I woke up early this morning to give myself time to write my Big Ten Preview before the season kicked off at noon. While searching for the perfect way to start the article, I stumbled across my friend Sam's away message:
"Beginning when the alarm goes off at 9 AM, me and roughly 110,000 other people will be experiencing the greatest one thing this world has to offer."
Now you will have to excuse me for a second...Sam is a die-hard Michigan Man, and while I have always been a fan of Big Blue, it is my mission to provide an unbiased and objective view on the upcoming season. That being said, I will change Sam's statement from "110,000 people" to "millions of people" in order to accommodate the rest of the conference.
Despite the fact that it has ELEVEN schools, let's face it people, Big Ten Football is as good as college football gets. It, along with the ACC (and to a lesser extent the SEC) is the only conference where good teams, ya know...play other good teams. I think my #9 rated Big Ten team could finish second in the Pac-10 or Big 12 while contending for the Big East Title.
(It has come to my attention that I may have multiple (i.e. 2) readers from Big East schools, and I think this would be a good time to say I hope Pitt knocks West Virginia off it's high pedestal and ends up as the conferences BCS rep)
On to the season preview: (Team's ranked in reserve order #11-#1)
11. Illinois - I expect the Illini, under Ron Zook, to steadily improve this season. However, steady improvement won't get it done in a conference this deep. QB Alan Ball showed progress during the off-season, until he broke his arm in Spring Ball. He has to be back, and up to speed for the Illini to have a chance.
Best Player: Senior RB Pierre Thomas
10. Indiana - The Hoosiers were awful last year. But the season was not a total lost cause. QB Blake Powers looks to add to last year's school records of 22 TDs and 2,305 yards and will have improved talent at WR in which to do so. James Hardy is an imposing target (6'7'') who is poised for a breakout year after 10 TDs in 2005. This team would be ranked higher if their defense wasn't...horrible. It's bad when a five man sled provides more resistance than your actual defensive line.
Best Player: Soph WR James Hardy
9. Minnesota - I think very highly of head coach Glenn Mason, he is the college version of Mike Shannahan. As long as he is the coach there, they will have a great offensive line and running game. That being said, the Gophers have lost three 1,000 yard rushers in the last two years. Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney have moved on to what will be successful NFL careers, and Gary Russel (who was primed to be their next star back) apparently thought the best way to get people to forget about his assault charge was to fail all his classes and be academically ineligible. The burden now falls to senior QB Bryan Cupito and unproven/untested RB Amir Pinnix.
Best Player: Senior TE Matt Spaeth
8. Purdue - People in Ann Arbor thought that Michigan's 2005 campaign was a disappointing one, but it was Purdue who really laid the egg. Featuring a 2005 schedule that did not include Michigan or Ohio State, the Boilermakers were a trendy pick as the conference's dark horse title winner. After a hugely disappointing open to the season QB Brandon Kirsh was replaced with Curtis Painter. For some reason Kirsh thought that was the perfect time to declare of the NFL Draft, because most pro teams just drool over underachieving quarterbacks that were benched on a losing team. By going with Painter, and ridding themselves of Kirsh, the school is trying out the old "addition by subtraction." Joe Tiller has yet another easy schedule, as Purdue AGAIN won't play Michigan or Ohio State and takes on Penn State and Wisconsin at home.
Best Player: Junior WR Dorien Bryant
7. Wisconsin - After a great 2005 season the Badgers are in a slight hole in 2006. Gone from the 2005 team are leading receivers Brandon Williams, Jonathon Orr and Owen Daniels (TE), all of which were drafted by the NFL. Also departed is All-American RB Brian Calhoun (third round pick by the Lions) and most importantly head coach Barry Alvarez (now the school's AD). New coach Brett Bielema was hand-picked and groomed by Alvarez, so I trust him. But it is always hard for a new guy to follow a legend (and make no mistakes about it, Alvarez is a legend) AND lose all the talent they did in a year. Wisconsin's strength lies in their extremely deep D-Line, which will allow them to rotate players and keep constant pressure on opposing QBs.
Best Player: Senior QB John Stocco
6. Northwestern - My first draft had the Wildcats a few spots lower, but I rethought my stance. I had been saying for years that former Northwestern coach Randy Walker was an absolutely great hire, and last year it finally paid off. Coach Walker's shocking death a few months ago was truly a dark day for the entire sport. Only 52 years old, his sudden heart attack left all football fans in a somber mood. Taking over for Walker is 31 year old Pat Fitzgerald, the youngest head coach in DI Football history. A former star LB at the school, Fitzgerald is a great replacement, not only football-wise but emotionally as well. Redshirt freshman Mike Kafka takes over for last years Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year QB Brett Basanez, and many will find him to be a more than capable replacement. The Wildcats also return freshman All-American RB Tyrell Sutton as well as last years opening day starter at the position, Terrel Jordan.
Best Player: Soph RB Tyrell Sutton
5. Michigan State - For those of you that don't know, I attend Michigan State University, and several of my friends are unhappy with the position that the Spartans are ranked. They must be the same people that are advocating that the NCAA shorten the college football season to four games, the same amount of games MSU played last year. In all seriousness, this (like always) has the potential to be a good football team. They have one of the conference's best overall players in QB Drew Stanton and most promising young backs in Javon Ringer. The Spartans can move the ball and score points, but last year the defense left a lot of be desired. If their scheme was to never, ever, under and circumstance put pressure on the opposing QB, they executed it perfectly. I hear that with a few tweaks in the playbook, they plan to bring pressure a lot more this year. If that happens and Junior College transfer Nehemaih Warrick live up to the hype, Sparty could be looking at 9 wins.
Best Player: Senior QB Drew Stanton and Redshirt Junior LB (and All-Manac roomate) Derrick Johnson
4. Penn State - Joe Pa is back! The legendary coach awoke from his three year hibernation and decided to try out this crazy recruiting thing last year, and ta-da...Big Ten Champs. While the Nittany Lions return their four prized receivers/corners/running backs (those guys played every position they could) the biggest lift (if you can call it that) was losing All-American and 2005 Butkus Winner Paul Posloszny to a knee injury in last years bowl game (the injury kept Posloszny from going pro and caused his return to State College). Still left with the huge void left by now NFLers QB Michael Robinson, DE Tamba Hali and CB Alan Zemitis, Penn State needs star receiver/corner/running back/kick returner Derrick Williams to be at the top of his game after last season ended with a broken arm. No disrespect to the Horseshoe, Big House, Camp Randall or Hayden Field...but the hardest place in the conference (maybe country) to play is Happy Valley.
Best Player: Senior LB Paul Posloszny
3. Ohio State - Yea, yea...I know that they are #1 in the preseason polls, but things worry me about the Buckeyes. Everyone knows they lost a load on defense, but it's another player loss that worries me more, WR Santonio Holmes. While the team won't miss his weekly blips on police radars, they will miss his big play skills and more importantly, the attention he diverted away from their returning stud Ted Ginn Jr. Make no mistake about it, this team is still loaded, QB Troy Smith, RB Antonio Pittman, Ginn and AJ Hawk's replacement LB James Laurinaitis. They have a tough task traveling to the likes of Texas, Iowa and Michigan State.
Best Player: Senior QB Troy Smith
2. Iowa - I originally had Iowa as my Big Ten winner, but second thought dropped them to second place. QB Drew Tate is probably my favorite player in the league, and RB Albert Young gives them much needed balance on offence. Iowa will always have great play along the lines, both offense and defense, and they have one of the best coaches in the country, but outside of Tate they lack real playmakers that I feel are musts to win this conference. A steady group of receivers will help Tate spread the wealth, but unless a true deep threat emerges, they are second tier.
Best Player: Senior QB Drew Tate
1. Michigan- As I just eluded to, I originally had Big Blue playing second fiddle to the Hawkeyes, but I mentioned Iowa's lack of true playmakers. Michigan has no such lack. The Wolverines run about 4 deep at running back, and I do believe they will use them all. Last years disappointing season will be quickly forgotten as Michigan revamped it's coaching staff, and healed the injuries that hurt them so dearly last year (RB Mike Hart and T Jake Long). QB Chad Henne will have to mature as a passer instead of being a thrower. This means he will have to learn to take the zip off some passes and add touch when needed. My hope is that WR Steve Breaston can stay healthy enough for the showdown with Ohio State and his clone, Ten Ginn Jr. I am ready to take on the critics for this pick, Michigan is loaded and more importantly, they have something to prove.
Best Player: Senior DE LaMarr Woodley
League Awards
League MVP: QB Drew Tate (Iowa)
Offensive Player of the Year: QB Drew Stanton (Michigan State)
Defensive Player of the Year: (tie) LB Paul Posloszny (Penn State) + DE LaMarr Woodley (Michigan)
Poised for Breakout Years: RB Javon Ringer (Michigan State) + WR Mario Manningham (Michigan)
Best Coaches: Jim Tressel (Ohio State) + Kirk Ferentz (Iowa)
Best QBs: Drew Tate (Iowa) + Drew Stanton (Michigan State)
Best RBs: Tyrell Sutton (Northwestern) + Mike Hart (Michigan)
Best WRs: Ted Ginn Jr (Ohio State) + Deon Butler (Penn State)
Best TE: Matt Spaeth (Minnesota)
Best OLs: Levi Brown (Penn State) + Jake Long (Michigan)
Best DLs: LaMarr Woodley (Michigan) + Steven Davis (Minnesota)
Best LBs: Paul Posloszny (Penn State) + Mark Zalewski (Wisconsin)
Best DBs: Leon Hall (Michigan) + Malcom Jenkins (Ohio State)
Best K: Kevin Kelley (Penn State)
Best P: Brandon Fields (Michigan State)
"Beginning when the alarm goes off at 9 AM, me and roughly 110,000 other people will be experiencing the greatest one thing this world has to offer."
Now you will have to excuse me for a second...Sam is a die-hard Michigan Man, and while I have always been a fan of Big Blue, it is my mission to provide an unbiased and objective view on the upcoming season. That being said, I will change Sam's statement from "110,000 people" to "millions of people" in order to accommodate the rest of the conference.
Despite the fact that it has ELEVEN schools, let's face it people, Big Ten Football is as good as college football gets. It, along with the ACC (and to a lesser extent the SEC) is the only conference where good teams, ya know...play other good teams. I think my #9 rated Big Ten team could finish second in the Pac-10 or Big 12 while contending for the Big East Title.
(It has come to my attention that I may have multiple (i.e. 2) readers from Big East schools, and I think this would be a good time to say I hope Pitt knocks West Virginia off it's high pedestal and ends up as the conferences BCS rep)
On to the season preview: (Team's ranked in reserve order #11-#1)
11. Illinois - I expect the Illini, under Ron Zook, to steadily improve this season. However, steady improvement won't get it done in a conference this deep. QB Alan Ball showed progress during the off-season, until he broke his arm in Spring Ball. He has to be back, and up to speed for the Illini to have a chance.
Best Player: Senior RB Pierre Thomas
10. Indiana - The Hoosiers were awful last year. But the season was not a total lost cause. QB Blake Powers looks to add to last year's school records of 22 TDs and 2,305 yards and will have improved talent at WR in which to do so. James Hardy is an imposing target (6'7'') who is poised for a breakout year after 10 TDs in 2005. This team would be ranked higher if their defense wasn't...horrible. It's bad when a five man sled provides more resistance than your actual defensive line.
Best Player: Soph WR James Hardy
9. Minnesota - I think very highly of head coach Glenn Mason, he is the college version of Mike Shannahan. As long as he is the coach there, they will have a great offensive line and running game. That being said, the Gophers have lost three 1,000 yard rushers in the last two years. Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney have moved on to what will be successful NFL careers, and Gary Russel (who was primed to be their next star back) apparently thought the best way to get people to forget about his assault charge was to fail all his classes and be academically ineligible. The burden now falls to senior QB Bryan Cupito and unproven/untested RB Amir Pinnix.
Best Player: Senior TE Matt Spaeth
8. Purdue - People in Ann Arbor thought that Michigan's 2005 campaign was a disappointing one, but it was Purdue who really laid the egg. Featuring a 2005 schedule that did not include Michigan or Ohio State, the Boilermakers were a trendy pick as the conference's dark horse title winner. After a hugely disappointing open to the season QB Brandon Kirsh was replaced with Curtis Painter. For some reason Kirsh thought that was the perfect time to declare of the NFL Draft, because most pro teams just drool over underachieving quarterbacks that were benched on a losing team. By going with Painter, and ridding themselves of Kirsh, the school is trying out the old "addition by subtraction." Joe Tiller has yet another easy schedule, as Purdue AGAIN won't play Michigan or Ohio State and takes on Penn State and Wisconsin at home.
Best Player: Junior WR Dorien Bryant
7. Wisconsin - After a great 2005 season the Badgers are in a slight hole in 2006. Gone from the 2005 team are leading receivers Brandon Williams, Jonathon Orr and Owen Daniels (TE), all of which were drafted by the NFL. Also departed is All-American RB Brian Calhoun (third round pick by the Lions) and most importantly head coach Barry Alvarez (now the school's AD). New coach Brett Bielema was hand-picked and groomed by Alvarez, so I trust him. But it is always hard for a new guy to follow a legend (and make no mistakes about it, Alvarez is a legend) AND lose all the talent they did in a year. Wisconsin's strength lies in their extremely deep D-Line, which will allow them to rotate players and keep constant pressure on opposing QBs.
Best Player: Senior QB John Stocco
6. Northwestern - My first draft had the Wildcats a few spots lower, but I rethought my stance. I had been saying for years that former Northwestern coach Randy Walker was an absolutely great hire, and last year it finally paid off. Coach Walker's shocking death a few months ago was truly a dark day for the entire sport. Only 52 years old, his sudden heart attack left all football fans in a somber mood. Taking over for Walker is 31 year old Pat Fitzgerald, the youngest head coach in DI Football history. A former star LB at the school, Fitzgerald is a great replacement, not only football-wise but emotionally as well. Redshirt freshman Mike Kafka takes over for last years Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year QB Brett Basanez, and many will find him to be a more than capable replacement. The Wildcats also return freshman All-American RB Tyrell Sutton as well as last years opening day starter at the position, Terrel Jordan.
Best Player: Soph RB Tyrell Sutton
5. Michigan State - For those of you that don't know, I attend Michigan State University, and several of my friends are unhappy with the position that the Spartans are ranked. They must be the same people that are advocating that the NCAA shorten the college football season to four games, the same amount of games MSU played last year. In all seriousness, this (like always) has the potential to be a good football team. They have one of the conference's best overall players in QB Drew Stanton and most promising young backs in Javon Ringer. The Spartans can move the ball and score points, but last year the defense left a lot of be desired. If their scheme was to never, ever, under and circumstance put pressure on the opposing QB, they executed it perfectly. I hear that with a few tweaks in the playbook, they plan to bring pressure a lot more this year. If that happens and Junior College transfer Nehemaih Warrick live up to the hype, Sparty could be looking at 9 wins.
Best Player: Senior QB Drew Stanton and Redshirt Junior LB (and All-Manac roomate) Derrick Johnson
4. Penn State - Joe Pa is back! The legendary coach awoke from his three year hibernation and decided to try out this crazy recruiting thing last year, and ta-da...Big Ten Champs. While the Nittany Lions return their four prized receivers/corners/running backs (those guys played every position they could) the biggest lift (if you can call it that) was losing All-American and 2005 Butkus Winner Paul Posloszny to a knee injury in last years bowl game (the injury kept Posloszny from going pro and caused his return to State College). Still left with the huge void left by now NFLers QB Michael Robinson, DE Tamba Hali and CB Alan Zemitis, Penn State needs star receiver/corner/running back/kick returner Derrick Williams to be at the top of his game after last season ended with a broken arm. No disrespect to the Horseshoe, Big House, Camp Randall or Hayden Field...but the hardest place in the conference (maybe country) to play is Happy Valley.
Best Player: Senior LB Paul Posloszny
3. Ohio State - Yea, yea...I know that they are #1 in the preseason polls, but things worry me about the Buckeyes. Everyone knows they lost a load on defense, but it's another player loss that worries me more, WR Santonio Holmes. While the team won't miss his weekly blips on police radars, they will miss his big play skills and more importantly, the attention he diverted away from their returning stud Ted Ginn Jr. Make no mistake about it, this team is still loaded, QB Troy Smith, RB Antonio Pittman, Ginn and AJ Hawk's replacement LB James Laurinaitis. They have a tough task traveling to the likes of Texas, Iowa and Michigan State.
Best Player: Senior QB Troy Smith
2. Iowa - I originally had Iowa as my Big Ten winner, but second thought dropped them to second place. QB Drew Tate is probably my favorite player in the league, and RB Albert Young gives them much needed balance on offence. Iowa will always have great play along the lines, both offense and defense, and they have one of the best coaches in the country, but outside of Tate they lack real playmakers that I feel are musts to win this conference. A steady group of receivers will help Tate spread the wealth, but unless a true deep threat emerges, they are second tier.
Best Player: Senior QB Drew Tate
1. Michigan- As I just eluded to, I originally had Big Blue playing second fiddle to the Hawkeyes, but I mentioned Iowa's lack of true playmakers. Michigan has no such lack. The Wolverines run about 4 deep at running back, and I do believe they will use them all. Last years disappointing season will be quickly forgotten as Michigan revamped it's coaching staff, and healed the injuries that hurt them so dearly last year (RB Mike Hart and T Jake Long). QB Chad Henne will have to mature as a passer instead of being a thrower. This means he will have to learn to take the zip off some passes and add touch when needed. My hope is that WR Steve Breaston can stay healthy enough for the showdown with Ohio State and his clone, Ten Ginn Jr. I am ready to take on the critics for this pick, Michigan is loaded and more importantly, they have something to prove.
Best Player: Senior DE LaMarr Woodley
League Awards
League MVP: QB Drew Tate (Iowa)
Offensive Player of the Year: QB Drew Stanton (Michigan State)
Defensive Player of the Year: (tie) LB Paul Posloszny (Penn State) + DE LaMarr Woodley (Michigan)
Poised for Breakout Years: RB Javon Ringer (Michigan State) + WR Mario Manningham (Michigan)
Best Coaches: Jim Tressel (Ohio State) + Kirk Ferentz (Iowa)
Best QBs: Drew Tate (Iowa) + Drew Stanton (Michigan State)
Best RBs: Tyrell Sutton (Northwestern) + Mike Hart (Michigan)
Best WRs: Ted Ginn Jr (Ohio State) + Deon Butler (Penn State)
Best TE: Matt Spaeth (Minnesota)
Best OLs: Levi Brown (Penn State) + Jake Long (Michigan)
Best DLs: LaMarr Woodley (Michigan) + Steven Davis (Minnesota)
Best LBs: Paul Posloszny (Penn State) + Mark Zalewski (Wisconsin)
Best DBs: Leon Hall (Michigan) + Malcom Jenkins (Ohio State)
Best K: Kevin Kelley (Penn State)
Best P: Brandon Fields (Michigan State)
posted by The All-Manac at 8:14 AM
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