The Big-10 is arguably the deepest conference in college football where unlike for example the SEC who perennially send Alabama to the playoffs, several teams start the season with at least a glimmer of hope of progressing to the Rose Bowl. This season is no different and you could make a case for at least four teams in each division. Is this the year that Jim Harbaugh makes the breakthrough? Or will Scott Frost do what he did at UCF with Nebraska?

Given we don’t have a fully functioning crystal ball the following is our best guess at what should be the most open of all the conferences in 2019.

Big-10 East

The favourite for the conference championship and probable playoff candidate is likely to come from this division and several should be going bowling in December.

1st Michigan Wolverines

Since leaving the NFL to return to to the college game Jim Harbaugh has had a record which any coach not called Urban Meyer or Nick Saben would be proud of, however, it is still seen by many as slightly disappointing as he has failed to break into the playoffs. That could change this year and although their schedule is filled with big games, most of these are at home. They do have to travel to Penn State and they have the obligatory meeting with Notre Dame, however, they get Ohio State at home and a win in that should secure a conference championship berth. A New Years Bowl game looks assured and a playoff place a strong possibility.

Predicted Record 11-1

2nd Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State never really recovered from that disappointing 27-26 loss to Ohio State in game 5 last year and were probably better than their 9-3 league record indicates. Apart from their capitulation at Michigan, all their losses (including the Citrus Bowl)  were one-score games and if they can adjust to the loss of offensive stalwarts Trace McSorley & Miles Sanders then a winning season is assured. Looking at their schedule a 6-0 start is on the cards, before that key home game with Michigan. Thereafter they have three tough road games and two home games which they will be strong favourites in. Had they not been introducing a new QB we would have had them as division winners but we think they will slip up a couple of times.

Predicted Record 9-3

3rd Ohio State Buckeyes

How will the Buckeyes get on without Urban Meyer prowling the touchline is anyone’s guess, however, we don’t see a total collapse and they will remain one of the teams to beat. The schedule starts easy but soon gets tougher and their fate will probably be decided in late November when they finish the campaign against Penn State & Michigan. They have lost nine starters to the NFL draft including QB Dwayne Haskins and two productive Wide Receivers, and if that’s not enough the defense has taken a hit too. If QB Justin Fields who has transferred from Georgia hits the ground running then Ohio State should go into those final games with a chance, however, its a big ask. We see them falling just short.

Predicted Record 9-3

4th Michigan State Spartans

The Spartans were not very good offensively last year with a poor running game that rarely got going and although they managed 7 wins, this was largely thanks to their defense. The combined score in seven of their games last year was below 30, and this included the dismal 7-6 loss in the Redbox Bowl. They have a lot of last seasons starters returning which may or may not be a good thing and although we expect a winning season it might not be pretty.

Predicted Record 7-5 

5th Indiana Hoosiers

The Hoosiers consistently win between 4 & 6 games and despite having three of their first four games against teams they have a chance against, we cand see any improvement on this range in 2019. Not much more to say other than they probably won’t be going bowling in December.

Predicted Record 5-7 

6th Maryland Terrapins

Despite the off-field issues last year the Terrapins played pretty well at times, beating Texas in their opener and giving Ohio State a fright in a 52-51 OT loss. However, in other games, they looked bad and this inconsistency looks like being repeated in 2019. They have opted to open the season against FCS Howard which should ensure a winning start but they could easily be 1-4 before travelling to the Scarlet Knights in what could be a wooden spoon battle. We think they will struggle to better last seasons record.

Predicted Record 4-8

7th Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers racked up an eleven game losing streak last year and a similar season can’t be ruled out. We think they will struggle to win a conference game but might pick up a couple of wins against their FBS independent scheduled opponents.

Predicted Record 2-10

Big-10 West

This division looks wide open and will probably be won 9-3 or even 8-4 such is the apparent parity. Is this the year that Scott Frost proves his achievements with UCF were no fluke?

1st Nebraska Cornhuskers

The much anticipated Scott Frost Era in Nebraska started off with a Hurricane – which led to their opener being cancelled and rapidly descended into a nightmare with six defeats on the bounce including a loss to Sub Belt Troy. However, the final defeat in that streak showed things were coming together as they took eventual division champions Northwestern to OT before losing by a field goal. Four wins in their final six games put a bit of respectability on the season and those final two losses were on the road to Ohio State & Iowa and both were one-score games.

Predicted Record 9-3

2nd Iowa Hawkeyes

The Hawkeyes season might hinge on how well QB Nate Stanley adjusts to life without what was possibly the best tight end duo ever to play college football. T.J Hockenson & Noah Fant were a big part of his march towards Iowa Immortality as he closes in on Chuck Long’s TD record.  He needs 23 to pass it and that still looks highly likely as they have several starters returning. The Hawkeyes have a really tough road schedule which includes Iowa State, Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Nebraska in their final game which could decide the division. Ultimately we feel this will cost them their shot at reaching the Rose Bowl. 

Predicted Record 8-4

3rd Wisconsin Badgers

The Badgers started 2018 as trendy picks for the West and potential playoff candidates, however, that was dashed by a shock early loss to BYU, and they were turned out to be no match for their stronger conference rivals. Given this, they still ended 7-5 and had a nice win Bowl win. The reason they could be pushing for the division this year is the running prowess of Jonathan Taylor who is back for his junior year. He has safe hands and you can pretty much count on 100yd plus games week in week out. Will this be enough to make up for the losses on both lines in the draft and the question marks at QB? Well, we will know by the end of September as they have a couple of tricky non-conference games and then face Michigan and Northwestern. They need to be at least 3-1 to have a chance at the division as their subsequent road schedule is brutal. Another decent Bowl slot looks a near certainty.

Predicted record 8-4

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota was an up and down team last season bouncing out 3-0, including a nice win over eventual Mountain West and S&P ranked Fresno State, but then losing four on the bounce which included drubbings at Maryland & Nebraska. They even gave up 55 points at Illinos and it would be fair to say they were not good on the road, although they did win at Wisconsin on the final day to secure a Bowl slot.  There is still question marks at QB and overall they don’t look any better than last year. They could surprise but most likely they will finish with s similar record to last season.

Predicted Record 7-5

Northwestern Wild Cats

Pat Fitzgerald has done a nice job of making Northwestern relevant again, and they were, of course, Divisional Champions last year. So why the step back? Well Clay Thorson’s departure to the NFL leaves question marks at QB, although Hunter Johnson could step in. However, the main reason we see a drop off is that they had the rub of the green last year winning four one-possession games. You don’t tend to get those breaks two years running. The positives are, the schedule doesn’t include Notre Dame this year, but they do have a road game at Stanford to open and a brutal five-game stretch from mid-September through October. It would not be too much of a stretch to see them 1-6 after this before winning out.

Predicted Record 6-6

Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue have been steadily improving under head coach Jeff Brohm and are looking to make it three bowl appearances in a row since the Joe Tiller era. They were the epitome of a Jeckle & Hyde team last year managing to beat Ohio State but also losing to Eastern Michigan. They ended up 6-6 and made it to the Music City Bowl, where they were soundly beaten by Auburn. They look to be sorted at QB with Elijah Sindelar abut their offense is otherwise is largely unproven and in this company, they could struggle. We can see them possibly scraping to Bowl eligibility but a losing record seems more likely.

Predicted Record 5-7

Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois has a solid ex NFL head coach in Lovie Smith (he has an 89-87 NFL record), however, somehow he can’t seem to replicate this in the college game. So what’s wrong with the Fighting Illini? Well, where do you start? Projected starting QB MJ Rivers has transferred out just after Spring training so who knows who will be under centre. Then there is the defense (usually a Smith strong point) was awful last year and most of them are coming back, all be it with an extra year’s experience under their belts. So there are question marks on both sides of the ball and although they have scheduled three mediocre group of five conference teams to kick off the season, a conference win or two is hard to spot. A 3-0 start is a possibility followed by a long hard autumn when conference play starts. They might pick up a conference win hence our prediction of four wins.

Predicted Record 4-8

Overall we think that one team from the Big-10 will be in the playoffs this year and they should fill their Bowl allocation.