East Division

1. Michigan State – The Spartans jump over the Buckeyes due to the Braxton Miller injury. They open up with FCS foe Jacksonville State. The Spartans need to show why they should be the class of the Big Ten East.

Coming Up: August 29^th vs. Jacksonville State

2. Ohio State – The Buckeyes will have to look to Cardale Jones or J.T. Barrett to fill the shoes of Braxton Miller being out for the year. Ohio State has a tough test to open the year facing Navy in Baltimore. Navy is never an easy foe and a win would go a long way to easing the Bucks anxiety heading into 2014. A loss could spell doom for the men of Scarlet and Grey.

Coming Up: August 30^th @ Navy

3. Penn State – The Lions made it through camp healthy and have a chance for revenge as they travel to Dublin to face Central Florida. It should be a win and a worth while trip for Penn State.

Coming Up: August 30 vs. UCF

4. Michigan – The Wolverines sit at number four because they have a ton of questions to start the season. Word out of Ann Arbor is that Gardner has been holding on the ball at practice. Appalachian State comes into the Big House and Michigan should be good enough to avoid what happened in 2007.

Coming Up: August 30 vs. Appalachian State

5. Maryland –  Both Stephon Diggs and Deon Long are expected to be healthy in 2014 and give the Terps a shot at having one of the most explosive offenses in the Big Ten. The Terps should start the year with a win against James Madison in week 1.

Coming Up: August 30^th vs. James Madison

6. Indiana – The Hoosiers got throw camp healthy and now set their focus on Indiana State, a team the dropped 73 points on last season. However the defense gave up 35 points. Will the Hoosier D be able to hold them to 10 points or less?

Coming Up: August 30^th vs. Indiana State

7. Rutgers – Gary Nova won the starting job for the 2014 season. The Knights open up in Seattle vs. Washington State. This is a major statement game for the Rutgers program and would be a welcome win for the Big Ten.

Coming Up: August 28^th @Washington State (Seattle)

West Division

1. Wisconsin – Gary Anderson named Tanner McEvoy the starting quarterback for Week 1effectively putting a stamp on the program. Wisconsin has the toughest opener in the Big Ten as they travel to Houston to play LSU. A win would do wonders for the Badgers’ playoff hopes and the conference’s reputation.

Coming Up: August 30^th @LSU

2. Nebraska – The Huskers had a rough camp as they lost several starters on defense. This could doom the Huskers before the season starts. They should be fine in the opener though as they host Florida Atlantic.

Coming Up: August 30 vs. Florida Atlantic

3. Iowa– The Hawkeyes had a quiet camp with very little news coming out of Iowa City. They should be ready to go for in-state FCS foe Northern Iowa to start the year.

Coming Up: August 30 vs. Northern Iowa

4. Minnesota – Minnesota’s expectations are high this year and they won’t sneak up on anyone. They are now clearly the fourth best team in the West after camp. The Gophers should start the year 1-0.

Coming Up: August 28^th vs. Eastern Illinois

5. Northwestern – Talk about a disaster. The Wildcats lost their starting running back Venrick Mark to transfer and leading receiver Christian Jones for the year to injury. They are still above Illinois and Purdue but they are in dire straights when it comes to making a bowl game.

Coming Up: August 30^th vs. California

6. Illinois – The Illini officially named Wes Lunt the starting quarterback. The Illini offense should improve, but can their defense stop anyone? Illinois should start the season 1-0 as they face Youngstown State to start the year.

Coming Up: August 30 vs. Youngstown State

7. Purdue – The Boilermakers are clearly the worst team in the Big Ten although they should not be as bad as last season, 2014 could be rough. Danny Etling has claimed the starting QB role, but the success of the team falls on a defense that was god awful a season ago.

Coming Up: August 30 vs. Western Michigan

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