Every summer since 2007 I have created an intricate set of college football predictions for each upcoming season.  This year is no exception, as I will be using my blog over the next few hours to publish my 17th annual college football preview guide which will contain 18 entries in all. The records below reflect each team’s predicted regular season overall record followed by their conference record.  These records include conference title games for the two division champions but exclude bowl games which will be previewed later on in a separate column on this blog.  The teams marked in bold font are the ones predicted to gain bowl eligibility.  Without further ado, here are my predictions for the Big Ten in 2023, which will certainly be challenging the SEC for the top conference in all the land thanks to their impressive west coast expansion efforts over the past 14 months.

East Division

1	Ohio State (12-1, 8-1)- conference champion

Positional Strength: Wide Receiver

Positional Weakness: Defensive Backfield

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Michigan (November 25)- the Buckeyes are just too talented to lose three in a row in this series.

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Wisconsin (October 28)- this is a tricky letdown spot for the Buckeyes as they host Penn State the week before this one.

Bottom Line: I think this has all the makings of a magical redemption season in which the Buckeyes capture both the Big Ten title and national title.  Keep in mind, this squad was just a few bad breaks away from beating the almighty Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta on New Year’s Eve.  Now they bring back 14 including starters including their Heisman trophy contending running back (Treveyon Henderon) and receiver (Marvin Harrison Jr.).  They do have to find a new quarterback, but I feel like they are ahead of the SEC’s national title contenders (Georgia and Alabama) in that department no matter who starts between Kyle McCord and Devin Brown.  Heck, they also have an extremely talented third string QB in former Oregon State starter Tristan Gebbia.  They will also be a lot more battle tested than Georgia entering the playoff this season, as the Bulldogs cakewalk through the regular season may come back to haunt them when they have to make a huge step up in competition for postseason play.  The time just seems right for the Buckeyes to claim the national title this year, so they are my pick to win it all in 2023!

2	Michigan (10-2, 7-2)

Positional Strength: Running Back

Positional Weakness: Defensive Backfield

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Penn State (November 11)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Maryland (November 18)- the ultimate trap game!  The Wolverines travel to State College on November 11th and then host the Buckeyes on November 25th, so there will undoubtedly be a lack of focus when the Wolverines make this trip to College Park.  Also, keep in mind that the Terps gave the Wolverines everything that could handle in Ann Arbor last season.  

Bottom Line: A lot of is expected out of Michigan in 2023, but this team has just laid too many eggs in big postseason games for me to consider them a legitimate national title contender.  Instead, I am calling for a slight step back from the Wolverines this season, as even though they return 15 starters from a College Football Playoff squad, they lose two of their top three receivers from an offense that already lacked proficiency throwing the football.  

3	Maryland (9-3, 6-3)

Positional Strength: Wide Receiver

Positional Weakness: Defensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Michigan (November 18)- the ultimate trap game!  The Wolverines travel to State College on November 11th and then host the Buckeyes on November 25th, so there will undoubtedly be a lack of focus when the Wolverines make this trip to College Park.  Also, keep in mind that the Terps gave the Wolverines everything that could handle in Ann Arbor last season.  

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Michigan State (September 23)- the Terps are just 2-6 against the Spartans since joining the Big Ten

Bottom Line: You will see in my surprise team article that I will be publishing in a couple of days that the Terps are my # surprise team in all of the land!  I think Mike Locksley’s crew is set up for a special season as they quietly return one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten in Taulia Tagovailoa while also bringing back their top five rushers, top two pass catchers, and two three tacklers from 2022.  This is quite a redemption story for Locksley who took over this program after former coach Edsall was fired amidst controversy surrounding the death of a player during a team practice.  He was also considered one of the worst head coaches in the country after his three year run at New Mexico where he won a total of two games and also admittedly punched an assistant coach during a team meeting.  Now, he has led the Terps from three wins in 2019 to seven wins in ‘21 to eights last year, and I think this program takes one more step forward in 2023. 

4	Penn State (9-3, 6-3)

Positional Strength: Offensive Line

Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Iowa (September 23)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Maryland (November 4)- see my entry about the Terps above!

Bottom Line: Don’t get me wrong, I think the Nittany Lions will still be really good this season, but I think the loss of former quarterback Sean Clifford will be felt more than most imagine, as he possessed an underrated consistency that I am not sure we will see out of a young Drew Allar this season.  Also, until Penn State can show me they are capable of beating either Michigan or Ohio State, then I just can’t pick them to win either of those games. 

5	Michigan State (5-7, 3-6)

Positional Strength: Wide Receiver

Positional Weakness: Defensive Backfield

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Maryland (September 23)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Rutgers (October 14)- Schiano’s teams are always tough enough to pull out a surprise win of two each season. 

Bottom Line: Fortunately for coach Mel Tucker, he got a huge contract extension right after their magical 11-2 season which seems like an anomaly amongst an otherwise unsuccessful run as a Power 5 head coach (three losing seasons in four years).  The problem with Tucker’s teams is that he has relied so heavily on the portal they have struggled to build year to year continuity within the program.  This year, they only bring back nine guys who started on this team in 2022 and have to find a new quarterback as well as an entirely new defensive backfield.  The Spartans must also play five teams ranked in the preseason top 25 this year.  I don’t think MSU will be terrible in 2023, but I think another slightly subpar season could be on the horizon. 

6	Rutgers (4-8, 2-7)

Positional Strength: Defensive Line

Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Michigan State (October 14)- Schiano’s teams are always tough enough to pull out a surprise win of two each season. 

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Indiana (October 21)

Bottom Line: Coach Greg Schiano’s return to Piscataway hasn’t been disastrous, but it hasn’t been overly successful either.  The Scarlet Knights did backdoor themselves into a Gator Bowl bid in 2021 thanks to a Covid cancellation by Texas A & M, but other than that, there hasn’t been a lot to write home about.  This year’s Rutgers squad is experienced (14 returning starters) but still has major question marks at quarterback and along the offensive line.  The Knights also have a brutal schedule that includes divisional crossover games at Iowa and Wisconsin as well as trips to Happy Valley and Ann Arbor.  Thus, there just doesn’t seem to be much room for upward mobility here so expect another lackluster campaign for Rutgers in 2023.

7	Indiana (3-9, 1-8)

Positional Strength: Linebacker

Positional Weakness: Defensive Backfield

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Rutgers (October 21) 

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Purdue (November 25)

Bottom Line: Tom Allen has had some solid successes in his six year tenure in Bloomington, but this isn’t a place where it is easy to win on a consistent basis.  The Hoosiers have turned to the transfer portal this season to try to bounce back from consecutive losing seasons in 2021 and ‘22, in which the Hoosiers won a total of two conference games.  And despite these new additions, there still just isn’t enough talent on this roster to compete in the Big Ten, as this team will be a decided underdog in at least nine or ten games that they play this season.

West Division

1	Iowa (10-3, 7-2)

Positional Strength: Defensive Backfield

Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Nebraska (November 24)- this is a big revenge game for the Hawkeyes as their upset loss to the Huskers last season cost them a spot in the Big Ten title game.  

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Wisconsin (October 14)

Bottom Line: I realize the Hawkeyes’ offense was the laughing stock of college football last season, but their defense was so good (# 2 nationally) that they won eight games and almost won a division title in spite of it.  This year, they bring back 7 starters from that incredible defensive unit, and the offense should be at least somewhat improved with the addition of Michigan transfer QB Cade McNamara.  As long as they can get a little more production out on that side of ball, which I think they will, the Hawkeyes have what it takes to win the last Big Ten West title in the history of the league.

2	Wisconsin (9-3, 6-3)

Positional Strength: Offensive Line

Positional Weakness: Defensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Ohio State (October 28)- this is a tricky letdown spot for the Buckeyes as they host Penn State the week before this one.

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Purdue (September 22)

Bottom Line: Much is expected in Madison from Luke Fickell’s first year at the helm, as this squad brings back 18 total starters and plans to install a new up-tempo offense with a successful OC in Phil Longo and a stud transfer QB in Tanner Mordecai.  The pieces seem to all be in place for a Big Ten title push, but have they built the team chemistry yet to pull it off?  I think ultimately the transition to Longo’s Air Raid will bring some inconsistency that will prevent this team from becoming elite.

3	Minnesota (7-5, 5-4)

Positional Strength: Wide Receiver

Positional Weakness: Linebacker

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Wisconsin (November 25)- the Gophers have pulled off back to back upsets over the Badgers to end their last two seasons, so why not make it a third upset in three years?

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Purdue (November 11)

Bottom Line: The P.J. Fleck tenure in Minneapolis has been largely successful, but it did garner some bad offseason publicity due to accusations from former players that the program has become “cult-like”.  This year, I think Minnesota takes a slight step back, as they lose long-time QB Tanner Morgan and star running back Mohamed Ibrahaim, and also have a brutal schedule that features divisional crossover games against Ohio State and Michigan and a non-conference trip to Chapel Hill. 

4	Purdue (6-6, 4-5)

Positional Strength: Offensive Line

Positional Weakness: Linebacker

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Wisconsin (September 22)- I think Walters ends the Boilermakers six game losing streak to the Badgers in this battle of new, hot shot coaches.  

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Northwestern (November 18)

Bottom Line: The fact I have this team going bowling in 2023, just shows you how much faith I have in new coach Ryan Walters and the staff of coaching prodigies he has assembled around. him.  The Boilermakers only return 11 starters from a team that took a definitive step back in 2022, and now they have a brutal schedule this season that features three difficult non-conference games (vs. Fresno, at Virginia Tech, vs. Syracuse) and divisional crossover matchups against both Ohio State and Michigan.  Nevertheless, I think Texas transfer QB Hudson Card will have immediate success in offensive coordinator Graham’s Harrell Air Raid scheme and Walters will have an immediate impact in improving the Boilermaker defense. 

5	Illinois (6-6, 4-5)

Positional Strength: Defensive Line

Positional Weakness: Quarterback

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Wisconsin (October 21)- the Illini destroyed the Badgers on the road last season

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Kansas (September 9)

Bottom Line: Brett Bielema had a breakout season last year in Champaign, as this squad experienced its first winning season since Ron Zook’s tenure in 2011.  Nevertheless, they still blew a golden opportunity to win a division title in 2023 by losing three straight games in the month of November, two of which they were favored to win by double-digits.  This season Illinois loses its starting quarterback (Tommy Devito) and star running back (Chase Brown), but they should still be good enough defensively to make it back-to-back bowl games. 

6	Nebraska (6-6, 3-6)

Positional Strength: Linebacker

Positional Weakness: Defensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Maryland (November 11)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Michigan State (November 4)

Bottom Line: It is hard to believe that this prestigious national powerhouse has failed to make it to a bowl game since 2016.  New coach Matt Rhule seems like a can’t miss hire here (then again so did Scott Frost), and I think by inheriting a team with 15 returning starters and an experienced transfer QB in Jeff Sims (formerly at Georgia tech), the Huskers are talented tough to ahead and end their seven year bowl drought in Rhule’s first season in Lincoln.  The schedule also sets up nicely for this squad as they have three very winnable non-conference games and are able to avoid both Ohio State and Penn State in their divisional crossover matchups.  

7	Northwestern (3-9, 1-8)

Positional Strength: Linebacker

Positional Weakness: Running Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Purdue (November 18)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Rutgers (September 3)

Bottom Line: What a dumpster fire this program has become, as Pat Fitzgerald’s wildly successful tenure in Evanston came to a crashing halt this summer after allegations of both physical and sexual hazing emerged.  I would say this team might rally around their disgraced former coach and put together a solid season, but I just don’t think they have the talent to do that.  They have to replace seven offensive starters from a unit that ranked 127th in scoring last year, and while the defense won’t be terrible, they only have two scholarship defensive tackles who must find a way to improve their 109th ranked rush defense.  I think the Wildcats win at least one conference game in 2023, but they will likely enter all nine of them as a decided underdog.