2012 BIG 10 PREVIEW

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Mike Neri - 8/29/2012 10:21 AM

College football season is back and it is time to start previewing teams and making predictions on who will end up being on top of their conferences by the end of the season. Overall, the Big 10 posted a mediocre record in their bowl games at 4-6. In this article, I will take a look at the Big 10 conference and give you my picks or predictions for this upcoming season.

Leaders Division:
Wisconsin: The reigning champs of the Big 10 are back as the heavy favorites this year. Montee Ball decided to stay in school another year, and Danny O'Brien, the QB transfer from Maryland, is projected as the starter. There are always a lot of things to like about Wisconsin over the years. They always have one of the best offensive lines in the country, and they seem to have a strong defense every year. The line doesn't have as much experience as it has in the past, but that shouldn't be much of a problem. O'Brien will provide a solid substitute for the extremely productive Russell Wilson, but the production of the offense will mostly focus on Ball, who averaged an outstanding 6.2 YPC last year and had 33 TDs. I like Wisconsin to win the Leaders division again this year.

Ohio State: Ohio State is the team that I feel will finish 2nd in the Leaders division this year. In is Urban Meyer and expectations are high this year. I honestly don't think the Buckeyes will do badly this year, but they won't have as great of a year as some experts are thinking. Braxton Miller is a great athlete, but his arm is questionable. There is not much depth at the receiver or running back position either. Defense will be OSU's strong point this year with 10 returning starters. Look for the Buckeyes to be exciting with Urban Meyer's new scheme, but this project is still a work in progress. I expect around four losses for the Buckeyes; however, there will be big things from them in the future.

Illinois: Illinois will finish 3rd in the Big 10 leaders division this year. The Illini have 15 returning starters on both sides of the ball, including their junior quarterback Nate Scheelhaase. The Illini also have a new head coach, former Toledo coach, Tim Beckman, who replaces Ron Zook. Beckman will bring in the familiar spread offense that Zook ran for the past couple years with Scheelhaase and Juice Williams. The Illini should be poised for a successful year compared to ones in the past. If you remember last year, they started off the year with six straight wins. Problem was the competition in the Big 10 was tough, and they went on to lose their next six before winning their bowl game. I'm not sure that Illinois will be as good as Ohio State, but if Scheelhaase can stay an extra year under Beckman, look for Illinois to contend next year. However, this year, the Illinois will finish right behind the Buckeyes in the Leaders division.

Penn State: Next on the list is poor Penn State. Even with tailback Silas Redd gone, I think the Nittany Lions will hold their own in the Leaders division. Yes, they will finish at the bottom half of the division behind the Fighting Illini, but this won't be such a disappointing year for Penn State. In fact, I think they can pull off a big upset against Wisconsin, Nebraska, or Ohio State, similar to what the Buckeyes did last year did to Wisconsin on their homecoming game. The Nittany Lions will be bottom feeders in the Big 10 for a long time, but with experienced QB Matt McGloin still playing in State College, Penn State has a shimmer of hope for a decent season in the wake of the rulings from the NCAA.

Purdue: For finishing 5th this year, Purdue doesn't look that bad on paper. In fact, their running game was solid last year, averaging over 180 yards a game, and senior QB Caleb TerBush had a decent end to the 2011 year. However, they had a shaky defense, and their secondary is awfully inexperienced. Other than Notre Dame, they should be able to win their non-conference games easily; but when Purdue comes to face Big 10 competition, I'm not sure if they can handle it. Look for them to only win maybe two or three conference games this year.

Minnesota: The Gophers come into 2012 with 13 returning starters, including the dynamic QB MarQueis Gray, who passed for almost 1500 yards and ran for almost 1000 in 2011. Jerry Kill also returns for his second year as the head coach. However, there is not much depth at any other position. I'm not sure Minnesota can come close to making any type of run this year. Look for them to finish with two or three wins, maybe stealing a win in the Big 10. They'll more than likely finish at the bottom of the Leaders division.

Legends Division:
Michigan State: Atop of the Legends division will be the Spartans of East Lansing. They have probably the best defense in the Big 10 this year. Led by Denicos Allen, who recorded 11 sacks last year, the Spartans have 8 returning starters on that side of the ball. The questions will come on the offensive side of the ball now that Kirk Cousins, BJ Cunningham, and Keshawn Martin are playing professionally. Will RB Le'Veon Bell be able to carry the load for the offense now that QB Andrew Maxwell is in, who only played five games of garbage minutes last year? I think they will be successful. Michigan State used to always be like this: ground and pound to open up the pass and play great defense. Last year, in which they mostly ran a passing/spread type of offense, which was an exception because of Cousins' experienced play. I like Michigan State getting back to the basics and running the ball more this year. They will be back in Indianapolis.

Nebraska: Nebraska has always been an interesting team with Taylor Martinez at the helm of their offense. He runs well, but watching him throw is like watching an old lady cross the street. It tends to be frightening. With that said, I feel like he and RB Rex Burkhead will have great years running the ball. They have a year under their belt playing in the Big 10 now, and look for them to start playing well in this conference. Their defense was questionable at times last year after they lost their star corner Prince Amukamara to the NFL Draft, but I feel like they will turn it around this year. This may sound like an excuse, but they needed a year to get used to the teams of the Big 10, and the style of play. I feel like the Cornhuskers will finish 2nd in this division, just above the Wolverines.

Michigan: I feel that going into this year that Michigan is overhyped. I think they will still have a decent team, but they had so many wins last year by only a few points that could've swung in either direction. Denard Robinson might be the fastest quarterback in the NCAA (that's close between him and Braxton Miller), but his production will falter a little bit earlier in the season with RB Fitz Toussaint suspended. Toussaint will provide a good option when he comes back, though. I'm just not big on Robinson being paired with Brady Hoke. Hoke loves the pro-style offense and Robinson is anything but a pro-style quarterback. The clash reminds me a little bit of Tim Tebow and John Elway last year. I just see a decent year for the Wolverines: nothing spectacular, but nothing bad. They'll finish 3rd in the Legends division.
Iowa: Look for the Hawkeyes and their new way of moving the ball this year when the team hired Texas' former offensive coordinator Greg Davis, who believed in a more passing/spread offense. That should help out Iowa, who in the past have always been a pro-style, running team. Gone is RB Marcus Coker, who produced over 1,300 yards last year, but returning is the productive QB James Vandenburg. Vandenburg had a great year in 2011 as he passed for over 3,000 yards and 25 TDs. The defense, starting with the linebackers, should be solid as usual. If I'm Iowa, I'd expect a fun year with a lot of passing, but unfortunately the talent isn't good enough to hang with the contenders. They will finish 4th.

Northwestern: The Wildcats are not far from making a run in the Big 10, but it more than likely won't happen this upcoming year. The do-it-all senior QB Kain Coulter, who ran, caught, and passed last year will line up as the starter this year, replacing the shaky Dan Persa. Coulter is an exciting player; he reminds me of a Taylor Martinez type, but with a better arm. Coulter will ignite the Northwestern offense, but the defense will probably be the thing that hinders the Wildcats the most. Too many newcomers for Pat Fitzgerald will land Northwestern in the bottom of the Big 10 again.

Indiana: Kevin Wilson had a rough year in 2011 in Bloomington, and it looks like it will be tough again in 2012. The Hoosiers finally have their quarterback: super athlete sophomore Tre Roberson, who seems to fit the Denard Robinson, Braxton Miller, Taylor Martinez, and Kain Coulter mold. Roberson doesn't have the greatest arm, but he makes up for it for his quick feet. That's pretty much all the talent the Hoosiers have this year. I wouldn't expect much from them for a few years. They'll finish 6th.

Indianapolis: Wisconsin vs. Michigan St.
Wisconsin will win its 3rd Big 10 title in a row and head to the Rose Bowl once again.

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