3 Big Ten football teams with the most to prove this spring

The 2024 season is still about five months away and the NCAA Tournament has taken center stage this month, but Big Ten football teams are taking the field again for spring practice.

It's an exciting time of the year for college sports fans as they get to watch arguably the greatest sporting event of all before checking out their favorite college football teams during spring ball.

The Big Ten added four new teams this offseason in Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA and some of the regular contenders will look a lot different. Yes, that means that teams like Ohio State and Michigan will have some new starters at key positions.

Which teams will have the most to prove this spring, however?

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

Yes, the team that has the most to prove this spring is a regular contender and one that has won a national title within the past decade. So why does a team that's constantly playing for Big Ten titles and playoff berths have anything to prove?

Because of Ryan Day.

The sixth-year head coach is coming off his third straight loss to Michigan which means a third straight season without a Big Ten title. That's just unacceptable in Columbus. Urban Meyer didn't dominate for years in order for Day to struggle to win the Big Ten. It's not that Day isn't dominating the Big Ten, he's just struggling against the one team that's critical to beat, if you're a Buckeye.

Ohio State lost its running backs coach this offseason as well as its starting quarterback and star receiver. It did pick up an All-American safety from Alabama but there are a ton of question marks.

Will the Buckeyes look like that dominant Big Ten team once again or will they have a massive quarterback controversy that will overshadow the rest of the talented roster? I think this team has a lot to prove after falling short of expectations for three straight years.