On the final weekend of September, division favorites Wisconsin and OSU square off in Columbus. The thing about college football is that its entirely impossible to pin down. 7 of 14. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports. Spring ball is kicking off for most teams, and if it hasnt already, its on the horizon. Ibrahim and Henderson will be sharing the spotlight with Wisconsin bruiser Braelon Allen, who powered his way to 1,268 yards and 12 scores in his first college season. Big Ten Football B1G 2022 FULL Big Ten Record Predictions and 2022 Season Preview Who wins the West? really being the only question worth a damn here. Will either Minnesota or MSU surge in the standings? Stroud, and Ohio State has a favorable schedule with most of the tough games at home. Wisconsin at Iowa (Nov. 12) These Big Ten West rivals have traded three-score wins in each 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 in 2017. Nov 20, 2020; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan (2) drops back for a pass in the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at TCF Bank Stadium. Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said those schools can help "carry some weight" for the Big Ten. Please check your email for a confirmation. 2022 Maryland Prediction, Spring Football Version: 7-5 CFN 2021 Spring Prediction: 5-7 Maryland 2021 Final Record: 7-6 Maryland 2022 Schedule & Analysis 9 Getting one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country back is going to make a huge difference for Purdue. For good measure, Jestin Jacobs (53) finished fifth on the defense last season. 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? Heading into 2022, there are major questions for just about everybody not named Ohio State. Win or lose that first game, the Boilermakers could be in a good spot in 2022. This might be more of a tandem effort, but you know Mel Tucker is going to rely on that strong running game around quarterback Peyton Thorne. Yes, we know the first Big Ten games have already kicked off. Washington State quarterback Cam Ward has opted to return to school in 2023, and this should be a down-to-the-wire fight in Pac-12 country. Not since 2010-13 has OSU gone Sep 17, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema walks off the field after the loss against the Maryland Terrapins at Memorial Stadium. The Wolverines rushed for a league-best 214.4 yards per game last season. Penn State was much better than its record indicated last season. Ohio State and Wisconsin had down years by their standards and missed the Big Ten Championship game entirely. Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports. It's not going to be easy in 2022. Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports. Overall, this unit is stacked. Look for a season similar to what we just saw in 2021. He completed 63 percent of his passes in 10 games for 2,407 yards with 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Will that allow a school such as Purdue or Minnesota to sneak up the standings this year? The goal for 2022 might just be to get into a bowl, this time with a winning record. Can either Padilla or Petras develop into a consistent starter this season? Henderson grabbed national attention as a freshman with a 277-yard outburst against Tulsa last season, and he's yet another home-run hitter in Ohio State's loaded offense. Will Michigan repeat as Big Ten champions or will Ohio State reclaim top dog status? After sending two teams to the College Football Playoff in the 2022 season, could the Big Ten be preparing to send a pair of teams back to the playoff next season? B/R's preview of the Big Ten includes star players, top storylines, key games and just about everything short of USC and UCLA. The Wolverines finally broke through under coach Jim Harbaugh for the program's first Big Ten championship since 2004, and that snapped Ohio State's run of four straight conference titles. 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. 29: Ohio State at Penn State. Notably, those struggles came against the top of the conference including C.J. Its difficult seeing a path for the Hoosiers to get back onto the winning side of things, at least this year. The Big Ten sent two teams to the CFB Playoff in 2022 for the first time in conference history. 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. The Buckeyes led the FBS in points and total yards, and Stroud is at the controls of what should be an elite offense again in 2022. The offense will reset the Big Ten record book in several areas. Look for Wisconsin to be a problem this season. 17: Penn State at Auburn; Michigan State at Washington. However, realistically, the Scarlet Knights are probably still a year or so away from making a significant jump in results on the field. It almost always comes down to The Game, and the Wolverines revived the rivalry with a 42-27 victory last season. This offseason included an aura of bitterness despite the team posting an 11-2 record and Rose Bowl victory last year. Gone is quarterback Adrian Martinez, but hell be replaced by former Texas QB Casey Thompson. Jackson was a top-15 recruit in the 2021 class according to On3 Sports consensus. The word: The reigning Big Ten champions play four consecutive home games prior to their first road affair at Iowa and should be favored in 11 of 12 regular-season games in 2022. However, this group will still be a tough out for anyone in the league. Bill Bender is a national college football writer for The Sporting News. The 2021 Big Ten Football season had plenty of surprises. Stroud (7) throws a pass during the fourth quarter of the Rose Bowl against the Utah Utes in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2022. Credit: USA TODAY Sports. Dec 30, 2021; Atlanta, GA, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Payton Thorne (10) celebrates after a victory against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the second half during the 2021 Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Florida was very lucrative to the Oklahoma Sooners in the class of 2023. Here is a look at the spring way-too-early Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports. Will Ohio State be able to finish the job this time around (possible spoiler alert below)? Michigan and Michigan State shocked everyone and finished well Stroud is big news (he still had to come back, obviously) for an offense that was firing on all cylinders and the team in Columbus certainly hopes the coaching revamp, led by defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, pays big dividends. Heres our too-early 2022 game predictions now that the schedule is set. Michigan is the pick from 247Sports to win the Big Ten and claim a spot in the Rose Bowl in the College Football Playoff. At linebacker, Iowa has a pair of 100-tackle returners in Jack Campbell (143) and Seth Benson (105). The defense has the potential to be in the upper half of the conference, but solving an offensive that sputtered last season will be the question. Singleton has good size at 6-0, 210 pounds, and the high-school highlight reel is predictably amazing. The schedule is no breeze. Bret Bielema certainly improved the Illini in his first year in Champaign, and Illinois did somehow manage to beat Penn State on the road. Penn State There are enough soft spots to get this team back to bowl eligibility it looks like and the Boilermakers could push for seven or eight wins, if they're able to knock off one of the better teams on the schedule, but expecting this team to win the division will be a lot to ask. The defense has to be better, especially against the pass. 3. The opener against Notre Dame could be worrisome as well. Ohio State will be the most talented team in the Big Ten next year, it just depends on some breaks and being able to be better on defense. The word: Bret Bielema expects a much-improved team after a 5-7 finish last fall, but unfortunately for the Fighting Illini, that may not show up in the win-loss column, given the brutality of the slate. This is the other half of what should be a thrilling October day. Highs will include a home win over Iowa while the lows could feature a road loss to Illinois for Jeff Brohm's group. Montee Ball (2012), Melvin Gordon (2014) and Jonathan Tayor (2018-19) all have won the Doak Walker Award since 2012. The keys are still with quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa as the Terrapins look to build on a decisive Pinstripe Bowl victory over Virginia Tech in 2021. The defense is good enough, but losing George Karlaftis will certainly set it back. Sean Clifford returns for his fifth season in Happy Valley after he threw 21 touchdowns in 2021. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports. Score Prediction: Wisconsin 27, Washington State 24. Iowa Hawkeyes players Ryan Gersonde (2) Riley Moss (33) quarterback Spencer Petras (7) wide receiver Max Cooper (19) and defensive back Jack Koerner (28) get pumped up before an NCAA Big Ten Conference football game against Indiana, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Much of that will be due to a 4-1 start prior to wins over Minnesota and Iowa during the final month of the campaign. The Boilermakers are an interesting sleeper, but they have the Badgers and Gophers on the road this season. Late Kick Live Ep. Can Harbaugh erase the heartaches of 2016 and 2018 in The Shoe? Will the trend of a true breakout team continue in 2022? Dont expect Michigan to get the fortune and results it got this past season. Four-star safety Kye Stokes (Armwood, Seffner, Fla.) also was impressive in the spring game. The Hawkeyes play cross-over games against Ohio State and Michigan. Will there be another shakeup this season? Big Ten football predictions 2022: Conference standings, impact transfers, best games, Michigan restores rivalry with Ohio State with dominant win. Predicting every team's final record this far out is next to impossible, but peeking at matchups this early is whatevery staff does this time of year in prep for the new season. The 6-foot-6, 220 pound athlete committed to Wisconsin in late January, becoming the first pass-catcher to join the program for 2024. Ohio State is 93-11 in the College Football Playoff era, an .894 winning percentage. Clifford returns, and a road game at Auburn is daunting, as is playing at Michigan. Indiana Hoosiers head coach Tom Allen walks along the sideline during the fourth quarter of an NCAA Division I football game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports. Eight hypothetical position switches for current Michigan football players, Why Ernest Hausmann decided to become a Wolverine, Every five-star recruit that Michigan football has had since 2001, Media reacts to Michigan basketball OT win over Wisconsin, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Granted, he was a major one (15 tackles for loss), but the Hawkeyes have unleashed a different player with 10-plus TFLs in every season since 2013. He's also a valued NFL prospect, should he turn pro following his junior campaign this fall. The season opener against Penn State will set the tone, and thats the only top team from the East that Purdue faces.
Five best college football futures bets to make, including our Syracuse Orange, who return 80% of their starters this season. Score Prediction: Wisconsin 27, Washington State 24. Athlon Sports Early Big Ten Predictions: Like and subscribe for more amazing content! Contact/Follow us@BuckeyesWireon Twitter, and like our page onFacebookto follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Running back TreVeyon Henderson totaled 1,567 scrimmage yards and 19 scores as a true freshman. HIGHEST RATED. 2022 Summary Casey Thompson turned in a season-long performance worthy of mixed reviews. Everything sets up for the Wolverines to defend their crown, and ultimately, it will likely come down to Michigan and Ohio State, once again. Minnesota might rival Illinois for the strangest season in 2021. Dec 29, 2021; New York, NY, USA; Maryland Terrapins quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa (3) runs the ball as Virginia Tech Hokies linebacker Dax Hollifield (4) pursues during the second half of the 2021 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The Buckeyes won the conference's only titles in the CFP era (2014) and BCS era (2002). There's incredible talent on Ohio State's offense. Michigan will have a tough test there in the finale. The season was one of chaos that no one predicted. 2022 Summary Casey Thompson turned in a season-long performance worthy of mixed reviews. The Gophers could take on an interesting South Carolina team in the ReliaQuest Bowl, the new namesake of the old Outback Bowl. It's a new QB for Frost, and it might just work this time. There is a good chance this is the next top-10 perhaps top-five showdown in the series. 1: Michigan at IowaOct. That's what it'll take for Minnesota to be a serious factor in the division, if P.J. Way-too-early Big Ten football power rankings for 2022 Share this article 3.9k shares Phil Harrison January 14, 2022 2:53 pm ET Now that the college football Michigan State rallied from a 16-point third-quarter deficit in 2021, and Harbaugh who is 3-4 against the Spartans can't lose another one at the Big House. What PFF Says. And if these projections prove to be accurate, there will be a good number of Big Ten teams taking part in a bowl game next season, and it could be another year with two playoff bids. It should be enough to keep things at the level they were last season, but you have to believe that some of those close games will actually go in the win column in 2022. These Big Ten West rivals have traded three-score wins in each other's houses the last three years, and the series moves back to Kinnick Stadium in 2022. The home game with Iowa and battle at Minnesotaare two potential spots for wins if the Scarlet Knights out-execute the opposition. With the 2022 season inching closer, it is only appropriate to begin discussing the schedules and characteristics of each Big Ten team. Rutgers was on the wrong end of lopsided losses to the Big Tens best a year ago, although the Scarlet Knights found themselves in a last-minute bowl game against Wake Forest.