Every season there are a few teams across the country that surprise us. Last year it was TCU, LSU, Tennessee, Illinois, Duke, and even Kansas to an extent. They all overachieved – two of them played for their conference championships, and the Horned Frogs even made the national championship game.
We’re going to be taking a look at a couple of teams from each conference who could be that sneaky contender like TCU or LSU. The Big Ten is next.
Penn State
Some people may not consider the Nittany Lions a sneaky contender, but they seem to always be a step behind the Buckeyes and Wolverines in their own division. But what if they weren’t? What if they beat both of them and ran the table? What if it’s Penn State in the playoff by the end of the year?
Many people would laugh at that, but this Penn State team is for real. Drew Allar will take over at QB, Nick Singleton is poised to have a great sophomore season, and the defense could be top five in the country. James Franklin has been doing a great job getting them ready for the season. I’m very excited to see what Penn State can do and if they can get over the hump.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin went 7-6 last season with early losses to Washington State at home and to Illinois by twenty-four points. That was not your typical Badger football season. That’s exactly why they fired Paul Chryst after week five and hired Luke Fickell from Cincinnati. He had turned his Bearcats into arguably the best GO5 program in the country and even took them to the playoffs in 2021.
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He will be added by another AAC newcomer at quarterback as Tanner Mordecai transferred in from SMU and looks to have the starting QB job locked down. From what I have heard, he has been impressing people in Madison. There is a lot of sneaky good talent on this roster that could lead to immediate success in year one under Fickell and a new scheme. Badger fans are excited and rightfully so, I am looking forward to seeing what this Wisconsin team looks like in a few weeks.
