Ohio State Football: Predicting the Big Ten Winner and Awards
The Ohio State football team is about to embark upon the 2023 season. Here are some Big Ten conference predictions for the year ahead.
The Ohio State football team is nearly ready for the 2023 campaign. With only a few roster decisions left to make, including at quarterback, Ryan Day and his staff are officially in season mode as they prepare for Indiana on September 2nd.
It’s only natural as the season inches closer to make some predictions about the Big Ten conference. We already gave you our preseason All-Big Ten team a couple of weeks ago, now it’s time to pick a conference winner and some awards to go along with that.
Big Ten Championship: Ohio State over Wisconsin
The Big Ten should be a four-team race in 2023 between the Ohio State football team, Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin. The Badgers should come out of the West in the last season of divisions, making them a contender.
The East will be wide open amongst the top three schools. This is probably the strongest that Michigan and Penn State have been in some while. Penn State will put out a top-10 defense in 2023 but can they hang with the Buckeyes offensively?
Michigan is probably better than they were last season, and in all reality, the Michigan vs. Ohio State on November 25th in Ann Arbor should determine the conference winner. I’ve got the Buckeyes.
Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year: Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
This is a bit of a surprise as an Ohio State quarterback has won this award every season for the last five years. This year I believe that Egbuka will have such a monster season that they won’t be able to give it to anybody else.
With all the opposing defenses’ attention paid to Marvin Harrison Jr., and rightfully so, Egbuka should wreak havoc in the slot and produce a Jaxon Smith-Njigba 2021-type season. Look for over 85 receptions and 1,500 yards for Emeka on his way to the award.
Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year: Chop Robinson, Penn State
This is a tough award to predict this season with so many great defenders in the Big Ten. Players like Will Johnson, Jer’Zhan Newton, Kalen King, Tommy Eichenberg, and Cooper DeJean will all have a say in this. But in the end, I think Chop Robinson is the best pure pass rusher in the Big Ten as he will produce a double-digit sack total in 2023.
Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is aggressive and will think of creative ways to get Robinson to flourish. The former five-star recruit who transferred last season to Penn State from Maryland is poised to break out.
Big Ten Freshman of the Year: Malachi Coleman, Nebraska
This freshman receiver is already the most physically imposing receiving threat on the Cornhuskers roster and new head coach Matt Rhule will want to quickly get him acclimated to the college game. I expect him to start from day one, thus giving him a leg up for this award.
Next. Game-by-game predictions for 2023 season. dark
Big Ten Coach of the Year: Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
Fickell gets the nod here as he should be able to quickly turn around this Badger program. He hired a great offensive coordinator in Phil Longo and brought in one of the better transfer quarterbacks from the portal in Tanner Mordecai. I’m looking for Fickell and Wisconsin to win the Big Ten West, making him an easy contender for this award.