Who wins the SEC? What will be the upset of the year in the Big Ten? These will be the top teams, players and games in every Power 5 conference.
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Big Ten
East
Ohio State 11-1, 8-1
Michigan 10-2, 7-2
Penn State 9-3, 6-3
Michigan State 8-4, 5-4
Maryland 7-5, 4-5
Rutgers 4-8, 2-7
Indiana 4-8, 2-7
West
Wisconsin 10-2, 7-2
Minnesota 9-3, 6-3
Iowa 8-4, 5-4
Purdue 7-5, 4-5
Nebraska 6-6, 3-6
Illinois 5-7, 2-7
Northwestern 5-7, 2-7
Big Ten champion: Ohio State
Offensive player of the year: C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
Defensive player of the year: Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa
Freshman of the year: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Impact transfer: Jarek Broussard, RB, Michigan State (
Colorado)
Coach of the year: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Coach on the hot seat: Scott Frost, Nebraska
Coordinator who will be a head coach: Jim Leonhard, defensive coordinator, Wisconsin
Nonconference game of the year: Notre Dame at Ohio State, Sept. 3
Conference game of the year: Michigan at Ohio State, Nov. 26
Upset of the year: Purdue over Penn State, Sept. 1
Three bold predictions for the Big Ten
1. Ohio State will have two Heisman Trophy finalists: Stroud seems like a lock to return to New York as a finalist if he picks up from where he left off in 2021. He completed 71.9% of his passes for 4,435 yards with 44 touchdowns and six interceptions. He should be even better in his second season as a starter. Either running back
TreVeyon Henderson, who ran for 1,248 yards with 15 scores as a freshman, or receiver
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led the Buckeyes with 95 catches for 1,606 yards with nine touchdowns, will get to New York as well. All three could be deserving if Ohio State's offense is as good as advertised.
2. Frost won't make it through the season: One of Nebraska's favorite sons, Frost's tenure at his alma mater has been a disaster. The Cornhuskers have gone 15-29 in his four seasons and haven't made a bowl game under his watch. He took a $1 million salary reduction, and his buyout gets cut in half to $7.5 million after Oct. 1. The Cornhuskers will start 3-0, but penalties and turnovers will continue to doom them during a 1-3 stretch after that. Athletic director Trev Alberts will cut him loose after a loss at Purdue on Oct. 15.
3. Minnesota wins the West: I went with Wisconsin, which seemed like the safer pick, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Gophers in the Big Ten championship game, either. Minnesota has to throw the ball more than it did last season -- only
Navy,
Army and
Air Force attempted fewer passes in 2021. Quarterback
Tanner Morgan should be better under offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca, who was there when Minnesota won 11 games in 2019. Tailback
Mohamed Ibrahim, the Big Ten running back of the year in 2020, is back after tearing his Achilles in last season's opener.