Big Ten Conference Opening Odds: Ohio State and Michigan Vie for Supremacy

Usual Suspects Expected to Dominate Big Ten in 2023

Michigan and Ohio State or is it Ohio State and Michigan? Once again, these powerhouse programs are expected to be the class of the Big Ten and challenge for spots in the college football playoffs. They headline the 2023 Big Ten Conference opening odds.

New coaches arrived at Wisconsin and Purdue so keep an eye on how that changes those programs.

Four of the top 16 transfers, according to the 247sports.com database, landed in the Big Ten.

Michigan added Nebraska linebacker Ernest Hausmann and Arizona State offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson, and Ohio State got former Ole Miss cornerback Davison Igbinosun and quarterback Hudson Card moved from Texas to Purdue.

Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyima Fashanu, Wisconsin offensive tackle Jack Nelson, and Ohio State Michael Hall are showing up as possible top-10 picks in 2024 NFL mock drafts so there is plenty of star power in the Big Ten.

Look for Ohio State and Michigan to be near the top when the NCAA rankings start to be released.

When looking at the NCAA football schedule, Nebraska and Minnesota will square off in late August while Northwestern and Rutgers also have a Week 1 showdown.

Any discussion of the 2023 Buckeyes begins with receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. as the son of the former NFL great being touted as a possible top-five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Even with highly productive quarterback C.J. Stroud off to the NFL, there shouldn’t be too much of a concern at that position since Ohio State always is stacked with talented passers.

The Buckeyes lost multiple starters off the offensive line to the NFL and that is not great news for a team looking to break in a new quarterback. Still, that hasn’t impacted the Buckeyes’ standing in the Big Ten Conference opening odds.

Six sophomores were among the top 15 tacklers with cornerback Denzel Burke leading the way. Their continued growth will be crucial as Ohio State finished sixth in total defense and seventh in passing defense.

J.J. McCarthy was splitting time at quarterback when the 2022 season game. That is no longer the case and that led to Cade McNamara transferring. The more impactful outgoing transfer might be tight end Erick All.

The return of running back Blake Corum was a huge boost as he will be in contention for the Heisman. He is one of the reasons why the talent-laden Michigan team is one of the favorites in the Big Ten Conference opening odds.

Mike Morris and Maki Smith are among the key departures on defense. Star cornerback Will Johnson is back and the addition of former Coastal Carolina star Josaiah Stewart should help with some of the pass rush concerns.

Quarterback Drew Allar is showing up in the Heisman odds despite attempting just 60 passes and completing only 58% of his passes as Sean Clifford’s top backup in 2022.

There are some holes to fill when it comes to the pass catchers. Perhaps the addition of Florida State transfer Malik McClain (17 catches in 2022) will help in that area.

Nine of the top 14 tacklers in 2022 were either freshmen or sophomores, so that bodes well for the Nittany Lions to have another strong defense this season.

Luke Fickell takes over at Wisconsin after an impressive run as the Cincinnati head coach.

Expect running back Braelon Allen to be the focus of the offense.
Wisconsin was 11th in the Big Ten in passing yards per game. SMU’s Tanner Mordecai (3,524 passing yards, 33 touchdowns in 2022) are among the quarterbacks added via transfer.

Receiver Skyler Bell had moments of brilliance as a freshman and he should be ready to take the next step in what could be a more pass-friendly offense.

Losing sack leader Nick Herbig hurts, but Wisconsin has the makings of a dominant defense.

Iowa led the Big Ten in total defense and was last in total offense. Will that continue in 2023?

Adding quarterback Cade McNamara from Michigan should help the offense. He will miss star tight end Sam LaPorta. Fellow tight end Luke Lachey did have four of the Hawkeyes’ seven receiving TDs a season ago so the position is in good hands in more ways than one.

The return of receiver Nico Ragaini is another bonus.

The defense lost leading tackler Jack Campbell as well as Lukas Van Ness and Riley Moss to the NFL.

Cooper DeJean leads the list of returnees on what should be a strong defense yet again.

Minnesota will miss center John Michael Schmitz and leading rusher Mohamed Ibrahim. The Gophers have plenty of options at running back.

Minnesota’s defense has some holes to fill even with the loss of top tackler Mariano Sori-Marin. Keep a lookout for Cody Lindenberg as he had 71 tackles as a sophomore.

After going 7-13 in the previous two seasons, the Fighting Illini stunned many by getting off to a 7-1 start a season ago. Illinois’ lack of offense caught up to the Fighting Illini during a three-game losing streak. Now top rusher Chase Brown is done. Receiver Isaiah Williams did return after leading Illinois with 82 catches.

The defense will need to replace top-five NFL pick Devon Witherspoon at cornerback. Ten sophomores and 12 freshmen had tackles a season ago so that should help with a revamped defense.

Matt Rhule has some work to do as he heads back to the college game to take over at Nebraska.

Leading rusher Anthony Grant is back and that is big news on offense. Former starting quarterback Casey Thompson recently entered the transfer portal.

Nebraska’s defense was a mess in 2022. The hope is that all the underclassmen who got snaps last season will lead an improved unit this season.

Taulia Tagovailoa returns at quarterback and Maryland is 9-3 when he throws for at least 300 yards. Tyrese Chambers had more than 1,000 receiving yards at Florida International in 2021 before those numbers dipped in 2022.

The defense showed signs of improvement but still has a ways to go. Jaishawn Barham had a strong freshman season and he returns to lead the defense.

Purdue lost head coach Brian Brohm to Louisville as well as quarterback Aidan O’Connell, receiver Charlie Jones and tight end Payne Durham to the NFL.

Former Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters now calls the shots and he has his work cut out for him fixing the Purdue defense.
The addition of former Texas quarterback Hudson Card, who completed 69% of his passes last season, is a big get while running back Devin Mockobee flirted with a 1,000-yard season as a freshman.

Michigan State looks to bounce back after a difficult 2022 season ended with the Spartans allowing 74 points in their last two games.

The offense suffered a key loss when quarterback Payton Thorne transferred to Auburn.

Three freshmen and three sophomores had at least 20 tackles in 2022 so that is something to build on.

After stunning Nebraska in the 2022 season opener, Northwestern did not win again. Five of the losses were by eight points or less so perhaps the Wildcats aren’t too far away from turning things around.

It won’t be easy replacing offensive lineman Peter Skoronski, a first-round pick in April’s NFL Draft. Evan Hull, the top rusher and No. 2 receiver, is also gone.

Two freshmen and seven sophomores made tackles for the Wildcats in 2022 and more will be asked of them moving forward.

Indiana has won two conference games in the last two seasons. Head coach Tom Allen dipped into the transfer portal to try to add some playmakers on both sides of the ball.

The Hoosiers were last in the Big Ten in total defense and 12th in total offense.

It is never a good sign when a team is taken off the board in multiple sportsbooks.

Rutgers couldn’t move the ball on offense or stop the other team in 2022 and that is not a great combination as the jury is still out on Greg Schiano’s second stint as the head coach at Rutgers.

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