The 2024 season is one of change, with the Big Ten adding four new programs in USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon. There is also significant coaching turnover for several programs, including the 2023 National Championship winners. Which program takes the top spot amidst the turmoil?
Post-Spring 2024 Big Ten Power Rankings
18) Northwestern Wildcats
David Braun took the Wildcats from 1-11 to 8-5 in his first season, marking one of the biggest one-year turnarounds in recent memory. However, Northwestern will likely fall back down to Earth in 2024. While the schedule is rather manageable, with only Ohio State and Michigan posing guaranteed defeats, Braun’s squad is bereft of top-tier talent, specifically on offense.
17) Purdue Boilermakers
Transitioning from Jeff Brohm to Ryan Walters didn’t result in immediate success, and Year 2 may not be that much better. Hudson Card is a better QB than given credit for and has Devin Mockobee and Reggie Love III in the backfield.
Yet, the transfer portal giveth and taketh away, with WR Deion Burks (Oklahoma) and EDGE Nic Scourton (Texas A&M) leaving for the SEC. S Dillon Thieneman and LB Kydran Jenkins return to lead the defense, but Purdue is still a couple of years away from putting up any sort of resistance in the conference.
16) Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Opening the year against Howard and Akron should help Rutgers work out their kinks early, but that’s the only schedule reprieve they’ll have. Virginia Tech, Washington, Nebraska, Wisconsin, UCLA, and USC make up their next six games, and that stretch will tell us all we need to know about the 2024 Scarlet Knights.
Moving on from Gavin Wimsatt for Minnesota’s Athan Kaliakmanis might have been a mistake, but time will tell. At least he can lean on 1,000-yard back Kyle Monangai and Monmouth transfer WR Dymere Miller. Plus, the LB duo of Tyreem Powell and Mohamed Toure will make moving the ball difficult for their opponents.
15) Maryland Terrapins
The Terrapins have their supporters, but I’m not one of them. Say what you will about Taulia Tagovailoa; he’s still leagues better than any combination of Billy Edwards Jr. and MJ Morris. Then there’s the fact that Maryland will have four new starters along the offensive line.
Sure, the defense has continuity to go along with the addition of Bowling Green star CB Jalen Huskey. But they still need to score points, and that may not be as simple as some expect.
14) Michigan State Spartans
Jonathan Smith’s turnaround in Corvallis took a few years, and Michigan State fans should prepare for the same in East Lansing. Much of the team’s potential rests on QB Aidan Chiles’ shoulders, who received nothing but glowing reviews from spring camp.
MORE: 2024 Big Ten QB Rankings
The non-conference schedule is a sight for sore eyes, as FAU, Prairie View A&M, and Boston College shouldn’t pose stiff competition. However, facing Ohio State and Oregon in back-to-back games could alter the Spartans’ trajectory early in the season.
13) Indiana Hoosiers
The Hoosiers haven’t had a winning season in three years — I believe that can change in 2024. Curt Cignetti ransacked the transfer portal for reinforcements, bringing in several of his most talented players from James Madison.
The second half of the schedule is no cakewalk, but the additions of QB Kurtis Rourke, WR Elijah Sarratt, EDGE Mikail Kamara, DTs CJ West and James Carpenter, LB Jailin Walker, and CB D’Angelo Ponds give Indiana a fighting chance.
12) UCLA Bruins
Chip Kelly is out, and DaShaun Foster is in. The roster and fanbase have seemingly bought into his style of coaching, and hiring Eric Bieniemy as the OC shouldn’t be understated. Ethan Garbers isn’t an elite passer, but he doesn’t have to be. As long as he can get the ball to J. Michael Sturdivant and Logan Loya and hand the ball off to TJ Harden, the offense will move the chains.
Defensively, losing D’Anton Lynn to USC stings. Yet, Ikaika Malloe will call the shots after spending time as an assistant at Washington. It will take time for the Bruins to turn heads in the Big Ten, but they could surprise some teams in 2024.
11) Minnesota Golden Gophers
If there is one word to describe P.J. Fleck’s Minnesota tenure, it’s culture. However, culture can only take you so far, especially with four more teams joining the conference. Fleck knows this, reaching for FCS star Max Bosmer from New Hampshire to run the show under center.
A healthy Darius Taylor can run rampant on opposing teams on his own, but the Golden Gophers have one of the best offensive lines in the conference to aid his endeavors. EDGE Jah Joyner is a one-man wrecking crew in the front seven, and CB Justin Walley will shut down his side of the field.
10) Illinois Fighting Illini
Following a bowl appearance and an 8-5 record, Illinois fell to 5-7 last season, but there is reason for optimism. We know how the defense will perform under HC Bret Bielema, but the offense could reach new heights in 2024. The Illini were among the top five in the Big Ten in passing (third), yards (tied for fourth), and scoring (fifth) in OC Barry Lunney Jr.’s second season, and he’ll have more trust in Luke Altmyer to push the ball downfield.
Pat Bryant, Zakhari Franklin, and Mario Sanders II comprise one of the best receiving trios in the Big Ten. 6’3″ and 250-pound bowling ball Kaden Feagin returns and will run behind and offensive line led by three returning starters and two elite transfers (OT J.C. Davis from New Mexico and G Kevin Wigenton II from Michigan State).
9) Nebraska Cornhuskers
Five-star true freshman Dylan Raiola has the spotlight, but Matt Rhule has placed the talent around him to succeed early. Transfer WRs Isaiah Neyor (Texas) and Jahmal Banks (Wake Forest) will lead the pass-catching unit, and the RB and OL rooms are serviceable.
The defense should keep the momentum on the Cornhuskers’ side, with EDGE Ty Robinson, CB Tommi Hill, and DB Malcolm Hartzog manning the fort. It wouldn’t be surprising if Nebraska posted its first winning season since 2016.
8) Washington Huskies
This is an all-new Washington team after HC Kalen DeBeor left for Alabama. Most players on the national championship-contending roster either entered the NFL, graduated, or transferred out (several joining DeBeor in Tuscaloosa), leaving Jedd Fisch with just two starters from last year.
The former Arizona head coach didn’t mind, as he brought a handful of Wildcats with him and used the transfer portal to add even more playmakers. QB Will Rogers, RB Jonah Coleman, and WR Jeremiah Hunter form a big three at the offensive skill positions and should have no issues scoring under Fisch’s tutelage. The defense is more of a question mark, but there is a solid talent pool for Steve Belichick to develop.
7) Iowa Hawkeyes
All eyes will be on OC Tim Lester and Iowa’s offense after a paltry 2023 outing. Cade McNamara and TE Luke Lachey are back, but is that enough to right the ship? It could be, especially when factoring in the stonewall of a defense on the other side.
LB Jay Higgins, CB Sebastion Castro, and S Xavier Nwankpa are preseason All-Americans, and they headline a unit filled with standout performers.
6) Wisconsin Badgers
Did Tyler Van Dyke flame out in Miami? Yes. Is he an above-average QB? Also yes. Head coach Luke Fickell hopes pairing TVD with offensive coordinator Phil Longo will unlock the offense, and they’ll get to test their mettle against Alabama in Septemeber.
MORE: 2024 Big Ten Football Schedule
The offensive line is strong as always, which should allow Chez Mellusi and Tawee Walker to find daylight often. Will Pauling is a slot assassin, and although the defensive line depth is lacking, S Hunter Wouhler, CB Ricardo Hallman, and OLB John Pius are all-conference talents.
5) USC Trojans
The Trojans underperformed despite having No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams under center the last two years. A large reason for their failures was the defense, which new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn has overhauled this offseason.
USC will kick off the season with a neutral-site game against LSU, and the schedule is riddled with momentum killers (Notre Dame, Michigan, and Washington). Nevertheless, QB Miller Moss has the physical tools (as he showed in the Holiday Bowl) and weapons around him to score points in Lincoln Riley’s offense.
4) Penn State Nittany Lions
While questions surrounding Penn State’s WR corps are warranted, the lethal backfield duo of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton return, as does QB Drew Allar, who is physically gifted but out-thought himself at times last season.
The offense may be under the microscope, but everyone knows what to expect from the defense: dominance. Abdul Carter, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Kobe King, Kevin Winston Jr., Zakee Wheatley — the list goes on and on. If Georgia transfer A.J. Harris and Cam Miller live up to their potential at corner, the Nittany Lions will have no issue making a conference title run.
3) Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines will go as far as their QB situation takes them. RB Donovan Edwards is back to carry the offense, and TE Coleston Loveland will be the top target.
The offense will have time to build chemistry with their all-new offensive line and young QB/WRs thanks to a championship-caliber defense led by DTs Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, EDGEs Josaiah Stewart and Derrick Moore, LBs Jaishawn Barham and Ernest Hausmann, and DBs Will Johnson, Makari Paige, and Ja’Den McBurrows.
2) Oregon Ducks
Dan Lanning has gone 22-5 with consecutive bowl victories in his two years in Eugene, but it’s time for the next step. Dillon Gabrial meshes perfectly with OC Will Stein and will have no issue getting the ball to playmakers Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson, particularly downfield. Jordan James is one of the most explosive RBs in the country and has an elite offensive line in front of him.
Lanning will have the defense humming once again, and he used the transfer portal more than ever to ensure his unit lives up to standards in the Big Ten. An October bout with Ohio State will push the Ducks to the brink, but their November schedule will determine whether they make the playoffs or not: at Michigan, vs. Maryland, at Wisconsin, and vs. Washington.
1) Ohio State Buckeyes
It’s championship or bust in Columbus. Ohio State has defeated every Big Ten opponent in the regular season the past three years except one — Michigan. That changes in 2024. Jim Harbaugh is gone, and the Wolverines are in a state of flux offensively.
QB Will Howard and RBs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson form the deadliest collegiate backfield; Emeka Egbuka and true freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith lead an elite WR corps; and Ryan Day hired his mentor, Chip Kelly, to call the plays. Yeah, OSU will generate points in droves.
KEEP READING: 2024 Strength of Schedule for All 134 FBS Teams
But the offense isn’t the only championship-quality unit. The defense is battled-tested and comes equipped with an experienced, skilled, and athletically gifted front four (Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloa, Tyleik Williams, and Ty Hamilton) and secondary (Caleb Downs, Lathan Ransom, Denzel Burke, Jordan Hanco*ck, and Davison Igbinosun).
That’s not even mentioning safety Sonny Styles moving to LB with Cody Simon and C.J. Hicks!
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