It's officially talking season in the Big Ten.
With a little more than a week before Ohio State opens fall camp on July 31, the Buckeyes and 17 other B1G teams will arrive in Las Vegas over the next three days for Big Ten Media Days, an annual preseason event to preview the upcoming season.
Eleven Warriors' Dan Hope and Andy Anders will be on the ground in Las Vegas for full coverage of the event until Thursday, with the Buckeyes taking center stage for the conference on Tuesday.
Ahead of the made-for-TV event, the Eleven Warriors beat team collaborated to give their own personal projected order of finish one through 18 for Big Ten teams this season, and we had some fun and handed out some superlatives throughout the conference along the way, giving each staff member an optional choice to explain their choices in more detail or not. Penn State was the popular choice to win the conference in the Kings of The North unofficial preseason poll on Monday (of which Dan Hope was one of 54 voters), and our staff split between picking the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes to win the conference, with each school picking up two votes to win the league.
Dan Hope
Projected order of finish
1. Penn State
2. Ohio State
3. Oregon
4. Illinois
5. Michigan
6. Indiana
7. Washington
8. USC
9. Nebraska
10. Iowa
11. Michigan State
12. UCLA
13. Wisconsin
14. Minnesota
15. Rutgers
16. Maryland
17. Northwestern
18. Purdue
Superlatives
- Player in the league you would add to OSU’s roster for 2025: Rayshawn Benny, DT, Michigan
- Non-OSU preseason player of the year: Nick Singleton, RB, Penn State
- Best non-OSU B1G coach: Dan Lanning
- B1G CFP sleeper for 2025: Illinois
- Team that has both a high ceiling and a low floor: Washington
- Team most likely to overachieve for 2025: Illinois
- Team most likely to underachieve for 2025: USC
- B1G player we’re not talking about now that we may be by the end of the year: Xavier Nwankpa, S, Iowa
Breakdown: While James Franklin and Drew Allar both have a lot to prove in big games, Penn State’s veteran-laden roster is reminiscent of the Ohio State and Michigan teams that won the last two national championships. I think Ohio State beats Penn State and Michigan during the regular season to get back to the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time in five years, but the Nittany Lions avenge their regular-season loss in Indianapolis to win their first Big Ten title in nine years.
I’ve got Oregon and Illinois joining them in the CFP as both of them have very manageable schedules and Illinois is another highly experienced team with the potential to be this year’s Indiana. Michigan should also push for double-digit wins and give the Big Ten a shot at five CFP teams if the Wolverines remain postseason-eligible.
Benny, who would also fit the “player we’re not talking about now” category, is the player I’d add to Ohio State’s roster because I believe he will be the Big Ten’s best defensive tackle this year and another interior run-stuffer to pair with Eddrick Houston and Kayden McDonald is the Buckeyes’ biggest roster need.
But I expect Singleton to be the conference’s best player not named Jeremiah Smith or Caleb Downs, who are my Big Ten Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year picks.
Garrick Hodge
Projected order of finish
1. Ohio State
2. Penn State
3. Oregon
4. Indiana
5. Nebraska
6. Illinois
7. Michigan
8. Washington
9. USC
10. Iowa
11. Minnesota
12. UCLA
13. Rutgers
14. Wisconsin
15. Northwestern
16. Michigan State
17. Maryland
18. Purdue
Superlatives
- Player in the league you would add to OSU’s roster for 2025: Matayo Uiagalelei, DE, Oregon
- Non-OSU preseason player of the year: Matayo Uiagalelei, DE, Oregon
- Best non-OSU B1G coach: Curt Cignetti
- B1G CFP sleeper for 2025: Nebraska
- Team that has both a high ceiling and a low floor: Michigan
- Team most likely to overachieve for 2025: Washington
- Team most likely to underachieve for 2025: Illinois
- B1G player we’re not talking about now that we may be by the end of the year: Demond Williams Jr., QB, Washington
Breakdown: Full disclaimer, if you swapped Ohio State and Penn State's roster, I'd still pick the Buckeyes to win the league. That's my way of saying I believe the Nittany Lions have the best overall roster headed into the season, but I cannot for the life of me bring myself to pick Big Game James and Drew Allar in a big spot until they prove us all wrong. They deserve all of the preseason hype they're getting this year, though, and will be a tough out for anyone. I just think Ryan Day, Jeremiah Smith, Caleb Downs, etc. deserve the benefit of the doubt for now.
I was torn between adding an interior defensive lineman from another school to OSU's roster or going with proven pass-rush production and ultimately, I think the upside the second-best defensive player in the Big Ten (in my opinion) would offer to Ohio State is too great to ignore. He also wins my non-OSU Preseason Player of the Year award because I can't give that honor to any B1G QB and Nicholas Singleton's value is mitigated because Penn State has a very worthy backfield mate to pair him with in Kaytron Allen.
Dan Lanning is a fine coach and will probably be the next B1G coach to win a natty if Ryan Day doesn't repeat or Big Game James can't break the Big Game James curse, but he didn't take over a program that was completely an afterthought and turn it into a CFP participant in Year One of his tenure. Love him or hate him, the boisterous Curt Cignetti has my respect for the remarkable turnaround he's accomplished with the Hoosiers, and this year's version of Indiana looks like relatively the same team as a season ago, only with a potential upgrade at quarterback.
I don't necessarily think Nebraska is the fifth-best team in the Big Ten on paper, but take one look at the Cornhuskers' schedule and tell me they can't make a run at the College Football Playoff if Dylan Raiola takes the next step. Especially since it's very likely Sherrone Moore will be suspended for Nebraska's second-toughest game on the schedule.
Speaking of Moore, his team has a whole lot of volatility attached to it. Setting aside potential NCAA sanctions for a second, if five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood elevates Michigan's offense in year one, the Wolverines could be knocking on the door of the CFP with a favorable schedule. If Underwood plays like a true freshman and takes some lumps, Michigan may just be slightly improved on offense with a worse defense than a season ago.
I'm leading the charge for the Demond Williams fan club, and it's a big reason why I'm such a firm believer in Washington having a better-than-expected season in Jedd Fisch's second year.
And I want to believe in you, #SpicyBert, but despite all the preseason love it's getting, Illinois has too many tough games on its schedule for me to think it'll only lose two games or fewer and sneak into the CFP. On the road at Duke (tougher game than you'd think), on the road at Indiana (arguably a CFP play-in game between those two), home against USC, home against Ohio State, on the road against one of the most underrated toughest places to play in Washington and at Wisconsin. If Bert can go 10-2 with that schedule, give him B1G Coach of the Year now.
Chase Brown
Projected order of finish
1. Ohio State
2. Penn State
3. Oregon
4. Illinois
5. Michigan
6. Indiana
7. USC
8. Nebraska
9. Washington
10. Iowa
11. Minnesota
12. Rutgers
13. UCLA
14. Michigan State
15. Wisconsin
16. Maryland
17. Northwestern
18. Purdue
Superlatives
- Player in the league you would add to OSU’s roster for 2025: Dani Dennis-Sutton, DE, Penn State
- Non-OSU preseason player of the year: Drew Allar, QB, Penn State? Idk haha
- Best non-OSU B1G coach: Dan Lanning, Oregon
- B1G CFP sleeper for 2025: Illinois
- Team that has both a high ceiling and a low floor: Indiana
- Team most likely to overachieve for 2025: Illinois
- Team most likely to underachieve for 2025: Wisconsin
- B1G player we’re not talking about now that we may be by the end of the year: Trebor Pena, WR, Penn State
Andy Anders
Projected order of finish
1. Penn State
2. Ohio State
3. Oregon
4. Illinois
5. Indiana
6. Washington
7. USC
8. Michigan
9. Iowa
10. Nebraska
11. Rutgers
12. Michigan State
13. Wisconsin
14. UCLA
15. Minnesota
16. Maryland
17. Northwestern
18. Purdue
Superlatives
- Player in the league you would add to OSU’s roster for 2025: Zane Durant, DT, Penn State
- Non-OSU preseason player of the year: Nick Singleton, RB, Penn State
- Best non-OSU B1G coach: Curt Cignetti
- B1G CFP Sleeper: Illinois
- Team that has both a high ceiling and a low floor: Nebraska
- Team most likely to overachieve for 2025: Washington
- Team most likely to underachieve for 2025: UCLA
- B1G player we’re not talking about now that we may be by the end of the year: Kamari Moulton, RB, Iowa
