It’s hard to believe, but the start of the next college football season is beginning to creep up on us. It’s the height of the summer right now, but before you know it, American tackle football is going to kick off in earnest. I can’t wait. Over the course of the next several weeks, I’m going to be surveying the college football landscape, conference by conference, and previewing the upcoming season. Up next, we’re talking about the Big Ten.
BIG TEN: BURNING QUESTIONS HEADING INTO 2023
Can Michigan three-peat? The Wolverines have had disappointing ends to the last two seasons, but it’s a different kind of disappointing than in years past. They actually won the Big Ten Championship and made it into the playoffs each of the last two seasons, suffering a tough loss to an unstoppable Georgia program in 2021 and letting one slip through their fingertips against TCU last season. But, they’ve owned Ohio State and they’ve owned the conference each of the last two years, where they used to get to those big games and disappoint. This program has turned a corner under Jim Harbaugh and with an experience quarterback, loaded backfield, and an offensive line that is going to send six dudes to the NFL, they should play their signature physical bruising style of football yet again. This team is the rightful favorite in this conference, but can they avoid the slip-up like they did against TCU? Furthermore, could they take the next step and actually get into a National Championship game? They’re certainly good enough to do so.
Can Kyle McCord keep Ohio State’s offense on track? The Buckeyes have some work to do on defense, for sure, but their bread and butter last year was the offense, and it was damn near good enough to take down Georgia in the playoffs. That was with the third overall draft pick CJ Stroud at the helm. Can McCord be that good? I don’t know. There’s still a wealth of talent at the skill positions, but between McCord, some questions along the offensive line, and how rock solid Michigan looks, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Buckeyes come back to the pack a bit. Now…let’s qualify that…because for them, that probably means 10-2.
Can Penn State break through? The Nittany Lions haven’t beaten Ohio State since 2016. They haven’t fared much better against Michigan under James Franklin either, but this team is absolutely loaded from a personnel standpoint. Left tackle Olu Fashanu could be a top five pick next spring – they have the horses to grind games in physical fashion. But, this absolutely looks like the season that they could put it all together and make a real run.
How quickly can Matt Rhule turn around Nebraska? The Cornhuskers are still considered a sleeping giant despite not being the Cornhuskers of yesteryear in quite some time. People may have lost sight of just what a good program builder Rhule is because of how disastrously his tenure with the Carolina Panthers went. But, this ain’t the NFL, folks – look back at his runs with Temple and Baylor for proof of concept. There is some talent in Lincoln, so if Rhule can install his systems quickly, they could be surprisingly competitive in a division that is wide open.
What is Luke Fickell doing at Wisconsin? When you think Luke Fickell, you think defense, and that makes for a beautiful marriage with the Wisconsin Badgers, who have a wealth of talent on that side of the ball. There should be little reason for concern there. But, bringing Phil Longo and the Air Raid offense to Madison? *raises eyebrows* That’s a doozy. Luring Tanner Mordecai from SMU to helm the offense and featuring one of the best running backs in the nation in Braelon Allen should make for a fun unit to watch. If they can get settled in with all of the change quickly, this could be a surprise team in 2023 on a national scale.
Is there a dark horse among the bunch? With so many staff changes at Purdue, I’m skittish about picking them to repeat as Big Ten West champs. But, that division is wide open – every team in it has its questions. But, I’m not sure Iowa can get by on toughness alone with their deficiencies on offense. Likewise, I’m not sure that Minnesota can get by on size alone. That’s why I land on Illinois. Bielemaball seems to be working in Champaign. Whoever wins the Big Ten West would have the opportunity to pull off a massive upset in the Big Ten Championship. In the Big Ten East, it’s much tougher because the division is so top heavy. The Michigan State Spartans are a wild card under Mel Tucker – they should have a good defense, but they haven’t been able to put everything together under Tucker just yet. That’s why I ultimately land on Maryland as a potential upset underdog special. Mike Locksley added some veteran coaching help to his staff in Kevin Sumlin and Josh Gattis. Taulia Tagovailoa is back with an abundance of skill position talent. They could be electric on offense.
My projected order of finish:
- Michigan
- Penn State
- Ohio State
- Wisconsin
- Maryland
2023 COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEWS
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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