Big Ten Predictions: Projecting conference championship finalists, winner in 2024
There are two clear favorites in the Big Ten heading into the 2024 season in Oregon and Ohio State. On3’s JD PicKell believes several other teams could get in the mix, but ultimately he expects the Ducks and the Buckeyes to face off in the Big Ten Championship Game.
“I think you do actually get Ohio State and Oregon,” PicKell said Thursday as he previewed the 2024 college football season. “As boring as it may seem as we sit here in August, it is what it is. I think those or the two best rosters in that conference.
“At the end of the day, we might see this matchup between Ohio State and Oregon three times. Whoever wins this game I think will be the more physical outfit when it comes to the Big Ten Championship. I think depth will play a massive factor. There might be some names on both of those rosters that we’re not talking about right now that will end up being massive for them.”
Ohio State is currently the favorite to win the Big Ten at +150, narrowly ahead of Oregon at +200. However, PicKell believes it’s the Ducks who will come out on top in the Big Ten title game.
He mentioned two reasons why he likes Oregon to win the Big Ten heading into the 2024 season.
“I think they have two edges that will allow them to win the Big Ten. The first is that I think if you’re picking an area of the Ohio State team that you’re not 100 percent sure about, it’s the offensive line,” PicKell said. “Oregon’s defensive line is going to be really, really good. They’ve got depth. They’ve got dudes in that starting lineup. … And then I think the quarterback play, too, I would give the edge to Dillon Gabriel in that game.”
While PicKell has Oregon and Ohio State as the top two teams in the Big Ten, he believes several other teams could get in the mix if things break their way. He started with the defending Big Ten champion and national champion in Michigan.
“If I told you Michigan, they’re going to get elite quarterback play, whether it’s Davis Warren, Alex Orji, Jack Tuttle… what do we say about Michigan? At that point are we like, ‘Yea, I mean, they might run it back and have a chance to compete for the national championship, forget the Big Ten,'” PicKell said. “They’re going to run the football. They’re going to play great defense. Those two things are solid. One variable changes the entire game when you talk about Michigan.”
PicKell added that he believes Penn State, USC and several other teams have a shot to compete for the Big Ten Championship if the right players step up at key positions.
“Penn State, third-best odds to win the conference. New OC in coach Kotelnicki. What if they get some explosivity on offense? That defense is going to be great. … You have one of the best backfields in college football with Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. … Penn State could absolutely make a run at this thing if you told me they’re going to be more explosive offensively,” PicKell said.
“USC, if they get a defense, what do we say about Lincoln Riley? I mean are we not giving him the benefit of the doubt that he’s going to have a good quarterback and a good offense at the very least to be competitive? That one variable changes the entire complexion of the Big Ten in my mind. Iowa, if they get an offense, same thing. Nebraska, if they win close games, same thing. Wisconsin, if Luke Fickell can kind of get that to be a Luke Fickell team his second year out there and that Phil Longo offense figures it out.”