Coming off one of the best bowl seasons in Big Ten football history, the conference could be poised for another big year in 2018.

Big Ten teams combined for a 7-1 bowl record after the 2017 regular season was complete. Although the Big Ten did not have a representative in the College Football Playoff, conference teams did come back with a perfect 3-0 mark in New Years’ Six bowl games. Those results included:

* Big Ten champion Ohio State’s 24-7 rout of Pac-12 champion USC in the Cotton Bowl;

* Penn State’s 35-28 win over Washington in the Fiesta Bowl; and

* Wisconsin’s 34-24 victory over de facto host Miami (Fla.) in the Orange Bowl.

Those three teams and Michigan State were all ranked in the final top 15 of the AP top 25 for 2017. Ohio State was fifth, followed by Wisconsin seventh, Penn State eighth and MSU 15th.

The early college football magazines are just as bullish on the Big Ten for 2018.

Athlon’s is going with defending national champion Alabama at No. 1, followed by Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State and Michigan. Others from the Big Ten include Wisconsin (ninth), Penn State (11th) and Michigan State (12th).

Street & Smith’s also has Alabama ranked No. 1, followed by Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia and Oklahoma. Other from the Big Ten include Wisconsin (sixth), Michigan (ninth), Penn State (10th) and Michigan State (11th).

We shared details from the just-released Lindy’s preseason magazine here. Lindy’s has Clemson at No. 1, followed by Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia. The rest of the Lindy’s top 10 is Wisconsin at No. 5, followed by Oklahoma, Miami (Fla.), Washington, Auburn and Michigan State. Also checking in from the Big Ten are Penn State at 11th and Michigan at 18th.

With spring football over, we have enlisted the help of 247Sports staff members at each of the Big Ten schools to share their view on the program they cover. The 2018 season is now just three months away.

The Big Ten championship game is set for Sat., Dec. 1, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

We will start today with this look at the Big Ten Eastern Division, followed by a look tomorrow at the Western Division. (Note: Returning starters listed from Big Ten prospectus; Some schools listed split-time starters; All-Big Ten picks noted as B1G 1, B1G 2 and B1G 3 in parentheses for first-, second- and third-team picks respectively.)