Big Ten Power Rankings: Preseason Edition

There are just 10(!) days left until Northwestern takes the field against No. 21 Stanford on Sept. 5, and the Wildcats, along with the rest of the Big Ten begin a season with newfound hope. Fearless, they will step upon the field to showcase what the fruits of their hard, offseason labor. And also fearless, Inside NU's cast of hacks will release their rankings of the Big Ten's 14 teams.

The preseason edition is below:

1 Ohio State Buckeyes 2014 RECORD: 14-1 (8-0) The defending national champs deserve the top spot in our rankings, and everybody else's. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Kevin Dukovic Michael Odom Ian McCafferty Lyndsey Armacost Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 Michigan State Spartans 2014 RECORD: 11-2 (7-1) A ferocious defense and experienced quarterback make the Spartans one of the top teams in the nation. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Kevin Dukovic Michael Odom Ian McCafferty Lyndsey Armacost Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2.11

3 Wisconsin Badgers 2014 RECORD: 11-3 (7-1) Despite a new head coach, the structure is in place for Wisconsin to have sustained success atop the Big Ten West. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Kevin Dukovic Michael Odom Ian McCafferty Lyndsey Armacost Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 4 3 3 2 3 3 4 3 3 3.11

4 Nebraska Cornhuskers 2014 RECORD: 9-4 (5-3) Another Big Ten West contender with a new head coach, but this one has to install a new offense that's missing one of the best playmakers in the country. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Kevin Dukovic Michael Odom Ian McCafferty Lyndsey Armacost Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 6 4 4 5 4 5 5 4 4 4.56

5 Penn State Nittany Lions 2014 RECORD: 7-6 (2-6) Can the strong-armed QB lead the Nittany Lions back to national prominence? Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Kevin Dukovic Michael Odom Ian McCafferty Lyndsey Armacost Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 5 5 8 6 6 7 3 5 6 5.67

6 Michigan Wolverines 2014 RECORD: 5-7 (3-5) A new coach brings a new attitude, but there are still a lot of uncertainties in Ann Arbor. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Kevin Dukovic Michael Odom Ian McCafferty Lyndsey Armacost Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 3 7 5 4 5 6 8 7 7 5.78

7 Minnesota Golden Gophers 2014 RECORD: 8-5 (5-3) A sleeper with a strong defense could make a run at the Big Ten West crown. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Kevin Dukovic Michael Odom Ian McCafferty Lyndsey Armacost Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 7 6 6 7 7 4 6 6 5 6

8 Northwestern Wildcats 2014 RECORD: 5-7 (3-5) The Wildcats are looking to rebound from back-to-back 5-7 seasons, but questions under center remain. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Kevin Dukovic Michael Odom Ian McCafferty Lyndsey Armacost Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 8 10 7 9 10 8 9 8 9 8.67

9 Iowa Hawkeyes 2014 RECORD: 7-6 (4-4) Is anyone outside Iowa City really expecting big things from the Hawkeyes? Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Kevin Dukovic Michael Odom Ian McCafferty Lyndsey Armacost Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 9 9 9 10 9 9 10 9 8 9.11

10 Maryland Terrapins 2014 RECORD: 7-6 (4-4) The Terps have talent, but a stable quarterback is needed to bring it all together. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Kevin Dukovic Michael Odom Ian McCafferty Lyndsey Armacost Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 12 8 10 8 8 12 7 12 11 9.78

11 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 2014 RECORD: 8-5 (3-5) An eight-win season in 2014 looks good on paper, but a closer examination proves that Rutgers really wasn't very good. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Kevin Dukovic Michael Odom Ian McCafferty Lyndsey Armacost Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 10 11 11 11 11 10 12 10 10 10.67

12 Illinois Fighting Illini 2014 RECORD: 6-7 (3-5) A tumultuous offseason filled with harmful accusations lobbed at the program can't help a team that limped to six wins in 2014. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Kevin Dukovic Michael Odom Ian McCafferty Lyndsey Armacost Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 11 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 12 11.56

13 Indiana Hoosiers 2014 RECORD: 4-8 (1-7) A pretty good offense coupled with a defense that can't stop anybody. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Kevin Dukovic Michael Odom Ian McCafferty Lyndsey Armacost Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 13 13 13 14 13 13 14 13 13 13.22

14 Purdue Boilermakers 2014 RECORD: 3-9 (1-7) Purdue beat Illinois to earn its first conference win since 2012 last season, so there's that. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Kevin Dukovic Michael Odom Ian McCafferty Lyndsey Armacost Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 14 14 14 13 14 14 13 14 14 13.78