14. Michigan State
MSU appears to have an open QB competition, however lacks ideal replacements in-house. RB Elijah Collins figures to have a solid season coming off of nearly reaching 1,000 yards in his redshirt Freshman season. Tre Mosely has a tough task ahead at the WR1 spot. Mosely figures to be the go-to target, after a season of just 216 receiving yards on 21 catches.
13. Rutgers
QB Artur Sitkowski comes into 2020 after a poor 2019 season before a season-ending injury. Isiah Pacheco looks to be suitable at RB, after rounding out a 729 yard season on 169 carries. Bo Melton shows potential at WR1, despite leading Rutgers last season with 30 catches for 427 yards. Rutgers looks like they’ll need to keep waiting to turn the corner.
12. Northwestern
Many consider QB Peyton Ramsey a strong step up from Hunter Johnson. Ramsey was a proven QB1 at Indiana and can show that with another starting role. Wildcat fans believe Isaiah Bowser will get the nod at RB, as he had a good freshman season. However, the Northwestern RB struggled with injuries in 2019. The Wide Receiver position for the Wildcats is a massive hole in the offense. Ramsey’s top target next season will be Riley Lees whose coming off a season where he averaged just 8.4 yards per reception.
11. Wisconsin
Starting QB Jack Coan is capable but really struggled to rack up numbers vs most Big Ten opponents last year. Wisco’s Running Back is a huge position of need after Jonathan Taylor departed for the NFL. Candidate Nakia Watson could fill his spot; however in all likelihood he’ll be a large step down from Taylor. The WR position also saw massive losses; Danny Davis III is someone to watch out to take the top spot at WR. In a setback year in 2019, Davis III had a solid ’17 and ’18 seasons. Wisconsin’s offense is hurting bad after this off-season’s departures, and inevitably looks to take a step back.
10. Maryland
At Quarterback, Josh Jackson needs to find consistency to solidify Maryland’s offense. WR Dontay Demus is one of the most underrated receivers in the conference, and could turn some heads this year. However, RB Tayon Fleet-Davis scares me, with both of the Terrapins top 2 Running back options will turn pro this offseason, Fleet-Davis likely will be the starter, despite limited action last year.
9. Iowa
Tyler Goodson will be one of the top RB’s in the conference, and WR Imihr Smith-Marsette is one of the more explosive receivers in the Big Ten, leaving no concern at those positions. However Spencer Petras will take over at QB. Petras is a big boom or bust guy.Petras is a pro-style QB with a solid skill set, but was only a 3-star secret, and likely will need some time to adjust at the college level.
8. Illinois
QB Brandon Peters showed great spurts throughout last season, but at times struggled with consistency and injuries. Josh Imatorbhebhe is a guy who is flying way under the radar at WR, the majority of Big Ten fans barely know him. Imatorbhebhe will catch almost anything thrown his way and could find himself in Biletnikoff talks throughout the year. RB Mike Epstein is a big question mark due to his injury history. Epstein is solid when he’s on the field, but the question fans are asking is if he will be the same after suffering a season ending knee injury in last year’s opener.
Photo: College Football News