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The 2023 football season concluded this month and with it, so did the conference structure we’ve known for the last decade. Gone are the East and West divisions, and in come UCLA, USC, Washington and Oregon.
The structure of the conference is advancing like the landscape of college football — into an environment nobody can accurately predict.
What we do know is the Big Ten is now an 18-school conference with several football powerhouses on the way in. If it was already tough for Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and Maryland to win conference titles, it just got nearly impossible.
Related: Looking ahead to Wisconsin’s 2024 football schedule
So as we look forward to 2024 and the next 10 years of Big Ten football, it’s time to properly rank every program:
Northwestern
Nov 4, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun looks on during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
2023 Record: 8-5
2023 Team Talent Composite: No. 52
2024 Recruiting Class Ranking: No. 101
Then-interim head coach David Braun took Northwestern to an 8-5 record in 2023. It was the most impressive coaching job in the Big Ten this season, and maybe even in the nation.
Unfortunately, the long-term outlook isn’t especially bright. The program will no longer benefit from the Big Ten West, it will be the second-most-talented team on the field in every game and its general recruiting issues should only be accentuated by the current direction of the sport.
Northwestern went a combined 4-20 in the two years leading up to 2023. I’d expect that to be more in line with the future record.
Indiana
Nov 4, 2023; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana’s JoJo Johnson (3) and Nick James (99) celebrate after defeating the Wisconsin Badgers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/power-ranking-18-big-ten-122153787.html
Author : Badgers Wire
Publish date : 2024-02-03 12:21:53
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