1. Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights went 3-6 in the first year of Greg Schiano’s second stint at the school. While that may not sound great, road wins against Michigan State, Purdue and Maryland were a big deal for a program that had gone a combined 3-21 overall and 0-18 in the Big Ten the previous two seasons. Rutgers should continue to make strides under Schiano (above).
2. Minnesota: The Golden Gophers, slotted for fourth place in the West, have nine starters back on offense. Minnesota could be in the hunt for a title heading into the regular-season finale against visiting UW if quarterback Tanner Morgan can return to his 2019 form.
3. Maryland: Mike Locksley is 5-12 overall and 3-11 in Big Ten play through two seasons. But Locksley has recruited well and has a talented young quarterback in Taulia Tagovailoa. The Terrapins could be ready to make some noise.
4. Nebraska: The Cornhuskers return nine starters on defense and are starting to build some depth on the roster entering Scott Frost’s fourth season. Nebraska finally might be able to build some momentum if it can win tossup games at Illinois and Michigan State to open Big Ten play.
5. Illinois: The Fighting Illini are picked to finish last in the West Division after going 2-6 last season. But a middle-of-the-pack result wouldn’t be surprising considering Illinois returns 15 starters, eight of whom are seniors.
