Big Ten Football: 2018 Preseason Power Rankings
In his second season as head coach, Lovie Smith saw a decline in his team from the previous season. Posting zero conference wins, the Illinois Illini went 2-10 during 2017. And with questions and concerns at quarterback, the Illini could be in for a repeat season. Luckily for Illinois, Smith brought in a new offensive coordinator, Rod Smith from Arizona. R. Smith has been known to be a quarterback guru, so maybe he can mold a decent quarterback for the Illini.
For their schedule, they host Penn State and Iowa but are on the road against Wisconsin and Nebraska. Some improvement should be seen from the Illini but a tough schedule will most likely have them at the bottom of the Big Ten once again.
Despite some success in recruiting, the Maryland Terrapins have seen little achievement in the Big Ten. Now they do play the four ppowerhousesof the Big Ten East each season, but last season they only won two conference games, losing seven of them which included a 31-21 loss to Rutgers. However, injuries played a key factor towards their play in 2017 and with a healthy roster and all five starters returning on the offensive line, the Terrapins should bounce back and make a bowl game.
But with a scandal looming over the program and their head coach on leave, Maryland could struggle, especially early on. The Terrapins open up their season with a home against the Texas Longhorns, a game that could show us just what type of team Maryland will have this season.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights were one of the most improved teams of the Big Ten in 2017. Despite finishing below .500, the Rutgers went from zero conference wins a season ago to three. The strength of this Rutgers team will be found on the defensive side of the ball. With eight starters returning, the Scarlet Knight defense should keep them in close games. However, their offense will need to improve if they want to build off last season’s success.
The Scarlet Knights could win all three non-conference games, giving them a 3-1 start (loss coming to Ohio State). Their next three games include two home games against Indiana and Illinois and a road game vs Maryland. With Wisconsin, Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State on the back end of their schedule, they’ll need to win two, if not three, of these early conference games for any chance at a bowl game.