Another year, another chance to argue which team is the best in the Big Ten. We polled 10 members of our staff and made the surprising discovery that it’s really not much of an argument nowadays.
1. Ohio State, 50 points
The defending national champions are the clear favorites to win the Big Ten and potentially make a return appearance to the College Football Playoff. Joey Bosa anchors the defense, J.T. Barrett and/or Cardale Jones leads the way under center, Ezekiel Elliott returns as a dominant run threat, former quarterback Braxton Miller moves to wide receiver and almost every key player is back from last year’s team.
The Buckeyes have all the pieces in place to make a run at another national title, even if they lose to Virginia Tech in their season opener, a game they will play without the Bosa and three additional contributors, all serving suspensions. Head coach Urban Meyer has rebuilt Ohio State into a Big Ten powerhouse, further cementing its status as the program that everyone else in the conference loves to hate.
2. Michigan State, 40 points
Though the very thought of Michigan State asserting its gridiron dominance over Michigan would’ve seemed laughable and nearly impossible once upon a time, the Spartans’ superiority over the Wolverines has been evident throughout much of head coach Mark Dantonio’s tenure.
There are a few questions on defense due to the departure of long-time defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi and a season-ending injury suffered by linebacker Ed Davis during training camp. Still, the Spartans return seven starters each on both offense and defense, including quarterback Connor Cook, who’s expected to be one of the best signal callers in the country.
Michigan State will pose the biggest threat to Ohio State in the East division, and all eyes will be on those two teams when they meet in Columbus in late November.
3. Wisconsin, 26 points
The prodigal son Paul Chryst has returned to Madison, giving Wisconsin fans hope that they’ve found a head coach that won’t take off and leave Barry Alvarez to coach in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl two years from now. Chryst will inherit a team that should be strong on defense, especially with defensive coordinator Dave Aranda returning despite Gary Andersen’s departure.
Most of the questions for the Badgers come on offense, where Corey Clement replaces Melvin Gordon and the offensive line lacks in depth and experience. Joel Stave will also need to improve on his consistency, but the good news is Chryst has a stellar track record with quarterbacks and could help alleviate some of Stave’s issues.
With a favorable conference schedule, Wisconsin is in prime position to capture a second consecutive Big Ten West title and earn a return trip to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis come December.
4. Penn State, 15 points
The Nittany Lions may be on the cusp of a breakthrough in 2015, though whether they can solve the issues that plagued them on offense last season will dictate just how high they can fly this year. The Penn State defense was stout in 2014 and shouldn’t regress much in 2015, but head coach James Franklin and his coaching staff desperately need to fix an offensive line that held about as well as a snowman in the Bahamas last season.
The poor play of the inexperienced line was a major factor in quarterback Christian Hackenberg’s sophomore slump. If the line can provide Hackenberg with enough protection to allow him to flourish, a 10-win season is a real possibility for the Nittany Lions.
5. Michigan, 9 points
If Jesus Christ ever does in fact return to Earth, he’d probably love to receive the kind of reception that Jim Harbaugh has gotten since his return to Ann Arbor. Michigan shot for the moon in its coaching search and landed the top choice of just about every Wolverine fan to replace Brady Hoke.
Harbaugh inherits a team that will return eight starters on offense and seven on defense from last year’s 5-7 squad. Among the new coach’s biggest concerns is finding a viable starter under center from a pool of what feels like 50 quarterbacks on the roster. Harbaugh won’t return Michigan to its former glory overnight, but you certainly expect to see the program take major strides as soon as this season.
