2023 Big Ten season preview (defense): Welcome to the parity party
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In case you missed it, last week I rolled out my Big Ten season preview focused on the offensive side of the ball.
This time around, it’s time to focus on defense.
Unlike the offensive side of the ball, where most superlatives were dominated by the Michigans and Ohio States of the world, there’s a little bit more parity when it comes to the defensive ranks. That doesn’t mean an absence of Wolverines and Buckeyes at the top of a lot of the lists that will follow — but there’s a lot more balance and company on this side of the ball (case in point: unlike the All-Offense teams, every Big Ten school has at least one representative on my All-Defense teams. In fact, 12 of the 14 schools in the Big Ten have multiple players appearing on my All-Defense 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th teams).
Don’t believe me? Check it out for myself.
Let’s jump into the preview, where I’ll rank the Big Ten’s best players by position, share my 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd- and 4th-team All-B1G Defense teams, and also introduce the All-Transfer Team on the defensive side of the ball.
