CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
(w/AP rankings)
Michigan State
Indiana
Northwestern
#23 USC
Minnesota
#3 Oregon
Rutgers
#25 Iowa
#8 Penn State
This pool in not about choosing your favorite Big Ten team, nor the team you think will win the conference (otherwise I would have drafted the Buckeyes on both counts). THE BIG POOL is about choosing what you believe to be the strongest group of 9 conference opponents listed under the teams remaining in the draft.
As such, you're really rooting AGAINST the team you draft, because you'll be cheering for their 9 conference opponents when they play your drafted team. If you have a favorite Big Ten program, consider drafting one of the available teams that has your favorite on its schedule -- then root for your favorite team to collect points for you all season!
Don't fret if you're one of the last entrants into the pool and have limited options; the Big Ten schedule makers bent over backwards to ensure parity among all 18 team schedules. Moreover, the BIG POOL is unlikely to be captured by drafting the team with the most perceived power programs on its schedule; but rather by the entrant who does the best job of predicting which supposed second- and third-tier teams will rise above their anticipated station in 2024.
In the 2023 Big Ten preseason media poll, journalists foresaw the Wisconsin Badgers as the West Division champs and predicted the Northwestern Wildcats would finish a distant last place in the division. Both finished 5-4 in Big Ten play. Therein lies your assignment: Forecasting 2024's over- and under-achievers. With the elimination of divisions and the addition of four storied programs from the now-defunct Pac-12, seeing through the clutter in the Big Ten this fall is going to be a challenging assignment. A total of $7,500 awaits the two who do it best. But don't discount dumb luck.
For each of the 9 teams on your roster, you accumulate points for each of their Big Ten games (we don't count non-conference games) as such:
Nebraska
Penn State
Purdue
Michigan
Oregon
Minnesota
Michigan State
Rutgers
Northwestern
352
300/200
UCLA
Maryland
Northwestern
Nebraska
Washington
Michigan State
Michigan
Ohio State
Purdue
359
Minnesota
Ohio State
Washington
Michigan State
Northwestern
Wisconsin
UCLA
Maryland
Nebraska
387
Michigan State
Indiana
Northwestern
USC
Minnesota
Oregon
Rutgers
Iowa
Penn State
371
USC
Minnesota
Washington
Illinois
Michigan State
Oregon
Indiana
Northwestern
Ohio State
380
300/200
Maryland
Ohio State
Oregon
Iowa
Michigan
Indiana
Illinois
Purdue
Rutgers
339
500
Iowa
Michigan
USC
UCLA
Maryland
Illinois
Rutgers
Penn State
Wisconsin
299
300
Illinois
Purdue
Rutgers
Indiana
Ohio State
UCLA
USC
Wisconsin
Iowa
382
300/200
Washington
Indiana
Maryland
Wisconsin
Iowa
Purdue
Ohio State
Michigan
Illinois
368
300/200
Michigan State
Iowa
Oregon
Nebraska
Penn State
Purdue
Northwestern
Indiana
Michigan
360
300
UCLA
Michigan State
Ohio State
Purdue
Illinois
Michigan
Maryland
Wisconsin
Washington
362
500
Illinois
UCLA
USC
Wisconsin
Ohio State
Washington
Purdue
Minnesota
Maryland
361
500
Nebraska
Wisconsin
Illinois
Oregon
Northwestern
Ohio State
Penn State
Michigan State
Indiana
356
500
Washington
Nebraska
Wisconsin
UCLA
USC
Minnesota
Maryland
Illinois
Michigan State
406
500
Indiana
Oregon
Penn State
Minnesota
Rutgers
Nebraska
Iowa
Washington
UCLA
341
300
Michigan
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Penn State
Maryland
Rutgers
Washington
Nebraska
UCLA
321
Northwestern
Rutgers
Michigan
Iowa
Indiana
USC
Penn State
UCLA
Oregon
294
500
USC
Purdue
Rutgers
Northwestern
Penn State
Iowa
Oregon
Nebraska
Minnesota
327
500
Oregon #2
Ohio State #4
Penn State #6
Michigan #12
USC #18
Washington #31
Iowa #37
Wisconsin #39
UCLA #40
Nebraska #41
Rutgers #45
Maryland #46
Northwestern #57
Purdue #60
Minnesota #61
Illinois #62
Michigan State #68
Indiana #77
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