Big Ten Football Win Total Predictions for 2024

Coming out of spring practice and heading into the summer preseason, college football teams are making and re-making their rosters, working the transfer portal, and getting a leg-up on a historic 2024 season that includes conference realignment and an expanded playoff.

Much of that expansion will happen in the Big Ten, set to add four West Coast teams -- USC, Oregon, UCLA, and Washington -- which the conference hopes will boost its all-important strength of schedule metric the College Football Playoff puts a lot of stock into.

What can bettors look forward to in the Big Ten this season? Here are the latest win total projections in the conference, according to Circa Sports.

Big Ten Football Win Total Predictions 2024

1. Wisconsin

6.5 wins. Injuries at quarterback kept Luke Fickell's debut season from going according to plan, but transfer pickups at quarterback will help the unit take an important forward. That is, if the Badgers can withstand a tough schedule that includes a home date against Alabama.

2. Washington

7 wins. The Huskies have lost a ton of talent and their head coach after the playoff run a year ago. Jedd Fisch comes in from Arizona after a turnaround year at that program, but two of Washington's tougher Big Ten opponents are on the road: at Penn State and at Oregon.

3. USC

7.5 wins. Lincoln Riley lost five games last season and now loses his star quarterback. Miller Moss appears t be the answer there, but the bigger question is how well he and new coordinator D'Anton Lynn can repair the Trojans' awful defense.

4. UCLA

5.5 wins. Chip Kelly is gone, now calling plays at Ohio State, and leaving the Bruins in major transition going into the Big Ten. Deshaun Foster is a first-time head coach but one with plenty of experience around a program that has weathered a ton of personnel losses on and off the field.

5. Rutgers

6 wins. The Scarlet Knights won seven games including the bowl against Miami, and that was without much of any passing attack. Athan Kaliakmanis is an upgrade at quarterback, and Rutgers avoids Ohio State and Michigan on the schedule.

6. Penn State

10 wins. Drew Allar is yet to live up to his five-star billing, and the quarterback may not get as good protection as he did a year ago. And while the Nittany Lions return their two star backs and got OSU transfer wideout Julian Fleming, they also lost both coordinators and lead receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith.

7. Purdue

4 wins. Ryan Walters took an eight-win team and won four games in his debut season and then he watched as wide receiver Deion Burks and Big Ten sacks leader Nic Scourton left the program. Three of Purdue's first seven games are on the road and two others are against Notre Dame and Oregon.

8. Northwestern

4.5 wins. David Braun surprised everyone by winning eight games in his debut, but his repeating that success hinges on making the right decision at quarterback. The Wildcats play at Washington and Michigan, the latter game coming the week after hosting Ohio State.

9. Nebraska

7.5 wins. The Cornhuskers have inched up the Big Ten power rankings this offseason, especially after a strong preview from five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola this spring. The Cornhuskers host Colorado in Week 2 and play road games at Ohio State, USC, and Iowa.

10. Minnesota

5 wins. P.J. Fleck won six games a year ago, either a blip in the program's success or the first step of a downward trend. The Gophers open against North Carolina, go to Michigan, host USC, to go UCLA, play Penn State at home, and go to Wisconsin.

11. Oregon

10.5 wins. The Ducks come into the Big Ten a genuine contender to win the conference with veteran quarterback Dillon Gabriel and former five-star wideout Evan Stewart leading a strong offense. Oregon will be tough in the trenches, but needs to patch up its secondary pass defense.

12. Michigan State

5 wins. Coaching changes also mean transfer portal departures, and the Spartans had plenty of both this offseason. But they gained Jonathan Smith, a head coach who helped turnaround Oregon State the last few years. MSU gets the Buckeyes and Ducks in consecutive weeks early on, which could derail an otherwise-decent start.

13. Michigan

9 wins. The reigning national champions lost a ton of what made them that, including their head coach. Sherrone Moore replaces Jim Harbaugh and has questions at quarterback and especially offensive line, but the Wolverines retain enough defensive prospects to stay in Big Ten title contention.

14. Maryland

6.5 wins. The departure of quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa calls the Terps' offense into question, and there's a tough midseason slate that includes dates against USC, at Minnesota, and at Oregon, with a trip to Penn State coming late in the season.

15. Iowa

7.5 wins. Defense has always helped carry the Hawkeyes when moving the ball became difficult, but Kirk Ferentz hopes that won't have to be the case this season after bringing on Tim Lester to call plays. Iowa has a big question to answer at quarterback first.

16. Indiana

5.5 wins. Tom Allen is out and Curt Cignetti, a noted program-builder especially at James Madison, is in to lead the Hoosiers. Kurtis Rourke steps in at quarterback after a solid career at Ohio. Consecutive games against Michigan and the Buckeyes come late in the season.

17. Illinois

5.5 wins. Poor defense held back an otherwise-talented Illini offense a year ago, and now that D has lost its best player after defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton turned pro. Illinois hosts a good Kansas team early on, goes to Nebraska and Penn State in back-to-back weeks then gets Michigan and plays at Oregon in consecutive weeks after that.

18. Ohio State

10.5 wins. On a very short list of national title favorites, the Buckeyes scored key transfers like quarterback Will Howard, safety Caleb Downs, and tailback Quinshon Judkins. That's in addition to high-profile returning talent on defense and blue-chip wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.

-

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks