Mike Cagley, Co-Host of the Big Sports Radio show
October 17, 2022
When discussing football in the Big Ten in 2022, it's a story of two totally different divisions. The Big Ten East has two teams considered national title contenders and one team that some believed had the potential to move up into that discussion. These teams are playing up to expectations.
Meanwhile, in the Big Ten West, the early season favorites Iowa and Wisconsin are close to being eliminated from divisional title contention. Conversely, the unheralded Fighting Illini are on top of the division along with Purdue's pass-first Boilermakers. The Illini control their destiny, but as first-time contenders to a West division title, no one knows if they can be trusted to continue their high level of play through the entire season.
Jim Harbaugh courtesy Michigan Athletics
Michigan is a school that has one measuring stick when it comes to football success:
These metrics are easy for a Michigan coach to keep track of. Jim Harbaugh led his team to a win over Ohio State for the first time in his tenure last season. His record now stands at 1-5 against Ohio State. The two teams didn't play in the 2020 Covid season. Michigan is on a massive high after winning last season and going to the College Football Playoff. This season the Wolverines and Buckeyes are expected to be each other's greatest obstacle to earning a slot in the College Football Playoff. This expectation looks to be playing out according to plan.
The Wolverines finished first in the Big Ten East for the second time during Harbaugh's tenure, but in 2018 the Buckeyes won the tiebreaker by destroying the Wolverines 62-39. In the eyes of many fans, last year was Harbaugh's first win over the Buckeyes and his first “real” Big Ten East title.
With the Wolverines undefeated at 7-0, coming off of a 41-17 shellacking of Penn State in a game that the score was actually closer than the game was, and in a first place tie with Ohio State, things are looking really good for Jim Harbaugh and Michigan.
It looks like Jim Harbaugh has brought the Wolverines back.
James Franklin courtesy Penn State Athletics
The Penn State Nittany Lions went into Saturday's game at Ann Arbor with high expectations. With their two talented running backs, they were hoping to be able to control the ball against a formidable Wolverine defense. Ten first downs and 268 yards of total offense put forth by Penn State led to the Wolverines blowing out in the Nittany Lions 41-17.
James Franklin has done a solid job coaching Penn State, but has he reached the program's ceiling in this new era of Big Ten football? During his tenure as head coach, the Nittany Lions have tied for first once in 2016, finished 2nd two times, finished 3rd two times, finished 4th two times, and placed 6th one time (his first year). The trend line isn't good either, with a 3rd place two years ago and a 4th place last year.
This year looks like a 3rd place finish if the Wolverines and Buckeyes finish 1st and 2nd in some order. There's a lot of football to go and the Nittany Lions still can challenge for the title by beating the Buckeyes at home, but the Buckeyes look very tough this season with their change at the Defensive Coordinator role.
Franklin may need to go back to the drawing board to see what he needs to do to elevate the Nittany Lions program to the rare air of the Ohio State and Michigan programs. With this potentially being the last year of the divisions, things will continue to evolve in the Big Ten. With Lincoln Riley out in Los Angeles coaching the USC Trojans, things may get tougher with the Trojans being another threat challenging the Big Ten status quo.
Bret Bielema courtesy Illinois Athletics
Over in Champaign, no one expected the Illini to be anywhere near the top of the Big Ten West. No one except Bret Bielema. He spent the summer telling his players that he didn't come here to win 5 to 7 games. He was also able to increase expectations for the effort needed in the off-season for players to improve their skills. Players listen to Bielema because he’s won two Big Ten titles of his own. He knows what good looks like. His titles date back to the Big Ten Leaders and Legends days, but two Leaders titles and 3 Rose Bowls give him credibility with his team.
With the Illini featuring Heisman hopeful and nation’s leading rusher Chase Brown along with an Illini defense that leads the nation in points allowed and yards given up, it’s not hard to understand how the Illini are 6-1 going into their bye week. They are tied with the Purdue Boilermakers at 3-1 in the Big Ten West. Each team controls their destiny. The team that wins Big Ten games and wins their head-to-head match up on November 12th will represent the Big Ten West in the Big Ten Championship Game. This will most likely be the last ever Big Ten West season, and both teams would like to claim that title.
The Illini finally have a coach who has told players that we don't celebrate wins, we expect them. Not many people were paying attention to this talk in the spring and summer of 2022, but the ones who needed to hear those words so those words could make a difference were listening. The rejuvenated Illini football program is the surprise of the first half of the Big Ten season. Closing the year off strong is their assignment for the final five games.
