CFB: Preseason Big Ten East Rankings

As we approach just six weeks until kickoff for the highly anticipated 2021 college football season, it is time to go in and create my preseason standing predictions. While the top of the Big 10 is still dominated by The Ohio State Buckeyes, it will be interesting to see how the field shapes up. There is a mix of schools after the Buckeyes that can give them a scare, those include Indiana, Penn State, and Michigan. The bottom of the Big 10 East is as talented and competitive as ever with Maryland and Rutgers being competent football teams with great upside. 

7. Maryland Terrapins

After a tough season in 2020 due to COVID outbreaks and a promising start, the Terrapins finished with a lackluster record of 2-3. The Terrapins had one win that was viewed as a success with the upset against Penn State but the Nittany Lions had their issues. The upside is the year will start with a healthy Taulia Tagovailoa and they have offensive weapons returning in Rakim Jarrett and Dontay Demus Jr. They lost a lot of players to the NFL and right now 12 players are in the transfer portal putting the Terrapins in a bad spot. Both offensive and defensive lines need work as they lost games at the line of scrimmage in 2020. 

6. Michigan State Spartans

The Spartans had a tough 2020 in Mel Tucker’s first season as head coach. Michigan State finished with the 118th worst offensive in terms of points per game in 2020 with an average of 18.0 points. There is some hope and optimism in East Lansing as the Spartans have taken advantage of the transfer portal. New quarterback Anthony Russo will be a spark to the team with his body frame and big arm. They are lacking the dynamic playmaking talent on both sides of the ball, until they address that issue they will be sitting at the bottom of the conference. 

5. Rutgers Scarlett Knights

Although being ranked 5th out of 7th, the Scarlett Knights and their followers should be excited about what the future holds. In 2020 they finished with a record of 3-6, by no means is this something to brag about. However, Greg Schiano, Rutgers head coach, has had multiple experiences and is a phenomenal football coach and motivator. The Scarlett Knights battled in 2020 and most games they played were competitive. The combination of playmakers that are returning including Bo Melton and the return of legit coaching staff should set up the Scarlett Knights to make noise in the conference. They have a shot at upsetting some valid contenders. 

4. Michigan Wolverines

At number four is the Wolverines and that is not a shot at Michigan. The simple answer is that this conference is competitive from top to bottom and they are not as talented as the teams above them. What is something to celebrate is that the Wolverines already have their guy under center. There should be no competition in fall camp, Cade McNamara needs to be the guy and he needs to be special for them to finish above fourth in the conference. The 2020 season for Michigan was nothing to brag about, if anything they should forget how it went. After being the laughing stock of the media, the Wolverines will want to prove to the public that they are for real. They return two outstanding playmakers in Ronnie Bell and Hassan Haskins, those guys will have to use their season leadership to propel the Wolverines to a successful year. 

3. Indiana Hoosiers

Although the Hoosiers come in at number three, I am of the believer that they are the biggest threat to Ohio State. They have the offensive firepower to hang with the Buckeyes unlike any other team in this conference. With Michael Penix Jr. returning, the Hoosiers have the best quarterback in the conference. The pair of Penix Jr. and Ty Fryfogle is one of the country’s best quarterback and receiver duo. They return almost everyone on defense along with four starters on the offensive line. Hoosiers fans should be excited for what is to come in 2021 assuming Penix Jr. stays healthy. 

2. Penn State Nittany Lions

The season the Nittany Lions had in 2020 was a fluke and won’t happen again in 2021. Coach James Franklin is great at his job and he will turn the program back to the competitive status that the nation is used to. Sean Clifford is a gritty quarterback that can lead his team to success if he takes care of the football by limiting his turnovers. They saw a lot of talent depart for the NFL but they recruit at a high clip that the Nittany Lions should have no issues filling those voids. The secondary will be captained by Tariq Castro-Fields, looking to lock down the explosive receivers in the conference. Sean Clifford will look to lead the squad to a bounce-back season and hopefully a Big 10 title. 

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes will look to be the champions of the conference for the fifth season in a row. They lost some key pieces but the recruiting and coaching that goes on in Columbus makes that transition smooth. Questions are surrounding the team, especially at the quarterback position with inexperienced C.J. Stroud likely starting in 2021. The Buckeyes will be great again because of the dominant offensive line as Thayer Munford returns. The defensive line will win the line of scrimmage with Zach Harrison and Haskell Garrett coming back. They have weapons everywhere with Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson running the show at receiver. They lose explosive running back Trey Sermon and there are questions regarding the back seven. With that being said, the Buckeyes have the talent to return as conference champs. 

References: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/

Writer

-By: Justin Howard