Big Ten Football Power Rankings: 7-10

We continue our Big Ten football power rankings this week with teams 7-10. So far, our list goes like this:

1. Ohio State
2. Iowa
3. Penn State
4. Indiana
5. Wisconsin
6. Michigan

Read the rankings 4-6 here.

7. Maryland Terrapins

Mike Locksley enters his third year at the helm of the Terrapins and he seems to have them heading in the right direction. A big part of that direction is quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who followed Locksley to Maryland from Alabama. He showed great flashes in the 2020 season and now has a full offseason to prepare, unlike last.

Joining Tagolvailoa is a pair of talented receivers in senior Dontay Demus Jr. and sophomore Rakim Jarrett. Both players had strong years last year in the pandemic shortened season. Running back Tayon Fleet-Davis is back for his fifth year in College Park. Some legal trouble and the pandemic derailed his junior and senior season, but he was recently put on the Doak Walker watchlist for the 2021 season.

The defense is led by their secondary. Safety Nick Cross is a former top-60 recruit that finds himself on a few draft boards heading into 2021. Cornerback Traheeb Still is another talented player the Terrapins can rely on in the backend. The linebacking unit is weak but interior defensive lineman Mosiah Nasili-Kite had a very produuve 2020 season and is back for more.

8. Northwestern

The Wildcats lost a ton off of last years team that spent more than a few weeks in the top-10. There is a serious quarterback competition between former 5-star Hunter Johnson who transferred in from Clemson, and Ryan Hillinksi, who started for South Carolina as a freshman in 2019. Pat Fitzgerald is one of the best coaches in the land so do not be surprised if the Wildcats find themselves in the top half of the conference yet again.

Peter Skoronski is a dominant left tackle who filled the shoes of 2020 opt-out Rashawn Slater, now with the L.A. Chargers. He landed on PFF’s first-team all Big Ten list prior to the 2021 season. There is not a ton at wideout besides Kansas transfer Stephon Robinson. The rest are younger guys who have not had the chance to contribute much.

Greg Newsome II and Paddy Fischer are gone and those two will be very tough to replace. The two All-Americans were vital in reviving the program after their 3-9 2019 season. The defense let up a very impressive 15 points per game in 2020 and finding guys to effectively replace players like Newsome II and Fischer will determine this groups ceiling.

9. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers is another program on the uptick. Greg Schiano has done an excellent job recruiting so far but the roster is not quite there yet. Noah Verdal is on his third school and second year at Rutgers and showed some promise last year, but he needs to better if Rutgers wants to compete this season.

Helping Verdal is Bo Melton, an extremely talented receiver that caught six touchdowns in nine games a season ago. He is one of the better receivers in the conference. Outside of Melton, the skill group leaves quite a bit to be desired.

The defense is the better half of this team. Avery Young is one of the best defenders in the conference and he is not alone. Tre Avery is another very strong player for the Scarlet Knights that fits very will with Young. On the defensive line, Ifeanyi Maijeh is a force that plugs the middle well.

10. Michigan State Spartans

No program had more roster turnover than Mel Tucker this year. A whopping 27 players transferred out of Michigan State and they add 16 incoming transfers along with 18 freshman. There is a true 50/50 quarterback competition between Payton Thorne, who started the last few games in 2020 and Anthony Russo, a transfer from Temple. Russo had an up and down career at Temple and will have to become more consistent if he hopes to beat out Thorne.

Kenneth Walker III is another transfer that landed on PFF’s first team all Big Ten list. Hard Joiner come aboard from Auburn and this running back suddenly became a strength. Jayden Reed is the WR1 and is very talented. More consistent quarterback play will help showcase that. The offensive line has got to play better after running backs were only able to rush for less than 32.7 yards per carry and only two touchdowns, both ranked last in the conference.

The defense got their biggest boost at linebacker with the addition of Itayvion “Tank” Brown (Minnesota) and Quavaris Crouch (Tennessee). Xavier Henderson is in the upper half of Big Ten safeties and will have to be again for this group to emulate the Michigan State defenses of old. If all the transfers can materialize, this team will shoot up the conference ranks. If not, it will be another rebuilding year for the Spartans.