Big Ten football: Early conference power rankings for 2020

Ohio State tops the early Big Ten power rankings, but where do the rest of the Big Ten football teams rank in the conference hierarchy?

Last season, Big Ten football ultimately boiled down to the Ohio State Buckeyes then everyone else handily looking up at them. And as we approach the 2020 college football season, Ryan Day’s team will again be the favorites to win the conference and should be in line for another College Football Playoff berth as well.

Last season saw new faces emerge in the mix atop the Big Ten division standings as P.J. Fleck got the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the CFP mix for a while and as the Indiana Hoosiers busted out an eight-win campaign. Those teams join the perennial heavy-hitters in the conference like Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin.

With plenty of turnover on many of the rosters throughout the conference, though, how does this conference stack up against one another as we look to the 2020 season? Let’s figure that out as we go through some early Big Ten football power rankings.

14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

No one should question Greg Schiano is the right hire at Rutgers. More so than anyone else, he’s proven he can succeed at this program. However, it’s a good hire for what he can rebuild, not necessarily what he can do in 2020. The offense is lacking in terms of overall playmaking. And while the defense is experienced, does anyone want experienced players that gave up 36.7 points per game last season?

13. Maryland Terrapins

Maryland was the most foolish of fool’s gold in 2019 as they came out of the gate like gangbusters on offense with 142 points over two games only to score 161 over their remaining 10 contests. Coupled with an abysmal defense and the Terrapins were a punching bag for Big Ten football. Now they must replace most of that defense while also searching for stability at quarterback. With a brutal schedule on tap, it could be another long year for the Terps.

12. Michigan State Spartans

The surprise retirement of Mark Dantonio leaves a lot of uncertainty about the Spartans, a team that was already raising questions after going 14-12 over the last two years. Mel Tucker is the new man and his defensive mind will be tasked with largely rebuilding that side of the ball. He’ll also have to find a new quarterback and all of this leaves me lukewarm at best about Michigan State.

11. Illinois Fighting Illini

Lovie Smith taking over the Illinois defense had an impact as that unit improved from the worst in the conference to one of the better teams, specifically with their ability to turn the ball over. Can they be more consistent on defense without relying on turnovers though? More importantly, will Brandon Peters take a step forward at quarterback? Those questions linger and will define what the Fighting Illini accomplish in 2020.

10. Purdue Boilermakers

Of the bottom-five teams in these early Big Ten football power rankings, Purdue is the best pick to potentially rise. The Boilermakers were snake-bitten by injury last year, specifically with their star wide receiver Rondale Moore going out. With him returning, there are questions at quarterback while the defense was abysmal last year. But if the offense gets on track, this group could push some teams in shootouts.