College Football Playoffs
The B1G conference is adding some serious schools to the conference in 2024, but this year will be the last year of what we feel to be the traditional regional conference. The East division will be the dominant one yet again, with Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State all having aspirations of the College Football Playoffs.
The Defending B1G Champ, Michigan looks to be the top dog again. They return potential first-round Quarterback JJ Mccarthy, who has all the athletic tools to be an All-American.
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After back-to-back conference titles, they have put up a couple of duds in the playoff, so this is going to be a big year for them to take the next step. They may not ever have this much experience coming back on both sides of the ball, and there are question marks at quarterback for all of the other recent superpowers and Michigan has their answer.
Ohio State is going to be Ohio State. Whether it’s Devin Brown or Kyle McCord under center, the Buckeye’s high-powered offense shouldn’t slip too much on the stat sheet. The backfield is deep with Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson, and the receiving corps is the best in college football with Marvin Harrison Jr. leading the way.
But for coach Ryan Day’s squad to get over the hump and beat Michigan, solidifying an offensive line that features three new starters and continuing to improve the defense in coordinator Jim Knowles’ second year are the top priorities.
2023 projections
| TEAM | SP+ RK | OFF. | DEF. | AVG. W | CONF. W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 29.2 (3) | 42.0 (7) | 12.9 (4) | 10.4 | 7.4 |
| Ohio State | 29.6 (2) | 46.4 (2) | 16.7 (13) | 10.1 | 7.4 |
| Penn State | 23.5 (8) | 37.5 (22) | 14.0 (6) | 9.6 | 6.7 |
| Maryland | 9.0 (40) | 30.0 (49) | 21.1 (27) | 7.2 | 4.4 |
| Michigan State | 7.9 (42) | 28.5 (56) | 20.6 (25) | 5.9 | 3.7 |
| Rutgers | -4.0 (73) | 20.8 (95) | 24.8 (50) | 4.1 | 1.9 |
| Indiana | -3.4 (71) | 27.8 (61) | 31.2 (92) | 3.8 | 1.8 |
Penn State is the last team that has playoff potential in this bunch. They will feature some superstar sophomores that are coming off great freshman campaigns, in tailbacks Nicholas Smith and Kaytron Allen. Their hopes will be on the shoulders of super recruit Drew Allar, who showed some flashes last season in relief of four-year starter Sean Clifford.
He has the immense talent that Penn State has lacked at the quarterback position for a long time. If he lives up to the hype, the Nittany Lions could shake up the East.
Big East Week 1 Dates & Teams
Week 1 | Sat., Sept. 2
- Tennessee State at Notre Dame
- SE Louisiana at Mississippi State
- SE Missouri at Kansas State
- South Dakota at Missouri
- Sam Houston at BYU
- Texas Tech at Wyoming
- Rice at Texas
- Portland State at Oregon
- Oregon State at San Jose State
- Old Dominion at Virginia Tech
- Ohio State at Indiana
The rest of the East doesn’t have what it takes to make the playoffs, but they will be dangerous. The Maryland Terrapins return Taulia Tagovailoa at QB and they will be explosive on offense again and will give the above teams some worry. Michigan State is usually tough, but they will need to take a big step up after last year’s embarrassment. I am not even going to mention Indiana or Rutgers…
Fall camp kicked off today for @OhioStateFB! Only 30 days until Sept. 2! 🏈🔥 #GoBucks
📸: @OhioStAthletics pic.twitter.com/7dO695P2JX
— Ohio State (@OhioState) August 3, 2023
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| Title: B1G East Preview
| Author: Matt Catton
| Date: August 15, 2023