College football conference power rankings, Week 1: Big Ten or SEC?

If there is a league that has the depth and top-tier talent to compete with the SEC for the title of the best conference in college football, it has to be the Big Ten.

Ohio State begins the season ranked No. 7 after winning back-to-back Big Ten championships. The Buckeyes dominated Michigan in the regular-season finale in 2018 but that was with Urban Meyer. Now it’s time to see if Ryan Day can maintain that ridiculously high standard.

With Justin Fields now at quarterback, after transferring from Georgia, Ohio State has the talent to make a run at a third-straight conference crown. But the Wolverines plan on standing in their way.

UM opens the year at No.7 and returns not only head coach Jim Harbaugh but Shea Patterson and its top three wideouts from last season. With new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, this Wolverines team has the potential to be different. But it’s easy to see why many have a wait-and-see attitude.

But beyond the Buckeyes and Wolverines, the Big Ten has tons of quality teams. The league leads all conferences with seven teams in the AP preseason poll, including Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska. Northwestern can’t be forgotten about either.

The Huskers are going to be a darkhorse and if Nebraska or another team from the West emerge as a playoff contender to rival the East, the Big Ten might finally end its playoff drought.