Everyone knew who the contenders in Big Ten football would be for 2019, but there are three teams taking the conference by storm.
The Big Ten as a whole has had a rollercoaster start to the season with some highs and lows. Some teams have exceeded expectations, while others have fallen short of even minimally meeting preseason expectations.
Certain teams like Nebraska, Purdue, Maryland and Northwestern have been major disappointments with early and mid-season loses. Other teams like Michigan State still have hope but if they don’t win three of their last four games, their season would be on par with the group of four Big Ten teams whose seasons have greatly fallen short of preseason expectations.
Some teams in the Big Ten have risen to the occasion and dominated Big Ten play. Ohio State and Penn State are both undefeated and they have met preseason expectations and then some. Many would argue that both teams have carried the Big Ten banner as they are ranked No. 1 and No. 4 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings.
However, it is not a surprise at how well they have done thus far.
Ohio State was always a likely team to win the Big Ten title this season as well as having a legit chance to be one of the four teams selected for the playoff. Penn State was viewed by many as being very talented on both offense and defense before the season but they were also viewed as being inexperienced as a whole. Talent usually trumps experience, especially in college football, and Penn State being so successful is in not a shock.
Both Penn State and Ohio State are main reasons why the Big Ten East is possibly the best division in the nation.
There are other teams in the Big Ten like Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa who are playing well but nothing out of the ordinary as all three teams only have two losses but have shown some flaws and missteps along the way. Those three teams are technically in the hunt to possibly win their division but they need some of the top Big Ten teams to lose two games and they need to win out.
At this point of the season, things can change quickly and teams in the Big Ten can finish the season strong or end up having a disastrous end to the regular season. Let’s take a look at three Big Ten teams who are taking the conference by storm.