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Week 1 of the 2024 college football season has finally arrived, and the new-look Big Ten is ready for its close up starting Thursday night, which features among other action Minnesota hosting North Carolina.
The B1G beefed up by adding Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA this year. But power programs such as Ohio State, Penn State and defending national champion Michigan aren’t going anywhere. So it should be a wacky and wild first season as a mega conference.
With so much change in the Power Four league, let’s take a look at 7 Big Ten debuts that I’m most looking forward to in Week 1.
Michigan LB Jaishawn Barham
The defending national champions had 5 defensive NFL Draft picks from last year’s squad, so the unit needed to be bolstered. Enter Barham, a 6-3, 248-pound linebacker who was a freshman All-American at Maryland and had 7 sacks in 2 seasons in College Park. The Wolverines were very familiar with his pedigree: last November, Barham had 7 tackles and his first career interception in a narrow Maryland loss to the Maize and Blue. We’ll see him debut when the No. 9 Wolverines host Fresno State on Saturday night.
Ohio State RB Quinshon Judkins
Former Alabama safety Caleb Downs was a huge addition for the Buckeyes after being named a freshman All-American, and 5th-year K-State transfer quarterback Will Howard will be surrounded by playmakers in new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s offense. But the addition of 2-time first-team All-SEC selection Judkins to pair with senior TreVeyon Henderson gives the Buckeyes an absolutely loaded backfield. This offense will be deadly, and it’s a big reason the No. 2 Buckeyes are national title favorites. They open Saturday against Akron.
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore
He’s not new to Ann Arbor — or technically new to being the head man — but replacing a Michigan Man who finally delivered the school a national championship is a very difficult gig. The Wolverines had 13 players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, including quarterback JJ McCarthy. Between the personnel losses and a difficult schedule, Moore has his work cut out for him. But, remember, there is still plenty of talent to compete as an upper-echelon Big Ten squad. And there may be a chip on this team’s collective shoulder because of how it is being overlooked as a defending champ.
Oregon (and CB Jabbar Muhammad)
New Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel is arguably the Heisman Trophy frontrunner heading into the new season. But when a program is able to land an instant-impact player from a rival school in the portal, it makes it extra sweet. Muhammad was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection at Washington after transferring from Oklahoma State. He tied for second-most in the FBS with 19 passes defended and is the cornerstone of a contingent of Duck defenders landed in the portal. We’ll see this new-look defense Saturday night when No. 3 Oregon opens against Idaho.
Wisconsin LB John Pius
The 2-time FCS All-American from William & Mary registered impressive numbers over the past 2 seasons for the Tribe (35 tackles for loss and 21 sacks). The 6-4, 250-pound lengthy and athletic pass rusher joins Arkansas transfer linebacker Jaheim Thomas to enhance the Badgers’ defense. He’ll at least be a 3rd-down specialist, but expectations are that he can be an every-down player and defend the run well. Wisconsin opens against Western Michigan on Friday night.
Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola
The 5-star and No. 2-ranked QB in the 2024 class enrolled in Lincoln early and beat out junior Heinrich Haarberg and true freshman Daniel Kaelin for the starting job. He was the program’s highest-ranked high school recruit since ESPN began tracking rankings in 2006. The 6-3, 230-pounder threw for nearly 8,500 yards and 88 touchdowns during his high school career, and getting Raiola to flip from Georgia before Signing Day was a huge get for Matt Rhule and his staff. He will be surrounded by enough experienced playmakers to be comfortable and successful immediately. Nebraska opens against UTEP on Saturday.
USC in its first B1G season
The No. 23 Trojans kick off their season against No. 13 LSU in Las Vegas on Sunday night. How will Lincoln Riley and his staff adjust to their new league? There has been so much talk about replacing Caleb Williams, but this program cannot be considered a serious College Football Playoff contender unless the defense makes major improvement.
New starting QB Miller Moss had his coming-out party of sorts in the Holiday Bowl win over Louisville, but that will all be for naught if new coordinator D’Anton Lynn and some transfer portal additions can’t gel and field an even average defense.
Dave Miller has covered the college football landscape nationally since 2009 with stops at National Football Post and Campus Insiders. In addition to contributing to Saturday Tradition, he can be seen on Stadium Network.