Last year was the first time that a Big Ten team didn't make the College Football Playoff field, but it had little to do with schedule -- unless you talk about Wisconsin. Had the Badgers beaten Ohio State there was little chance they would have made the field due to a very poor SOS, especially on the non-conference side of things. And it's no different this year, either.
In the Big Ten it's all about which teams you face at home, which means that Penn State might have a leg up on the field.
ILLINOIS
NC sked: Kent State, Western Illinois, at South Florida
Conference sked: Penn State, at Rutgers, Purdue, at Wisconsin, at Maryland, Minnesota, at Nebraska, Iowa, at Northwestern
NC grade: D+; Pretty much all because of the roadie to USF. Kent may be better, but not quickly enough, and Western Illinois is on because Illinois has just four of its nine league games at home. That's the one loophole for the B1G, which has said it will not schedule games against FCS foes.
Conference grade: C-; The Illini miss OSU, Michigan and Michigan State, and get to host Penn State, so it's really not an intimidating slate.
Overall grade: D+
INDIANA
NC sked: at Florida International, Virginia, Ball State
Conference sked: Michigan State, at Rutgers, at Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State, at Minnesota, Maryland, at Michigan, Purdue
NC grade: C+; Playing a MAC lesser light doesn't score many points, but taking on Virginia and and an emerging FIU at home should pay dividends down the road.
Conference grade: B-; The Hoosiers face OSU and Michigan away and Sparty and Penn State at home, and an improving Purdue means this schedule could make it tough for Indiana to get bowl eligible.
Overall grade: B-
IOWA
NC sked: Northern Illinois, Iowa State, Northern Iowa
Conference sked: Wisconsin, at Minnesota, at Indiana, Maryland, at Penn State, at Purdue, Northwestern, at Illinois, Nebraska
NC grade: C-; Iowa State is a rival and typically competitive, and NIU is one of the better teams in the MAC. Northern Iowa gets on for the same reason Illinois had Western Illinois, but it's still a demerit.
Conference grade: C+; Not terribly intimidating, though back to back vs Penn State and Purdue won't be much fun.
Overall grade: C
MARYLAND
NC sked: Texas, at Bowling Green, Temple
Conference sked: Minnesota, at Michigan, Rutgers, at Iowa, Illinois, Michigan State, at Indiana, Ohio State, at Penn State
NC grade: B+; THIS is how most P5 teams should schedule -- a big time foe (Texas), a good team from a G5 league (Temple) and a team that's geographically close to the hub of the conference (BG). Nice job, Terps.
Conference grade: B-; Maryland gets OSU and Sparty at home but must travel to Happy Valley and the Big House. All in all, the league did Maryland few favors.
Overall grade: B
MICHIGAN
NC sked: at Notre Dame, Western Michigan, SMU
Conference sked: Nebraska, at Northwestern, Maryland, Wisconsin, at Michigan State, Penn State, at Rutgers, Indiana, at Ohio State
NC grade: B+; It's great to see the Wolverines and Irish play, and there's nothing that terrible about facing WMU and SMU, even though the Mustangs will be down this year.
Conference grade: B+; Any year UM travels to Columbus is a tough one, and going to East Lansing won't be a picnic, either. Michigan does get Penn State and Wisconsin at home, and facing Nebraska and new coach Scott Frost out of the box will be interesting.
Overall grade: B+
MICHIGAN STATE
NC sked: Utah State, at Arizona State, Central Michigan
Conference sked: at Indiana, Northwestern, at Penn State, Michigan, Purdue, at Maryland, Ohio State, at Nebraska, Rutgers
NC grade: C-; If Sparty wants to be taken seriously as a contender it has to do better than this. CMU will be one of the poorer MAC team, Utah State is nothing special and the Fighting Herms of ASU are going to be all kind of chaotic.
Conference grade: C; MSU gets most of its toughies at home -- OSU, Michigan, Northwestern -- but does go to Penn State and Nebraska.
Overall grade: C
MINNESOTA
NC sked: New Mexico State, Fresno State, Miami (Ohio)
Conference sked: at Maryland, Iowa, at Ohio State, at Nebraska, Indiana, at Illinois, Purdue, Northwestern,
at Wisconsin
NC grade: B-; Fresno State is an ambitious foe so early in the season, and New Mexico State went to a bowl game in 2017. Miami has talent but never coalesced last year.
Conference grade: C-; No PSU, Michigan or Michigan State, but must travel to Nebraska, OSU and Wisconsin.
Overall grade: C+
NEBRASKA
NC sked: Akron, Colorado, Troy
Conference sked: at Michigan, Purdue, at Wisconsin, at Northwestern, Minnesota, at Ohio State, Illinois, Michigan State, at Iowa
NC grade: B-; Akron should be a layup, but Colorado will be ready to face its old Big 8 rival, and Troy is sneaky good, just the kind of squad that can upset a team learning a new system.
Conference grade: B-; The Huskers go to Ann Arbor, Madison and Columbus, which is a tough ask for any team, let alone breaking in a new coaching staff. It will be interesting to see how much Nebraska improves against a meat grinder of a schedule.
Overall grade: B-
NORTHWESTERN
NC sked: Duke, Akron, Notre Dame
Conference sked: at Purdue, Michigan, at Michigan State, Nebraska, at Rutgers, Wisconsin, at Iowa, at Minnesota, Illinois
NC grade: C+; Duke and Notre Dame are big contests, but having both at home brings this down just a tad.
Conference grade: C; The Wildcats go to East Lansing, but nothing else on the road is exactly intimidating. Michigan, MSU and Nebraska in consecutive weeks is quite the gantlet for NU.
Overall grade: C+
OHIO STATE
NC sked: Oregon State, vs. TCU, Tulane
Conference sked: Rutgers, at Penn State, Indiana, Minnesota, at Purdue, Nebraska, at Michigan State, at Maryland, Michigan
NC grade: C+; The Buckeyes don't often travel, but they do this season, to Jerryworld for a game against a very solid TCU squad. Oregon State and Tulane shouldn't offer much resistance in Columbus.
Conference grade: B-; Road trips to Penn State and Michigan State will determine whether or not the Buckeyes are champions or also-rans, but the finale against rival Michigan is at home.
Overall grade: C+
PENN STATE
NC sked: Appalachian State, at Pittsburgh, Kent State
Conference sked: at Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State, at Indiana, Iowa, at Michigan, Wisconsin, at Rutgers, Maryland
NC grade: C-; If not for the trip to Pitt, this would be a D. James Franklin has a team that can contend on a national stage this year, and if the Lions go unbeaten they will get dinged big time for this slate.
Conference grade: C-; PSU faces most of the league's heavy hitters, but gets all except Michigan at home.
Overall grade: C-
PURDUE
NC sked: Eastern Michigan, Missouri, Boston College
Conference sked: Northwestern, at Nebraska, at Illinois, Ohio State, at Michigan State, Iowa, at Minnesota, Wisconsin, at Indiana
NC grade: C+; This seems about right for an emerging team -- MAC foe and two decent P5 opponents, albeit both in West Lafayette.
Conference grade: C-; Jeff Brohm's bunch gets Ohio State and Wisconsin at home, but travels to East Lansing and Lincoln. The battle of coaching wits with Scott Frost should be something special.
Overall grade: C
RUTGERS
NC sked: Texas State, at Kansas, Buffalo
Conference sked: at Ohio State, Indiana, Illinois, at Maryland, Northwestern, at Wisconsin, Michigan, Penn State, at Michigan State
NC grade: D+; This is about what is to be expected with a program that is attempting to build, so while it's understandable, it's still not good.
Conference grade: B+; All of the heavy hitters are here, including OSU, Wisconsin and Michigan State away. A formidable league slate will likely keep Rutgers from achieving too much in 2018.
Overall grade: C+
WISCONSIN
NC sked: Western Kentucky, New Mexico, Brigham Young
Conference sked: at Iowa, Nebraska, at Michigan, Illinois, at Northwestern, Rutgers, at Penn State, at Purdue, Minnesota
NC grade: D+; Like last season, the Badgers are really lacking in non-league power, so should they somehow go unbeaten again they are liking looking at another miss for the CFP. Gotta schedule someone, Bucky.
Conference grade: C+; No Ohio State or Sparty, but the Badgers do go to Penn State and Michigan.
Overall grade: C
Monday: Pac-12
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