The spring football season is in the books.

Over the weekend, Maryland held its annual spring game to round out the spring season in the B1G. Now, we wait patiently for three months for the conference’s media days, and an additional month until the 2019 season kicks off.

Yeah, it’s a bummer.

But now that spring practice is over, we can finally properly assess where each team stands entering the 2019 season with our power rankings. Kinda, sorta.

It’s tough to get a gauge on things this time of year. Teams are dealing with injuries, players can be limited and top-ranked recruits haven’t shown up on campus. Plus, when teams scrimmage against themselves, it’s sometimes hard to know what can be attributed to the offense or the defense.

Still, we’ve come up with our power rankings (by division) following the spring season.

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East

1. Michigan

It’s easy to take the “I’ll believe it when I see it” approach to Michigan, but Jim Harbaugh handing the offensive keys to Josh Gattis is a really big deal. The Wolverines lost some key pieces on both sides of the football, but Shea Patterson could have the best year of his career with the “handcuffs off.” The offense is going to allow playmakers to get the ball in space and utilize their speed and athleticism more than it has in the past. And yes, the defense lost a ton, but are you really going to question Don Brown? Right now, Michigan is leading the B1G East.

2. Ohio State

There’s no question that Ohio State is going to be a contender in the East again and could very well defend its title. Justin Fields didn’t look quite as crisp as we expected in the spring game and the Buckeyes are reloading on the offensive line. Plus, there are still some questions about the defense following last season. There’s still a bit of a learning curve with a new regime in place, making it hard to judge where Ohio State stands at the spring. The Buckeyes are still a good football team, but there are a few more unanswered questions than usual.

3. Michigan State

If Mark Dantonio’s decision to reshuffle the offensive staff works, Michigan State would be a team to keep an eye on as a potential College Football Playoff contender. This is a team that returns Kenny Willekes, Josiah Scott and Joe Bachie, among others defensively. It has the makeup to be one of the top units in the country again. What about the offense? Brian Lewerke was throwing the ball with nice zip throughout the spring and appeared to be healthy. But the offense still looked sluggish at times and had trouble moving the football during the spring game. That’s a bit of a concern heading into 2019. This might be the most difficult team to judge after spring ball.

4. Penn State

As if the slew of early entrants into the NFL Draft and transfer players leaving Penn State wasn’t enough, quarterback Tommy Stevens has also decided to leave the program. That puts the Nittany Lions behind the other three B1G East powers. Penn State still has some serious athleticism on both sides of the football, but it’s still a bit raw and undeveloped. This is a team capable of beating some really good teams, but consistency will probably be an issue this fall, at least on the offensive side of the football.

5. Indiana

With Kalen DeBoer running the offense and Tom Allen allowing a little more help with the defense, Indiana could be one of the more dangerous teams in the B1G. There’s still a major talent discrepancy between the top four teams in the East and the Hoosiers, though. The offense should be more fun and exciting, which should allow IU to compete with some of the tougher teams on its schedule. The Hoosiers aren’t going to contend for a division title, but a bowl berth is certainly a reasonable goal.

6. Rutgers

It’s not necessarily bowl game or bust, but Rutgers certainly needs to show significant improvement for Chris Ash to keep his job past this season. At times throughout the spring game, the Scarlet Knights’ offense looked capable of moving the football converting on big plays. And with Raheem Blackshear, Isaih Pacheco and Artur Sitkowski all returning, the offense could make a significant jump. It’s hard to get a good read on Rutgers, though. We won’t really know if this team is capable of competing with anyone in the B1G until it takes the field in August.

7. Maryland

Anthony McFarland gives fans a reason to be excited, but it’s hard to find much else to be optimistic about in Year 1 of the Mike Locksley era. The Terrapins lost top defenders Darnell Savage, Tre Watson and Byron Cowart, meaning Maryland is going to have a hard time keeping teams out of the end zone. The offense might be fun to watch at times, but the defense needs to get better in a hurry.

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West

1. Minnesota

What’s not to like about the Golden Gophers? They return three running backs that have led the team in rushing, the offensive line is massive and, while the defense is going through some changes, it is good enough to win a lot of games. Minnesota has gone through some growing pains in the first two years under P.J. Fleck, but with the West wide open, 2019 might be the year the Gophers take a major step in establishing themselves as a division contender on a yearly basis. This could be one of the more entertaining teams to watch in college football.

2. Nebraska

The Huskers ended the 2018 season with a lot of momentum, especially the way they played offensively. With Adrian Martinez entering his second year and some of the weapons around him, Nebraska may well lead the B1G in offensive production. The big question is defense and whether or not Frost’s bunch has made enough improvements on that side of the ball to win consistently in the conference. If the Huskers can figure out how to stop opponents, they’re going to be a tough team to beat.

3. Northwestern

Losing Clayton Thorson is a significant blow for Northwestern, and it might’ve put the program further down on the list if not for Hunter Johnson. He might still be on a bit of a learning curve, but he’s an excellent choice to replace the most decorated quarterback in program history. Northwestern’s defense has always been in good shape under Pat Fitzgerald and there are some good returning players offensively. It’s going to be tough for Northwestern to repeat as B1G West champions, but the 2019 Wildcats will still be a contender through most of the season.

4. Iowa

Another of the handful of B1G West teams that lost key contributors, Iowa is a team that could contend for a division title or simply squeak into a bowl game. Though losing Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson is significant, the offense might still be in OK shape with Nate Stanley under center. But the defense lost a ton from last year’s second-ranked unit in the B1G. If Phil Parker’s defense looks the way it did last year, the Hawkeyes might jump up a few spots in the rankings.

5. Wisconsin

It’s a little strange to not have Wisconsin in one of the top two spots, but there’s good reason for it heading into 2019. The team lost four offensive linemen, its three-year starting quarterback and a slew of linebackers and secondary players from last year’s defense. Basically, Jonathan Taylor is the one reason for optimism next fall. The Badgers are coming off an 8-5 campaign, their worst year under Paul Chryst. With the youth and inexperience on the roster, it could be a similar year in Madison.

6. Purdue

Yes, Purdue still has Rondale Moore and is bringing in a strong recruiting class, but the Boilermakers are losing over 70 percent of its offense from a year ago. That’s a pretty significant blow. With the explosive playmakers and Jeff Brohm’s ingenuity, Purdue should still be in the fight for a bowl game. But there may be some growing pains in West Lafayette this fall, even with one of the most explosive players taking the field every week.

7. Illinois

The quarterback situation hasn’t improve much at Illinois and there’s still a lack of quality depth, making it hard to believe the Illini escape from the cellar of the B1G West this year. For what it’s worth, Illinois should see significant improvement on the field and maybe enjoy the best year of the Lovie Smith era. Whether or not that translates to a bowl berth is questionable.