The realistic goals might not all be the same, but across the league, every team at some point has to face a crucial stretch to reach its potential.

Whether it’s simply making it to a bowl game or trying to win the Big Ten and head to the College Football Playoff, there’s a three- or four-game, make-or-break portion of the schedule that is going to determine that fate for everybody.

All week long, the Big Ten reporting crew is identifying those pivotal weeks around the conference and what they might mean this fall. Up next: Maryland.

Toughest stretch: Weeks 8 through 11 (Michigan State, at Indiana, at Michigan, Ohio State).

Why: Obviously nobody in the East is spared from matchups with the three powerhouse programs helping make that one of the most imposing divisions in all of college football, but DJ Durkin would probably prefer it if he could space the games out a bit more. In the span of four weeks, Durkin’s first Maryland team will have three chances to test itself against the programs he was hired to chase down thanks to visits from Ohio State and Michigan State and a tough road trip to Michigan.

Mixing in a visit to Indiana and what has recently been one of the most prolific offensive attacks in the conference won’t be easy either. And considering the degree of difficulty surrounding that battle with the Hoosiers, perhaps that might just be one of the most important games of Durkin’s first campaign -- particularly if the Terrapins are going to climb back into the postseason.

If there’s any good news for Maryland as it breaks down that segment of the schedule, it has to be the opportunity to take its shots against the Spartans and Buckeyes at home. Maryland Stadium hasn’t exactly been a fearsome place to play for opponents lately, and the Terps didn’t even win a conference home game during the disappointing 2015 season that cost Randy Edsall his job. But if Durkin can generate some early momentum and energize the fan base, the place could be rocking for a primetime kickoff against the Spartans.

The rebuilding job isn’t going to be easy, and the degree of difficulty certainly has only gone up thanks to the trio of national contenders leading the pack in the East. But Maryland is never going to be able to hide from them, and for better or worse, this season the measuring sticks are nearly all stacked up one after the other.