Ranking each B1G team by strength of schedule entering the 2023 season

College football is so close you can practically taste it.

Nebraska and Minnesota kick off the 2023 B1G season on Thursday, August 31 before the rest of the B1G joins in on the fun September 2.

Minnesota’s game against Nebraska is an important one, too. And not just for the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy. The Golden Gophers actually have one of the toughest schedules in the country and will be looking to start the 2023 season off on the right foot.

The B1G in general always plays a tough schedule. According to ESPN’s FPI, 9 B1G teams will start the season within the top 25 in terms of SOS (Strength of Schedule). We decided to take a look at each B1G program’s SOS and rank each team by its difficulty, starting with Minnesota and moving onward.

Here’s how the preseason SOS rankings shake out compared across college football:

1. Minnesota: No. 4
2. Rutgers: No. 7
3. Michigan State: No. 8
4. Indiana: No. 10
5. Maryland: No. 11
6. Penn State: No. 16
7. Purdue: No. 17
8. Ohio State: No. 21
9. Michigan: No. 24
10. Wisconsin: No. 27
11. Iowa: No. 51
12. Nebraska: No. 55
13. Northwestern: No. 64
14. Illinois: No. 65

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Tradition.