*2023 Record in Parenthesis
*Rosters are Subject to Change
1. Ohio St. (11-2)
Good News- the defense returns 8 starters that includes future NFL draft picks in senior DE’s Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau
Bad News- senior transfer QB Will Howard (Kansas State) must cut down on his 10 INT’s in 2023 and show improvement as a downfield passer
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 10.5
2. Penn St. (10-3)
Good News- new coordinator Andy Kotelnickim, who had successful stints at Buffalo and Kansas, takes over an offense with plenty of untapped potential
Bad News- will the Nittany Lions' defense maintain its’ dominance following the departure of coordinator Manny Diaz to Duke
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 9.5
3. Oregon (12-2)
Good News- the Ducks reloaded talent via the transfer portal most notably senior QB Dillon Gabriel who has thrown 125 TD passes in 5 seasons at UCF and Oklahoma
Bad News- replacing a first-round NFL pick at QB, along with last year's leading RB and WR won’t be easy even in the portal era
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 10.5
4. Iowa (10-4)
Good News- 3 certainties if life, death, taxes, and an elite Hawkeyes' defense under 25th year HC Kirk Ferentz
Bad News- last year’s dreadful offense ranked 129th in scoring (15.4) and senior QB Cade McNamara is returning from a torn ACL suffered last September
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 8.5
5. Wisconsin (7-6)
Good News- transfer senior QB Tyler Van Dyke (2,700 yards, 19 TD’s in 2023) could be a steal and the Badgers get Penn State and Oregon at home while dodging Ohio State
Bad News- the backfield has question marks at RB and the D-line returns just one starter
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 6.5
6. Michigan (15-0)
Good News- new HC Sherrone Moore went 4-0 outscoring opponent 127-23 while serving as the interim during Jim Harbaugh’s suspension at the start of last season
Bad News- the bad news is only 4 of those starters are back in 2024
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 8.5
7. Southern California (8-5)
Good News- projected starting junior QB Miller Moss threw for 372 yards and 6 TD’s in a 42-28 bowl win over Louisville
Bad News- Lincoln Riley has now had 3 Heisman Winners along with 3 No. 1 overall draft picks and has yet to win a College Football Playoff game in 7 seasons as HC
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 7.5
8. Nebraska (5-7)
Good News- HC Matt Rhule has upped his win total by an average of 4.5 in year 2 at his previous 2 college jobs
Bad News- the Cornhuskers lost 2 starting linebackers on defense and sophomore kicker Tristian Alavano converted only 9 of 15 attempts last year
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 7.5
9. Washington (14-1)
Good News- new offensive-minded HC Jedd Fisch and senior transfer QB Will Rodgers (Mississippi State) should make a great match
Bad News- with only 1 returning starter on both sides of the ball the deck is stacked against Fisch and the Huskies in 2024
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 6.5
10. Rutgers (7-6)
Good News- a senior-laden defensive unit led by senior DE Aaron Lewis (51 tackles, 3 sacks) has the potential to be amongst the Big Ten's best
Bad News- the Scarlet Knights passing game was virtually non-existent in 2023 ranking 124th (137.5 ypg)
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 6.5
11. Minnesota (6-7)
Good News- the Gophers turn to 2023 FCS passing leader in senior transfer QB Max Brosmer (New Hampshire) to ignite a lackluster aerial attack
Bad News- the Big Ten is a big step up for Brosmer and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi departed to Michigan State for the same position following a successful stint in Minneapolis
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 5.5
12. Illinois (5-7)
Good News- the Illini expect junior QB Luke Altmyer to be much improved in his second season in Champaign after an up and down year 1
Bad News- under new coordinator Aaron Bailey the defense fell from 1st in the nation in points allowed in 2022 to 93rd in 2023
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 5.5
13. Maryland (8-5)
Good News- the Terrapins return 5 starters in the defensive front 7 led by senior LB Ruben Hyppolite II (66 tackles) and the front end of the schedule is extremely favorable
Bad News- the offense will be breaking in a new QB and 4 linemen
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 6.5
14. Indiana (3-9)
Good News- new HC Curt Cignetti landed a quality transfer QB in Kurtis Rouke (50 career TD’s) from Ohio while also bringing along a handful of his top playmakers from JMU
Bad News- last year's porous defense, which ranked 98th in points allowed (29.9), returns just 1 starter
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 5.5
15. Purdue (4-8)
Good News- sophomore safety Dillon Thieneman earned Freshman All-American Honors in 2023 while on offense the Boilermakers hit the transfer portal hard to shore up its’ deficiencies
Bad News- another challenging schedule awaits likely putting the postseason out of reach
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 4.5
16. Northwestern (8-5)
Good News- David Braun brought stability to the program after a tumultuous offseason that saw longtime HC Pat Fitzgerald fired over hazing allegations
Bad News- the Wildcats are unproven at QB following the transfer of Brendan Sullivan in the Spring and are breaking in new coordinators on both sides of the ball
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 5
17. Michigan St. (4-8)
Good News- sophomore QB Aidan Chiles, a former 4-star recruit, followed HC Jonathan Smith from Corvallis to East Lansing and defensive leader senior Cal Haladay is back at LB
Bad News- the Spartans have more questions than answers both on the O-line and at WR
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 4.5
18. UCLA (8-5)
Good News- junior RB T.J. Harden ended 2023 strong by rushing for 294 yards and 3 TD’s in the final 3 games
Bad News- new HC DeShaun Foster, who has no head coaching or coordinator experience, gets LSU, Oregon, and Penn State in the first 5 games
OVER/UNDER TOTAL WINS 4.5
Buy
Illinois (Big Ten)- The Illini drew a favorable non-conference schedule with 3 winnable games in Champaign to start the season. Expect Altmyer to show progression in year 2 and if the defense can even somewhat regain its' 2022 form this team will be back in a bowl in 2024.
Minnesota (Big Ten)- HC PJ Fleck has yet to experience back-to-back losing seasons in 11 years at Western Michigan and Minnesota. Brosmer was a solid addition at QB and will steer the Gophers in the right direction following last year’s disappointing 6-7 finish.
Indiana (Big Ten)- In 13 seasons as a HC at the DII, FCS, and FBS level, Cignetti has never had a losing year and carries an impressive 119-35 career record. With so many high caliber transfers following him to Bloomington going from 3-9 to bowl eligibility and beyond is not out of the realm of possibility.
Sell
Michigan (Big Ten)- The defending National Champions enter 2024 with too many question marks. With an unproven 1st-year coach as well as massive roster turnover on both sides of the ball posting a winning record against a challenging schedule would be a success even for Michigan.
UCLA (Big Ten)- A new staff entering a new conference will be a difficult task for the Bruins. Add a brutally difficult front end of the schedule to the mix and this has the making of a rough 2024 in Foster's HC debut.
2023 FBS Statistical Rankings
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