[2021] Big Ten Preseason Standings

[BabaYaga]

The 2021 College Football season is almost upon us and there is quite a bit of parity in the Big Ten for this opening season. There are a few teams who will roll over the competition but it seems like on paper there are 4-5 teams who could really have a shot at taking home the Big Ten Championship at the end of the year. Below we will debut our first ever Big Ten Power Rankings. @tsweezy has graciously allowed me a look at the Big Ten rankings against the rest of the country so before we are playing games, the power rankings will look heavily at those numerical rankings.

 

 

A Look at the Big Ten as a Whole

The Big Ten looks to be pretty solid as a whole as we get underway with the 2021 season. They place three teams in the Top 10 in the country to begin the year and are the only conference to do so. They also have another team inside the Top 17 giving them four preseason ranked teams. After those teams there is quite a drop-off but their middle of the road teams will still be very competitive. I would expect some high scoring games to come out of the Big Ten this year as it seems that the offense is well ahead of the defense on the whole. It is pretty clear that there will be a tier of three teams at the top followed by two more groupings of teams.

 

Preseason Rankings

 

1. Michigan State (Vacant)

Michigan State looks to be the most balanced of any Big Ten team as evidenced by their #4 overall ranking. They are the #8 offense in the country and the #6 defense in the country which will make them tough to beat. They have some underclassmen that should make an impact quickly this year. Senior nose tackle Duncan Terrero will be relied on heavily to command one of the top defenses in the country.

 

2. Wisconsin (@Jamzz)

Coming into the season ranked at #9 in the country, Wisconsin has some heavy expectations to meet. They are the #11 offense in the country and also the #18 defense in the country which firmly makes them one of the top teams in the nation, capable of beating anyone. They do get the benefit of being in the West division, however, by far the weakest of the two divisions. Senior wideout Alex Williams III is going to be one of the top wide receivers in the country.

 

3. Ohio State (@thatfunk)

Ohio State has a lot to look forward to this year with a stud senior QB and the #20 offense in the country they should have no problem putting up points. They also have the #11 defense in the country which will allow them a ton of offensive freedom. Ohio State has one of the top defensive lines in college football this year led by none other than defensive end Tommy Marimon who will impose his will on offenses this season.

 

4. Illinois (Vacant)

Offensively, Illinois is one of the best in the country putting the #2 offense in the country on the field. Defensively, they are going to give up some points as they are the #89 ranked defense in the country. This is a group that should be able to shut down the run but may struggle mightily against the pass. Nevertheless, they are the #17 overall team in the country and senior running back Stacy Moton is a huge part of that.

 

5. Maryland (@Kremit)

Maryland will be battling for 5th place in the conference, and that is not a bad thing with how top heavy the conference is. They have the #40 ranked offense and the #88 ranked defense in the country so you should see this team put up some points. They will have to rely on senior corner Mike Pressly a lot this upcoming season if they want to compete with the top of the conference.

 

6. Nebraska (@alexfall862)

Right behind Maryland is Nebraska with their #41 ranked offense and #95 ranked defense. I could almost see these teams flipping either way as they will both be able to put up some points but struggle on the defensive side. Nebraska will have one of the top offensive lines in the country led by senior DeMarcus Hagens.

 

7. Purdue ([uSER=154]@MasonAsher[/uSER])

Purdue is much like Illinois with a really good offense and a paltry defense, but to an extreme. Purdue’s offense is ranked #6 in the country and their defense is ranked #126. You might see some really crazy scores out of Lafayette this year. They will look to lean on senior quarterback Reyes Chubb to lead their offense this season.

 

8. Minnesota (@Minnow)

Minnesota has the #113 ranked offense and the #44 ranked defense in college football and is a stark difference to all of the teams above them. College football puts a premium on offense and Minnesota is just simply going to struggle this year in that category. If senior running back Fish Liggins has a good year Minnesota may knock off some teams.

 

9. Rutgers (@Wahoo)

Rutgers is in the same boat as Minnesota with their #114 ranked offense and the #55 ranked defense. Their defense actually looks pretty solid on paper but they lack depth in a lot of areas. For them to compete they are going to need to find their QB identity quickly. I imagine that junior Chance Sproles will look to lead the way this year.

 

10. Iowa (Vacant)

Iowa could end up being a surprise of the conference this year even though they have the #77 ranked offense and #97 ranked defense in the country. They have the ability to put up points but really don’t have a ton of options around their quarterback. Junior signal caller Ben Rivera will look to lead Iowa to some upsets this year.

 

11. Northwestern (@anonemuss)

Northwestern has the #120 offense and the #49 ranked defense in the country this season. If they are able to play solid defense against the upper echelon of teams, they have the ability to spring some upsets. Their junior quarterback Randy Madson has some weapons but their offensive line is an injury away from imploding. They will be an interesting team to folllow.

 

12. Penn State (@Rocketcan)

Penn State also may make a leap up the standings this year as long as their defense doesn’t give up a ton of points, like they probably will. Penn State has the #50 offense in the country and the #122 defense in the country. Safety Mickey Turner will need to really command the defense this year if they want to keep their defense off the field.

 

13. Indiana (Vacant)

The only thing keeping Indiana out of the bottom of the rankings is their defense being ranked #34 in the country. I am not sure that will matter though as their offense is #129 in the country. You need to score to win. Senior Eric Carlin might be their best bet this year to score and he will have to carry a huge load.

 

14. Michigan (@subsequent)

Michigan will really struggle on the offensive side of the ball this year as they have the #126 ranked offense in the country but will have the #47 defense in the country. However, with the strength of the Big Ten on the offensive side, I don’t see how Michigan will be able to win many shootouts. Senior Vinny Despaigne will need to have a great year for the Wolverines.

[BabaYaga]

I'm not really sure what will happen in the Big Ten this year. I know that Purdue will be fun to watch simply because they have a great offense and a simply terrible defense. They might throw up a ton of points but also give up an enormous amount. Same with Illinois, I am very interesteed to see how their fare against some of the best defensive teams with that offense and how their defense can hold together.

 

I am really looking forward to the Indiana vs. Michigan game at the end of the year. I am really interested to see how two of the absolute worst offenses will look against each other's fairly solid defense. We might see a 3-0 game there with how bad the kickers are for those teams as well.

 

Michigan State is the better team on paper but not sure how they will be without a user head coach (for now). They are also in the much tougher division and Wisconsin should be able to get past Illinois in the West Division to make it to the Big Ten Championship. But for now, I have no idea until we get into the season...it should be a fun one.

[subsequent]

Oh god. I knew my team was bad. But 14/14 bad!?

 

This is fine. We'll overperform and just beat expectations. I have no problem being the underdog.

 

Who's got it better than us? Nobody!

 

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Side note: imagine being one of the worst teams on a website you spent hundreds of dollars to keep in existence and currently head up.

 

Couldn't be me.

[BabaYaga]

I really think 8-14 could be interchangeable. Just a lot of teams there who are really bad at something and solid at something else. Not sure how to weight it quite yet but I assume we will know here soon!

[subsequent]

We'll see if I can be better than an AI. ?

[BabaYaga]

I am very curious to see how AI teams go this year, especially being the first year.

[tsweezy]

Fish Liggins is such a top tier name

[Minnow]

What is big ten football like? I'm not used to having a bad offense and good defense. #Big12Relapse Edited June 15, 2021 by Minnow

[alexfall862]

Right behind Maryland is Nebraska with their #41 ranked offense and #95 ranked defense.

 

Wow, really? I'm not entirely sure our team knows it's not against the rules to score more than 1 touchdown a game.