Too-early 2023 Big Ten football power rankings
The 2022 college football season came to a close when Georgia resoundingly defeated TCU, 65-7, last week. The Big Ten had two representatives in the College Football Playoff semifinals — Michigan and Ohio State — yet both lost close games in the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl, respectively.
Meanwhile, Penn State handily beat Utah in the Rose Bowl, and Wisconsin took down Oklahoma State in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Minnesota beat Syracuse, Maryland beat NC State and Iowa beat Kentucky. Illinois and Purdue lost their matchups. Indiana, MSU, Northwestern, Rutgers and Nebraska did not play in bowl games.
But, 2023 is a new season and anything can happen. Here are our way-too-early power rankings for next year, which will be revised again during spring ball.
Michigan Wolverines
Photo: Isaiah Hole
There’s no reason to think Michigan will not be the Big Ten champion for the third straight year. The Wolverines return many of their top playmakers, including quarterback J.J. McCarthy, running back Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, tight end Colston Loveland, left guard Trevor Keegan, cornerback Will Johnson, linebacker Junior Colson and more. Though there’s some attrition, the maize and blue were very active in the transfer portal, bringing in instant-impact players such as defensive end Josaiah Stewart, TE AJ Barner and three potential starters along the offensive line.
The only question, at the moment, is head coach Jim Harbaugh’s status. Assuming he returns, with Ohio State at home and another nonconference schedule with three Group of Five programs, the Wolverines conceivably should enter Week 13 either undefeated or with one loss.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Photo: Isaiah Hole
At the time of this writing, QB CJ Stroud has not yet announced whether he’s heading to the NFL or inexplicably returning to school for another year. It’s assumed he’s NFL-bound. If that’s the case, the Buckeyes have to break in another quarterback. RBs Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson return, as does star WR Marvin Harrison Jr., which provides some offensive firepower. Work needs to be done on the defensive side of the ball, especially considering how the regular-season finale in Columbus against rival Michigan played out.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Photo: Isaiah Hole
The Nittany Lions are set up for the future with the two young running backs, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, returning. Hopes are high at the quarterback position. Drew Allar takes the reins from Sean Clifford, and the defense is increasingly loaded. Penn State gets Michigan at home, but has to face Ohio State on the road. There’s a solid chance the momentum from the OSU game forward carries into 2023, but is PSU on the same level as Michigan and Ohio State at this juncture?
Maryland Terrapins
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Maryland took a big step in 2022 and could continue to rise in 2023. The defense was a lot better, but still isn’t in the same stratosphere as its fellow compatriots in the Big Ten East. Still, with Taulia Tagovailoa back for another year, anything is possible for a Terrapins team that finished 8-5. It’s time to take the next step.
Illinois Fighting Illini
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This may be some level of projection considering how much Illinois is losing this offseason. Gone will be QB Tommy DeVito, RB Chase Brown and CB Devon Witherspoon, but now-third-year head coach Bret Bielema appears to have the Illini trending in the right direction. Through a power run game and stodgy defensive front, even with lesser talent than a lot of its competitors, Illinois was able to be one of the most improved teams in the country, let alone the conference.
Wisconsin Badgers
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Wisconsin could have a complete about-shift this year with Luke Fickell leading the charge. While you’d think he would be the ideal candidate to continue the Barry Alvarez-style of play, he brought in North Carolina offensive coordinator Phil Longo to revitalize that side of the ball. With a bevy of incoming transfers, could the Badgers suddenly be a high-flying team or will it take a year or two?
Minnesota Golden Gophers
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Tanner Morgan is finally departing after his 160th year with the program, and Mo Ibrahim’s time with the program is also done. Yet, PJ Fleck’s squad is stout up front on both sides of the ball, and even when it appears set to take a step back, it usually doesn’t. The Gophers very well could be the team to beat in the West, and probably should be above the others in the division here in our power rankings — but the personnel losses certainly hurt.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Iowa has been as active as anyone in the NCAA transfer portal, bringing in QB Cade McNamara and TE Erick All from Michigan to revitalize its moribund offense. Jack Campbell is done, but there’s still a lot to like on the defensive side of the ball. Still, we’re unsure that the offense will take that much of a step forward until we see OC Brian Ferentz actually find a way to be a little more creative.
Michigan State Spartans
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MSU showed fight even while going 5-7 last year. Though there are a lot of unknowns on both sides of the ball, the Spartans should be better in 2023 than this past year. Keon Coleman started to break out at wide receiver for MSU last year, and with transfer portal additions — as usual — there’s no telling what Michigan State will do this season.
Purdue Boilermakers
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Regime changes are always difficult to project, especially with Purdue moving on from offensive mastermind Jeff Brohm with defensive guru Ryan Walters. It will be interesting to see if the high-flying offense remains or if Purdue will change its identity completely. But, by virtue of being in the West, anything can happen.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
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Nebraska had one of the splashier hires this offseason when Matt Rhule came aboard after a mediocre stint with the Carolina Panthers. However, Rhule did an exemplary job turning around Temple and then Baylor, and there’s no reason the same can’t happen in Lincoln. But, the big question is, does he have the playmakers to make it happen in the first year?
Indiana Hoosiers
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The Connor Bazelak experiment ended after just one year, with the QB heading to Bowling Green. Indiana became more run-heavy in the latter part of the season and added former Wake Forest and Michigan RB Christian Turner to the mix. Tom Allen had the program moving in the right direction before 2021, so the question is, can he get it back together after a disappointing past two years?
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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At times, it appeared that Rutgers was turning the corner and was the type of team no one wanted to play. But after starting strongly, the Scarlet Knights fell apart, yet again, down the stretch. The offense can’t seem to find much rhythm while the defense tends to be one of the better units in the conference. But, against the big boys, the Scarlet Knights aren’t even in the same league — even if they technically are.
Northwestern Wildcats
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After beating Nebraska in Week 0, Northwestern didn’t win another Big Ten game, and it’s difficult to see the path forward here. Pat Fitzgerald has tended to do more with less, but the past two years have been bad for the Wildcats. The only thing perhaps playing a role here is added experience and the element of surprise.
