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Big Ten Power Rankings: How things look heading into the season

By Alec Whitaker

STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 21: James Franklin head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions congratulates Jim Harbaugh head coach of the Michigan Wolverines after the game at Beaver Stadium on November 21, 2015 in State College, Pennsylvania. The Wolverines won 28-16. (Photo by Evan Habeeb/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 21: James Franklin head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions congratulates Jim Harbaugh head coach of the Michigan Wolverines after the game at Beaver Stadium on November 21, 2015 in State College, Pennsylvania. The Wolverines won 28-16. (Photo by Evan Habeeb/Getty Images) /
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Michigan Wolverines quarterback Cade McNamara (Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports) /

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4. Wisconsin

Wisconsin got off to a brutal 1-3 start in 2021 but still managed to finish the year 9-4. The biggest reason for the Badgers’ turnaround was that they started to trust freshman running back Braelon Allen. The freshman ran for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 186 carries. Quarterback Graham Mertz did not have a great season, completing just 59% of his passes with 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. A bounce-back year from him, along with Allen’s dominance, will be huge for Wisconsin. The problem with Wisconsin’s offense will be that Mertz will be without three of his top four pass catchers from 2021. The defense should continue to be a strong unit with linebacker Nick Herbig returning along with defensive linemen Keeanu Benton and Isaiah Mullens. Wisconsin does need to get more athletic on the outside on offense to truly compete in the conference, but they have a shot in the wide open Big Ten West.

3. Michigan State

After going 11-2 last year, many believe Mel Tucker has Michigan State headed in the right direction. He certainly does, but he must also replace arguably the best running back in college football from last season in Kenneth Walker. Thankfully for Tucker, his veteran quarterback Payton Thorne is back, along with his favorite target Jayden Reed are back for another season. The Spartans brought in a couple transfer running backs, so the loss of Walker should be minimized somewhat. On defense, linebacker Cal Haladay returns after a breakout campaign in 2021. He’s joined by defensive end Jeff Pietrowski, who had 5.5 sacks last year. Transfer corner Ameer Speed will help what was a really bad secondary last year. The biggest concern for Michigan State is still the back end of that defense, especially when you have three pass-first offenses in your division.  The front seven is strong though and Thorne will win them some games even without Walker.

2. Michigan

Michigan had its best season under Jim Harbaugh in 2021, going 12-2 with a trip to the College Football Playoff. They return almost everyone from that group except starting running back Hassan Haskins. Haskins’ back up Blake Corum is more than capable of stepping into the starting role though, especially with the great offensive line they have. It looks like Cade McNamara will be the starting quarterback again with J.J. McCarthy having a role similar to last year. The receiver corps is where Michigan will really take a step forward though. Youngsters A.J. Henning and Andrel Anthony are a year older; Ronnie Bell is back from injury and Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson played well as the starters down the stretch. Talented tight end Erick All is also back. The question marks with Michigan are on defense. The three best players from last year’s squad are now in the NFL. Defensive ends Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo combined for 25 sacks last year, replacing that kind of production is not easy to do. Safety Daxton Hill who was second in tackles and tied for first in interceptions is also now gone. Losing this production, along with having two new coordinators this season is why the reigning champs fall a spot. This team will still be great, especially on offense.

1. Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes went 11-2 last season with a victory in the Rose Bowl. The year would be considered a success by most programs, but the Buckeyes will tell you the left a few opportunities on the table in 2021. Despite losing two first round wide receivers, the expectations for the offense are immense. Quarterback C.J. Stroud is back after a monster first season as the starter. He’s joined by sophomore running back TreVeyon Henderson, who had 1,560 all-purpose yards in the 2021. The best player on the offense may be wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba though. He caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards and nine scores in 2021, keep in mind he was considered the third option last year. Joining him will be Marvin Harrison Jr., the name says it all. The offensive line will also be strong, with the youngest starter being a redshirt sophomore. The defensive line will be among the best in the country, with former 5-stars Zach Harrison and J.T. Tuimoloau expected to start at defensive end. The team’s top two leading tacklers from last season are also back in Ronnie Hickman and Tommy Eichenberg. Corner back Denzel Burke should bring some stability to the secondary as well. This team is ultra-talented and is favorite to win the Big Ten and could do much more than that this season.

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