2024 Big Ten football preview: Best bet to win the conference

The 2024 college football season kicks off Saturday, August 24. Nate Jacobson and Ben Wittenstein preview the major conferences with their predictions and best bets.

Which team is the best bet to win the conference?

Ben’s pick — Oregon to win the Big Ten (+250, Caesars)

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As a son of Michigan parents, I simply cannot bring myself to publicly back Ohio State to win anything, let alone a Big Ten title. Sorry to my college journalism professors, but I’m throwing unbiasedness out the window.

It’s not like Oregon doesn’t have a chance, either. The Ducks have a favorable schedule and have brought in Dillon Gabriel from the transfer portal to slide in at QB after the departure of the legendary Bo Nix.

Oregon doesn't leave the western United States until October 18 when it travels to the heartland to take on Purdue. The Ducks get Ohio State and Washington at home, and the only real concerning game is in Ann Arbor on November 2. Call me crazy, but there’s a chance Oregon could lose only one game this season.

Ohio State will have all the motivation to get back on top of the conference, but with a favorable schedule, one of the top offenses in the conference and arguably one of the best coaches in the conference, the Ducks are primed to start their Big Ten tenure with a bang.

Nate's pick — Oregon to win the Big Ten (+250, Caesars)

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This was a tough call between Ohio State and Oregon, so I’ll side with the Ducks at a longer price than the Buckeyes, who are around +150 to win the conference.

Realistically, I believe only four teams can win the Big Ten, with Penn State and Michigan being the other contenders. However, I’m not sold on the quarterback situations of the Nittany Lions and Wolverines. I see them more as contenders to make the 12-team playoff instead of winning a conference title game.

Oregon is a program that's taking full advantage of NIL with head coach Dan Lanning. The Ducks are winning battles for key high school players because Lanning is an ace recruiter. Also, their most famous booster, Phil Knight, isn’t shy about opening his checkbook to land key transfers to supplement the roster, as Lanning’s mentor Kirby Smart pointed out during SEC media days.

The headline newcomer is former UCF and Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel, who is listed as the Heisman Trophy favorite at several sportsbooks. I don’t expect Oregon’s offense to have any drop-off from QB Bo Nix’s departure to the NFL, and you can count on the Ducks to have a strong defensive unit based on Lanning’s coaching background.

The schedule sets up nicely for Oregon in its first Big Ten season. The Ducks have five home conference games and only three trips to the Midwest. They face Ohio State on Oct. 12 in Eugene, where a win over the Buckeyes would create a clear path to at least the Big Ten title game.

However, even if Oregon slips up, its only other real challenging game is against Michigan. So there is a road to Indianapolis in early December even with a blemish or two in the regular season.

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