Big Ten Football: Post-spring power rankings for 2021 season

Both teams on this part of the list are working through rebuilds but have the right head coaches in place, which is half the battle.

In his first season on the job, Greg Schiano proved it’s still possible to win Big Ten games at Rutgers as the Scarlet Knights were 3-6 a season ago. He’s also doing a helluva job on the recruiting trail and signed the No. 41 class in 2021.

Noah Vedral should be back as the starting quarterback and while I wouldn’t expect Rutgers to go bowling, it has some exciting players such as Bo Melton. More than anything, the Scarlet Knights aren’t a guaranteed win anymore.

When it comes to Illinois football, hiring Bret Bielema was a no-brainer. He was really successful at Wisconsin and he knows how to build a winner in the Big Ten.

One thing he will do immediately is help Illinois in the trenches. He’s also helped pick up recruiting and added seven players for next year via the transfer portal. His in-state recruiting efforts will pay off more down the road.

For next season, the Illini should benefit from having Brandon Peters back at quarterback, although he struggled some this spring. Illinois also brings back third-team All-Big Ten selection Chase Brown at running back, so really a bowl berth for Illinois wouldn’t be shocking.