Best Early 2017 NCAAF Season BIG 10 Title Bets and Favorites

Every NCAAF season, college football fans get into a heated debate about which conference is the best in the game. It is usually the SEC that gets the majority of the love, but the Big Ten has become a major player in that argument, especially now that Michigan are once again a program to be reckoned with. We are on the brink of yet another NCAAF season, and that means it’s time to take a closer look at the major conferences to see how they might play out. I am going to look at each division and rank the teams in the order I believe they will finish, after which I will pick a conference champion. Find out more about the latest NCAAF betting odds here.

Best Early 2017 NCAAF Season BIG 10 Title Bets and Favorites

   

Big Ten East Predictions

Ohio State Buckeyes

I like Ohio State Buckeyes to dominate in the East, despite the fact that they have a number of younger guys in the WR positions. The QB/RB combo of J.T. Barrett and Mike Weber should take some of the load off the new guys, and the defensive line on this team is going to be nothing short of spectacular. Ohio State win the East.

Penn State Nittany Lions

If any team in the East can give the Buckeyes a run for their money, it is Penn State. This team surprised a lot of people last year, and I think they can take a big step forward this NCAAF season. Winning the East will be the goal, but I think they will come up just a little short.

Michigan Wolverines

There are few teams that lost as many starters as the Wolverines heading into this season. A program of this caliber should be looking to reload rather than rebuild, but there are a lot of holes that need to be filled. The Wolverines may take a small step back this NCAAF season, and I like them to win 9 games, 1 fewer than last year.

Michigan State Spartans

Last NCAAF season was a disaster for the Spartans, both on the field and off. They are certainly not going to be as bad as their 3-9 record last year, but they are also not going to be a contender. Look for them to ground and pound the ball all season long.

Indiana Hoosiers

This is a team that is always tough to face, but which is lacking the talent needed to truly excel and win on a regular basis. The Hoosiers went 6-7 last season, and we can probably expect more of the same this year.

Maryland Terrapins

A lot is going to hinge on what the new recruits deliver this season, but this team is realistically still a year away from being very good.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

QB Johnathan Lewis looks like one for the future, but he still needs some pieces around him. Rutgers are another team that are a year or two away from real improvement.

Big Ten West Predictions

Wisconsin Badgers

With an 11-3 record last year, the Badgers won the West in rather convincing fashion, and I see no reason why we won’t see more of the same this year. The defensive front 7 is one off the best in college football, and they are going to dominate this division.

Iowa Hawkeyes

This is a team that needs a little more of an offensive threat to really be considered a conference champion favorite. The Hawkeyes are once again going to be looking to their running backs to do the majority of the work.

Northwestern Wildcats

The Wildcats went 7-6 last season, and I see them in a position to possibly go a game or two better this NCAAF season. They have an excellent QB/RB tandem that will help put points on the board, and they will need to give that the secondary is still quite weak.  

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota are going to try and use their running game to control the clock this season, as they don’t really have a passing game that is going to hurt anyone. They should be good against the run defensively, but may be susceptible to the passing game.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

This is one of the best defensive units in the conference, but their lack of a good offense is going to put undue pressure on the defensive group. They will play everyone close, but will fall off their 9-4 pace of last NCAAF season.

Illinois Fighting Illini

This group might actually be better than predicted of QB transfer Dwayne Lawson can get the job done. That only happens if he gets protection, which is not guaranteed with this group.

Purdue Boilermakers

New head coach Jeff Brohm has some work to do with this program, and is probably going to need one more year of recruitment before we see any real changes. I have the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Wisconsin Badgers going to the Big Ten Championship Game, and I like Ohio State to win the conference.