Preseason B1G Power Rankings and Bowl Projections

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The preseason coaches poll was released today (in which Michigan was not ranked). So in that spirit, we bring you even more preseason guessing time wasting prognosticating.

Preseason bowl projections are silly if for no other reason that while its fun to think we know something, we really don't know anything. But that isn't stopping us from writing this...or you from reading it. We're both guilty.

The B1G bowl tie-ins are pretty solid when it comes to the upper-crust bowls like the CFB Playoff Bowl (Rose Bowl), CFB Playoff At-Large Bowls (Orange, Cotton, Fiesta, Peach Bowls), Capital One Bowl, Outback Bowl, etc...they get a little hazy with bowls played in December. How you finish in the Big Ten standings has little to do with what bowl you'll end up going to.

And the order of the bowls isn't set in stone either. It's hardly an exact science, thus we can't even determine which bowl a team might go to based on conf rank. Spots 5-14 (in theory) in the B1G could end up at the Tax Slayer Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Fight Hunger Bowl, San Francisco Bowl, Armed Forces Bowl, Music City Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl, Detroit Lions Bowl or Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Big Ten has relationships with each of those games.

So, that said, here are our preseason picks...

Power Rank	Bowl/ Opponent	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
1	Rose Playoff		-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2	At Large At Large		-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3	Capital One SEC		-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4	Outback SEC		-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	TBD		-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	TBD		-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
7	TBD		-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
8	TBD		-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
9	TBD		-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
As of right now, Penn State is ineligible for post-season play, and thus will not ranked on this chart.

1. Michigan State
Earned the right to be my preseason top pick with a league title and a Rose Bowl win over Stanford. Their defense last season was ridiculous. DC Pat Narduzzi and a lot of his firepower return for 2014. QB Connor Cook also improved week to week and served up his best stuff at the end of the season. But can Sparty play the role of the hunted and still be successful?

2. Ohio State
When you have to replace your star RB, 4 seniors along the OL, and the defense was as bad as it was at the end of the season (and lost their two best players), it was an easy choice to put the overwhelming favorite to win the league at #2. Are the Buckeyes loaded with talent? Yes. And any discussion about who wins the league has to involve them.

3. Michigan
A new dynamic offensive coordinator and a reshuffling of the defensive coaching staff's duties could be just the spark that the Wolverines need to resurrect the hopes and dreams of a year ago. The talent and experience (especially on defense) is abundant at almost every position. But the running game/OL will be what makes Michigan go this year. It can't all be on Gardner's shoulders.

4. Wisconsin
Again, a lot of this is based purely out of respect/how they played last year. Gary Andersen has a lot of work to do in Madison to fill some big holes on the roster. The race of the B1G west is going to be fierce. You might be able to swap Wisconsin with Iowa/Nebraska/Minnesota at this point.

5. Iowa
Iowa finds itself pretty much off the preseason hype radar. But that's typically when Ferentz surprises everyone with a true contender. Now is as good of time as any as the western division is ripe for the picking.

6. Nebraska
Its easy to forget just how much everyone thought Bo Pelini was going to get fired at the end of last year. But tweet back and forth with a fanboy twitter account and then bring a cat to the spring game and everyone is you're best friend again. Will all be forgiven once football is played again? Six straight 4-loss seasons have to be getting pretty old in Lincoln.

7. Minnesota
I'm not saying the Gophers are for real or anything, but Jerry Kill has gone 3-9, 6-7 and 8-5 in 3 seasons in Minneapolis. His players love him and it shows on and off the field. At a time when everyone is focusing on the more perennial powerhouses in the western division, Minnesota is in a great position. The season showdown against Wisconsin could be quite meaningful.

8. Maryland
I'll be the first to admit I really don't know much about Maryland. I know Randy Edsall is a pretty great coach and they have some good weapons on offense. They do have one of the toughest schedules in the league, so we'll see right away if Maryland is for real.

9. Indiana
Rounding out the bowl/power rankings for us are the Hoosiers. Indiana had one of the most prolific offenses in the league last year until late in the season. What they did not have was a defense, and that was enough to keep them from becoming bowl eligible. Can that change in 2014?

The rest
If you're a B1G team and you didn't see your name on my chart, hang you head in shame. Do it now.

Penn State, for the time being, is not eligible for post-season play. That may change if enough donors/lawyers grease enough congressmen's palms. Say the Nittany Lions were eligible, where would they find themselves on this list? We may never know.

Northwestern, the media darling of 2013, will need to show me something before I can forget that 7-game losing skid last year, although they could have the league's most dynamic player in RB Venric Mark.

Rutgers, Purdue and Illinois? I just don't even...I mean...I don't know, man.