Dan Mullen reveals 2024 Big Ten predictions, order of finish, championship game matchup

The Big Ten is undeniably top-heavy. But in a conference that now includes 18 teams — including USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington — top-heavy can still mean there’s a handful of contenders.

That’s the way former Florida and Mississippi State head coach and current ESPN analyst Dan Mullen sees it, anyway.

Mullen unveiled his 2024 Big Ten picks — complete with order of finish and championship game predictions — Wednesday, noting that he believes there are five teams that could make it to the Big Ten Championship this year.

Here’s a look at his rankings:

1. Ohio State
The Buckeyes arguably have the most talented roster in college football: They returned 11 draft-eligible and starter-level players, plus they added a handful of splash players from the transfer portal, namely quarterback Will Howard (Kansas State), running back Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss) and safety Caleb Downs (Alabama).

2. Penn State
The Nittany Lions don’t have to play Michigan or Oregon in the regular season. That’s a big break for head coach James Franklin, who is 3-17 versus top-10 opponents in his first 10 years as Penn State’s head coach. Franklin’s squad has a great defense — the question remains, does quarterback Drew Allar have enough help around him on offense?

3. Oregon
Oregon is a trendy pick to win the Big Ten, and even mess around and win the national title, so it’s interesting Mullen has the Ducks No. 3 in his league rankings, especially when they’re No. 3 in the preseason AP Top 25. Fast-rising head coach Dan Lanning is back, and he’s got former UCF and Oklahoma star quarterback Dillon Gabriel running the show.

4. Iowa
Like Penn State, Iowa has a favorable Big Ten slate. Actually, Iowa just has a favorable schedule, period. The Hawkeyes have only one opponent ranked in the preseason AP Top 25, and that’s Ohio State. How far Iowa goes will depend on the success of new offensive coordinator Tim Lester.

5. Michigan
Mullen has the defending national champs as his fifth-best team in the Big Ten. It sounds like Mullen believes the Wolverines can contend for the Big Ten title, but there’s no doubt head coach Sherrone Moore’s got a tall task with 18 new starters and a new-look coaching staff.

6. USC
Lincoln Riley is hoping for his Trojans to bounce back, and in a big way in the Big Ten. Caleb Williams is gone, however, USC is still loaded offensively, and new starting quarterback Miller Moss should fit well in the offensive system. The Trojans’ fate will likely be determined by D’Anton Lynn’s defense.

7. Nebraska
Don’t look now, but the Cornhuskers could start the season 7-0. Here’s who they play the first seven games: UTEP, Colorado, Northern Iowa, Illinois, Purdue, Rutgers and Indiana. At the very least, Nebraska should make a bowl game for the first time since 2016 — that season, it won nine games, for what it’s worth.

8. Rutgers
Mullen is high on Rutgers, too. Greg Schiano has slowly but surely been rebuilding the Scarlet Knights for the second time. Led by coordinator Joe Harasymiak, the Rutgers defense was top 50 in yards allowed per game (16th), points allowed per game (33rd) as well as both rushing yards allowed per game (43rd) and passing yards allowed per game (10th) last season. The bulk of that group is back.

9. Maryland
Mullen has Maryland rounding out the top half of the conference. Right now, objective 1A, 1B and 1C is determining Taulia Tagovailoa’s successor because Mike Locksley still hasn’t named a starting quarterback. Someone’s got to win the job between North Carolina State transfer MJ Morris, Billy Edwards Jr. and Cameron Edge.

10. Wisconsin
Wisconsin knows its QB1, and that’s Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke. Can he flash the magic he dazzled as ACC Rookie of the Year during the 2021 season? If he can near that level of play, the “Air Raid” Phil Longo offense will be in much better shape during the second year of the Luke Fickell era in Madison.

11. Northwestern
Mullen is higher on Northwestern than most right now. The Wildcats already proved everyone wrong last season when David Braun galvanized his group following the program’s hazing scandal and Pat Fitzgerald’s firing. Northwestern ended up winning eight games in 2023. Now, the Wildcats have to play their home games by Lake Michigan and in Wrigley Field — more adversity for the team in Evanston.

12. Washington
No Big Ten team has fewer returning starters (three) than Washington. A season removed from making the national title game, the Huskies look very different, especially at the top. Kalen DeBoer is coaching Alabama, and Jedd Fisch is now in charge. Quarterback Will Rogers makes the Huskies interesting — he left Mississippi State as the SEC’s No. 2 all-time leading passer.

13. Minnesota
Speaking of head-turning transfer quarterbacks, Minnesota has one of them. Now in his sixth year of college football, Max Brosmer made the unusual move from the CAA to the Big Ten. He put up impressive numbers at New Hampshire and now hopes to complement a veteran Golden Gophers defense.

14. Michigan State
Jonathan Smith brought his quarterback of the future with him from Oregon State to Michigan State: Aidan Chiles. Together, they’ll try to right the ship in East Lansing. Even if the offense holds its own, though, the defense will be a work-in-progress — the Spartans have ranked 13th or worse in the Big Ten in yards per game allowed each of the last three seasons.

15. Illinois
There are a bunch of questions facing Illinois this season. Can quarterback Luke Altmyer take the necessary step forward? In the trenches, the Fighting Illini lost their two best players (defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton and offensive lineman Isaiah Adams) to this year’s NFL Draft — can they effectively replace them?

16. Indiana
Curt Cignetti’s bringing the fire as Indiana’s new head coach. Mullen’s not buying in just yet, although he does have the Hoosiers ahead of in-state rival Purdue. Indiana has a thin margin for error this season, especially with depth concerns on the offensive and defensive lines.

17. Purdue
Mullen is down on Purdue, which is entering the second year of the Ryan Walters era. The best case scenario for the Boilermakers is Hudson Card taking off in offensive coordinator Graham Harrell’s pass-friendly system.

18. UCLA
Mullen ranked UCLA last. DeShaun Foster’s got a difficult job in 2024, following former head coach Chip Kelly’s late departure for the Ohio State OC gig. The Bruins are trusting redshirt senior Ethan Garbers to break out as the full-time starting quarterback.

Dan Mullen predicts Ohio State to win the Big Ten

Mullen has Ohio State and Penn State reaching the Big Ten Championship, a matchup that wouldn’t have been possible without the league scrapping its Big Ten East/West divisions.

Ultimately, Mullen believes the Buckeyes will win the league. They are widely the favorite to do so. Mullen’s inclusion of Penn State in the conference title game is undoubtedly more surprising than him picking Ohio State to reclaim Big Ten bragging rights.