Bet This Big 10 Powerhouse To Win

You hear a lot about three conferences in college football: The SEC which is probably the best and most popular, they seem to produce the National Champion every year; the Big 12, a conference that gets a lot of hype based on name recognition of the schools; and the Big 10, a conference with a lot of midwest squads that usually have high hopes but ultimately can't capture the final trophy of the season. Don't expect it to be much different this year, the SEC will likely once again capture the National Championship. However, the Big 10 will still have a conference winner and that's what we are going to bet on.

This is likely a two horse race between the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes. We will talk about those two in a moment, but let's see if there is anyone else that should be on the radar. Last season, Penn State produced a really solid season and ended up 7th in the rankings. They turn the ball over to the highly touted Drew Allar in hopes that he can take the reigns and drive the team to more victories. They had a good enough offense last season, but I wouldn't put them as any team that really struck fear into their opponents offensively... they were just good. That may seem like an understatement, or stupid, but it is the truth, they were a good team, but Michigan and Ohio State were better. That is likely going to be the same story this season.

Wisconsin is another team that might get sneaky this season and give people a bit of pause when considering who could win the Big 10. Are they realistic favorites? Not at all. Could things break their way? Of course they could. I don't think they will, but stranger things could happen. They have a very strong running game this season and that could dictate how they manage games. If they can keep the ball and milk some of the clock, that throws off opponents offenses and makes it very hard to establish a rhythm, which helps your defense. I also think the passing game takes a step forward - they have good weapons at receiver and they have a number of quarterbacks to choose from. The only issue is, if they choose wrong, they might not be able to recover quick enough to make up for the losses.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 31: Marvin Harrison Jr. #18 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after a touchdown during the second quarter in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Now, to Ohio State. Last season they had a very talented quarterback running the show. He is now in the NFL and the Buckeyes must figure out their new offense. It shouldn't be that hard considering this is one of the top programs in the nation. They should easily figure out what they are doing and have multiple top tier recruits that are ready to take over the team. They might have the best wide receiver corps in all of football and that is saying something with what Alabama has produced lately. The defense should be tough and one of the better units in football this year. The schedule makers knew exactly what they were doing as they saved the game against Michigan for the last game of the season as they both are likely to come into it as undefeated teams and highly ranked in the nation.

Speaking of Michigan, they won last year and I really don't see a reason to not expect them to win once again this year. At +175, they are slightly behind Ohio State in the book's view. Last season they had the best rushing offense and defense. Will that change? Probably, but they can still be very good. It seems like Jim Harbaugh is finally getting everything together and it is all clicking like everyone imagined after he left the NFL. They still have their quarterback from last season as well, so the continuity is there. I won't say their offense has the potential to be as explosive as Ohio State, but the team should be more well rounded overall and more dominant defensively.

I'm taking Michigan to win the Big 10 this year. If I had to bet a long shot, there is value on Penn State, but this really is down to two teams.

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