Here’s which B1G teams can handle losing QB to injury and which ones are in trouble

Let’s paint a picture. It’s Week 1 and everyone is excited about their team for this season. Even Rutgers fans.

But then on the first drive, disaster. The starting quarterback tears his ACL and is out for the season. (Or in the NFL, the starting quarterback retires two weeks before the regular season begins. Too soon, Colts fans?!)

Which teams would be able to manage without their starting quarterback? Obviously there is some sort of drop-off, because it’s comparing a starter and a backup. But when 2007 MVP Tom Brady tore his ACL in the 2008 season opener and was out of the year, the Patriots still went 11-5. The Colts, while probably still in shock, have the top of roster and backup quarterback that can still probably win eight or nine games.

Here are which teams would be just fine and probably still be near as good, and here are which teams could be in trouble. And keep in mind, this is all relative to expectations:

JUST FINE

Michigan

Jim Harbaugh caught my attention earlier this week when he said he wants to play two quarterbacks in every game this season. Isn’t the saying, “If you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have any.” Or something like that? Well that’s interesting because Shea Patterson is a Heisman candidate, and Dylan McCaffrey — though he has NFL bloodlines — is not. I’ll take Harbaugh at his word that he likes what he has in McCaffrey, though. The sophomore was a 4-star recruit out of high school and was ranked well ahead of Wisconsin’s current starter Jack Coan and Minnesota’s current starter Tanner Morgan. He was also slightly ahead of Penn State starter Sean Clifford.

Indiana

The Hoosiers probably have the league’s best backup right now in Peyton Ramsey, who started last season and was fifth in the league in touchdown passes. At the very least, he’s experienced and can win games. He completed 66 percent of his passes and averaged just under 240 yards per game. Tom Allen obviously feels like Michael Penix has higher upside (and that looks to be the case), but Ramsey is willing and very much capable of stepping in if Penix has any growing pains.

Northwestern

A lot of folks are excited to see Clemson transfer Hunter Johnson, and with good reason. If he goes down in the opener, it would seem to be a devastating. He technically still has not been named the starter, as Pat Fitzgerald is waiting until the opener to presumably pick him over TJ Green. I’m no expert on TJ Green, but I think Northwestern will be fine with him. My case is that Northwestern playing without a 5-star recruit at quarterback will be just fine, because to put it plainly, it never has this sort of a talent at quarterback to begin with. So without Johnson, they would do what they always do under Fitzgerald, which is scratch and claw their way to eight wins on the backs of a good defense and great coaching.

Michigan State

Brian Lewerke has to bounce back from whatever that was last season, right? But in case he is unable to take the field for whatever reason, the Spartans can win with Ricky Lombardi. Heck, they already have. He started three times as a redshirt freshman last year and beat Purdue and Rutgers. And some days that Michigan State defense is so good that the Spartans could win with me at quarterback.

IN TROUBLE

Ohio State

If Justin Fields gets hurt… uh oh. With all due respect to backup Gunner Hoak, he couldn’t beat out Terry Wilson at Kentucky. And Wilson certainly didn’t light it up in 2018. At least Hoak is a graduate transfer who is mature and won’t (or shouldn’t) be intimidated. Hoak was just the No. 40 pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2016, according to 247Sports.

It’s also a compliment to Fields with his skill set that you can’t just plug someone else in for him and replicate what he can do. I’m not buying for one second that this wasn’t Fields’ job all the way and that there was ever a competition, but maybe Ryan Day is trying to give Hoak some confidence in case he’s needed. But anyways, if Fields gets hurt, Ohio State is the fourth-best team — and that’s just in the East.

Nebraska

If Adrian Martinez gets hurt, Nebraska has no shot. All of these lofty preseason predictions are based on Martinez building on a really good true freshman season and piling up the points the way he did in the last six games of 2018. UCF transfer Noah Vedral is the backup, and he appeared in six games with Scott Frost at UCF before transferring. He played in one game last season.

Purdue

Jack Plummer, son of former NFL quarterback Jake Plummer, could be really good in a few years. He was Jeff Brohm’s first quarterback recruit at Purdue, and the 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman has looked good in practice. But what this Boilermakers team does not need is another freshman out there. Purdue, though talented, is already one of the most inexperienced teams in the country.. It needs starter Elijah Sindelar, who has nine career starts and is a co-captain for the second straight year, to stay healthy. That’s been an issue for Purdue quarterbacks the last few years as it has been like musical chairs out there. Someone has to get the ball to Rondale Moore, or the Boilermakers will be in for a tough season.

Ryan O'Gara

Ryan O'Gara is the lead columnist for Saturday Tradition. Follow him on Twitter @RyanOGara.