Predicting every Big Ten team’s record, wins and losses in 2024

The Big Ten doesn’t take center stage until next week as no teams from the premier conference play in Week 0, but a full slate of games is just over a week away.

With the conference expanding from 14 to 18 teams this season, there will be a lot of changes — and many more high-powered matchups, both in and out of conference. Matchups like USC vs. LSU are intriguing in Week 1, as is the Big Ten opener in Week 4 between Michigan football and the Trojans. Oregon vs. Ohio State will be one of the biggest games of the season, as new rivalries come into play. But the old rivalries will still reign supreme for the conference in the final week of the regular season.

In anticipation of the 2024 season, we predicted the winner every single game for every Big Ten team. Here are the results (in alphabetical order by team).

Illinois Fighting Illini

Wins: E. Illinois, C. Michigan, Purdue, MSU

Losses: Kansas, Nebraska, Penn State, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Rutgers, Northwestern

Big Ten: 2-7

Overall: 4-8

This could go better if the defense returns to its 2022 form and if the turnover issues on offense cease. But it’s a tough schedule and there’s not a lot of room for error.

Indiana Hoosiers

Wins: FIU, W. Illinois, Charlotte

Losses: UCLA, Maryland, Northwestern, Nebraska, Washington, MSU, Michigan, Ohio St., Purdue

Big Ten: 0-9

Overall: 3-9

We’re going to rain on Curt Cignetti’s parade and his confidence that he’ll be able to run roughshod all over his new conference. The future of Indiana will be better but it could be a rough first year in Bloomington.

Iowa Hawkeyes

Wins: Illinois St., Iowa St., Troy, Minnesota, Washington, MSU, Northwestern, Wisconsin, UCLA, Maryland, Nebraska

Losses: Ohio State

Big Ten: 8-1

Overall: 11-1

All Iowa needs is offensive consistency (good consistency, not bad consistency) and with Cade McNamara returning, he should be able to do enough with the defense he has to be able to propel Iowa into the championship game and playoff conversation.

Maryland Terrapins

Wins: UConn, MSU, Virginia, Villanova, Indiana, Minnesota, Rutgers

Losses: Northwestern, USC, Oregon, Iowa, Penn St.

Big Ten: 4-5

Overall: 7-5

It may not be as impressive offensively without Taulia Tagovailoa, but Maryland will be what Maryland has been – a slightly above-average team that plays in a tough conference.

Michigan Wolverines

Wins: Fresno St., Arkansas St., USC, Minnesota, Washington, Illinois, MSU, Indiana, Northwestern, Ohio St.

Losses: Texas, Oregon

Big Ten: 8-1

Overall: 10-2

We’ve been stern that Michigan would go 10-2 this year (which would surprise many outside of Ann Arbor) but hadn’t really been able to figure out which two it would lose. We’re sticking with the prediction that it will take down OSU again, until that changes. So for now, we have the Week 2 matchup against Texas being one (because Texas may be a little less green than Michigan two weeks into the season) and Oregon as the two.

Michigan State Spartans

Wins: FAU, Prairie View, Indiana, Purdue,

Losses: Maryland, Boston College, Ohio State, Oregon, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois, Rutgers

Big Ten: 2-7

Overall: 4-8

Jonathan Smith is a good coach but there is so little talent in East Lansing, particularly in the trenches. If Aidan Chiles is the quarterback version of Kenneth Walker, then this could change from 4-8 to 9-3 in a hurry.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Wins: Rhode Island, Nevada, UCLA, Illinois

Losses: UNC, Iowa, Michigan, USC, Maryland, Rutgers, Penn St., Wisconsin

Big Ten: 2-7

Overall: 4-8

We have a lot of questions about this Minnesota team. The defense has been good, but not as good as it once was. The offense has been abysmal the past few years. This could be a 7-5 team, but for now we’re taking the pessimistic view.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Wins: UTEP, Colorado, UNI, Illinois, Purdue, Rutgers, Indiana, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin

Losses: Ohio St., Iowa

Big Ten: 7-2

Overall: 10-2

We’re buying into Matt Rhule and Nebraska. With a good defense and above average quarterback play (and a schedule that avoids Michigan and Oregon), we think the Huskers will be in the hunt late into the season.

Northwestern Wildcats

Wins: Miami (Ohio), E. Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Illinois, Purdue

Losses: Duke, Washington, Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio St., Michigan

Big Ten: 4-5

Overall: 6-6

David Braun will have his team humming but the schedule gets tougher in his second year. Thus, the result of the season looks exactly the same as it did a year ago.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Wins: Akron, W. Michigan, Marshall, MSU, Iowa, Nebraska, Penn St., Purdue, Northwestern, Indiana

Losses: Oregon, Michigan

Big Ten: 7-2

Overall: 10-2

People are buying Ohio State as the best team in the country with the most talented roster ever. We won’t go that far. It is experienced, but not all of that experience (in the trenches) has been good experience. So we’re giving them two (close) losses. However, would it be a surprise to see OSU run the table? No, not at all.

Oregon Ducks

Wins: Idaho, Boise St., Oregon St., UCLA, MSU, Ohio St., Purdue, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, Wisconsin, Washington

Losses: (none)

Big Ten: 9-0

Overall: 12-0

While we didn’t want to give this ‘welcome to the conference’ to Oregon, we think Oregon has the most complete roster and talent where it needs it from quarterback on down. Yes, we think the Ducks will make it to Indy in year one.

Penn State Nittany Lions

Wins: West Virginia, Bowling Green, Kent St., Illinois, UCLA, USC, Washington, Purdue, Minnesota, Maryland

Losses: Wisconsin, Ohio St.

Big Ten: 7-2

Overall: 10-2

Penn State has been a 10-2 program and it will remain a 10-2 program until it proves otherwise.

Purdue Boilermakers

Wins: Indiana St., Indiana

Losses: Notre Dame, Oregon St., Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois, Oregon, Ohio St., Penn St., MSU, Northwestern

Big Ten: 1-8

Overall: 2-10

Ryan Walters had a tough first season and we’re betting it gets a little tougher with a brutal schedule in his second year.

Wins: Howard, Akron, Va. Tech, Washington, Wisconsin, UCLA, Minnesota, Illinois, MSU

Losses: Nebraska, USC, Maryland

Big Ten: 6-3

Overall: 9-3

All aboard the Rutgers train, as a confluence of Greg Schiano’s development meets the easiest schedule the Scarlet Knights have had in a decade. Without facing Michigan, Ohio State, or Penn State, we think RU gets a few of those big wins its long sought after.

UCLA Bruins

Wins: Hawaii, Indiana, Fresno St.

Losses: LSU, Oregon, Penn St., Minnesota, Rutgers, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Washington, USC

Big Ten: 1-8

Overall: 3-9

This is the opposite welcome to the conference compared to Oregon. Perhaps we’re dead wrong, but with the staff being upended by Chip Kelly departing for OSU, and some missing talent, we think this will be a rough season for the Bruins.

USC Trojans

Wins: Utah St., Wisconsin, Minnesota, Maryland, Rutgers, Washington, UCLA

Losses: LSU, Michigan, Penn St., Nebraska, Notre Dame

Big Ten: 5-4

Overall: 7-5

This could go different if USC didn’t open the season with an LSU team that appears poised to finally return to the land of the great. But the confidence will wane and then there will be multiple tough teams on the schedule that will keep the Trojans from reaching the same potential it could have against a Pac-12 schedule.

Washington Huskies

Wins: Weber St., E. Michigan, Washington St., Northwestern, Indiana, UCLA,

Losses: Rutgers, Michigan, Iowa, USC, Penn St., Oregon

Big Ten: 3-6

Overall: 6-6

This team is a bit of a conundrum to assess, but with Will Rogers at quarterback, perhaps it won’t be as much of a rebuild for Jedd Fisch as we’re thinking. Still, this won’t look like the team that made it to the championship game last year.

Wisconsin Badgers

Wins: WMU, S. Dakota, Purdue, Northwestern, Penn St., Minnesota

Losses: Alabama, USC, Rutgers, Iowa, Oregon, Nebraska

Big Ten: 4-5

Overall: 6-6

Fans hoping for more from Luke Fickell in year two will have to wait another year. There are some brutal teams on the schedule and the Badgers should still look better as they transition to a new style of play, but they won’t quite reach their potential as of yet.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Predicting every Big Ten team’s record, wins and losses in 2024