After a delayed start to play one year ago, the Big Ten is back in the swing of things entering 2021 with some intriguing storylines leading the way. Ohio State is again expected to dominate conference play, but Penn State is looking for a bounce back campaign in the East, while Wisconsin aims to again control the West. There's as much heat as ever on Michigan to live up to the lofty expectations of Wolverines fans, or else Year 7 may be the last for Jim Harbaugh.
It should come as no surprise that the Buckeyes enter as -220 favorites to win the Big Ten, according to Caesars Sportsbook, with no other team a close second. The Nittany Lions and Badgers are both next in line at +900. Illinois is projected to finish last in the league, but with new coach Bret Bielema leading the program, perhaps he and the Illini find a comfort level with one another that leads to immediate success.
Our CBS Sports college football experts are here to provide their picks and predictions for the Big Ten ahead of the 2021 season. Check them all out below.
Most overrated team
Michigan: We want to believe. We really want to believe in Michigan. Recounting Jim Harbaugh's shortcomings again would be a waste of pixels. Let's just say that "wins" for Harbaugh this season would be coming within three touchdowns of Ohio State and getting serviceable quarterback play. Harbaugh is on notice after an extension that is budget friendly. In other words, it will be easier to buy him out if or when the Wolverines choose. that course of action. -- Dennis Dodd (also Jerry Palm)
Indiana: Make no mistake: Tom Allen is a great coach. I love what he's building at IU, and the Hoosiers are fortunate to have him. They're a legit program as long as he's there. But Indiana is getting a little too trendy for my taste. This is a team that has to go to Iowa, Penn State and Michigan while also getting Cincinnati in nonconference play. However, the Oct. 23 game against Ohio State in Bloomington should be fun. The Hoosiers will win games and go bowling, they may even be in the running as second-best team in the Big Ten East, but the gap is bigger than others are letting on. -- Ben Kercheval (also Tom Fornelli)
Iowa: This win total is 8.5 at Caesars Sportsbook, and I think that's more than a win too high for a team that has plenty of questions to answer in 2021. Iowa finished as one of the most impressive teams in the country with six straight wins after two losses by a combined five points to start the year, but that group lost some key pieces of the defensive line while not being proven as a dominant offensive team yet with Spencer Petras under center. I think Iowa is a "get off the bus and win six games" team thanks to the returning defensive production and the high floor of Kirk Ferentz and this staff, but I can also quickly roll off a couple losses in my outlook for the year and think the Hawkeyes are closer to top 30 than top 20 nationally. -- Chip Patterson
Northwestern: The Wildcats are one of the best-coached teams in the country, but it's hard to imagine that they sniff the Big Ten Championship Game. It's no secret that they're fighting an uphill battle from a talent perspective, so experience -- particularly experience within the system -- is paramount to their success. They don't have it this year. Pat Fitzgerald's crew returns just four starters on each side of the ball, the fewest since at least 2014. They're leading returning receiver had just 67 yards last year, and the linebacker tandem of Paddy Fisher and Blake Gallagher will be sorely missed. -- Barrett Sallee
Wisconsin: The Badgers received 29 of 34 first-place votes in the Big Ten preseason media poll which means last season's 28-7 loss at Iowa is being disregarded since it was played in the snow during an unorthodox season. The disparity in votes also suggests Graham Mertz is expected to look more like the pre-injury Mertz who shredded Illinois in Week 1 than the one who was inconsistent the rest of the way. Wisconsin's defense certainly appears loaded, but there are more questions with the offense than most are acknowledging as the Badgers put their status as West favorites on the line in Week 1 against Penn State. -- David Cobb
Most underrated team
Minnesota: The Gophers have one subpar season under P.J. Fleck and suddenly everyone is looking for a life raft? Come on now. This team won 11 games in 2019 and was a couple overtime losses away from finishing 5-2 last season instead of 3-4. Now, with a boatload of returning starters and several incoming transfers to bolster the run defense, they are poised to be title contenders in the Big Ten West once again. Opening against Ohio State is an undesirable schedule wrinkle, but this team could tick off several victories in a row before a tough closing stretch. -- Cobb (also Patterson, Kercheval)
Illinois: Bret Bielema is back in his element in the Big Ten with an Illini program he can build into Wisconsin Jr. Sophomore running back Chase Brown should feel fortunate. He's going to get the ball a lot behind a veteran offensive line. No, the Illini aren't going to shock the Big Ten West, but they've got a chance to win seven if everything falls right. That would mark Illinois' first winning season since 2011. -- Dodd
Penn State: When it comes to the 2020 season, I'm willing to throw a lot of the results out and consider them a byproduct of a strange year. Particularly in conferences like the Big Ten that didn't play full seasons. The Nittany Lions started 0-5 last year before finishing with four straight wins. No, I don't think Penn State is a threat to Ohio State, but there's nobody else in the Big Ten East that's more likely to be one than the Nittany Lions. This is a top-15 program that could prove to be the second-best Big Ten team in the country. -- Fornelli
Michigan State: Mel Tucker took over a tough situation last year with a program that was clearly in need of a rebuild. COVID-19 roster issues and the simple fact that the Spartans didn't get spring practice didn't do him any favors, either. You'll get the more accurate view of the offense this year thanks to and ultra-experienced offensive line, established playmakers all over the field and a healthy quarterback competition between Payton Thorne (582 yards last season) and Temple transfer Anthony Russo. Plus, conference road trips to Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern don't seem too daunting. The Spartans should, at the very least, make a bowl game and be a tough out every week. -- Sallee
Northwestern: I believe the Wildcats are better respected by folks in Big Ten country than they are nationally. That consistently shows up in the rankings as it did again last season when the Wildcats finished 15th. Fitzgerald has yet to lead the Purple to Pasadena, but they are competitive in the division nearly every season and have represented the West in the Big Ten Championship game twice, second only to Wisconsin. One of these years, people nationally will catch on to what we already know here in the midwest: You better show up with your best game to play Northwestern. -- Palm
Bold predictions
- Dennis Dodd: Michigan will come within three touchdowns of Ohio State. Tiny steps for Harbaugh in Year 7.
- Tom Fornelli: Ohio State will go undefeated in conference play, winning those nine games by an average of 21 points.
- Chip Patterson: The Big Ten will go 3-0 in their Week 2 top 25 showdowns. Ohio State, Michigan and Iowa all have such games against nonconference opponents in Oregon, Washington and Iowa State. This trio of results will anchor the narrative that the Big Ten has some of the best football in the country in 2021.
- Barrett Sallee: Michigan will again look like an average Big Ten team with no real shot at winning the division. As a result, Harbaugh and the Michigan administration will come to an agreement to move in a new direction that doesn't include Harbaugh in the mix. It'll be like an amicable divorce between two people who just fell out of love with each other.
- Ben Kercheval: I was not on board with rehiring Greg Schiano, but screw it. My big life motto is to believe in something, and I believe Rutgers makes its first bowl game since 2014. Three of the Scarlet Knights' losses in 2020 were by one score. The nonconference slate this year is not a guarantee ... but it is winnable. Could Schiano coach his way to three more wins in conference? Michigan State and Maryland are at home. Illinois on the road could be doable. It's a stretch, yes, but this section isn't for meek predictions.
- David Cobb: Ohio State will beat Oregon by at least four touchdowns on Sept. 11.
- Jerry Palm: Indiana may be as talented as they were a year ago, but it will likely take a step back with a schedule that has road trips to Iowa, Michigan and Penn State, plus Cincinnati and Ohio State at home.
Big Ten predicted order of finish
Big Ten champion
Ohio State: Sometimes the obvious choice is obvious for a reason. Yeah, the Buckeyes have a lot of people to replace, including quarterback Justin Fields. But you know what? This is also a program that has recruited at an entirely different level than the rest of the Big Ten lately, and it has reloaded plenty of times already. Also, the receiver corps that Fields left behind at Ohio State might be better than the one he's working with in the pros. The Buckeyes are stacked. -- Fornelli (unanimous)
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