It’s never too early for a “way too early” Big Ten power ranking! Things will change. Players will hurt the portal, players will transfer in, and injuries will happen but for the most part, we have a pretty good understanding of rosters after National Signing Day and so much transfer portal movement.
In each part of this series, we will unveil where each of the 18 teams in the new look conference begins. We started at No. 1 with the revamped Ohio State Buckeyes. Then, the Oregon Ducks come in at the second spot. Coming in at No. 3 were the defending National Champion Michigan Wolverines, who are in a bit of a transition period.
At No. 4, we unveiled the Penn State Nittany Lions, who are returning a lot of talent from their 2023 roster. Then we made way for the old reliable, the Iowa Hawkeyes. At No. 6, another new addition to the conference, the USC Trojans. Next up at No. 7, the Wisconsin Badgers came in, followed by the Washington Huskies at No. 8 in the ranking.
Coming in at No. 9, another pretty consistent program with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. They come into the 2024 season as a real wildcard. Speaking of wildcards, there may not be a bigger one than the Nebraska Cornhuskers. They come in at No. 10 on the ranking.
Following Nebraska is the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at No. 11, coming off a bit of a breakout season in 2023 under head coach Greg Schiano. A team in transition, but an exciting one, is the Indiana Hoosiers. At No. 13 is the Michigan State Spartans, who are another team in transition. Then you have the Purdue Boilermakers at No. 14 who enter the second year under former Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters.
Another new entrant into the new look Big Ten conference, the UCLA Bruins enter with a lot of uncertainty. New head coach DeShaun Foster brings a lot of optimism to the table, and is someone who loves the program and will do anything to help rebuild the proud Bruin tradition.
The problem is that the previous regime left this roster in a really bad spot, which is especially troubling while making the jump to the Big Ten. Offensively, there are some playmakers to work with, including wide receivers J. Michael Sturdivant and Kyle Ford. They must find solid quarterback play and rebuild the offensive line quickly.
On defense, the team is in even worse shape. Not only are they losing a ton of talent to the NFL but they also lost defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to USC this offseason. That side of the football will need to find an identity quickly.