Big Ten Power Rankings (preseason edition): It's time to embrace expectations
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As we near the end of July, it’s time to wrap up my Big Ten-wide preview series before we pivot to more Michigan-centric previews in August.
In Part 1 of my preview, I took a look at the offensive side of the ball, ranking the top QBs/RBs/WRs, highlighting the top transfers coming in on that side of the ball, and naming my 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd- and 4th-team All-Offense squads. If you missed that, you can view it here.
In Part 2 of my preview, I flipped over to the defensive side of the ball, ranking the top DLs/DEs/LBs/CBs/Ss, highlighting the top transfers coming in on that side of the ball, and naming my 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd- and 4th-team All-Defense squads. If you missed that, you can view it here.
For today, I combine those two components and come up with my preseason power rankings of the 14 Big Ten squads. Once the season comes around, power rankings will be adjusted on a weekly ranking based on what happens on the field. But for now, I’ll do my best to present an accurate snapshot of where things stand heading into the 2023 season. While there’s obviously some subjective measures when it comes to ranking teams who haven’t played a true snap of football in 7+ months, I have tried to make it as quantitative as preseason rankings can be, coming up with a methodology that weighs talent rankings, schedules and more.
Let’s dig into the rankings.
