The best Big Ten players, coaches, surprises of the midseason and more. Scroll down for predictions for every team and every game.
Midseason Reports
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2006
Offensive Player of the Midseason
Shonn Greene, RB Iowa
Defensive Player of the Midseason
Aaron Maybin, DE Penn State
Ten best Big Ten players in the first half of the season
1.
Shonn Greene, RB Iowa
2.
A.Q Shipley, C Penn State
3. Javon Ringer, RB Michigan State
4.
Aaron Maybin, DE Penn State
5.
Brit Miller, LB Illinois
6. Eric Decker, WR Minnesota
7. Daryll Clark, QB Penn State
8. Juice Williams, QB Illinois
9. Beanie Wells, RB Ohio State
10.
Matt Kroul, DT Iowa
Vontae Davis, CB Illinois
Biggest
Surprise
–
Minnesota
From 1-11 to 6-1 and in the thick of the Big Ten race, Tim
Brewster has turned around the program in a hurry thanks to
efficient, mistake-free offense and more of a pass rush from the
defensive front. The linebackers still need to prove they can
tackle on a regular basis and a most consistent running game has
to be found, but who cares? 6-1 is 6-1, and the needle is only
pointing up for the future of the Big Ten's rising program.
Biggest
Disappointment – (tie) Beanie Wells' foot and the
coaching decision to play Todd Boeckman vs. USC, and Wisconsin
It still might not have mattered, but Ohio State would've posed
a far better challenge to USC have Beanie been healthy and able
to play and if Pryor had been the main man running the offense
from the start. It's easy to forget in hindsight, but Ohio State
played reasonably well over the first 25 minutes or so and were
right in the game. It was only after the Rey Maualuga pick-six
late in the first half did things start to get ugly. Meanwhile,
Wisconsin has been a disaster. With a veteran team good enough
to get over the hump and challenge for the Big Ten title, and at
least be in the mix for a BCS game, the team choked away a loss
to Michigan, lost a tough battle against Ohio State, and decided
to not show up against Penn State and Iowa for an ugly 0-4
start.
The Big Ten
Champion will be ...
Ohio State
Actually, it'll be the winner of the Penn State - Ohio State
game. The Buckeyes are just starting to find themselves at the
right time with Terrelle Pryor starting to jell into a special
playmaker and Beanie Wells, banged up and all, is adding the
rushing element the team had been hoping for from the start.
Best Game of
the First Half
Ohio State 20 … Wisconsin 17
Terrelle Pryor ran the option for an 11-yard touchdown with 1:08
to play, and Malcolm Jenkins picked off a pass to snuff out the
final Badger drive, as Ohio State came up with a tough,
hard-fought win. The Buckeyes got off to a hot start as Beanie
Wells blew through the Badger D for a 33-yard touchdown in the
first quarter, but Wisconsin rebounded with a nine-yard Mickey
Turner touchdown catch and a 20-yard Philip Welch field goal as
time expired in the first half. A two-yard P.J. Hill touchdown
blast with 6:31 to play gave UW the late lead, but Pryor was
nearly perfect on a 12-play, 80-yard drive to pull off the win.
In the nearly dead-even game, OSU outgained the Badgers 327
yards to 326.
Worst Game of
the First Half
Penn State 66 ... Coastal
Carolina 10
Evan Royster ran for scores from seven, two, and ten yards out and
Stephfon Green ran for two seven-yard touchdowns as the Nittany
Lions won in a rout. Even when Coastal Carolina came up with
something positive, making it 14-7 with a 33-yard Trent Usher
touchdown catch in the second quarter, Penn State had an answer.
Derrick Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a
touchdown. PSU finished with 594 total yards of offense including
334 on the ground.
Coach of the Midseason
–
Tim Brewster, Minnesota
Do you really remember just how bad this team was last year?
Brewster set the tone for the season by going for it on
fourth-and-one late in the season opener against Northern
Illinois when a field goal would've tied the game and sent it
into overtime. His O line came through, the Gophers soon punched
it into the end zone, and the turnaround season was launched.
Player who'll step up in the second half
–
Wisconsin QB Dustin Scherer
Allan Evridge wasn't good, but he was unfairly blamed for the
Badger collapse. The team needed a change, and that came with
Sherer who struggled in his relief appearance against Iowa. Now,
with the season slipping away, he'll be allowed to let it rip a
bit to add a more vertical element to the Badger passing game to
open things up for the ground attack.
Best performance so far -
Michigan State RB Javon Ringer ran for 282 yards and two touchdowns
on 43 carries, adding a 12-yard reception, in the 17-0 win over
Florida Atlantic
Top Freshman – Terrelle Pryor, QB Ohio State
He has just scratched the surface on how good he can become.
After being held in check by the coaching staff and being asked
to not to lose games, he will start to use his great receiving
corps a bit more and he should be even more of a leader and
playmaker in the finishing kick.
Coach who needs to have a big second half – Joe Tiller,
Purdue
He's already on his way out, stepping down at the end of the
season, and it'll be a shame if his solid career goes out with a
whimper. It won't be easy. His offense has gone into the tank
and his defense is the worst in the Big Ten.
Player who needs to have a big second half –
Michigan State QB Brian Hoyer
Teams are doing everything possible to load up to stop Javon
Ringer, and it's working. Ohio State was able to shut down the
star, and there's a slew of good run defenses up ahead just
waiting to make Hoyer try to win games. He's a good, veteran Big
Ten quarterback who has to go from solid to occasionally
spectacular to keep the Spartans in the race.
Best remaining conference game – Penn State at Ohio
State, Oct. 25
This is it. This is for the Big Ten title, and maybe, for a spot
in the national championship for Penn State. It's a clash of
superpowers in the most meaningful Big Ten game since Ohio State
battled with Michigan in the classic 2006 season-ender.
Team Mid-Season MVPs & Predictions
Illinois – QB Juice Williams
predicted wins: Iowa, at Western Michigan, at Northwestern
predicted losses: at Wisconsin, Ohio State
predicted record: 8-4
Indiana – DE Jammie Kirlew
predicted wins: Central Michigan
predicted losses: Northwestern, at Illinois, Wisconsin, at Penn State, at Purdue
predicted record: 3-9
Iowa – RB Shonn Greene
predicted wins: Purdue
predicted losses: at Illinois, Penn State, at
Minnesota
predicted record: 6-6
Michigan – DL Brandon Graham
predicted wins: at Purdue,
Northwestern
predicted losses:
Michigan State,
at Minnesota,
at Ohio
State
predicted record: 5-7
Michigan State – RB Javon Ringer
predicted wins: at Michigan,
Wisconsin,
Purdue
predicted losses: at Penn State
predicted record: 9-3
Minnesota – QB Adam Weber & WR Eric Decker
predicted wins:
at Purdue,
Northwestern,
Michigan,
Iowa
predicted losses: at
Wisconsin
predicted record: 10-2
Northwestern – RB Tyrell Sutton
predicted wins: at Indiana
predicted losses: Ohio State, at Michigan, Illinois
predicted record: 8-4
Ohio State – QB Terrelle Pryor & RB Beanie Wells
predicted wins: Penn State, at Northwestern, at Illinois,
Michigan
predicted losses: None
predicted record: 11-1
Penn State – C A.Q Shipley
predicted wins: at Iowa, Indiana, Michigan State
predicted losses: at Ohio State
predicted record: 11-1
Purdue – LB Anthony Heygood
predicted wins: Indiana
predicted losses:
Minnesota,
at Northwestern,
Michigan, at Michigan State, at Iowa
predicted record: 3-9
Wisconsin – LB DeAndre Levy
predicted wins: Illinois, at
Indiana, Minnesota, Cal Poly
predicted losses:
at Michigan State
predicted record: 7-5
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