Jul. 25—The Ducks had one of the most explosive offenses in the country in 2023, ranking second in total offense (531.4 yards per game) and scoring (44.2 points per game). They also lost several key players from that squad. The cupboard, of course, is never bare in Eugene, Ore. Transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel arrives from Oklahoma, and he inherited a legitimate No. 1 target in Tez Johnson (1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns).
Running back was clearly an offensive priority for the Gophers after they had to tap their fifth-stringer Jordan Nubin in late October. Even though he rushed for 559 yards in the final six games, including 204 against Michigan State, Minnesota added Sieh Bangura (Ohio), Marcus Major (Oklahoma) and Jaren Mangham (Colorado/USF/Michigan State) from the portal to go with a now healthy Darius Taylor atop the depth chart again.
Mike Locksley struggled in his first two seasons as Maryland coach, posting a 5-12 combined record in 2019 and the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. Since? The Terrapins have played in three consecutive bowl games — and won them all. Locksley is 23-16 in that span, and now Maryland doesn’t have to play Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State every season. It’s not early Ralph Friedgen success (32 wins in his first three years), but it’s a step forward.
It was a no-brainer for Fisch to leave Arizona, which he turned around in three seasons from 1-11 to 10-3, for Washington. Coaching in the Big Ten trumped coaching in the Big 12. Not that he’ll have it easy with the Huskies. Especially when you consider every single starter from last year’s offense — the propellant to the national title game — either left for the draft or via the portal. What Fisch accomplished at Arizona, though, could be the guide.
The Hoosiers might not have been picked to finish last in the conference — rivals Purdue had that honor in the preseason poll — but they do face the longest betting odds to win the Big Ten title. New coach Curt Cignetti successfully ushered James Madison to the FBS level with a 19-5 record the past two seasons in the Sun Belt, but he inherited a program that was in a constant state of upheaval (especially offensively) from 2021-23.
The Wolverines’ success could hinge on how Alex Orji fares at quarterback. The 6-foot-3 Texan has attempted just a single pass in two seasons, and he won’t have the experienced line in front of him that J.J. McCarthy did. Orji will have several weapons at his disposal — running back Donovan Edwards and tight end Colston Loveland to name two — but Michigan will likely need its defense to reprise its role as the best in the country.
The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
