Earlier than the new-look Huge Ten’s first soccer season with 18 groups kicks off in 2024, 247Sports polled its deep roster of insiders for a program-by-program breakdown. The Huge Ten Survey requested a handful of questions, together with, “What concern retains your fan base up at night time?” This is a roundup of the solutions.

Jeremy WernerIllini Inquirer

If Bret Bielema cannot do it, who can? Bielema has been a profitable Huge Ten coach and had a number of good years within the SEC. He is a robust and arranged CEO, nice marketer and has employed some spectacular staffs at Illinois. He is a no-doubt enchancment over the previous three a long time of Illini coaches, notably Tim Beckman and Lovie Smith. His athletic director, Josh Whitman, additionally has poured assets into Bielema to make this work.

To date, Bielema has made strides to enhance this system, taking it from overmatched within the Huge Ten to frisky and aggressive. However the Illini took a step again final season, so there’s nonetheless a query of whether or not this system can actually leap to a persistently profitable Huge Ten program much like Wisconsin or Iowa.

The Illini have developed effectively, however their recruiting rankings have ranked towards the underside of the Huge Ten regardless of a wise recruiting strategy by Bielema and his employees. So can Bielema out-develop and out-coach his friends to get Illinois to the center tier of the Huge Ten and doubtlessly extra?

This system has at all times been known as a “sleeping large” given its stature in a talent-rich space. But when Bielema struggles to actually awaken it in the course of the subsequent a number of years, some Illini followers will query if anybody can.

Jared Kelly, Peegs.com

It is actually the identical concern that is plagued Indiana for many years: That is arguably the toughest Energy 4 program to win at, for myriad causes. The Hoosiers’ shedding historical past cannot be missed, and it makes the job even more durable regardless of who the top coach is.

That stated, Curt Cignetti has fully flipped the vibe and notion of this system since his arrival.

Cignetti has IU followers shopping for in once more, and he is captured the eye of these not throughout the IU fan base. The 2024 season has a totally totally different really feel — a optimistic one — with Cignetti on the helm.

In fact, the Hoosiers must show it on the sphere this fall. Nevertheless it’s exhausting not to take a look at this offseason as a hit.

Sean Bock, Hawkeye Insider

What if the Tim Lester experiment does not work out? Is Iowa simply damaged on offense?

The primary issues with Iowa’s offense this fall are quarterback play and huge receiver, two positions the Hawkeyes have struggled to recruit the previous couple of seasons. Will Iowa ever have the ability to repair it?

Jeff Ermann, InsideMDSports

Successful an enormous one. Locksley, coming into his sixth season, has made main enhancements to this system. However they have not been in a position to pull off a breakthrough win in opposition to one of many conferences high groups, falling simply wanting upsets in opposition to Michigan in every of the previous two seasons and throwing a few scares into Ohio State.

The followers are determined for the kind of win they’ll brag about.

Sam Webb, The Michigan Insider

Not a lot as of late. It is nearly eerie. The priority was over whether or not Jim Harbaugh would signal an extension, however now that Harbs is with the Chargers, Michigan followers haven’t got that one factor they’re all obsessing over.

One factor which may make some toss and switch a bit is the pacing of their NIL initiatives. Some fear whether or not Michigan is transferring quick sufficient to maintain it among the many elites. However given what some members of the soccer crew have been saying recently, these issues have gotten outdated.

Stephen Brooks, Spartan Tailgate

In all probability the concept that, on this new panorama, MSU has a ceiling of merely reaching the playoff, however by no means successful it. One may argue that was true within the four-team mannequin, although MSU’s 2013-15 run serves as proof the Spartans have been on the doorstep. The highs of the Dantonio period confirmed what was potential in East Lansing, and I do detect an underlying concern that the Spartans won’t ever attain these heights once more.

Will they spend sufficient? Will they recruit effectively sufficient? Is Smith the man to do it? For a younger coach, Smith’s resume is spectacular, however he is additionally not a confirmed winner on the highest stage.

MSU followers, after a style of greatness and particularly after the principally lukewarm decade since, are afraid the most effective they will ever be is an efficient program, not an important one.

Ryan Burns, Gopher Illustrated

P.J. Fleck’s passing recreation. It is not a secret that the passing recreation has been a problem for many of Fleck’s tenure. The one 12 months you’ll be able to level to within the final seven that the passing recreation was environment friendly and explosive was 2019, when Tanner Morgan exploded for 30 passing touchdowns with two NFL receivers in Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson.

Exterior of that, there have been too many Monday information conferences prior to now few years when Fleck has talked about inconsistencies with the quarterback’s accuracy, drops from the go catchers, or missed assignments in go safety.

All of it goes hand-in-hand, however the stats have not been type with the aerial assault. Minnesota hasn’t ranked greater than 122nd in go makes an attempt prior to now three seasons, which is how the Gophers averaged a putrid 143 passing yards a recreation final 12 months.

There’s hope with New Hampshire switch Max Brosmer now taking the snaps, however it’s additionally on Fleck to not pull the plug on the passing recreation the second issues go poorly.

Michael Bruntz, Husker247

As beforehand talked about, Nebraska hasn’t been to a bowl recreation since 2016 — the teaching matchup that day was Mike Riley (Nebraska) and Butch Jones (Tennessee). Nebraska is on its fourth head coach within the Huge Ten period and the query that at all times appears to be following Nebraska is when issues will flip.

Quite a few staffs has tried and did not get Nebraska persistently again to the successful column lately, and it is an understatement to say that Nebraska followers are rising impatient.

Jacob Epstein, The Day by day Northwestern

Quarterback has been a priority for the previous few seasons, particularly with a scarcity of continuity beneath middle. Northwestern has began a switch quarterback in each opener since 2018.

This development will possible proceed in 2024, with former Vanderbilt and Mississippi State quarterback Mike Wright being the presumptive QB1. Hopefully for Northwestern, the brand new rent in offensive coordinator and QB coach Zach Lujan will sign a marked shift, the place the Wildcats will lastly have the ability to recruit and develop a QB from his highschool days into turning into the crew’s eventual starter.

For now, the fan base awaits the reply to a extra speedy query: Is the value Wright?

Dave Biddle, Bucknuts

Beating Michigan, for certain. That was at all times the M.O., then after the Buckeyes posted a 17-2 file in opposition to the Wolverines from 2001-19, many took it as a right.

Zero Buckeye followers are taking it as a right any longer. The last word objective is to win the 2024 nationwide title. However the first objective is to beat Michigan in Columbus.

Erik Skopil, Duck Territory

That is a tough one. This system is well-run and, for the primary time in a couple of decade, longevity on the high appears to exist. If there is a stage of insecurity, it is about this system’s lack of historical past — and, extra particularly, the lack of a nationwide championship trophy within the trophy case.

Tyler Donohue, Lions247

The receiver spot. Manufacturing was frustratingly missing there final 12 months and Ohio State switch Julian Fleming is the lone skilled newcomer in a room that does not function anybody with 600-plus yards of their PSU profession.

In the meantime, lead 2023 receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith left for Auburn this spring. Second-year place coach Marques Hagans is going through strain, and that is seen as a dynamic that may actually assist/damage quarterback Drew Allar’s improvement.

Allen Trieu, 247Sports

Purdue performs at Ohio State with residence video games in opposition to Notre Dame, Penn State and Oregon. That leaves little room for error in opposition to the remainder of the convention. At Wisconsin, at Indiana and at Michigan State are huge winnable swing video games that the Boilers will want for bowl eligibility.

Bobby Deren, Scarlet Nation

It has been the ineffectiveness of the passing recreation. Final season, Gavin Wimsatt threw three pick-sixes at important factors in video games in opposition to Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Up till these moments, Rutgers was in a very good place to, a minimum of, push for an upset. Even when Rutgers has skilled success, it has not been due to a prolific passing recreation.

That has led to a much less thrilling offense, particularly when the teaching employees was typically calling operating performs on third-and-long by the top of final season. The shortcoming to ascertain a downfield passing recreation has been a shortcoming for Rutgers for fairly a while.

Tracy Pierson, Bruin Report On-line

Nightmares of Chip Kelly. Half-joking. For the upcoming season, there’s fear in regards to the new teaching employees and if it will possibly truly area a very good crew with good schemes.

There’s concern over whether or not this could possibly be too huge for Foster, who went from being a operating backs coach to the primary man, with no head teaching expertise. I feel for any of the Pac-4, there’s concern about how the Pac-12 model of soccer — which has at all times been about potent offenses with a excessive stage of quarterback play — matches up in opposition to the standard, defense-emphasized Huge Ten groups.

There are worries about making longer street journeys to locations UCLA followers have by no means been. However that is what makes this all an journey, proper?

Ryan Abraham, USCFootball.com

For me, I’m nearly to ebook journey for my employees and that has had me frightened for a few years. For the followers, it’s all in regards to the defensive aspect of the ball and general toughness of the crew.

Coming into the Huge Ten, the followers do not need to see groups that common 25 factors placing up 40 on the Trojan protection or having a low-scoring recreation the place USC will get pushed round on the strains of scrimmage due to lack of toughness.

Nick Osen, Badger247

I did a bit of little bit of crowdsourcing simply with some family and friends within the space, and the “concern” that possible popped up probably the most was power and consistency alongside the defensive position — and their play.

Nicely, in comes EJ Whitlow, recognized to be a really sturdy developer alongside the DL in his respective historical past so far. And between Whitlow and Luke Fickell, together with stacking elevated recruiting lessons, I see this being extra of a power within the very close to future.

Followers are additionally frightened about accidents after final 12 months, however the Badgers are sitting effectively with extra depth in 2024 now, too.

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