Big Ten schools draw attention for all the wrong reasons this offseason

The Big Ten is in big trouble.

With the 2023 season right around the corner, the biggest headlines in the conference are for controversies surrounding a pair of conference head coaches.

Two weeks after Northwestern fired Pat Fitzgerald after an explosive report from The Daily Northwestern detailed a toxic, undisciplined culture within the football program, reports surfaced that Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is anticipating serving a four-game suspension for a Level I NCAA recruiting violation after he failed to cooperate with investigators.

In January, the Wolverines fired co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss after being accused of "computer access crimes" by campus police.

While Michigan and Northwestern are the two Big Ten programs on everyone's mind, they aren't the only two with issues. In March, the University of Iowa settled a lawsuit for $4.2 million that was brought on by 13 former Black student-athletes who alleged racial discrimination within the program under head coach Kirk Ferentz.

Ferentz is entering his 25th season at Iowa and has also been criticized for keeping his son, Brian Ferentz, on staff as offensive coordinator despite the Hawkeyes averaging 251.6 yards per game last season, the worst in Big Ten.

Michigan State continues to deal with the aftermath of its ugly tunnel altercation with Michigan last season. Seven players were charged in the incident. Defensive end Brandon Wright's assault charge was dropped after he entered a diversion program.

Other players involved have hearings scheduled in August and September.

All these fires might not impact the conference as it pertains to the College Football Playoff. Per Caesars Sportsbook, Ohio State (+750) and Michigan (+800) have the third- and fourth-highest odds of winning the national championship this season.

But if Ohio State and Michigan both lose a game this year, that will likely spell doom for the conference's CFP hopes (although Penn State currently has the 10th best odds to win the title at Caesars). Perception is a part of the equation when committee members rank the top four teams and a month before the start of the season, the Big Ten appears in rough shape.