Randy Inman
Bruce Bostwick
James Rickard
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Winless In Seattle
Robin PottratzThe State of The not so Big Ten
September 22nd 2008 22:37
The build up to the September 13th game between perennial Big Ten powerhouse, The Ohio State Buckeyes and the perennial nationwide power, The USC Trojans was without comparison. By all expectation, this was to be the "game of the century", however, unless you have been under a rock for the past week and a half, this "game of the century" turned out to be the thrashing of the season. USC continued its dominance over every team in their path with a 35-3 demolishing of the much heralded Buckeyes.
Ohio State was supposed to be one of, if not the best team in the country, however their lackluster performance against the Trojans proved that every writer in the country jumped the gun in crowning OSU as the presumptive national championship favorite. Despite this drop down the rungs of the college football ladder, Ohio State is still the favorite to win the Big Ten conference. This begs the question: If Ohio State, who can't compete against the best in the country, is the best in the Big Ten, then how good...or bad is the Big Ten?
In the college football world, the Big Ten ranks 4th in terms of the national power rankings. Truthfully, it is a distant 4th... far behind the SEC, Pac 10, and Big 12...in that order. The Big Ten top to bottom does have some formidable teams however, and we'll start with my pick for this year's Big Ten championship: The Penn State Nittany Lions. "Linebacker U." as they are reffered to has done nothing but dominate in their preseason schedule outscoring their opponents (truthfully creampuffs) 211-40. Despite the lack of competitive opponents, Penn State has greatly impressed this writer, as well as the rest of the country as they are currently ranked number 12 in the latest AP poll.
My picks for 2nd and 3rd in the conference are Wisconsin and Ohio State respectively. Brett Bielema's Badgers may have the most impressive non-conference win with their barnburner at no. 25 Fresno State, and the combination of Bielema and former coach Barry Alvarez have turned Wisconsin into one of the most consistent college football programs in the country and with star running back P.J. Hill leading the way this should be another New Year's day bowl for the Badgers. Ohio State has a lot to prove for the remainder of the season, not just because of the Trojan thrashing but because of the schellackings they have recieved in the past two national championship games. As evidenced by their game against Troy, the keys to a successful season for the Buckeyes are a healthy Beanie Wells (who has been out since the season opener) and the emergence of Terrell Pryor. They may overtake Wisconsin, but I'm not betting on it.
My Picks for 4th, 5th, and 6th in the Big Ten Conference are Illinois, Michigan State and Iowa respectively. Illinois may have lost Rashard Mendenhall to the NFL, but they still have Isaiah "Juice" Williams, and one of the most potent offenses in the conference, however they lack the power running game to overtake the powers in the conference. Michigan State has in my opinion, the single best running back in the conference in Javon Ringer. He is a big, powerful back who will be in the Heisman picture by the end of the season. However, the Spartans lack the passing game to put themselves within the Big Ten's elite. Iowa's problem is indecision. They have one of the best defenses in the conference, however they have been playing a game of musical quarterbacks between Jake Christensen and Mike Stanzi, which has led to offensive inconsistency. Shonn Greene has shown the potential to be a game breaker, but the offense needs stability, which means picking a quarterback now.
Here are the rest of my Big Ten picks in order of how they'll finish:
7. Purdue: The Boilermakers have one of the best QB's in the Big Ten in Curtis Painter, but have to learn how to win on the road.
8. Indiana: Still have Kellen Lewis at QB, but no James Hardy equals big problem.
9. Minnesota: The Delusional coach Brewster has them at 4-0...against creampuffs, but this team is showing signs of improvement and could wind up bowl eligible by seasons end
10. Michigan: It's sad to see this program at this level. It will be rough going this season, but watch out for what Rich Rodriguez comes up with in the future.
11. Northwestern: They are 4-0, but their nail biter against Ohio U. didn't instill confidence, which will lead to the cats bringing up the rear.
That's how I see it...trust me these aren't etched in stone, however at this point this is how the Big Ten stands as we enter conference play. Get ready for at exciting year Big Ten Fans!!!
Ohio State was supposed to be one of, if not the best team in the country, however their lackluster performance against the Trojans proved that every writer in the country jumped the gun in crowning OSU as the presumptive national championship favorite. Despite this drop down the rungs of the college football ladder, Ohio State is still the favorite to win the Big Ten conference. This begs the question: If Ohio State, who can't compete against the best in the country, is the best in the Big Ten, then how good...or bad is the Big Ten?
In the college football world, the Big Ten ranks 4th in terms of the national power rankings. Truthfully, it is a distant 4th... far behind the SEC, Pac 10, and Big 12...in that order. The Big Ten top to bottom does have some formidable teams however, and we'll start with my pick for this year's Big Ten championship: The Penn State Nittany Lions. "Linebacker U." as they are reffered to has done nothing but dominate in their preseason schedule outscoring their opponents (truthfully creampuffs) 211-40. Despite the lack of competitive opponents, Penn State has greatly impressed this writer, as well as the rest of the country as they are currently ranked number 12 in the latest AP poll.
My picks for 2nd and 3rd in the conference are Wisconsin and Ohio State respectively. Brett Bielema's Badgers may have the most impressive non-conference win with their barnburner at no. 25 Fresno State, and the combination of Bielema and former coach Barry Alvarez have turned Wisconsin into one of the most consistent college football programs in the country and with star running back P.J. Hill leading the way this should be another New Year's day bowl for the Badgers. Ohio State has a lot to prove for the remainder of the season, not just because of the Trojan thrashing but because of the schellackings they have recieved in the past two national championship games. As evidenced by their game against Troy, the keys to a successful season for the Buckeyes are a healthy Beanie Wells (who has been out since the season opener) and the emergence of Terrell Pryor. They may overtake Wisconsin, but I'm not betting on it.
My Picks for 4th, 5th, and 6th in the Big Ten Conference are Illinois, Michigan State and Iowa respectively. Illinois may have lost Rashard Mendenhall to the NFL, but they still have Isaiah "Juice" Williams, and one of the most potent offenses in the conference, however they lack the power running game to overtake the powers in the conference. Michigan State has in my opinion, the single best running back in the conference in Javon Ringer. He is a big, powerful back who will be in the Heisman picture by the end of the season. However, the Spartans lack the passing game to put themselves within the Big Ten's elite. Iowa's problem is indecision. They have one of the best defenses in the conference, however they have been playing a game of musical quarterbacks between Jake Christensen and Mike Stanzi, which has led to offensive inconsistency. Shonn Greene has shown the potential to be a game breaker, but the offense needs stability, which means picking a quarterback now.
Here are the rest of my Big Ten picks in order of how they'll finish:
7. Purdue: The Boilermakers have one of the best QB's in the Big Ten in Curtis Painter, but have to learn how to win on the road.
8. Indiana: Still have Kellen Lewis at QB, but no James Hardy equals big problem.
9. Minnesota: The Delusional coach Brewster has them at 4-0...against creampuffs, but this team is showing signs of improvement and could wind up bowl eligible by seasons end
10. Michigan: It's sad to see this program at this level. It will be rough going this season, but watch out for what Rich Rodriguez comes up with in the future.
11. Northwestern: They are 4-0, but their nail biter against Ohio U. didn't instill confidence, which will lead to the cats bringing up the rear.
That's how I see it...trust me these aren't etched in stone, however at this point this is how the Big Ten stands as we enter conference play. Get ready for at exciting year Big Ten Fans!!!
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