2023 Big Ten Championship Odds and Picks

As we saw with the SEC, only a handful of teams have legitimate conference title aspirations in the Big Ten. Ohio State and Michigan are by far the two favorites even though they are on the same side of the conference as the Big Ten East champion has gone on to win the conference championship in each of the last 10 years. The Buckeyes and Wolverines have teamed up to win the last six Big Ten conference championships, so it’s no surprise to see the oddsmakers label them as the favorites to win the Big Ten per the college football futures odds.

Big Ten Championship Odds at BetRivers

Ohio State +145
Michigan +180
Penn State +550
Wisconsin +800
Iowa +1600
Minnesota +4000
Illinois +6000
Nebraska +6500
Maryland +8000
Michigan State +10000
Purdue +10000
Indiana +15000
Rutgers +25000
Northwestern +25000

Even though Michigan has won the last two Big Ten titles, Ohio State is the favorite to win the conference per the CFB futures odds. The Buckeyes won four straight conference championships from 2017 to 2020, and they recruit better than any other team in the conference.

Of course, there are questions as Ohio State has now lost to Michigan in back-to-back seasons after dominating the head-to-head series between the two rivals for most of the 21^st Century. The Buckeyes are replacing a quarterback too as C.J. Stroud is now in the NFL, but they have the best skill position players in the country. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka are both future first-round draft picks, and Miyan Williams and Tre’Veyon Henderson are an elite running back tandem. Unfortunately, they have to go on the road to play Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and Michigan, so this is not worth a play.

Michigan is a solid pick to win the Big Ten at the current conference championship betting odds. The Wolverines have a very manageable schedule with their toughest road game being at Penn State in mid-November, and they do host Ohio State in the season finale. Blake Corum is a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate after posting big numbers last year, and he could be even better this season behind an offensive line hat has seniors or grad transfers starting at every position.

This defense should be very good too. The Wolverines didn’t get the same pressure they did two years ago when Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo were up front, but they were a top six unit in terms of scoring defense and total defense in 2022. They have seven seniors or grad students that are projected to start this year, and that should ensure Michigan is a CFP contender this season.

Penn State has been something of a disappointment in recent years. The Nittany Lions have continually finished behind both Michigan and Ohio State as James Franklin has not been able to provide the spark needed to make this offense elite. While the defense has been pretty good, the offense hasn’t been at the level needed to win the Big Ten, and it’s hard to imagine things will change with a brand-new quarterback under center in Drew Allar.

Although Wisconsin has generally been the best team in the West Division over the last decade, the Badgers haven’t won a conference title since 2012. They radically changed things up this offseason by hiring Luke Fickell from Cincinnati, and he is installing a modified version of the Air Raid. Tanner Mordecai was brought in from SMU to run the offense, but this year is probably a work in progress. Wisconsin has more than two dozen transfers on the roster, and there’s a chance that things get worse before they get better.

Betting on Iowa to win the Big Ten is essentially throwing away money. The Hawkeyes have become stagnant due to nepotism, as Brian Ferentz would not be an offensive coordinator anywhere else in college football. They have a very difficult schedule early in the season too with Iowa facing Penn State, Michigan State, Purdue, and Wisconsin for their first four conference games. This defense is going to be good once more, but the offensive woes are going to come back and bite them once again.