program is at the center of the allegations, but the situation has expanded to involve student-athletes from multiple sports.
Following a university-commissioned investigation into allegations made by a former Northwestern football player, the school fired head coach Pat Fitzgerald on July 10.
RELATED: Northwestern hazing scandal highlights larger problem, according to Mike Florio
Fitzgerald spent over 26 seasons with the program – four as a player, five as an assistant and 17 as the head coach. In those 17 seasons, he compiled a record of 110-101. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Now, the team moves forward with defensive coordinator David Braun as interim coach. The school and its athletic programs remain the subject of multiple lawsuits.
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Illinois restocking talent
The 2023 NFL Draft saw the first Illinois player, CB Devon Witherspoon, selected in the first round since 2012. Aside from Witherspoon, three other Illini – DB Jartavius Martin, S Sydney Brown and RB Chase Brown – also found NFL homes on draft weekend. On top of the player losses, accomplished DC Ryan Walters claimed the head coaching vacancy at Purdue.
The 2022 Illini defense was among the best in program history. Now, with new DC Aaron Henry taking over for Walters, the big question is whether the defense can maintain its prominence in 2023. The pillars of the team’s defensive line remain intact, but the secondary has large shoes to fill.
RELATED: 2023 Big Ten Betting Preview: Illinois
Tom Allen’s future in Indiana unknown
After earning just two conference victories in the last two seasons, questions are beginning to rise regarding Tom Allen’s contract, which keeps him at the head of the Hoosiers through 2027.
The biggest of these losses comes defensively, with nine of the team’s top 10 tacklers departing from the program. CB Tiawan Mullen is one of the greatest losses for the Hoosiers, having started all 12 games his senior season and remaining the only Indiana cornerback to ever earn first-team All-America honors. Mullen signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent in April.
Offensively, Tennessee transfer quarterback Tayven Jackson will get a fresh start in Indiana following Connor Bazelak’s move to Bowling Green. The team will still have its No. 1 pass-catcher in WR Cam Camper, but will need to adjust to the staggering number of transfers filling the remaining holes.
Assembling a formidable team with so many new faces will be a challenge, but it’s one Allen will be determined to achieve to spring his team back to success in the Big Ten.
RELATED: 2023 Big Ten Betting Preview: Indiana Hoosiers
Last year without Trojans and Bruins
The Big Ten has grown by leaps and bounds since its formation in 1928, and less than one year remains until the conference expands from 14 to 16 teams. USC and UCLA will depart from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten on August 2, 2024, drastically changing the landscape of the conference.
RELATED: USC, UCLA to play Michigan during their first season in the Big Ten
The move rocked the college football world when it was first announced, considering the length of time that both schools had been members of their previous conference. USC held Pac-12 membership since 1922, while the UCLA Bruins had been a part of the group since 1928.
New teams mean new rivalries, stronger competition and a conference that now stretches from coast to coast.
East and West to soon be disbanded
With the arrival of new Big Ten members comes the arrival of a new conference model – one that features the removal of divisions.
The conference that currently consists of East and West divisions will have 16 programs competing for the top two spots in the 2024 season, a change that likely will not favor West division teams.
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For eight of the past 10 seasons, the Big Ten Conference Champion has hailed from the East division, with the conference’s top three teams in four of those years also coming from the East.
The last time the West claimed conference victory was in 2012 when Bret Bielema’s Badgers scored touchdowns on seven of their first nine possessions, annihilating Nebraska, 70-31. The dominance soon dissolved, and the likes of Ohio State and Michigan entered the scene.
The 2023 season will be the last with divisions, and possibly the last for quite some time that the Buckeyes and Wolverines aren’t squaring up at Lucas Oil Stadium in the Big Ten Championship.
When does the 2023 college football season begin?
The college football season starts “Week Zero” on August 26th. NBC Sports will debut its slate of Big Ten Football action with two of college football’s top programs — Penn State and Michigan — on Sept. 2.
- Exclusively on Peacock, at Noon ET, the reigning Big Ten champion Michigan Wolverines will host East Carolina at “The Big House.”
- On NBC and Peacock, at 7:30 p.m. ET, the reigning Rose Bowl champion Penn State Nittany Lions will host West Virginia at Beaver Stadium in the first meeting between the two teams since 1992.