2009 CFN Big Ten Preview
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2009 CFN Big Ten Preview
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2008 CFN Big Ten Preview
By
Pete Fiutak
The Big Ten is fine. Really, it's fine.
Penn State and Ohio
State have reloaded in a hurry and should be players on a national stage
once again, Iowa and Michigan State should improve even more after
resurgent seasons, Illinois should be closer to its 2007 form than the
2008 version, Michigan should take another step forward (but the program
still needs another year), Northwestern will be as strong as it's been
in over a decade, and even Indiana and Purdue, likely the bottom
feeders, have some major strong points (like the Hoosier D line and the
Boilermaker secondary). But none of the positives matter if the league
can't make a bigger splash on a national scale.
Perception is
reality, and while the Big Ten has suffered a bad rap for having
problems with USC (hardly an exclusive club), major gaffes like Michigan
losing to Toledo, Illinois losing to Western Michigan, Indiana losing to
Ball State and Central Michigan, and Wisconsin needing a miracle to beat
Cal Poly (before getting destroyed by Florida State in the Champs Sports
Bowl) didn't help the cause. There have been some excellent moments for
the conference, but they've been overshadowed by Ohio State's national
title losses, the Rose Bowl problems, and the lack of enough flash to
overcome the negativity. And now it's a problem.
The aren't
enough big non-conference games to change the minds of SEC and Big 12
fans tired of the publicity and the benefits of the doubt the Big Ten
gets, and that means Ohio State has to beat USC in Columbus on
September 12th and Michigan, Michigan State, and Purdue have to combine
to go 2-1, at the very least, against Notre Dame. If that doesn't
happen, it'll be tough when it comes to the BCS discussion.
Oh
sure, the BCS bowls are always going to want Ohio State over Boise
State, like last year, but when it comes to the national title
discussion, it'll be tough to get into the title game unless everything
works out perfectly. College football avoided the big discussion last
season when Iowa beat Penn State. Would an unbeaten Nittany Lion team
have gotten into the BCS Championship over Florida or Oklahoma? Maybe,
but it would've been a fight.
Will an unbeaten Big Ten team, if
there's an unbeaten Big Ten team, get enough respect to play for the
national title over a one-loss SEC champion or a one-loss USC? When it
comes to getting a second team in the BCS, will the bowls be so ready to
jump? Considering how light Penn State's schedule is, and how Ohio State
could generate a buzz if it can come up with a win over the
Trojans, there's a chance the Big Ten could have two teams with records
worthy of a trip to Pasadena.
The league is improving, really,
and it has the potential to come up with a very entertaining, very
strong season no matter what happens in non-conference play. The Big Ten
fans will be happy in 2009, but the rest of the college football world
wants to see more.
Team That'll Surprise
Northwestern - The defense will be up to Pat Fitzgerald's high
standards, the offensive line should be among the Big Ten's best, and
the backfield will crank out rushing yards in chunks. Missing Ohio State
is a major plus, and not getting Michigan, even in its mediocre
rebuilding phase, isn't a bad thing, and the record should be excellent,
at least early on, before dealing with a tough finishing kick.
Team That'll Disappoint
Wisconsin - The running game will be fantastic,
as always, the defense will be better, and there will be another trip to
a bowl, but it's not going to be the major bounceback season Badger fans
are hoping for. The quarterback play needs to be far more effective and
far better, while the defensive front has to prove it can handle good
running games along with the spread. It won't be an awful campaign, but
it won't be special, either.
Big Ten Game of the Year
Ohio State at Penn State, Nov. 12 - Last
year's battle was a classic. It wasn't aesthetically pleasing, but the
Nittany Lion 13-6 win defined the Big Ten season. This year's showdown
could do the same. Michigan State and Iowa will throw their hats into
the ring, but the winner in Happy Valley will likely end up in the Rose
Bowl.
One Bold Prediction
Terrelle Pryor will look every bit the superstar prospect everyone's
been waiting for. He was terrific last season despite being handcuffed
by a vanilla passing game (put in to limit the true freshman's
mistakes), but now he has improved his passing and his effectiveness
enough (at least in practices) to start pushing the ball down the field
more. He could be the type of player who puts the entire team on his
back. Can he pull off a win over USC? If he does, the Heisman talk will
kick in full force.
5 Big-Time Players Who Deserve a Bigger Spotlight ...
1. LB Greg Jones,
Michigan State
2. OT Bryan Bulaga, Iowa
3. TE Garrett Graham,
Wisconsin
4. LB Martez Wilson, Illinois
5. LB Pat Angerer, Iowa
Coach on the Hot Seat
Bret Bielema,
Wisconsin - Rich Rodriguez has to have Michigan pointed in the right
direction, but he'd likely be able to survive another bad season if
there appears to be hope for 2010. Bielema is the Big Ten coach who has
to win right now or else. The expectations were sky high going into last
year, but a bad collapse against Michigan, a heart-ripping last minute
defeat to Ohio State, and horrific performances against Iowa and Florida
State got the fan base grumbling. Hand picked by Barry Alvarez, and
considered to be one of the hot coaching prospects when he was locked up
a few years ago, Bielema has to come through with a big year and his
team has to stop the slide into mediocrity.
5 Non-Conference Games the Big Ten had better take very, very
seriously
1. Northern Illinois at Wisconsin, Sept. 5
2. Central Michigan at
Michigan State, Sept. 12
3. Arkansas State at Iowa, Oct. 3
4.
Indiana at Akron, Sept. 19
5. South Dakota State at Minnesota, Nov.
14
5 Best Pro Prospects
1. WR Arrelious Benn, Illinois
2. QB Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State (not
eligible until 2010)
3. RB Evan Royster, Penn State
4. DE Brandon
Graham, Michigan
5. LB Navorro Bowman, Penn State
5 Biggest Shoes to Fill
1. Jewel Hampton for RB Shonn Greene, Iowa
2. Andre Anderson for RB Javon Ringer, Michigan State
3. Karl Klug for DT Mitch King, Michigan State
4. Dan Herron for RB Beanie Wells, Ohio State
5. Jack Crawford for DE Aaron Maybin, Penn State
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