Big Ten football power rankings: Post-spring 2023 edition

With spring ball in the books, Big Ten football fans are looking ahead to what might be one of the most action-packed seasons in years.

Michigan is on top of the conference again while Ohio State is trying to prove that this two-year run by the Wolverines over the Buckeyes is just a fluke. James Franklin is the third team in that Big Ten East race looking to make some noise as a projected top-10 team.

In the West, Wisconsin and Iowa have gotten a lot better this offseason while Minnesota and Illinois are trying to make pushes for their first division titles.

Let’s dive into some post-spring power rankings.

The Tom Allen era may be winding down in Bloomington, especially if the Hoosiers continue to trend in the wrong direction like they have been since 2020.

Indiana went 4-8 last year and was the punching bag in the Big Ten with highlights being a 3-0 start to the season with a win over Bret Bielema and Illinois and stealing a win at Michigan State to end their bowl hopes near the end of the year.

I don’t see a ton of improvement for this team in 2023.

I’m sorry, Pat Fitzgerald, this just seems like the direction in which your program is headed. After going 1-11 a year ago, the Wildcats may be facing one of its biggest rebuilds in a while.

The Wildcats began last season 1-0 with a win over Nebraska in Ireland before losing 11 straight games, including losses to Southern Illinois and Miami (OH). Not ideal.

Now, Northwestern returns seven total starters (which may not be a horrible thing) and will have to break in a new starting quarterback in Brendan Sullivan who had just 589 yards, four touchdowns, and three picks a year ago. I have zero expectations for this team.