The Ohio State football team will be one of the elite teams in the Big Ten again this season. As the defending national champions, they will have a target on their backs from every other team in the conference. That includes some teams who are on the fringes of contending.
There are three teams in the Big Ten who have an outside shot at contending for a Big Ten title. If these teams get lucky and get a lot of help, they have a chance to vault themselves into contention for a Big Ten Championship.
1. USC
USC struggled during its first season in the Big Ten. They blew a big lead to Penn State at home, which really crushed their spirit. They only won seven games, including just four in the Big Ten. They finished with a 4-5 record in conference play, which was highly disappointing.
Still, this team has a lot of talent. Their recruiting classes continue to be impressive every year, and Lincoln Riley is a good offensive coach. They do have to face Oregon, Michigan, and Notre Dame this season, so the schedule isn't easy. If they can get some decent quarterback play, they have a chance to contend.
2. UCLA
The other team in Los Angeles just got a lot more intriguing. Following the Nico Iamaleava saga, the Bruins have a new starting quarterback. He raises the ceiling of the Bruins now that he is in Los Angeles. It's hard for them to be much worse than last year, when they only went 3-6 in conference play.
Iamaleava showed a lot of talent in his freshman year with Tennessee. The question is going to be if he can leave the distractions of this offseason behind him and focus on limiting his turnovers. If he can carry the team, their schedule isn't too daunting, other than games against the Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State.
3. Washington
A year after playing for a national championship, the Big Ten wasn't very kind to Washington. They too finished with a 4-5 record in the Big Ten. They lost a massive amount of talent from their national championship-winning team. This year, they return a lot of those first-time starters.
The Huskies are going to need a lot of luck. They get both the Buckeyes and Oregon at home, which helps a lot. If they can find a way to beat Illinois on the road, they have a shot to finish in the top four of the Big Ten.