Big Ten College Football Preview: Teams to Watch, Breakout Players, and Best Bets for 2024

The Big Ten is one the major conferences featuring several new teams as the Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins, and Washington Huskies will all be in their first season in the conference in the upcoming season. This takes the Big Ten to a whopping 18 squads, making it the largest conference in college football.

When looking at FanDuel Sportsbook's national championship odds, the conference has 5 of the top-20 favorites, putting the league firmly in the national picture.

Let's take a deep dive into the Big Ten prior to the 2024 season.

Big Ten Team Win Totals

Here's a look at each team's win total, national championship odds, and College Football Playoff odds, via the college football odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Big Ten Championship Odds

Check out the live odds for the Big Ten Championship game winner.

Big Ten Teams to Watch

Ohio State Buckeyes

This will come as no surprise -- the Ohio State Buckeyes are expected to be towards the top of the conference yet again. They are chasing their first Big Ten title since 2020.

OSU looks the part as the favorite to win the conference (+150). They are front and center in the national picture with the second-shortest odds to win the national championship (+400) and shortest odds to make the playoffs (-650) -- both lead the Big Ten.

The Buckeyes return six starters on offense and nine on defense. They added even more talent by making splash additions in the transfer portal, such as hitting a home run with Caleb Downs -- who was 247 Sports' top transfer.

OSU also added two of the top-seven transfer QBs -- one of whom is Will Howard, who has the fourth-shortest Heisman Trophy odds (+1400). Quinshon Judkins was yet another top-flight addition in the portal, and he carries the second-shortest odds to win the Doak Walker Award (+430), which is given to the nation's top running back.

Ohio State has a loaded roster and plenty of motivation to win the conference after watching Michigan do so for three straight seasons.

Oregon Ducks

The biggest competitor for OSU will likely be the Oregon Ducks. The former Pac-12 squad is expected to make plenty of noise in their first season in the Big Ten, carrying a win total of 10.5.

Behind the Buckeyes, Oregon has the second-shortest odds to win the conference (+250). Plus, they carry the third-shortest odds across college football to both win the national title (+650) and appear in the College Football Playoff (-300).

The Ducks quacked in the transfer portal, adding the fifth-best overall player in wideout Evan Stewart, per 247Sports' rankings. They also landed quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who has the shortest odds to win the Heisman, and one of the nation's best cornerbacks -- Jabbar Muhammad.

Similar to Ohio State, Oregon doesn't have a strong non-conference schedule. The toughest game of the season for both squads will likely be when the Ducks play host to the Buckeyes on October 12th. Oregon has a tough road trip to Michigan while OSU will travel to Penn State.

Penn State Nittany Lions

The Penn State Nittany Lions are the sleeper to win the Big Ten. They are not commanding the same national attention as Ohio State and Oregon are, with Penn State carrying +2000 odds to win the natty and -145 odds to appear in the CFP.

With a win total of 9.5, don't sleep on the Nittany Lions. They have 15 returning starters -- 8 on offense and 7 on defense. Quarterback Drew Allar has an outside shot to win the Heisman (+3500) and is currently ranked as the seventh-best quarterback for the 2025 NFL Draft, per NFL Mock Draft Database's consensus big board.

The NFL talent continues with Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen forming one of the nation's best running-back tandems. Edge rusher Abdul Carter, who is rated as the 11th-best 2025 prospect, leads a talented defense that has three players within the top-50 NFL prospects.

Heisman Odds: Big Ten

Gabriel of Oregon and Ohio State's Howard are the leaders in the clubhouse for Heisman contenders in the Big Ten, followed by Allar.

After the top-three Heisman contenders in the conference, USC has a pair of players to watch in Miller Moss and Jayden Maiava. The two are in battle for the starting quarterback spot. Moss has only one start under his belt, which was a 372-yard and six-touchdown performance in the postseason last year. Maiava had more than 3,000 passing yards in his freshman season with the UNLV Rebels in 2023.

We finally get into some non-QB contenders after Moss and Maiava as Donovan Edwards of the Michigan Wolverines has the next-shortest odds. Then it's Ohio State's Judkins behind Edwards at +10000 to win the Heisman. Edwards and Judkins are also among the top-eight shortest odds for the Doak Walker Award.

Big Ten Best Bets for 2024

Oregon to Win the Big Ten Championship Game (+250)

Perhaps the best betting pick in the Big Ten is Oregon to win the conference's hardware. The +250 line holds plenty of intrigue, and they should have enough stuff to overcome Ohio State.

From a scheduling perspective, the Ducks have the easier road in comparison to Ohio State. First off, the massive clash between the two will take place in Autzen Stadium. Plus, the Buckeyes have Penn State and Michigan on the schedule while Oregon has only Michigan. OSU has the Nittany Lions on the road, which will likely be the terrifying white out game.

The Buckeyes have their two toughest contests away from home while the Ducks' toughest road test is Michigan, who has a win total of 8.5.

While Ohio State led the nation in pass defense last season, the Ducks have the leading Heisman candidate at quarterback while Stewart and Tez Johnson are among the four shortest odds to win the Fred Biletnikoff Award -- given to the nation's top wide receiver.

Gabriel is expected to give Oregon better QB play compared to the Buckeyes' Howard. With that and the schedule in mind, give me the Ducks to win the Big Ten.

USC Under 7.5 Wins (-115)

I don't expect the Big Ten to treat USC nicely in their first year in the conference.

The Trojans simply have one of NCAAF's most brutal schedules, led by a season-opening contest against the LSU Tigers. Michigan and Penn State are two more tough tests in conference play, capped by a non-conference matchup with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

This USC team was essentially carried by Caleb Williams over the last two seasons. The defense was among the bottom-20 teams in both points and yards allowed per game in 2023 (133 teams in FBS last season).

USC made the wise decision to make a change at defensive coordinator, replacing Alex Grinch with D'Anton Lynn. But a defense this bad probably won't be fixed overnight, especially with a difficult schedule ahead.

To make matters worse, Williams is now in the NFL. We don't know what the Trojans have at quarterback with Moss and Maiava battling for the job.

In a conference known for physicality, running the football, and playing good defense, USC looks on their way to under 7.5 wins.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.