Joel Klatt Names Big Ten Contender That Is The Biggest Threat To Oregon And Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes are no strangers to being named perennial favorites to win the Big Ten, but conference realignment brings in new competition. The Oregon Ducks are hungry for a conference title after coming within a Washington Huskies' tail of one in the final year of the Pac-12. Both teams land within Joel Klatt’s preseason top five with the Buckeyes claiming the top spot.

However, there are still several teams that could not only challenge these two for a College Football Playoff berth but also the conference title. Klatt named one serious Buckeye rival with a lot of potential as the biggest threat to Ohio State and Oregon.

“That’s why Michigan is the biggest threat to those top two,” Klatt said on Monday’s episode of The Joel Klatt Show . “It doesn’t matter who is left because they believe they’re the biggest threat. They believe they’re the kings of the hill. They believe the conference goes through them.”

The Wolverines have been the Big Ten standard the past three seasons beating their arch rivals Ohio State in all three matchups. Michigan hasn’t played Oregon since 2007 and they haven’t beaten the Ducks since 1973. However, Klatt says Michigan’s play style will create issues for opponents no matter how talented.

“They’re going to lean into, as their coach Sherrone Moore puts it, smash ball," Klatt said. "That’s going to be difficult for each of those teams. It’s going to be difficult for Ohio State. It’s going to be difficult for Oregon. It’s going to be difficult for Texas. It’s going to be difficult for USC because it’s not what other teams do. And this has really been their secret, their toughness at the line of scrimmage, over the last few years."

For the first time ever, the Big Ten championship game won’t be divided by divisions. It’s entirely possible we see any combination of the Buckeyes, Ducks, and Wolverines playing a rematch in the title game. Klatt says he’s also keeping his eye on the Penn State Nittany Lions and USC Trojans as teams that could muddy the waters even further.

Related: USA Today Releases Preseason All-America Team For College Football