The Spartans play at Washington, host Minnesota the next week, play at Maryland, host Ohio State and Wisconsin, have a bye week, and then go to Michigan. Yes, the Buckeyes are still a shining star in the conference, but they do have some issues. By Sam Marsdale Aug 11, 8:56 AM. Over/under: 11. Sep. 24: Wisconsin at Ohio StateOct. The Spartans defeated their crosstown rivals, won 11 games, and had one of the best running backs in the country in Kenneth Walker III. However, it did well in a similar stretch in 2021, so dont count the Spartans out. The Boilermakers are an interesting sleeper, but they have the Badgers and Gophers on the road this season. This site is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with these schools or teams. Penn State opens the season on Thursday, Sept. 1 at Purdue. Now that the Badgers know they have a workhorse in Braelon Allen, it changes things in Madison. Singleton has good size at 6-0, 210 pounds, and the high-school highlight reel is predictably amazing. 10: Washington State at WisconsinSept. It starts with taking full advantage of a slate that misses Penn State and Michigan from the other side of the conference and taking care of business in the 50-50 games. Minnesota might rival Illinois for the strangest season in 2021. Thompson played in 15 games at Texas, where he had 30 TDs and nine interceptions. Below is a look at the bowl projections and playoff picks before all the fun begins for the 2022 season. But Artur Sitkowski isnt exactly the ideal quarterback, and this is a roster mostly bereft of talent. But predicted standings, records, and everything else for the Big Ten in 2022. Well know more after the early-season contest against Ohio State. After a solid 2021 season, Purdue will be looking to fill massive holes on either end of the football. 3. Credit: USA TODAY Sports. Worst of all, the Huskers bottomed out in 2022. 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. After an upstart 2020 campaign, Indiana fell flat in 2021 as the Hoosiers failed to win a conference game. That's the game that turns the Spartans' season one way or the other. We saw in the Big Ten Championship Game how far away the Hawkeyes were from the Wolverines, so itll be interesting to see if they can even the scales a bit this upcoming year. They'll likely need to split those two contests and get help elsewhere to advance. An early-midseason road game at Iowa and midseason home games against Penn State and MSU could provide trouble, but the Wolverines could, if not should, enter the Week 13 game in Columbus with maybe one loss, if not undefeated, provided the defense finds a way to retool after offseason losses. 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. MORE: Futures odds and best bets for Big Ten. 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. 7566. 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. Wins: Illinois State, Washington State, New Mexico State, Illinois, at Northwestern, Purdue, Maryland, Minnesota, Losses: at Ohio State, at Michigan State, at Iowa, at Nebraska. Record prediction: 10-2. Is there more even-year magic in store? Be more involved in the big games. 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. Oct 30, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano in the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Here are the way-too-early game-by-game predictions for Michigan in 2022. Quarterback Tanner Morgan and running back Mohamed Ibrahim are back in the Twin Cities as the offense will have familiar personnel. Without knowing how two-deep depth charts are going to shake out, we'll take a stab anyway at way-too-early final record predictions for every team in the conference entering the offseason with a caveat these will be amended after spring practice and just before games kickoff in the fall. The word: Can the Spartans get back to the New Year's Six as one of the hunted at the top of the Big Ten next season? Michigan had a dominant offensive line last season, and Oluwatimi should help that trend continue. 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 The Huskers also have a new offensive coordinator in Mark Whipple, who worked with Heisman Trophy finalist Kenny Pickett at Pitt last season. Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras (7) stands with teammates tight end Bryce Schulte (48) and defensive back Riley Moss (33) after an NCAA college football game in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl against Kentucky, Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. Credit: USA TODAY Sports Network. This offseason included an aura of bitterness despite the team posting an 11-2 record and Rose Bowl victory last year. The word: No team in the Big Ten faces a more brutal four-game stretch in November to close out the regular season than the Terrapins, who take on a likely nationally-ranked Wisconsin, Penn State and Ohio State over three consecutive weeks before the finale versus Rutgers. Bill Bender is a national college football writer for The Sporting News. The offense will reset the Big Ten record book in several areas. Well this would be a dream scenario for the Big Ten. Ohio State was as close to beating Georgia as anyone came last season but a missed field goal haunted the Buckeyes all offseason. Wins: South Dakota State, Iowa State, Nevada, at Rutgers,at Illinois, Northwestern, Wisconsin, at Minnesota, Nebraska, Losses: Michigan, at Ohio State, at Purdue. The schedule sees the Scarlet Knights land Minnesota, Oct 2, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Brandon Peters (18) hands the ball off to running back Chase Brown (2) in the second half against the Charlotte 49ers at Memorial Stadium. Score Prediction: Wisconsin 27, Washington State 24. There are plenty of questions across the Big Ten Conference in the final season before USC and UCLA join the fray. 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. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards, the third-highest mark nationally. You bet. Please check your email for a confirmation. Penn State is 4-5 in Big Ten play each of the last two seasons. Ohio State has the makings of a potential national champion in 2022. Iowas defense could make for a scrappy game in this bowl matchup as neither team has had much of a dangerous offense. Ferentz just re-upped his contract and will have a talented, veteran team this upcoming season. Michigan is the lone, scary crossover from the East, but it hosts Oklahoma and opens the season in Ireland against Northwestern. The defense loses some key components and the Wolverines arent dynamic enough on offense to have the same success they enjoyed this year. The word: Bowl hopes for Greg Schiano and the Scarlet Knights may come down to the regular-season finale at Maryland, unless Rutgers is able to beat a Big Ten rival as an underdog in the previous weeks. Crossovers against Nebraska and Minnesota certainly dont lessen the blow, either. The Buckeyes haven't had a Heisman Trophy winner since Troy Smith in 2006. He recorded 17 catches for 300 yards and three touchdowns while playing in six games this year. The offensive line led the way last year, and while there will be some losses, it still should provide enough push for whoever ends up carrying the ball, given what we saw last year. In our 2021 too-early power rankings, eventual Big Ten champion, the hometown Michigan Wolverines, were slated at No. I am much higher on Luis Robert Jr. than most analysts, He's a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses, and that with a 85% catch percentage. Behind them, Michigan and Wisconsin are the prime contenders. That's what it'll take for Minnesota to be a serious factor in the division, if P.J. Northwestern was an awfully young team in 2021, which explains a bit of the struggles. What about the Big Ten West? Wisconsin Badgers running back Braelon Allen (0) runs for a long first down in the third quarter against Nebraska Cornhuskers safety Myles Farmer (4) during their football game Saturday, November 20, 2021, at Camp Randall in Madison, Wis. Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Palmer, who had 41 catches for 458 yards and three TDs with the Tigers the last three seasons, followed Joseph. By Kevin Flaherty 5 hours ago. There is always an above-average squad, but there's rarely a national contender. Stroud and the offense have sensational upside, but a highly inconsistent defense has much to prove under new coordinator Jim Knowles. Here is a look at early team-by-team record predictions for Big Ten squads in 2022: Sep 3, 2021; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald reacts after a play against the Michigan State Spartans during the fourth quarter at Ryan Field. Jackson was a top-15 recruit in the 2021 class according to On3 Sports consensus. The best-worst team in the country, Nebraska lost all of its games, except for Ohio State, by just one score, and its loss against the Buckeyes is another one it should have won. Peter Skoronski, a two-year starter for the Wildcats, was Pro Football Focus' highest-graded left tackle in the conference last season. 17: Penn State at Auburn; Michigan State at Washington. Ohio State's high-powered offense will be too much for Michiganand then Wisconsin in the conference championship gameto contain. The Wildcats have several possible quarterbacks, but dont necessarily have an obvious starter. Nov 6, 2021; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Aidan OConnell (16) drops back to pass the ball in the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Ross-Ade Stadium. Following a tremendous start to 2021 spurred by beating Wisconsin in Week 1, the Nittany Lions faltered down the stretch. He started 35 games for Virginia the last three seasons and was a semifinalist for the Rimington Trophy. Unique? + Show More. Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Teradja Mitchell (3) and Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste (8) come together to tackle Maryland Terrapins running back Challen Faamatau (29) during the second quarter of their NCAA college football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on October 9, 2021. Credit: USA TODAY Sports. Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports. Up and down puts it mildly when talking about the 2021 Illini. Even if Northwestern has another frustrating year, the program boasts one of the country's premier offensive linemen. 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. With Walker headed to the NFL, quarterback Payton Thorne returns to lead the offense. They also lost at home to Rutgers and UTSA. 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