2012 CFN All-Big Ten Team & Roundup

CFN 2012 Big Ten Fearless Predictions, Game Stories, Players of the Week, and More.

CFN 2012 All-Big Ten Team 

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- 2012 CFN Preseason All-Big Ten Team & Top 30 Players
 

2012 CFN All-Big Ten Offense
QB – Braxton Miller, Soph. OSU
RB – Montee Ball, Sr. UW
RB – Le’Veon Bell, Jr. MSU
WR – Jared Abbrederis, Jr. UW
WR – Allen Robinson, Soph. PSU
TE – Dion Sims, Jr. MSU
OL – Travis Frederick, Jr. UW
OL – Taylor Lewan, Jr. Mich
OL – Spencer Long, Jr. Neb
OL – Andrew Norwell, Jr. OSU
OL – Ricky Wagner, Sr. UW
PK – Jeff Budzien, Jr. NW
KR – Jordan Cotton, Jr. Iowa

2012 CFN All-Big Ten Defense
DL – Johnathan Hankins, Jr. OSU
DL – Kawann Short, Sr. Purdue
DL – John Simon, Sr. OSU
DL – Jordan Hill, Sr. PSU
LB – Anthony Hitchens, Jr. Iowa
LB – Ryan Shazier, Jr. OSU
LB – Mike Taylor, Sr. UW
DB – Darqueze Dennard, Jr. MSU
DB – Micah Hyde, Sr. Iowa
DB – Bradley Roby, Jr. OSU
DB – Damion Stafford, Sr. Neb.
P – Mike Sadler, Soph. MSU
PR – Corey Brown, Jr. OSU

The Best Big Ten Players of 2012
1. QB Braxton Miller, Soph. OSU
2. DE John Simon, Sr. OSU
3. RB Montee Ball, Sr. UW
4. RB Le’Veon Bell, Jr. MSU
5. QB Matt McGloin, Sr. PSU
6. QB Taylor Martinez, Jr. Neb
7. LB Ryan Shazier, Jr. OSU
8. RB Venrick Mark, Jr. NW
9. OT Ricky Wagner, Sr. UW
10. DT Kawann Short, Sr. Purdue
11. LB Mike Taylor, Sr. UW
12. DT Johnathan Hankins, Jr. OSU
13. LB Anthony Hitchens, Jr. Iowa
14. LB Gerald Hodges, Sr. PSU
15. LB Michael Mauti, Sr. PSU
16. OT Taylor Lewan, Jr. UM
17. WR Allen Robinson, Soph. PSU
18. LB Max Bullough, Jr. MSU
19. LB Chris Borland, Jr. UW
20. DT Jordan Hill, Sr. PSU
21. QB/RB Denard Robinson, Sr. UM
22. LB Jake Ryan, Soph. Mich
23. WR Jared Abbrederis, Jr. UW
24. OG Spencer Long, Jr. Neb
25. S Damion Stafford, Sr. Neb
26. CB Bradley Roby, Jr. OSU
27. C Travis Frederick, Jr. UW
28. RB Ameer Abdullah, Soph. Neb
29. CB Micah Hyde, Sr. Iowa
30. DE Eric Martin, Sr. Neb

2012 CFN Big Ten Off. Player of the Year
QB Braxton Miller, Soph. Ohio State

There might not have been a more valuable player in college football. Texas A&M had several good quarterback options and might have been okay without Johnny Manziel - at least it would've have had a disastrous year - but Ohio State without Miller might have been 6-6 instead of a perfect 12-0. He didn't throw for too many scores with 15 touchdown passes and 2,039 yards, but he made things happen time and again for the ground game with 1,271 yards and 13 scores. No, there weren't the breathtaking highlights like Manziel came up with, but Miller's efforts were bit more understated on the way to an unbeaten season.

2012 CFN Big Ten Def. Player of the Year
DE John Simon, Sr. Ohio State

While he missed the Michigan game hurt, his last performance of his great college career was legendary, coming up with a four-sack, 5.5 tackle day in the thrilling overtime win over Wisconsin. In the other huge game against a Big Ten championship combatant, he ripped up Nebraska with five tackles for loss with two sacks in the blowout victory. Simon finished the year with nine sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss as a consistent threat and big-time playmaker in the backfield.

3 Biggest Surprises

1. Ohio State going 12-0. For all the press given to Penn State for its excellent season under trying circumstances, the Buckeyes also had to deal with their own adversity – although not at the same level – and came through with a much stronger campaign in Urban Meyer’s first year. With gut-check overtime wins over Purdue and Wisconsin, and a strong end against Michigan, the Buckeyes were the Big Ten champs, even if it’s unofficial.

2. Penn State going 8-4. It’s not that big a surprise considering most of the wins came against the weak and the sad, but no one could’ve imagined that Matt McGloin was going to turn into a real, live quarterback carrying an offense that lost its two best players, RB Silas Redd and WR Justin Brown. With the rise of Allen Robinson as a top target, and with a strong year from the defense, the program didn’t fall off the map in the first year in its new world.

3. Wisconsin 70, Nebraska 31. There was a school of thought that the Badgers were going through the motions throughout the regular season, knowing that the spot in the Big Ten championship was a foregone conclusion. However, Bucky came out roaring, the Huskers came out flat, and the result was one of the most stunning performances in Wisconsin football history. In Bret Bielema’s swan song, the Badgers ran for 539 yards and eight touchdowns with Melvin Gordon and Montee Ball each tearing off over 200 yards and James White running for 109 yards and four scores with a touchdown pass.

3 Biggest Disappointments

1. Michigan State. The defense was supposed to be the best in the Big Ten – check. It finished fourth in the nation. Le’Veon Bell was supposed to take the new role by the horns and turn in a brilliant year – check. He finished third in the nation in rushing. The offensive line and special teams were expected to be fine, and they were, so the only real concern was a passing game that had to replace all the moving parts. New starting quarterback Andrew Maxwell struggled, but the biggest problem was a receiving corps that couldn’t catch. The team that should’ve been challenging for the Big Ten title lost five conference games by a grand total of 13 points dropping all by four points or fewer.

2. Illinois. There was more than enough talent in place for the Illini to challenge in a depleted Big Ten Leaders division. Instead, after starting the season 2-1, the team collapsed losing nine straight to close out the season thanks to an offense that scored more than 17 points just twice during the run – and one game was against a Louisiana Tech defense that finished dead last.

3. Wisconsin QB Danny O’Brien. No one expected him to be Russell Wilson, but the Maryland transfer was supposed to show up and hand the ball off and keep the chains moving. The offense was supposed to be perfectly tailored to his skills but nothing worked early on and he ended up getting benched. The Oregon State loss wasn’t his fault – the passing game didn’t work when Jared Abbrederis got hurt – but Joel Stave stepped in and made the O fly. After Stave got knocked out for the year, Curt Phillips, not O’Brien, took over.

Best Big Ten Game of the Season
Nov. 3, Nebraska 28, at Michigan State 24. The Huskers played several thrilling Big Ten games on the way to the Legends title and the Big Ten championship game, but this one was the best of the bunch. Michigan State and pushed ahead in a tight game to a 24-14 fourth quarter lead on Le’Veon Bell’s second touchdown run of the game, and then it was up to the team’s terrific defense to close. The Huskers marched quickly and decisively with Taylor Martinez tearing off a 35-yard touchdown to help make it a three point game with seven minutes to play. The Spartan offense couldn’t close giving Martinez one last shot with the ball on the Husker 20 with 1:26 to play. Martinez started out the drive with a 22-yard completion, but the offense bogged down forcing a 4th-and-10 play with the game on the line. One 38-yard pass to Kyler Reed later, and Nebraska was on the move. MSU appeared to come up with a stop on third down, but was flagged for pass interference with 17 seconds to play. On second and goal, Martinez found Jamal Turner for a five-yard touchdown with six seconds to play for a 28-24 win.

Second Best Game : Oct. 20 – at Ohio State 29, Purdue 22 OT
Third Best Game : Nov. 17 – Ohio State 21, at Wisconsin 14 OT

Coach of the Year
1) Urban Meyer, Ohio State
2) Bill O’Brien, Penn State
3) Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern

Performances of the Year
1) Nov. 24 – RB Le’Veon Bell, Michigan State vs. Minnesota. 35 carries for 266 yards and a score in the 26-10 win over the Gophers to make the Spartans bowl eligible.
2) Sept. 29 – QB Kain Colter, Northwestern vs. Indiana. One of two passes with a pick, 14 carries for 161 yards and four touchdowns, and nine catches for 131 yards in the 44-29 win.
3) Nov. 17 – DE John Simon, Ohio State vs. Wisconsin. 5.5 tackles four sacks in the 21-14 win in Madison.

Top Freshmen
1) TE Kyle Carter, Penn State
2) RB Josh Ferguson, Illinois
3) LB Mason Monheim, Illinois