Hickey: 1 burning question for every Big Ten team in 2023

It is August, and that means it is time for football training camps to begin across the Big Ten.

For some teams there are camp-specific questions.

Who will win the quarterback battle at Ohio State, etc.

But for the most part, camp isn’t about immediate answers. August provides the blueprint for how questions will be answered in the 3 months that follow.

These are the most burning questions facing each Big Ten team heading into the 2023 season.

Illinois: How much will the Illini miss Ryan Walters?

The year before Ryan Walters arrived, Illinois finished 97th nationally in scoring defense. In his first season, the Illini improved to 29th. Year 2, Illinois vaulted to No. 1 in the country.

In a nutshell, that’s why Walters is no longer in Champaign. There are still questions about how his skillset will translate as head coach at Purdue — more on that later — but you’d figure he’ll be missed at Illinois.

But new defensive coordinator Aaron Henry is hardly working with a bare cupboard. Johnny Newton and Keith Randolph will give Illinois one of the nation’s top defensive lines. And it certainly doesn’t hurt to have former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard joining the staff as an analyst.

Defense should once again be a strength, but we’ll see if Illinois will again maintain a top-10 unit.

Indiana: Forget QB — can the Hoosiers block?

Just like season-opening opponent Ohio State, Indiana enters camp without an established starting quarterback. But it won’t make much difference whether Tayven Jackson or Brendan Sorsby is the guy if he spends the majority of the game on his back.

New offensive line coach Bob Bostad is being asked to improve a group that finished 118th nationally with 97 tackles for loss allowed.

Iowa: Can the offense score 25 points per game?

Amusing potential scenario: Iowa runs the table and reaches the College Football Playoff for the first time. But the Hawkeyes do so behind an again-dominant defense, only averaging 24.8 points per game.

Contractually, Kirk Ferentz is forced to fire son Brian as offensive coordinator for failing to reach the obligatory 25 points per game.

It probably won’t play out that way. But Iowa’s race to 25 is still one of the most intriguing storylines in college football this year.

Maryland: Can the Terps hold up in the trenches?

Maryland has all it needs at the skill positions to finish a season nationally ranked for the first time since 2010. Mike Locksley is taking that a step further, declaring that the Terps are good enough to compete for a Big Ten title for the first time in his tenure.

In the words of Maryland’s quarterbacks coach from 1966-68: not so fast, my friend.

Maryland is questionable where Ohio State and Michigan are strong — up front.

The Terps return 1 starter on the offensive line, and he’s flipping from right tackle to left tackle. On the defensive front, 2 reserves will step into starting roles alongside a pair of transfers.

All will need to step up for Maryland to leap forward.

Michigan: Will Jim Harbaugh distract his own team?

Coaches are always trying to minimize distractions, which begs the question of why Jim Harbaugh seems so hellbent on creating them this offseason. His pending reported 4-game suspension to open the season was completely avoidable, yet he insists on digging his heels in against the NCAA.

Given Michigan’s Charmin-soft September, maybe he won’t be missed. However, it will create a bit of a circuslike atmosphere for his anticipated Week 5 return at Nebraska. And it’s all so unnecessary for a team with very real national championship aspirations.

Michigan State: Can Tuck stop the bleeding?

Last year we wondered if Mel Tucker would continue the momentum of Michigan State’s breakthrough 2021.

That flipped around fast.

Now the big question is if Tuck and the Spartans can stop the bleeding after a disastrous 2022. The late portal defections of quarterback Payton Thorne and receiver Keon Coleman don’t exactly raise expectations.

The realistic goal for MSU this year is doing no worse than last year’s 5-7 finish and accruing the pieces for a full rebound in 2024.

Minnesota: Are the Gophers really airing it out?

With no mo’ Mo in the backfield, Minnesota’s offensive identity is no longer built around bludgeoning opponents on the ground. PJ Fleck says the Gophers are prepared to build around the arm of sophomore quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and a talented group of pass catchers.

Based on the personnel, it makes sense. But given Minnesota’s prior identity under Fleck, it’ll take seeing to believe it.

Nebraska: Will Matt Rhule get the Huskers to a bowl in Year 1?

Matt Rhule will absolutely change the long-term trajectory of Nebraska’s program. Sure, people said that about Scott Frost (Tim Brando’s take remains an all-time whiff), but this time we actually mean it. Rhule got Temple and Baylor whipped into shape from utter rot to highly competitive inside 3 years.

But will he be able to end Nebraska’s 6-year bowl drought in Year 1? The defensive and offensive lines are still the team’s biggest liabilities, and it’s hard to change that in 1 offseason.

Northwestern: There are nothing but burning questions

What does a David Braun football team look like? How enthusiastic will the Wildcats be about actually playing football with controversy swirling around the program? Will the Cats get competent quarterback play this year? How much improvement will the defense demonstrate this season?

And there are probably a half-dozen others in play.

Ohio State: Will the QB assembly line keep rolling?

Ohio State has been able to plug and play at quarterback since Ryan Day joined the program as offensive coordinator in 2017. And the Buckeyes’ championship aspirations hinge on that continuing in 2023, whether it’s Kyle McCord or Devin Brown running the show.

But if the offense can continue humming at the same level it did under CJ Stroud the past 2 seasons, the Buckeyes are a Playoff contender.

Penn State: Can the Nittany Lions arrive a year ahead of schedule?

I’m willing to write Penn State in as a 2024 Playoff team with permanent marker. The best players in the program will be entering their junior seasons. Michigan and Ohio State will take some hits from graduation and the NFL Draft. And the CFP is expanding to 12 teams.

Penn State is in.

But can the Nittany Lions arrive a year early? Last year’s losses to Michigan and Ohio State revealed there’s still a gap between the top 2 in the B1G and No. 3. This season will show us how much of it has been closed — if any.

Purdue: What does Ryan Walters football look like?

Prior head coaching experience is not a prerequisite to head coaching success in the Big Ten. Ryan Day and Tom Allen weren’t head coaches before their current gigs, though each did get a taste as an interim head coach before taking over their programs on a permanent basis.

Walters is the first first-time Big Ten head coach to be hired from outside his new program since Chris Ash (Rutgers) and DJ Durkin (Maryland) in 2016. Not exactly names that inspire tooting the Ross-Ade train whistle.

Regardless of how this year turns out for Purdue, it’ll be interesting to see a program known for offensive prowess in the hands of a defensive coordinator. At Illinois, Walters built the B1G’s best scoring defense in 2022.

Purdue hasn’t led the Big Ten in scoring defense since 1959.

Rutgers: Can Kirk Ciarrocca resuscitate the offense?

Iowa’s offense gets more guff because the Hawkeyes still manage to be a Top 25 program in spite of it. But it is Rutgers that has actually had the Big Ten’s saddest offense in recent years.

The Scarlet Knights were 12th in scoring in Big Ten play in 2021 and 13th last year. Rutgers was also 12th in yards per play in ’21 before finishing last with a woeful 4.05 ypp in B1G games last season. New Mexico had the only offense in the country to fare worse against its conference foes.

Offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca, most recently of Minnesota, has been brought in to remedy that problem. If he can do it with this cast, the sandwich shop should be rebranded as Jersey Kirk’s.

Wisconsin: Will it work?

Everyone is fascinated by the prospect of Wisconsin abandoning 3 decades worth of offensive identity.

And by going up-tempo and spreading out, first-year coach Luke Fickell is creating 1 simple question: will it work?

If it does, this program could soon reach unprecedented heights. And if it flops? Fickell’s first offseason in Madison will potentially be the most interesting in the league.