The college football season kicks off this weekend for the entire Big Ten! Here is our first installation of the conference power rankings for the 2024 season:
The college football season is underway in 2024, and the Michigan Wolverines play in the Big House on Saturday night against Fresno State (7:30 p.m., NBC).
If you haven’t been keeping up this offseason, the Big Ten added four new teams from the West Coast, and they will be thrown into the fire this season. In addition, the College Football Playoff has expanded to 12 teams, so the weight of each game will look different this season.
Before a single Big Ten team plays a game, we have the first Big Ten Power Rankings of the 2024 season.
18. Purdue Boilermakers
The Boilermakers went from competing in the Big Ten Championship in 2022 to landing in fifth-place in the Big Ten West under first-year head coach Ryan Walters. The offseason didn’t help , losing edge Nic Scourton, their top three receivers, running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. and defensive back Sanoussi Kane. Walters has a lot to prove in year two with returning quarterback Hudson Card, but Purdue is at the bottom for now.
17. Indiana Hoosiers
The Hoosiers are making an effort to turn their program around after a three-win season in 2023. Indiana fired head coach Tom Allen and replaced him with the highly-regarded Curt Cignetti, who came over from James Madison after posting an overall record of 52-9. The problems from last year still haven’t fully gone away, though, and it could be a multi-year rebuild before Indiana is truly competitive.
16. UCLA Bruins
Another big question mark in the Big Ten comes from Westwood. UCLA has been good over the years, but the recent past hasn’t been too kind. UCLA may not be ranked this season, but it loves to play spoiler. With a new head coach and quarterback, it’s going to take time to build back up.
15. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota doesn’t have the cushion of being in the Big Ten West anymore. Head coach PJ Fleck is a great coach who is highly respected around the conference, but he needs to turn the ship around quickly. Fleck is putting the keys to the offense in the hands of FCS transfer, Max Brosmer, who comes from New Hampshire where he ranked No. 1 in FCS in passing yards per game (314.9) and total offense per game (325.0 yards) last season. Whether that translates to Big Ten play is yet to be seen, but the Golden Gophers could be spunky in 2024.
14. Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State hit a new low in 2023 and needed to completely rebrand. Just three seasons ago, the Spartans defeated Michigan in East Lansing and were in the driver’s seat to the College Football Playoff. Things shortly went off the rails, however, and now Michigan State has a new coach and starting quarterback. Jonathan Smith is an exciting hire, and Aidan Chiles has a very high upside at quarterback, but it’s going to be a long season with four ranked matchups.
13. Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois was at the top of its game two seasons ago in the Big Ten West, but took a major step back last season. The Illini keep their head coach, Bret Bielema, and quarterback Luke Atlmyer, but the wins need to start coming. The Illini have a tough schedule, facing Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Nebraska and Kansas, but a schedule that also presents an opportunity to put the program back on the map.
12. Northwestern Wildcats
David Braun took a depleted program and shocked the country as the interim head coach by winning eight games. Heading into his first year as the full-time coach, Northwestern will try to replicate that success. The Wildcats face Michigan and Ohio State at the end of the season, but there are a lot of potential wins as well. Playing at the temporary lake-side stadium, Northwestern has the potential to hit the over on its projected 5.5-win total.
11. Maryland Terrapins
Four years, more than 11,000 passing yards and 76 touchdowns later, there will finally be a quarterback not named Taulia Tagovailoa in College Park. NC State transfer MJ Morris and 2023 Music City Bowl MVP Billy Edwards Jr. have been battling it out throughout camp, and it’s unclear who gets the nod at this point. The offense has never been the issue for head coach Mike Locksley, but that could change in 2024.
10. Wisconsin Badgers
Head coach Luke Fickell is giving Miami transfer, Tyler Van Dyke, a shot to lead Wisconsin back into the national conversation. What may prevent those dreams from coming true this season, however, is the defensive line and running back. With Braelon Allen gone and an injury to defensive lineman James Thompson Jr., the Badgers could have some tough sledding this fall.
9. Washington Huskies
Have the Huskies changed tremendously since Jan. 8? Yes, possibly the most of any Power Four team. But it’s hard to count out the runner-up from just a season ago (at least before the new season starts). Washington is either going to be really good or really bad, and entering a new conference while going through a complete transition doesn’t help. Newly hired coach Jedd Fisch is a winner. At Arizona last season, Fisch’s Wildcats went 10-3 in 2023, beating Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl and finishing No. 11 in the final AP Poll. The tough task ahead of him will be replacing 21 of 22 starters from last year.
8. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
You may be asking yourself, “Rutgers in the top-eight?” Yes. Many Big Ten teams have declined in recent years, but the Scarlet Knights have taken a different trajectory. Rutgers finished as the most improved offense (in terms of total offense) in the Big Ten last season under first-year coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca. He can build on that with Minnesota transfer Athan “The Greek Rifle” Kaliakmanis . The Scarlet Knights also return Big Ten leading rusher Kyle Monangai, four offensive linemen, and defensive linemen Wesley Bailey and Aaron Lewis. If last year was the test run, 2024 could be a good year in New Jersey.
7. Nebraska Cornhuskers
It took some time, but head coach Matt Rhule made a SPLASH with five-star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola. While freshmen can be hit or miss in their first season, Raiola has all the tools to turn a program around. The Cornhuskers also maintained a large portion of their defense that allowed just 18.3 points per game, which ranked 13th nationally. With just Ohio State and Iowa to be concerned about (for now), Nebraska has a good shot at landing in the top-five of the conference come December.
6. USC Trojans
It’s going to be hard to replace Caleb Williams, but Lincoln Riley is in Miller Moss to play at a high level. Moss wasn’t a bench-riding backup — he completed 69.7 percent of his passes for 372 yards, a record six touchdowns, and one interception in the Holiday Bowl. The microscope will be under newly hired defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, as USC’s defense allowed 34.4 points per game last season (ranked 121st nationally).
5. Iowa Hawkeyes
It’s going to be hard to score 20 points on the Hawkeyes once again this season, but it may be harder for them to score 20 of their own. If the Hawkeyes can figure out some of their systemic offensive issues, the sky could be the limit in the gritty Big Ten. Cade McNamara is finally healthy, and head coach Kirk Ferentz brought in offensive coordinator Tim Lester to try and turn that side of the ball around. Around McNamara, four of their five starting offensive linemen return, along with running backs Leshon Williams and Kaleb Johnson, and star tight end Luke Lachey.
4. Penn State Nittany Lions
There are high expectations for James Franklin and Drew Allar heading into 2024, and it’s not easy to go into Morgantown, West Virginia in Week 1. Penn State came so close once again in 2023, but couldn’t break the eight-year Big Ten championship drought. There is no doubt the defense will be strong once again, but if Allar can put it together in his second season, Franklin could easily find himself in the conference championship.
3. Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines had a historic season last year, and fans in Ann Arbor are still riding the high. But once we all come back to earth, it’s going to be a strange reality without J.J. McCarthy, Jim Harbaugh, Blake Corum, Mike Sainristil and 15 other starters. The reason they are above Penn State and Iowa is because Sherrone Moore is a proven winner. The quarterback situation is tricky, but Moore’s wants to run the ball, and Michigan has a number of running backs capable of putting up big numbers. Not to mention, Will Johnson, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant and Colston Loveland are all projected as high draft picks, so the talent is still there.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
We hear of high expectations in Columbus every year. However, many believe THIS is the year Ohio State gets over the hump (shocker). On paper, the Buckeyes look stacked — Will Howard was very successful in the Big 12, the offensive line is solid, the backfield is loaded with TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, and freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith has been turning every head imaginable. Plus, the Buckeyes’ defense added Caleb Downs to pair with Denzel Burke. Finally, Jack Sawyer, Tyleik Williams, JT Tuimoloau and Ty Hamilton are talented pass rushers. It’s always championship or bust for Ryan Day.
1. Oregon Ducks
Dan Lanning came so close last season. Instead of rolling over, Oregon hit the transfer portal hard and brought in the best talent from around the country. Former Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel put up video game numbers last season , passing for 3,660 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions, while rushing for 373 yards and 12 touchdowns. His two targets are Tez Johnson and Texas A&M transfer Evan Stewart, who combined for more than 1,700 receiving yards last season. Not many teams will be able to outscore the Ducks this season.