Five Big Ten football storylines to watch

The Big Ten is bigger and better than ever with 18 teams and a coast-to-coast footprint. With the conference’s media days in the books, the focus shifts to the season, which is filled with enticing storylines. 

Here are five to keep an eye on as the season begins.

1. Will Ohio State get back on top?

The Buckeyes ran the Big Ten from 2014 to 2020, winning five of seven conference titles. However, the tide has turned. Michigan has won three straight championships and defeated its arch-rival all three years. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day needs a win over Michigan this year and all signs point to the Buckeyes reclaiming the throne. 

Day hit the transfer portal hard, hired former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly as his offensive coordinator and Jim Harbaugh departed Michigan for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers. Oregon and Penn State will also challenge for the title, but the Buckeyes are the clear preseason favorite.

2. Can Sherrone Moore keep it rolling in Ann Arbor?

New Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore took over for Harbaugh, but he’s no stranger to leading the Wolverines on the sidelines. The former Michigan offensive coordinator served as the acting head coach for four games last season, including wins over Penn State and Ohio State. 

It took Harbaugh seven years to get Michigan where he wanted, but since 2021, the Wolverines have won three Big Ten titles, a national championship and defeated Ohio State three times. Moore is hoping to keep the good times rolling in Ann Arbor. He and the Wolverines are picked fourth in the Big Ten preseason poll.

3. Is Penn State finally going to make the College Football Playoff?

The College Football Playoff has expanded to 12 teams this year, which gives teams like Penn State a chance to get in. The Nittany Lions have five double-digit-win seasons under James Franklin but are 4-16 against Michigan and Ohio State. That’s left them on the outside looking in for the CFP. 

Penn State is picked third in the Big Ten preseason poll this year. The Nittany Lions host Ohio State on Nov. 2 and do not face Michigan during the regular season.

4. What about the four newcomers?

The Big Ten added Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington, which adds some significant football pedigrees to an already stacked conference. 

Oregon figures to vie for the conference title after a 12-2 season in 2023 with both losses against Washington. The Huskies have a new head coach in Jedd Fisch, while UCLA turned to DeShaun Foster following Chip Kelly’s exit. Lincoln Riley and USC are turning the page at quarterback after Caleb Williams was drafted first overall by the Chicago Bears.

5. A bigger league means a new scheduling format

Goodbye, divisions! The Big Ten can lay the East-West dynamic to rest. That’s a good thing for the conference as the East went 10-0 against the West in the Big Ten Championship contests. Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan State were all fighting for one spot, but that changes this year as the best two teams in the standings will face off in the title game.