FAVORITE TEAMS

Ohio State owned the Big Ten for the majority of the time under Urban Meyer. Now that he’s gone, could this finally be the year of the Wolverines??? Wisconsin’s new quarterback and difficult schedule makes this West division wide-open to four other teams that could take it.

Urban Meyer’s retirement makes Michigan the favorite to win the division and finally appear in their first conference title game since its existence. Ohio State is a tad underdog to win the division under new coach Ryan Day, but no one believes that Ohio State will give up their division title so easily. Michigan State will linger behind them both as long as their defense stays strong and their offense finds ways to improve. Penn State has questions at quarterback and they’re playing with a young roster, so it might take a year before they compete for the East division. Indiana has the offense to compete, but they have yet to eclipse their sixth win. Maryland is a complete mystery, but they could win early games while dealing with Penn State and Minnesota. Rutgers is still digging their way out of a hole in the Big Ten East.

Wisconsin returns running back Jonathan Taylor, but man their schedule’s difficult to swallow. Iowa is favored to win the division, but their schedule also says otherwise. Nebraska’s the biggest hype in college football and could be bowl-eligible this season, as long they keep quarterback Adrian Martinez healthy and this defense improves. Northwestern stole the division from under everyone’s nose. They could do it again, but this offense must improve because no one in the Big Ten West is fooled again, right? Not many are spotlighting Minnesota, and that’s enough to make them THE underrated team in the West division. Purdue surprised after upsetting Ohio State and Iowa, but it’s unlikely they’ll repeat with a roster that needs at least one more year of improvement. Illinois returns 15 starters, including 10 on defense and leading rusher Reggie Corbin. All they need is decent play from Michigan-transfer quarterback Brandon Peters and win six games. That’s Lovie Smith’s mindset because this season is it for him.

MICHIGAN WOLVERINES

Michigan’s passing game should improve under quarterback Shea Patterson but must find a decent running back. Their defense loses some key players early to the NFL, but having defensive coordinator Don Brown and the leadership of linebacker Khaleke Hudson are enough to maintain this defense’s toughness. The schedule is challenging but winnable thanks to their returning roster and their tendency to win early. Now here’s where my information on Michigan’s past gets interesting.

Army could be a tricky team and confirm whether Michigan is good or not. Also going back to 2017, they lost at Madison to Wisconsin, slipped up against Penn State and Michigan State, and nearly got upset by Indiana. Let me also mention that Michigan is currently 0-2 against Iowa (lost 5 of last 6 games) and Notre Dame (lost 3 of last 4 games). If they manage to defeat them, they still have yet to defeat Ohio State under Jim Harbaugh (0-4). Michigan overall won only one game out of the last 14 matchups (Ohio State’s 2010 win was vacated).

Now why do I bring all this up? Because this could be the ever-lasting effect on Jim Harbaugh’s career at Michigan if they have a down season. Now that Urban Meyer retired and the team’s that Michigan faces have some changes in progress, there’s no reason for them not to own the Big Ten this season. A win over Ohio State finally open’s the door for their opportunity to possibly win the division, the conference title, and possibly a playoff appearance.

MINNESOTA GOPHERS

Minnesota looks improved this season. They have two capable quarterbacks (even though Zack Annexstad is out for awhile), a deeper running back unit with Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith recovered along with Mo Ibrahim and Seth Green (both led the position last year), a hopefully improved O-Line, and probably one of the best receiving units in Minnesota’s history led by Tyler Johnson. Their defense is no slouch. They have impact players at each level, led by defensive end Carter Coughlin, and cornerback Antoine Winfield Jr’s return from injury is big for their coverage and special teams. The Gophers’ early schedule could easily make them bowl-eligible before November. If I were them, I would win out early because they’ll take a pounding against Penn State, back-to-back road games against Iowa and Northwestern, and their home finale against Wisconsin.