B1G Week 0 Power Rankings

Week 0 is upon us.

The grueling offseason has finally come to an end and B1G football will be back in our lives this weekend. Nebraska travels to Champaign to play Illinois to start the year with an important game for both programs. It’s a fun way to open up the 2021 season.

Since the season is so close, it’s time to reveal our power rankings heading into the season. We’ve had spring practice, summer workouts, B1G Media Days and fall camp to evaluate what we expect to see from all 14 teams in the conference this year.

So, without further ado, here are the power rankings entering Week 0:

14. Michigan State Spartans

A lot of change on both sides of the football and inconsistent play last season is reason for concern in East Lansing. Mel Tucker looks like the right guy to lead the program back to prominence, it’s just going to be a bit of a rebuilding process.

13. Maryland Terrapins

There’s plenty of talent in College Park, especially on the offensive side of the football. Coaching is another story. Mike Locksley spoke about Maryland taking that next step in 2021. With all the skill on the roster, the Terps are certainly of making a big leap throughout the season.

12. Purdue Boilermakers

Jeff Brohm is putting a heavy emphasis on improving the defense. Purdue better figure out the offensive line situation and establish some semblance of a rushing attack, otherwise the Boilermakers might be on the outside looking in of the postseason for a third-straight year.

11. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

No team in the B1G saw as much improvement from the 2019 season into the 2020 campaign as Rutgers. After losing 21-straight conference games, the Scarlet Knights were able to pull off three league victories. If Greg Schiano can do that in the middle of a pandemic, what can he accomplish with a full spring and fall camp?

10. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Consistency is key. That’s what has been holding Nebraska back under Scott Frost. Well, that and poor play in the trenches. This year, the Huskers have the talent to be in the top half of the conference and potentially win 8 games. Getting consistency on the offensive side and improving on special teams will go a long way in how this team fares.

9. Illinois Fighting Illini

The snarky remarks about having Illinois inside the Top 10 of the B1G are warranted. The Illini are going through a coaching change and went just 2-6 a season ago. Bret Bielema can have that kind of impact, though. Especially when over 20 super-seniors are returning. Maybe this is a tad ambitious, but the Illini are far from the worst team in the league.

8. Michigan Wolverines

Is the quarterback situation figured out? Will Michigan have an elite receiver emerge this season? What will the defense look like under new coordinator Mike Macdonald? Right now, there are too many questions in Ann Arbor to have the Wolverines much higher following a 2-4 year.

7. Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern lost quite a bit from last year’s B1G West-winning squad, but this is still a Pat Fitzgerald team. The Wildcats may not be as good as they were a season ago, but you know they’ll find a way to win some games. A lot of Northwestern’s success is going to depend on the play of starting quarterback Hunter Johnson.

6. Minnesota Golden Gophers

P.J. Fleck’s team saw a dip in success last year but with 140 starts along the offensive line returning, an experienced veteran in Tanner Morgan back under center and Mohamed Ibrahim, the reigning B1G Running Back of the Year, returning to the backfield, Minnesota has the potential to have one of the most explosive offenses in the conference.

5. Iowa Hawkeyes

Everyone knows Iowa is going to be strong on the offensive and defensive lines. As long as Kirk Ferentz is around, those will never be major concerns. The Hawkeyes have a great running back in Tyler Goodson and should be one of the better secondary units in the league. Like multiple teams, the biggest question is Spencer Petras and the quarterback position.

4. Indiana Hoosiers

This is the deepest, most experienced team Indiana has had in decades. The Hoosiers have built depth on both sides of the ball, added some key transfers from Power 5 programs and return one of the best quarterbacks in the B1G in Michael Penix Jr. The schedule is a difficult one, but Tom Allen’s team is more than capable of handling it.

3. Penn State Nittany Lions

Things sort of spiraled out of control for Penn State after the controversial loss to Indiana in the opener in 2020. With Mike Yurcich running the offense and a plenty of playmakers on both sides of the ball, Penn State has one of the best rosters in the B1G. Can the Nittany Lions be the biggest challenger to Ohio State? That’s likely the case.

2. Wisconsin Badgers

Don’t expect Wisconsin to stay down for long. Graham Mertz now has three excellent options at wide receiver in Danny Davis III, Kendric Pryor and Jake Ferguson. The combination of Leo Chenal and Jack Sanborn at linebacker might be the best in the conference. Plus, the Badgers typically win the battles in the trenches on both sides of the ball. This might be Paul Chryst’s best team yet, and that’s really saying something.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State has the most talented roster, the best coaching staff and has won four straight B1G titles. There’s not even a question as to which team is at the top of the conference heading into the 2021 campaign.