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Joel Klatt breaks down the top threats to Ohio State and Oregon within the Big Ten
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Joel Klatt is back with another episode of his personal podcast, breaking down some of the major questions facing the 2024 season. Within the Big Ten, that includes looking at which programs are legitimate threats for the title.
At the top, the consensus is that Ohio State and Oregon are the top 2 teams in some order. The Buckeyes are the preseason favorite in the Big Ten Championship odds with ESPN Bet listing OSU at +150.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s sportsbook has the Ducks as a 1-point favorite for an Oct. 12 meeting in Eugene between the 2 powerhouses. Fans can track the latest line movement as we head into the season with Tradition’s OH sports betting apps.
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As for teams capable of pushing the pair of favorites, Klatt sees 3 teams in the B1G — Michigan, Penn State and USC — capable of making the race interesting. As for the defending national champions, Klatt believes a stout defense and a desire to play a different style of football will stretch many teams in the B1G.
“They put you in a bind, they just do. They play such a different style of football than most teams, and I think this year it will be leaned into even more because they don’t have JJ McCarthy,” Klatt described. “… They’re going to lean into, as their coach Sherrone Moore puts it, smash ball.”
Meanwhile, Penn State is a team Klatt is high on, but he has some concerns related to the Nittany Lions. Mainly a playing style for James Franklin that tries to play “on equal footing” with Ohio State (and Oregon) instead of forcing the Buckeyes to adjust.
“I don’t view them as the threat that I think Michigan is and a lot of that is the style,” explained Klatt. “They’re trying to play on equal footing with Ohio State rather than taking them into a matchup that maybe they’re not prepared for or don’t want to play.”
As for USC, Klatt sees a program that will be better than many people are expecting. He is “bullish” on the Trojans and still sees a lot of potential in a Lincoln Riley-led offense as a unit that create some havoc for the traditional B1G programs.
“I’m bullish on USC, I want to plant the flag in the preseason for USC. I think they’re going to be better than most people believe this season,” predicted Klatt.
Klatt’s predictions are noteworthy, but he’s not exactly splitting atoms when it comes to contenders for the B1G title this fall. The 3 teams he mentions are the next in line per the betting odds with DraftKings listing Penn State (+500), Michigan (+700) and USC (+2200) behind Ohio State and Oregon.
It will be interesting to see if any long shots can upset the apple cart. Iowa (+4000), Nebraska (+5500) and Wisconsin (+6500) are the next in line, but each of those programs has a litany of question marks associated to the roster and schedule in the preseason.
For now, there is a clear-cut top 4 in the league, but every college football season brings with it a new set of surprises.
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Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.