BIG Tens BIGGEST Questions | Always College Football

0:00 this conference.

0:01 They've won three straight national championships.

0:03 It has a bunch of national title contenders this year.

0:06 And it has questions.

0:07 I mean, real honest, unresolved questions at virtually every single program

0:12 in the top half of the league.

0:13 That's not weakness, by the way.

0:15 This is the best version of what the sport's supposed to be.

0:18 I'm all here for it.

0:24 Hello and welcome in.

0:25 It's always college football.

0:26 I'm your host, Greg Mroy.

0:27 So happy to have you here with us today.

0:29 We will dedicate today's show to the Big 10.

0:33 All of you guys think for whatever reason we have like some SEC agenda.

0:38 No, we we cover everybody here at Always College

0:40 Football and the Big 10's won three straight national champions.

0:44 Uh you had Michigan in 23, Ohio State in 24,

0:46 and then Indiana capping off the three repeat last year in 25.

0:50 And the spring games have been played.

0:52 You got some depth charts that have been shuffled a little bit.

0:54 We got 15 practices that have maybe separated some storylines

1:00 from some real story lines versus maybe some artificial story lines.

1:05 But we have some questions about this conference probably

1:08 more so than we did coming out of January.

1:11 And it's not a bad thing at all.

1:12 It's it's the exact thing you want.

1:14 like you need to know what are we paying attention to this summer

1:19 and throughout fall that could keep

1:21 these teams from potentially reaching their ceiling.

1:25 So, welcome in.

1:26 Glad to have you with us.

1:28 Full spring audit, biggest, deepest,

1:31 probably the most confusing conference in college football in many ways.

1:34 Uh, so we're not going to hit just storylines.

1:36 We're not going to hit just vibes.

1:38 We're going to get the questions right.

1:40 the unresolved keep me up at night questions that are going

1:44 to define the conference race here in 2026 because the gap

1:48 between the elite and the middle tier in the Big 10

1:51 feels like it's a little wider than most of the other leagues,

1:54 but the gap between the top and the bottom is enormous, right?

1:57 It's about as wide as the as as the valley

2:01 that you might see out there near the Grand Canyon.

2:05 Okay, we know spring football's confirmed that.

2:07 We know Ohio State, we know Michigan, we know Indiana, we know Oregon,

2:10 we know Penn State has just become kind of Iowa State East.

2:14 We know that every elite program in this conference

2:16 left spring though with something to prove.

2:18 It's not it's not problematic, but it's worth noting right now.

2:23 So, let's go through it program by program, question by question.

2:26 We'll start at the top and then work our way through it.

2:29 So, let's get in.

2:29 We'll kick things off with the Indiana Hooers.

2:35 The biggest question for the defending national champions

2:38 this upcoming season is can Josh Hoover actually

2:42 replace Fernando Mendoza or is Indiana about

2:46 to find out just how singular Mendoza really was?

2:49 Because on spring game right the scoreboard it lights

2:53 up with a notification that stopped everything in its tracks.

2:57 That means Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman winner,

2:59 the architect of the 16-0 season,

3:02 the number one overall selection for the Las Vegas Raiders.

3:05 The crowd goes absolutely nuts when they announce the pick, right?

3:09 And then everyone kind of look back at the field where there's Josh Hoover, uh,

3:13 who's got six completions for about a 100 yards

3:15 behind an offensive line that's not at all fully

3:17 intact right now in front of a crowd that was

3:21 simultaneously celebrating the guy that he has to replace.

3:24 I mean, that's kind of a cold way to start your era.

3:27 Now, to be fair to Hoover, I mean, context matters here, right?

3:30 They're going to be without their left tackle in spring.

3:33 Carter Smith, they're going to be without their right guard in spring.

3:36 These guys not really available.

3:37 So, the offensive line that he's playing behind,

3:39 you got some multiple freshman out there running with the ones there

3:44 in the in the spring going against a really

3:46 good defense and they got sacked a bunch.

3:50 He took up a lot of sacks.

3:51 Not not great.

3:52 Now, second quarter, things settle down just a little bit.

3:54 Hoover looks a little bit more comfortable

3:57 and everything that you hear about from Curt Signetti,

4:00 he he publicly has has gone out on a limb and defending Hoover,

4:04 saying that he's processoriented,

4:06 that he he's trying to make the most of every single rep right now,

4:09 and you can interpret that as coach speak,

4:11 but it's also kind of consistent with how

4:13 Curt Signetti has handled every single transition at Indiana.

4:18 Now, the factual case for Josh Hoover is

4:21 that the guy threw for nearly 3,500 yards last year,

4:24 threw 29 touchdowns last year, completed nearly 66% of his passes.

4:28 This is not some reclamation project.

4:30 This is a proven power four starter with a full body of work.

4:34 Now, the case for concern is a little

4:37 simpler and and kind of harder to argue away.

4:40 Mendoza was undefeated.

4:41 He won the Heisman.

4:42 He was the first pick in the NFL draft, right?

4:44 The offense is not just replacing him,

4:46 they're replacing their top two running backs and Calin Black and Roman Hemi.

4:49 Both are now the NFL.

4:51 You lose some of the most experienced players at receiver in the entire country.

4:56 And while they do return some talent for sure,

4:59 I mean, Charlie Becker's outstanding.

5:01 Uh guys, one of the best receivers in the Big 10,

5:03 one of the best receivers in the country,

5:05 you have a bunch of new weapons, some guys to be very excited about.

5:08 Like got Marsh coming in, Jess Preston,

5:10 you got a new running back from Boston College and Turbo Rashard.

5:14 Like there's a lot to like about what was brought in.

5:17 And here's where I kind of land on Indiana.

5:19 The program doesn't rebuild.

5:21 Curt Signetti just simply reloads.

5:23 He did it by infusing a ton of talent.

5:25 Year one, nobody really believed Indiana could compete.

5:28 They make the playoff in year number two.

5:30 People thought, well, yeah, they'll take a natural step back.

5:32 How could they not?

5:33 Well, they get better and they

5:34 go undefeated and winning the national championship.

5:36 He's probably going to do it again in year number three.

5:38 Now, the offensive line hell situation going

5:40 to be watching that one pretty closely.

5:42 I think that group has a chance to be top tier in in the sport.

5:47 Those two guys and Carter Smith and Bray Lynch being out, not great.

5:50 They will be back for fall camp.

5:52 So, if they're at full strength and everything else falls into place,

5:55 the biggest question might not be Hoover himself.

5:57 The biggest question is whether Hoover is going to be

6:00 able to operate in that offense as quickly as he wants.

6:03 Because here's my take.

6:04 Indiana is still a top five program going into this year.

6:07 Yeah, you look at the schedule.

6:08 They avoid Oregon.

6:09 They avoid Penn State.

6:10 They are hosting Ohio State and that's kind

6:13 of the singular defining game on the schedule.

6:16 They are once again probably going to be one of the most underrated

6:19 teams in America because people are going to focus so much on what

6:22 was lost and not think about what Kurt Signetti and company have

6:26 built around the quarterback position because

6:28 Hoover does not have to be Mendoza.

6:30 He just has to be good enough for that defense, which is going to be great,

6:34 and the offensive line to kind of handle the rest of the task.

6:38 So, it's not a an unreasonable ask.

6:41 They're going to be just fine.

6:42 They're in Bloomington, Indiana.

6:44 We'll go next to the runners up in the Big

6:46 10 last year is the Ohio State Buckeyes.

6:49 We know the roster is loaded.

6:50 We know they got just about everything you could possibly want.

6:52 So, here's the question.

6:54 Julian Sam, we all think he's one of the best quarterbacks in the country,

6:57 but now it feels like it's time to maybe take that step, right?

7:01 Is he ready to command on the biggest stage arguably in all of college football?

7:05 Or is Ohio State one off day away from bowing

7:10 out of the playoffs sooner than they probably should?

7:12 That that's the question.

7:13 And here's what Ohio State's spring game has told us.

7:15 Look, Julian Sand right down the field.

7:17 We know that.

7:18 facing a fourth and goal,

7:20 escapes the rusher when the offensive line kind of breaks down,

7:22 keeps his eyes downfield, found nothing, decided to run it in himself.

7:25 They've talked about his legs being more part of the offense this year.

7:29 And I love the energy that we get from Julian Sam.

7:32 I feel like he does all the right things.

7:33 Uh he has the mentality to approach that position at Ohio

7:36 State and and approaches it the exact way you would want.

7:39 Things roll off his back.

7:41 He's he's singularly focused on what's ahead.

7:45 and you need your quarterback to be a dude when you

7:49 are shouldering the burden of trying to chase championships every single year.

7:54 Now, the broader picture, you look at the defense,

7:56 you know, they won spring game or whatnot.

7:59 Uh you look at some of the bright moments, right,

8:01 with Chris Henry and and him announcing his presence

8:04 to the world and and what he might ultimately become.

8:07 So, there's a lot of good news kind of all over the place.

8:10 But the one question that I'm really curious

8:12 about when it comes to Ohio State's championship ceiling,

8:15 we know that Julian S's super composed.

8:17 We know he's a veteran.

8:18 We know he's outrageously accurate,

8:20 probably one of the most accurate quarterbacks

8:21 we've seen in college football in recent years.

8:23 But last year, uh, or two years ago,

8:26 excuse me, when Ohio State won the national championship,

8:29 Will Howard stepped up in some really

8:31 big moments and made some really big plays.

8:34 This is the year where Syan can take that step as well.

8:37 Now, if you look at the spring, looked like there was a a little cautiousness,

8:43 maybe a little bit of a tendency to play it a little closer to the vest.

8:47 And if you listen to those that follow the Buckeyes very closely,

8:50 they chart all the games.

8:52 Such a such a wellsourced group that follows the Buckeyes, they're all in, man.

8:57 Got to love them.

8:58 Uh you really do.

8:58 I always read all their stuff.

8:59 I think it's terrific.

9:00 And there's a bunch of different bunch of different

9:03 companies that are charting all of this stuff.

9:05 You chart every single throw in the spring game and saying on passes

9:09 in the intermediates between 10 and 20 yards downfield was just two of seven.

9:14 Didn't attempt a single pass that was 20 yards downfield.

9:17 Now you have a team with Jeremiah Smith, right?

9:19 Arguably the most talented player in the country.

9:21 Uh Jeremiah Smith last year averaged nearly 15 yards of reception.

9:26 So if you're not trying to stretch the field with regularity,

9:30 then you're probably not using Jeremiah Smith to his full capacity.

9:34 And I think if you listen to Ryan Day,

9:36 the the run threat that you've seen from San

9:39 that appears to be something that can be built upon.

9:42 You also look at what was lost off

9:44 the defensive side with Sunny Styles and Arville Reese, those guys being gone.

9:48 I love the in-house candidates that are there to potentially replace.

9:52 I like some of the pieces they brought in both

9:54 in their recruiting class and in the transfer portal.

9:57 But it is an interesting kind of process to figure out, all right,

10:01 who will be the guys that are going to be shutting

10:04 things down after you lose two elite linebackers a year ago.

10:08 Because I I know Ohio State's offense is going to be great.

10:10 I know Ohio State's defense can be great,

10:12 but we are not measuring Ohio State to that of the rest of college football.

10:17 We're measuring Ohio State against themselves.

10:19 And that's that's a tremendous tremendous place to be.

10:23 We're not going to rank, oh well,

10:24 Ohio State top three team this year, obviously, right?

10:26 But how does this Ohio State team stack up

10:29 against past Ohio State teams that have won national championships?

10:33 That's the real question.

10:34 And I think there is a bit of a question.

10:36 Can the defense continue to rebuild and match

10:39 the standard that we saw at times last year?

10:42 Can Julian San add that vertical

10:44 dimension that makes this offense truly unstoppable?

10:48 Ohio State's going to be preseason number one in a lot of polls.

10:51 It would be really hard for me to push back on that.

10:53 I think they're elite.

10:55 I am however really encouraged by them addressing Seyan's

11:00 athleticism and the need for him to run the football.

11:03 And I also want to see him be a little bit more aggressive this year.

11:06 That's it.

11:06 Just a little bit more aggressive because if you can start pushing

11:09 the ball down the field with how they're likely going to be

11:11 able to run the ball and how they can pick you

11:13 apart as well and with what I think they'll be on defense,

11:16 this team should be right there in the mix

11:17 to win a national championship yet again.

11:20 But in order to win the national championship,

11:22 you need the quarterback and the defense to peak at the exact same time.

11:26 And if they do, they will be an almost impossible

11:28 out for just about anybody they face this upcoming season.

11:31 Moving on to the Oregon Ducks.

11:34 And the big question is, can two new coordinators maintains Oregon

11:40 maintain Oregon's elite offensive and defensive identity?

11:44 Or does some staff turnover kind of kind

11:48 of maybe take a little while to get comfortable?

11:51 And that's that's a real thing because if you look at Dan

11:54 Lanning's program development and and he's

11:56 followed a very specific pattern, right?

11:58 You have you got proven coordinators.

12:00 You got guys that have done a lot of great things.

12:02 You rinse and repeat, right?

12:04 Well, Will Stein's now left to become the head coach at Kentucky.

12:07 Tosh Lupo has now left to become the head coach at Cal.

12:10 Both were replaced internally by coaches that have called plays in the past,

12:15 but this is a little different responsibility for Drew Maringer,

12:18 uh, who previously served as as a tight end's coach

12:20 and is now stepping into the down and down out play caller.

12:23 Chris Hampton, now Colin plays on the defensive side.

12:26 These guys are great coaches.

12:28 And if you listen to what they said all spring,

12:30 Manger for example, I he said all the right things.

12:32 Everything that you want to hear from your coordinator is great.

12:36 And I think if you listen to Lanning, he was very direct after the spring game.

12:40 So he wasn't necessarily watching these specific play calls.

12:44 He was really watching more operation communication, uh some of the command.

12:49 So he he was running a a little bit of an evaluation about the bigger picture

12:54 and how they're getting to and from the huddle

12:56 and how they're operating in between plays.

12:58 So he's kind of watching the coordinators and and the good

13:00 news is talent is going to make the coordinators a whole lot

13:05 better no matter what is if you got dudes even if even

13:10 if the coordinators are purely functional they're going to be just fine.

13:13 Like dudes win Jimmies and Joe's over X's and O's

13:17 and they have a lot of really good Jimmies and Joe's.

13:20 Dante Moore, for example, bypasses the NFL draft last year.

13:23 A lot of people thought he was going to be a top three pick.

13:25 He decides to return to Eugene for one reason.

13:27 He cites an unfinished business.

13:29 I also think there's area to grow within his game.

13:32 He threw 30 touchdown passes last year.

13:34 He's one of the best guys doing it.

13:36 You look at their defensive front.

13:38 If you got quarterback and defensive line taken care of, you're

13:40 usually in a pretty good starting spot with Matu Matteo,

13:44 Amari Washington, Bear Alexander, Tatum Touiotti, who I absolutely love.

13:48 Those guys are all back, right?

13:50 This is one of the most physically

13:51 dominant defensive fronts in all of college football.

13:54 You've added some quality pieces to the secondary,

13:57 some real playmakers back there.

13:58 You love the offensive skill with the Cororean Moore,

14:01 who has a chance to be a massive breakout candidate this year.

14:04 And now the return of Evan Stewart, who missed all of last year.

14:07 he'll be back healthy and you could have a 1A 1B type of situation.

14:11 The linebacker room, yeah, I'm paying attention to that because Bryce

14:14 Bcher is going to be tough to replace.

14:15 The guy had nearly 140 tackles last year,

14:18 but you get a few guys back that have played a lot of football as well

14:21 and you might have some really talented

14:22 freshman that could push for playing time immediately.

14:25 There are maybe a couple depth questions there at linebacker, but my take,

14:28 man, this is probably as talented a team as there is in the sport.

14:32 That's not hyperbolic.

14:34 Look at the two deep on both sides of the ball, offensive and defensive lines.

14:39 Quarterback, for example, you put Oregon right there alongside,

14:43 if not ahead of just about everybody.

14:46 But I don't know if I'm necessarily ready to declare this as a runaway.

14:49 There are questions about the coordinator and coordinator transitions.

14:52 They can occasionally have some growing pains.

14:55 So, if for whatever reason, Maringer or or Hampton,

14:58 maybe they're not having a great game or whatever,

15:01 maybe they struggle for for what whatever reason.

15:04 Who knows?

15:04 Uh, does that have an effect on the overall output

15:08 of what you're getting on both sides of the ball?

15:11 Maybe, maybe not.

15:13 However, it is a question.

15:14 So, I think you should feel really good about Oregon right now,

15:18 even with new coordinators, but that probably is the biggest question

15:22 about the Ducks heading into this upcoming season.

15:26 The Michigan Wolverines trying to get back into the college

15:29 football playoff and they have some coaching transition as well.

15:32 However, the biggest question for Michigan this year is can

15:37 Bryce Underwood make a sophomore leap under a new coach,

15:41 new coordinator, and a completely new offensive system?

15:45 That's a real question because look, I love Kyle Whittingham.

15:48 I mean, he didn't come to Ann Arbor to help build this thing from the ground up.

15:51 I mean, he came in to plug and play and to win immediately.

15:54 He brings in his offensive coordinator from Utah with him in Jason Beck.

15:58 and Beck dramatically improved Utah's offense last year.

16:02 He brings in defensive coordinator Jay Hill who he

16:05 swiped from BYU and he knew him very very close.

16:07 Like that's going to be a really

16:09 really smooth transition I think with the coaches.

16:12 But retaining Bryce Underwood was massive.

16:14 He was the top recruit from the class a couple years back.

16:17 Had a bit of an up and down freshman year which is to be expected by the way

16:21 and didn't play his best ball in the closing

16:24 stretch of the Citrus Bowl loss to Texas.

16:27 Now, the spring game, bit of a lowscoring affair.

16:30 And Underwood, if you're going to look

16:31 at the limited reps that he actually was out there,

16:33 he was just three and nine for 22 yards.

16:35 And there's still some inconsistencies from an accuracy standpoint.

16:39 There still appears to be some maybe occasional mechanical issues.

16:43 And and some of those concerns are a little familiar from what we saw last year.

16:48 Now, uh, everyone's going to be in love with the new toy, right?

16:51 the the the new freshman quarterback Tommy Carr,

16:54 who of course is is a grandson of of the legendary

16:58 Michigan coach uh and Lloyd Carr and and he looked great, right?

17:02 So, everybody loves him.

17:03 And there was that steak versus hot dogs reward system where

17:07 the winning team got stakes and the losing team got hot dogs.

17:10 Well, apparently that motivated Tommy Carr there because they made

17:14 pretty clear after this after the actual spring game itself.

17:18 It's like we know Underwood's the starter.

17:20 No one's denying that.

17:21 There's no question about it.

17:22 There's not a competition.

17:24 But there's something that I keep coming back to when

17:26 Whittingham talked about Underwood said

17:29 that he progressed significantly through spring.

17:32 Now, some things that you may not necessarily notice,

17:36 but his footwork, his pocket presence,

17:40 he's improved in just about every area, but there's still a lot of work to do.

17:44 Yeah, there's still a lot of work to do.

17:45 He's a secondyear player, and that's truth from his own head coach.

17:49 Now, the big story in the spring was freshman running back Seavon Haidider.

17:55 Sounds like he's got power, sounds he got footwork,

17:57 he's got a lot of speed as well.

17:59 Every single report out of Ann Arbor

18:01 referenced him as a possible breakout candidate.

18:04 You also hear a lot about the presence

18:06 that Cissi Moa made to the wide receiver room.

18:10 It sounds like the defense has a bit of an identity coming out of spring.

18:13 But the ceiling in 2026 for Michigan

18:16 will be determined almost entirely by one thing,

18:19 and that's Bryce Underwood, right?

18:21 Because right now he's learning a new offense.

18:24 This is sec his second college season.

18:27 If he could develop into an elite Big 10 quarterback,

18:30 then Michigan has every opportunity to not just compete in the league,

18:34 but compete for the college football playoff as well.

18:37 Michigan's one of the most fascinating programs in the conference this year.

18:40 Not because they're the best,

18:41 but because the range of outcomes is pretty significant.

18:44 If Underwood can can figure it out

18:47 and the Whittingham culture kind of lands immediately,

18:50 this is a college football playoff lock.

18:52 But if Underwood continues with some inconsistencies and maybe the offense

18:58 isn't as good as we hope they're going to be,

19:00 well, man, this could be a team that has some ups and downs.

19:04 Now, I'm not quite ready to put Michigan into my preseason

19:07 top five until I see Underwood put together a full game,

19:11 but I'm absolutely bullish on this Michigan team.

19:15 Like I said though, almost entirely due

19:17 to the progress I anticipate from their starting quarterback.

19:22 Moving on to the Penn State Nitney Lions.

19:24 Now, a lot's changed for Penn State from last year to this year.

19:28 Last year, they were top one, maybe two team in the country in the preseason.

19:32 Now it feels like they're very much flying under the radar.

19:34 So the big question for Penn State is did Matt Campbell

19:38 bring enough Iowa State DNA to Happy Valley to actually change

19:42 Penn State's ceiling or is this potentially going to be a slightly

19:46 slower build that fans are going to expect results right now?

19:51 Because let's kind of put the roster movement in perspective.

19:55 Matt Campbell takes the job and in taking the job he decides to bring,

20:00 I don't know, 25 of his Iowa State players with him to Happy Valley.

20:04 You bring your quarterback, you bring a couple wide receivers,

20:06 you bring your running back, and there's a lot of familiarity between M.

20:10 Campbell and these players.

20:11 That's not abstract.

20:12 I mean, that we know that.

20:13 All right.

20:14 So this is kind of some of a functional team building advantage that very

20:19 few new head coaches in the country have because we know Roco Beck for example,

20:25 he spent most of the spring recovering from uh

20:28 being a little bit beat up last year.

20:29 But he said that the current Penn State roster was kind

20:32 of brought together in a way that the previous one was not.

20:36 Is that all the guys are aligned and that all

20:38 the goals and expectations are clearly laid out.

20:41 And if you're not on the same page with your teammates,

20:44 it's going to be really hard to win the big games

20:46 that we haven't seen Penn State win in quite some time.

20:50 And it sounds like too this this team appears to be very much playerled.

20:54 And that maybe last year that wasn't really the case.

20:57 And who knows, we'll see.

20:58 But that's clearly a bit of an assessment of what

21:02 the James Franklin era became at the end of his tenure.

21:06 But if you listen to Matt Campbell himself,

21:09 he's talking about about third string

21:11 quarterbacks and backup quarterbacks that that burst

21:14 through and and guys that are getting first and second team reps.

21:17 I mean, he's citing a division

21:18 three transfer from Christopher Newport and Connor

21:20 Barry as one of the guys that have one of the best springs,

21:23 which is pretty impressive.

21:24 That's a that's a feel-good story, right?

21:27 But the depth chart kind of all over the place.

21:30 There are some questions there.

21:31 And whether you had a bunch of guys

21:33 that were in and out of spring practice with lineups,

21:36 uh the lineup with injuries, we'll see.

21:40 They got to be mentally and physically ready to make

21:43 sure that they're in a really good spot because the schedule

21:46 I actually think their schedule is for the most part getable

21:49 relative to what we've seen in the past from Penn State.

21:52 They avoid Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon.

21:54 So, they they do get SC, they do get Michigan, they do get Washington.

21:58 But to think about what the floor now is with Penn State.

22:03 I don't know where the ceiling is just yet, but I do know where the floor is.

22:07 I think this is a team that has legitimate darkhorse potential.

22:12 Legitimate.

22:13 Look at their schedule.

22:15 To think they can get to 9 or 10 is not outside

22:17 of the realm of possibility because the culture has been reset in real time.

22:22 And the talent's going to be good.

22:23 It's going to be solid.

22:24 Now, can it extend beyond what we've seen in the past?

22:28 Perhaps.

22:29 But the schedule is favorable.

22:31 And if Roco Obeck, who's one

22:33 of the most experienced quarterbacks in the entire country,

22:35 the guys won 26 games, that experience is worth something.

22:39 Now, the one question that I can't quite get out of my head

22:42 is that there were a bunch of guys that were out for spring practice.

22:45 So, how much do they actually know about the team right now?

22:48 I think Campbell has kind of admitted that.

22:50 He said, "Look, we we still are kind of putting this thing together.

22:53 We're still kind of trying to figure out who we are." So,

22:56 it's really the next 14, 15, 16 weeks that will be critical.

23:01 The summer months for this group to continue to elevate,

23:03 continue to get healthy, continue to create continuity.

23:06 And then when they kick things off in September,

23:08 that's when we're going to find out because this is

23:10 simultaneously very exciting and a little bit to be like,

23:14 "All right, let's be careful here.

23:16 Let's not get out over our skis." But the opportunity

23:18 is there for Penn State if they can go

23:20 out there and take some of those games that they

23:22 haven't quite gotten with a consistency the last few years.

23:27 Moving out west, it's the USC Trojans.

23:29 And the big question for them, this is a pretty simple one, by the way.

23:32 Can Gary Patterson turn USC into a program that can win super physical games?

23:38 Or is this still going to be a high-powered offense that's

23:42 kind of waiting for that defense to maybe take the next step?

23:44 because we've seen like Lincoln Riley at SC now for five years, right?

23:48 The offenses have been terrific and the defenses

23:51 have at various points been at best average, right?

23:55 If you look last year, look, they they get to nine wins,

23:59 they they lose in the bowl game and they

24:01 decide to overhaul the defensive stat partly because of departures.

24:04 But the headliner is that Gary Patterson,

24:07 a Hall of Fame defensive coordinator and former head coach at TCU,

24:12 a man that built one of the most

24:14 fundamentally sound defensive programs in college football history.

24:18 He's now taken over on that side of the ball.

24:20 And he's 66 years old.

24:22 He's not here to just watch film and and live in a support role.

24:26 I He told the media this spring exactly what he's bringing to SC.

24:30 He's going to bring that that defense,

24:32 that 425 base defense identity with multiple calls on every play,

24:37 one for the front, one for the back end.

24:39 That creates a level of schematic complexity

24:42 that maybe they haven't quite had at SC the last couple years because we know

24:47 on offense they're going to be in good shape.

24:49 I love quarterback Jaden Mayava.

24:51 He's a proven starter.

24:52 I think he's got a chance to take a huge step this year.

24:54 The offensive line has a decent amount of experience.

24:57 There's been some talent infusion on the defense as well.

25:01 You got some high ceiling freshman additions.

25:04 You got some guys that joined via the transfer portal as well.

25:08 And the reports out of Heritage Hall have been

25:11 consistently really positive about the direction of Gary Patterson's unit.

25:16 And Riley's said all of it publicly.

25:18 And here's the thing.

25:19 Riley has been saying that USC's defense is

25:22 improved every spring for the last 5 years.

25:25 Well, I do think they've grown on that side of the ball.

25:27 They have.

25:28 They've gotten better on defense from where they

25:30 were when things started to where they're at now.

25:33 The defense has improved,

25:34 but it has not improved enough to make them a legitimate contender.

25:40 Not just competing for a playoff spot, but competing in the Big 10

25:43 and potentially competing for a national championship.

25:45 But Gary Patterson's pedigree is real.

25:47 If you look at his success at TCU, the guy won 181 games.

25:51 He had five defenses that were ranked in the top

25:54 five in his tenure as the head coach at TCU.

25:59 He's a college football hall of famer.

26:00 So, you you can't really punch back against his bonafides,

26:04 but he's been out of head coaching since he left TCU in 2021.

26:09 And the USC defensive roster is still trying

26:12 to get to a point which they have the depth.

26:14 They do look like they have the talent in some places,

26:17 but do they have the consistency and they have the depth?

26:20 Like my take is I really believe that Patterson uh is the guy.

26:25 He's the guy that's gonna make a difference.

26:27 This is the most I've believed in a in a higher

26:30 on the defensive side since Lincoln Riley took over.

26:34 Gary Patterson has absolutely nothing to prove.

26:36 He's got absolutely nothing to lose.

26:38 Uh he's already in the Hall of Fame.

26:40 He's just got a genuine passion for building a defense.

26:43 And if Patterson can get USC to I don't know above average in the Big

26:49 10 in points allowed because they have historically over the last few years,

26:53 you know, they haven't been great.

26:54 They've taken strides,

26:55 but if they can get to the top five in the Big 10 in points allowed,

26:59 then they're going to have enough offensive firepower to win

27:02 10 games and make a legitimate college football playoff run.

27:04 If the defense is still really inconsistent,

27:07 then it's going to be really challenging for them

27:09 to reach their ceiling because this is year five.

27:12 Now is the time for that championship window

27:15 that Riley has talked about all off seasonason.

27:17 Now is the time for them to take that collective step.

27:20 I really believe they can if they can take those strides on the defensive side.

27:24 Moving on to the Nebraska Corn Huskers.

27:26 The question for Nebraska,

27:28 can Anthony Colandria translate the production he had in the Mountain

27:32 West into becoming a legitimate Big 10 starting quarterback?

27:36 And is Matt Rule are they finally about

27:39 to build something very real in Lincoln, Nebraska?

27:42 Because this is year four, right?

27:43 The first three years 500 record and at some

27:46 point the building and they've they've been building now.

27:48 It's going to take on some serious results.

27:50 Now the quarterback situation, uh I think they've had some good moments,

27:54 but collectively over the course of his entire tenure, it's been fine.

27:58 Well, Dylan Rael now he's starting over.

28:00 He's going to go to Oregon.

28:01 Emma Johnson's heading to the NFL.

28:03 And into this vacuum steps Anthony Kandria, who is a transfer from UNLV,

28:09 was the Mountain West offensive player of the year last year,

28:12 had over 4,100 all-purpose yards and 33 touchdowns.

28:17 If you look over the course of his career,

28:18 the guy scored 61 total touchdowns in his career.

28:21 The guy can play.

28:22 He's got nearly 8700 career all-purpose yards.

28:27 So, at the spring game in front of a decent amount of fans,

28:30 it's very obvious that Kandria is the guy.

28:32 There hasn't been a formal announcement,

28:34 but based on the playing time and the rep distribution,

28:36 like we know who's going to be the guy.

28:38 We know he's got mobility.

28:40 We know he's got athleticism.

28:41 Those are the things that kind of made him

28:42 special at UNLV and at Virginia the year before.

28:46 He clearly has a connection with a few of the receivers as well.

28:50 You're also hearing some buzz about Jamal Rule,

28:52 uh, the running back who who's a freshman,

28:54 that man, he might he might have a chance

28:56 to to really break out as a young player.

28:59 So, the honest concern about Colandria is not really about his talent.

29:04 The concern is the massive jump in defensive talent

29:08 that he's going to face week in and week out.

29:10 Against the Mountain West, yeah, good teams in the Mountain West for sure.

29:13 He had 23 touchdowns.

29:15 He had nine picks.

29:16 But even in his time at Virginia,

29:17 there were some really high highs and there were a couple lows as well.

29:21 But what's going to happen when you face off

29:22 against Indiana and Iowa and Illinois or an Ohio State?

29:26 That's the test, right?

29:28 Kandria, he's talked about running some tempo,

29:31 the the same tempo that he thrived on at Virginia and UNLV.

29:35 Adana Hogerson's going to put him in a position to be successful.

29:39 And if they can commit to it,

29:40 then I think this offense could be very difficult to play against uh

29:44 in a week's worth of practice leading up to the game against the Corn Huskers.

29:48 Look, my take, I think this is an 8- win team this year.

29:50 I know that feels like a bit of a hot take,

29:52 but I however think this is a very reasonable projection

29:56 based on the upside that you might have at quarterback,

30:00 a pretty favorable stretch within the schedule and four

30:03 years now building up to this point where

30:05 the depth chart is where it needs to be

30:07 because if Colandria can be healthy for 12 games, the offensive line improves,

30:11 those are those are both very real questions at this point,

30:14 then Nebraska will be comfortably in a bowl

30:17 game with some possible upside room to spare.

30:20 So, there's a lot of progress and it's been slow at times.

30:23 It's been a bit of a grind at times,

30:25 but it's been hard-earned progress, but progress nonetheless.

30:28 So, cautiously optimistic about Nebraska this year,

30:31 but almost all pending their quarterback playing

30:34 to the level I think he's capable of playing at.

30:37 We'll go next.

30:38 We're going to pair two teams together here.

30:39 We're going to do Michigan State and Northwestern all together.

30:42 You'll understand why.

30:43 It's a bit of a soap opera.

30:44 It's kind of fun.

30:45 We will start with Michigan State.

30:46 Did Pat Fitzgerald just walk into the best possible situation or is

30:52 rebuilding Michigan State from scratch harder than it looks from the outside?

30:58 And then the companion question,

31:00 can Chip Kelly and Aiden Childs make Northwestern competitive enough

31:05 to actually maybe throw a couple wrenches in the Big 10 race?

31:09 Now, we're combining these two because they're a little bit

31:11 inseparable right now because if you look at Pat Fitzgerald,

31:14 he was fired by Northwestern back in 2023 after a hazing scandal.

31:18 He's been since vindicated.

31:19 He's been two years out of coaching.

31:21 Decides to come back.

31:22 He's going to be the head coach of Michigan State.

31:24 Well, Aiden Childs was Michigan State starting

31:27 quarterback the last couple years under Jonathan Smith.

31:29 Smith gets fired.

31:31 Child transfers to Northwestern.

31:32 And now Chip Kelly, who's a legendary offensive mind

31:36 who helped build Oregon into what they became 10,

31:39 12, 15, 20 years ago, he's now the offensive coordinator for Northwestern.

31:44 So, when Northwestern visits Michigan State in 2026,

31:49 Fitzgerald will face his former program and the former quarterback

31:54 at Michigan State will be under center for the opponent.

31:58 Chip Kelly, who's Oregon Ducks once dismantled everything that all

32:03 these other guys in offense and defense have seen.

32:06 I mean, this is like college football writes a story.

32:08 Nobody could have scripted this.

32:09 So, let's talk a little football here.

32:10 So, let's start with Michigan State.

32:12 Fitzgerald this spring.

32:14 Uh there's only three starters, right?

32:16 A ton returning a ton of new additions via the transfer portal.

32:21 They bring in their quarterback, uh Alisio Milovic, who I'm pretty intrigued by.

32:28 He's the projected starter and he's a player showed some promise

32:32 at times in the final few games of the 2025 season.

32:34 So the infrastructure rebuild along both lines of scrimmage is underway,

32:39 which is always going to be Pat Fitzgerald's starting point,

32:42 but that's going to take a little time.

32:44 So Fitzgerald's always kind of been the type of program

32:47 builder where it might take three or four years,

32:49 and he is kind of starting from scratch.

32:52 Meanwhile, on the other side, Northwestern, Aiden Childs,

32:55 over the course of 20 starts at Michigan State threw for over 3,800 yards.

32:58 Uh, now he's entering into a new energy, fresh start, playing for a head coach,

33:03 David Braun, and Chip Kelly calling the plays as his offensive coordinator.

33:06 And we know under Kelly's offense, which historically has done a great job

33:10 of creating some mismatches with some tempo, with some option concepts.

33:13 The way they run the football is really impressive as well.

33:16 We know Charles has a real chance to kind of have a bit

33:18 of a breakout season that never really

33:21 fully materialized in his time at Michigan State.

33:24 and the Northwestern spring game showed the offense

33:27 running these comp sets for the first

33:29 time and and Charles kind of operating as the unquestioned QB number one.

33:34 Now, my take I think Northwestern's got a chance to be a lot better this year.

33:37 Now, I I know that sounds wild, but Aiden Charles, Chip Kelly,

33:42 a schedule does not require you to go beat Ohio State or Indiana.

33:45 I mean, that's kind of the formula.

33:47 Michigan State might take a little longer than one might expect.

33:51 I think Pat Fitzgerald knows that.

33:52 I think the program knows it and the only people that don't

33:55 know it right now are those that expect Patel to walk

33:58 right in, wave the magic wand and then all of a sudden

34:01 a very familiar names there so they're going to start winning.

34:03 I think it's going to take a little longer for Michigan State,

34:06 but I am cautiously optimistic long term that Pat

34:09 Fitzgerald will get that program going yet again.

34:14 Let's go through some of the rest of the conference now.

34:16 Let's go to the Washington Huskies.

34:18 Uh Deont Williams kind of spent the off season kind of a dramatic

34:21 off season was going to leave and then he came back new NIL contract.

34:25 So Jed Fish now entering into year number three and Williams who's

34:28 thrown for over 3,000 yards last year but didn't play great against Michigan.

34:33 You know there's some things there's some question here.

34:36 So there was maybe a little NIL drama that did

34:38 it have any effect on the chemistry or the trust

34:41 the team kind of needs to beat the elite

34:43 teams in the conference because Williams has the talent.

34:46 We know that and spring practice reports say that everything is

34:50 looking really good for him and we know that Fish and him,

34:52 they can repair that relationship.

34:54 I believe that, but I think right now when I look at Washington,

34:58 the arrow is pointing up, but at the same time,

35:01 it's going to require their quarterback playing at a remarkably high level.

35:04 We'll go next to the Iowa Hawkeyes.

35:06 Mark Granowski's gone.

35:08 Uh, you now have a quarterback competition featuring Jeremy Hilky,

35:13 who might be the guy we'll see.

35:15 He's kind of the projected guy as of this point.

35:17 Thrown exactly two passes last year.

35:19 We know the defense is going to be elite.

35:21 It's always elite because Phil Parker is still calling the plays,

35:24 but the Hawkeyes quarterback situation is one

35:27 of the more concerning quarterback situations in the conference.

35:30 Now, they utilized Granowski and I thought Granowski got a lot better

35:33 as the season went along last year than they won nine games last year.

35:36 So, a pretty dang good year.

35:38 But, I don't know right now about where Iowa is

35:41 because this could be a team that's in the playoff mix.

35:45 But they could also be a team that is disappointing offensively yet again.

35:48 However, we all know that Iowa is going to win games with their defense.

35:51 We'll go next to the Maryland Terrapens.

35:53 Look, Malik Wash is back.

35:54 You got a new offensive coordinator in there in Clint Tricket.

35:57 Uh, every game that Maryland plays this year is

35:58 going to be a bit of a track meet.

36:00 The defense continues to be the issue,

36:02 specifically maybe being real sound against the run,

36:04 but you do have a quarterback that could become a legitimate star.

36:08 So, if the defense can just hold up, just hold up a little bit,

36:11 Maryland could be a sneaky good team this year,

36:14 especially if the offense can grow behind an improving starting quarterback.

36:18 The Minnesota Golden Gophers, you get a couple pieces back that are really good.

36:22 Darius Taylor is a is a great example.

36:25 So, this year's ceiling probably at eight wins because

36:29 PJ Fleck has them bold eligible virtually every year.

36:32 Eight win maybe an outside shot at at potentially getting a nine.

36:34 The big question maybe getting that receiver room to develop,

36:37 but I think you got some really underrated pieces

36:40 there offensively within their rep weaponry that this team

36:43 could be quietly one of the more improved

36:47 teams in the in the conference this upcoming season.

36:52 Moving in the next tier with Wisconsin, Illinois,

36:54 Ruters, UCLA, Purdue, a bunch of teams right now.

36:57 Look, a lot of things about this tier right now.

36:59 And by the way, I know Illinois has had a great year.

37:01 I know I'm hopeful that Wisconsin could take a step forward this year.

37:06 Some of these teams, they they could exceed their projections.

37:09 Some of them will continue to live in the seller in the Big 10,

37:14 but it's really hard for me at this point to see

37:16 any of the aforementioned teams winning the Big 10 here in 2026.

37:20 So, it's not mean, it's just it's just math.

37:22 There's too many unknowns right now

37:24 surrounding some of those programs that think

37:26 they could take a legitimate step and be a contender here in 2026.

37:31 Let's now get into a couple hot takes.

37:32 All right.

37:33 Hot take number one.

37:34 Indiana's back in the Big 10 title game in 2026.

37:37 I know what you're thinking.

37:38 Uh you're you're going to sit there and say, "Of course you say that.

37:42 Everyone says it." No.

37:43 Here's specifically why.

37:44 If you look at their schedule, they avoid Oregon.

37:47 They avoid Penn State.

37:48 Ohio State comes to them on October 17th.

37:51 That's a rematch of the Big 10 Championship game from a year ago.

37:55 They'll play it at home.

37:56 And if you look at Curt Signetti, I mean,

37:57 he's never lost a game to a team that he should beat.

38:01 And right now, he's he's beaten Ohio State in the past.

38:04 Now, I think if you look at Josh Hoover,

38:06 he's going to have a healthy offensive line.

38:08 You look at the defense with Bryant Haynes

38:10 and the group that did such a great job last year.

38:13 The schedule's relatively manageable.

38:15 The home field advantage uh for their biggest game is very real.

38:19 and the system that Signetti has built,

38:22 they're they're not going to just fall apart because

38:24 Mendoza and two receivers and two running backs left.

38:27 They're going to be back in the Big 10 Championship game.

38:29 So, it's not recency bias.

38:30 I'm looking more of it more at it like

38:32 it's a program and not just one specific player.

38:37 I'll take number two.

38:38 Oregon's going to be playing in the national championship game next year.

38:42 Let's just throw it out there.

38:43 I really look at the talent.

38:44 I just think it's too good.

38:45 I I look at Dante Moore returning,

38:47 arguably the single most impactful player decision of this past off season.

38:52 A guy that could have very easily been a top five pick in the NFL draft,

38:56 decides to come back and chase a championship,

38:59 playing with a different level of motivation, man.

39:01 The defensive line, that's probably the biggest key.

39:04 That group is arguably the best in the country.

39:07 I'm a believer in Drew Maringer.

39:08 I'm a believer in Chris Hampton.

39:10 I think they're going to find

39:11 their new coordinator roles and fill them perfectly.

39:14 And I think Dan Lanning, he he knows what he's doing.

39:17 I mean, he has the infrastructure to support them.

39:19 So, I think they will be playing for a national championship this year.

39:22 I'll take number three.

39:23 I still think Bryce Underwood is maybe a year away from reaching his ceiling.

39:28 All right.

39:29 I I think the transition into a new offense.

39:32 I'm not sure at this point I would have him on on a preseason all Big 10 team.

39:36 It's not a shot.

39:38 It's just a realistic projection of what

39:40 happens when you ask a sophomore to master a brand new offense under a new head

39:43 coach on one of the biggest stages in America.

39:46 Like, we all know he has the talent to be

39:48 a guy that that excels at the top of the sport,

39:51 but this is a new system and it it's going to probably take a lot more than

39:56 2400 yards and 15 touchdowns to to have

39:59 a real breakout all Big 10 type of season.

40:02 and the Big 10.

40:03 A lot of really capable quarterbacks

40:06 and a guy that was really inconsistent last year.

40:08 It's going to be hard for him to get over some

40:11 of the other guys that he's going to be measured against, like Moore,

40:14 like Saiyan, and like some of the other guys that have played

40:16 a little bit longer and have played a little bit more consistently.

40:19 I hope I'm wrong, but we'll see.

40:21 Really, really hoping for Bryce Underwood to take a huge step.

40:24 Hot take number four.

40:25 I think if you look at Anthony Kandria,

40:27 I think he's a guy that could very well finish in the top three,

40:30 top five in the Big 10 offensive player of the year voting.

40:33 Now, this is an aggressive take.

40:35 Jumping from the Mountain West to the Big 10, that's a real jump.

40:38 But here's what I know about Anthony Kandra.

40:41 Uh he is he's been at Virginia, he's been at UNLV, he's now at Nebraska.

40:46 And this is a slightly different offense.

40:49 Dana Hogerson runs a a tempo system that really

40:53 could unlock the skill set that Kandria brings.

40:57 Now, if Nebraska wants to run some of that tempo

41:01 and the offensive lines better than it was a year ago,

41:04 which both appear to be where they're kind of heading,

41:07 then Kandre could finish the season with one

41:08 of the most talked about quarterbacks in the entire conference.

41:12 Maybe not the best, uh, but I could see him being a top three,

41:16 top five player in the league if all things go according to plan.

41:20 And then hot take number five, one of the most entertaining games in the Big

41:22 10 in 2026 is Northwestern at Michigan State.

41:25 Uh, Fitzgerald against his old school, child against his old team,

41:29 Chip Kelly's offense against Pat Fitzgerald's defense.

41:32 You got some drama, you got some football,

41:34 and I've seen a lot of college football,

41:36 but there's a narrative weight here that's going to make this game mustwatch.

41:40 Even though I don't think either team is going

41:43 to be in the mix to potentially win the Big 10,

41:46 it's just going to be a fascinating

41:47 game with a million different storylines surrounding it.

41:50 So, circle that one.

41:50 That's one that we will all be looking forward to this fall.

41:53 All right, it's time to land the plane.

41:55 Indiana, uh, they're going to be back in the Big 10 title game.

41:59 Uh, Ohio State, they they got to get aggressive offensively.

42:02 They have too much firepower not to be an aggressive group offensively.

42:06 We know Oregon's loaded.

42:08 We know they have some new coordinators.

42:10 I know Michigan is is hoping for Underwood to make that sophomore leap.

42:14 We know that Penn State looks an awful

42:16 lot like Iowa State as far as their personnel, but it does sound like culturally

42:20 everything is coming together really, really well.

42:22 And that SC is betting everything right now

42:24 on Gary Patterson bringing their defense into prominence.

42:28 But this conference, they've won three straight national championships.

42:32 It has a bunch of national title contenders this year.

42:35 And it has questions.

42:36 I mean, real, honest, unresolved questions at virtually every single program

42:40 in the top half of the league.

42:42 That's not weakness, by the way.

42:44 This is the best version of what the sport's supposed to be.

42:47 I'm all here for it.

42:48 You're not supposed to be a finished product in May.

42:50 You're supposed to have questions and the best coaches and the best rosters,

42:54 they get those questions addressed before toe meets leather

42:58 in week zero or week one of the college football season.

43:01 So, that'll do it for us here.

43:02 We always encourage you to go and subscribe to the podcast if you could.

43:05 Wherever you get your podcast, you can subscribe.

43:07 You can check us out on the ESPN College Ball YouTube page as well.

43:10 So for all of us here at ACF, for Mark,

43:12 Jake, Jack, the other Jack intern, Sam, I'm Greg.

43:14 We hope you have an amazing day and remember, it's always college football.

43:20 Hey guys, it's Greg Mackoy.

43:22 Thanks for watching Always College Football.

43:24 Make sure you like, rate,

43:25 and subscribe to ESPN's YouTube channel and wherever you listen to your podcast.