2024 Big Ten Media Days: Storylines to watch in Indianapolis

As the Big Ten ushers in a new era in 2024, the conference’s Media Days also look a bit different. A two-day event is moving to three at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium with four new teams – Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington – joining the party.

Not only are there now 18 teams in the league, but the days of the Big Ten East and Big Ten West divisions are going the way of the Leaders and Legends. It’s all one big group, making the race for the conference title that much more interesting with the top two teams returning to Indianapolis in December.

But expansion and lack of divisions are just two of the storylines this week. It all starts Tuesday morning when commissioner Tony Petitti steps to the podium to deliver his opening address. Here are some more storylines to watch.

It’s all about the New Kids on the Block

At last year’s Big Ten Media Days, the plan was to focus on USC and UCLA’s pending entry to the league. After the first day, though, news broke of Colorado’s plan to return to the Big 12 – and the ensuing domino effect ended up bringing two more teams to the Big Ten.

Oregon and Washington will also make their debuts in the league this year, meaning four former Pac-12 teams are on board. While they don’t officially join the Big Ten until August, they’ll still be in attendance this week to set the table for their next chapters.

Of course, two of those teams have new coaches coming in. UCLA hired Deshaun Foster as head coach after Chip Kelly left to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, and Washington brought in Jedd Fisch following Kalen DeBoer’s departure for Alabama. Foster and Fisch will take the stage Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

But the bigger conversations will be around Dan Lanning and Lincoln Riley. Oregon enters the 2024 season with high expectations, including some conference championship hype, while USC will look to bounce back from a rough go in 2023. They’ll be in the spotlight on the first two days of 2024 Big Ten Media Days.

Who will be picked after Ohio State and Oregon?

Ohio State and Oregon were two of the biggest winners of the offseason, doing work in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail. They’re also seen as the likely top two teams in the Big Ten, which leads to an important question: Who will be picked third in the media poll? (The Big Ten doesn’t conduct a formal preseason poll.)

There’s a case for Michigan, fresh off a national championship and with Sherrone Moore taking over as head coach. The Wolverines have plenty of playmakers returning to their vaunted defense – headlined by cornerback Will Johnson – but the biggest question mark is at quarterback. Still, with Donovan Edwards back at running back and Colston Loveland at tight end, UM could be in strong position once again.

Penn State is another team that could get some consideration at No. 3 after James Franklin’s staff overhaul this year. The highest-profile addition is offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, whose task will be to take Drew Allar to the next level after an up-and-down go under Mike Yurcich. The Nittany Lions lost some notable contributors to the NFL Draft, but the returning leadership could help keep them in the hunt.

While USC could also get some attention as the No. 3 team in the Big Ten, the changes on defense present some unknowns around the Trojans. Nonetheless, the order behind Ohio State and Oregon will be something to watch when it comes to gauging expectations in the league.

Sherrone Moore makes Big Ten Media Days debut

After Jim Harbaugh stole the show at his Big Ten Media Days podium sessions, a new face will jump behind the microphone in 2024. Sherrone Moore will make his debut at the event, wrapping things up Thursday afternoon.

As a coach, Moore proved himself worthy of taking over the Michigan program last year. He went 4-0 in his two stints as interim head coach, including wins over Penn State and rival Ohio State to send the Wolverines to the Big Ten Championship. Once Harbaugh returned to the NFL, the question wasn’t “if” Moore would take over. It was “when.”

But as he meets with reporters this week, perhaps the biggest question Moore has to answer is at quarterback. J.J. McCarthy is out after going to the Minnesota Vikings in the draft, meaning Alex Orji, Davis Warren and Jack Tuttle will vie for the chance to replace him. That is a virtual certainty to come up when Moore speaks this week.

Of course, Big Ten Media Days will also be an opportunity for Moore to present his vision for Michigan in 2024 and beyond. The expectations remain the same, though, and it’ll be interesting to see how he plans to handle the departures of McCarthy, Blake Corum, Mike Sainristil and more key figures on last year’s national title-winning team.

There will be no shortage of quarterback questions

Michigan isn’t the only Big Ten team facing a quarterback question. Multiple other teams are dealing with the same thing – and one of the most notable is in Lincoln.

Nebraska made a major splash on the recruiting trail this year, landing five-star Dylan Raiola. His addition comes after Heinrich Haarberg showed flashes last year after replacing Jeff Sims, and Matt Rhule previously said this year’s competition will go through training camp. That’s sure to be one of the key points of his press conferences on Wednesday.

While full competitions are on going at Michigan and Nebraska, USC finds itself in an interesting situation after Caleb Williams headed to the NFL. Miller Moss appears set to take over the starting role in 2024 after a strong performance in the bowl game and will be at Big Ten Media Days. However, UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava is also in the fold, which could make for some interesting storylines throughout the season if Moss struggles.

Then, there’s Drew Allar’s situation at Penn State. While he only threw two interceptions last year, he struggled with the deep ball in Mike Yurcich’s offense. Now that Andy Kotelnicki is calling the shots, Allar will look to take a step forward – although Beau Pribula is still in the room with him, as well, after getting some looks last season.

What will Year 2 of the Tony Petitti Era look like?

When Tony Petitti took the podium at Big Ten Media Days in 2023, it was just his second time meeting with reporters. The first came in May when he took over for Kevin Warren as commissioner, and it’s been a whirlwind year, to say the least.

Petitti helped oversee the additions of Oregon and Washington while also integrating USC and UCLA, all while tying a bow on the league’s new media deal. Then, there was the situation at Michigan involving former analyst Connor Stalions, and Petitti suspended Jim Harbaugh under the Big Ten’s sportsmanship policy. All the while, the college sports landscape shifted with College Football Playoff expansion and the House v. NCAA settlement coming.

The House case is sure to be part of Petitti’s remarks as college sports effectively gear up for the revenue-sharing era and the Big Ten viewed as one of the top conferences. The league also formed a “joint advisory group” with the SEC – a partnership that is also sure to come up when the commissioner takes the podium.

Between the off-field changes and the expanding CFP, Petitti is sure to cover plenty of ground when he presents his vision for the upcoming year. That will get 2024 Big Ten Media Days started, and the three-day sprint will be off and running.