With just five months separating the college football off-season from the start of the following season, speculation about who will win the Big Ten regular-season and conference championship game has already started to grow.
The reigning national champion Ohio State Buckeyes, who defeated eventual runners-up Penn State in the regular season, are predicted by many analysts to advance to the Big Ten title game, a game they missed last season, barring any unexpected events.
However, a rematch between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions in fall with seeding implications is undoubtedly possible. Paul Myerberg of USA Today claims that he ranked all of the Big Ten schools according to spring intelligence and the present off-season trajectory of each.
In Columbus, Myerberg ranks Penn State as the early favorite, challenging Ryan Day. However, given that the Buckeyes have controlled the head-to-head rivalry for over ten years, Day might not have anything to worry about.
“There’s talent, coaching and plenty of motivation after coming close to an appearance against OSU in the championship game,” Myerberg stated. “Under James Franklin, will the Nittany Lions overcome that suffering and achieve greater success? While the defense still features a number of All-Conference or even All-America players, expect the offense to be the greatest it has been throughout his career.
Regarding the Buckeyes at No. 2, Myerberg stated that their quarterback situation is their main area of uncertainty, which might soon cease to be an issue as the season approaches.
“The Buckeyes could run the table and win the whole thing again, obviously,” Myerberg wrote about Ohio State. “However, they will have to rebuild the defensive line without a number of multi-year standouts and are missing numerous offensive skill players, including quarterback Will Howard. Additionally, both sides of the ball at Ohio State will have new coordinators.
However, in preseason, the two Big Ten powerhouses will probably continue to dominate everyone’s thoughts. It’s obvious that the Nittany Lions are doing everything in their power to win, even if it means copying the Buckeyes in several ways.
