Big Ten Preseason Predictions
Posted 09-02-2010 at 04:31 PM by ChiHawk7
Well, it’s that time of the year again. Yes, summer is just about coming to an end, which means most people will start whining about the fact that winter is right around the corner. For the rest of us, it means football season is finally here. For those of you that weren’t fortunate enough to read my post on rivals last year, these were my picks from this time a year ago (minus the breakdown of each team):
1.) Ohio State 11-1 (7-1) - Rose Bowl - actually went 10-2 (7-1) and went to the Rose
2.) Iowa 10-2 (6-2) - BCS at large - spot on10-2 (6-2) and went to the Orange Bowl
3.) Penn State 10-2 (6-2) - Cap One Bowl - spot on 10-2 (6-2) and went to the Capital One Bowl
4.) Michigan State 9-3 (5-3) - FAIL actually 6-6 (4-4)
5.) Illinois 8-4 (5-3) - FAIL actually 3-9 (2-6)
6.) Northwestern 8-4 (4-4) - actually went 8-4 (5-3)
7.) Wisconsin 8-4 (4-4) - actually went 9-3 (5-3)
8.) Michigan 6-6 (4-4) - actually 5-7 (1-7)
9.) Minnesota 6-6 (3-5) - spot on
10.) Purdue 3-9 (1-7) - actually 5-7 (4-4)
11.) Indiana 2-10 (0-8) actually 4-8 (1-7)
Anyway, last year is long gone and in the books. Here are my predictions for this season, the last before the conference is split up into divisions and the champion is decided in a conference championship game:
11.) Minnesota 3-9 (1-7)
This team just doesn't have the horses this year. I originally had them 2-10 and losing the opener to Middle Tennessee St., until I found out that MTSU's stud QB is suspended. They beat Northwestern on their homecoming, but that's it.
10.) Illinois 4-8 (2-6)
A team I had going 8-4 last year was a huge disappointment in the conference. Can they finally get over the hump against Mizzou?? If so, it could give a huge confidence boost to a young QB and end up leading them to a decent season. I think they lose their 6th straight to the Tigers, get a couple wins against Indiana and Minnesota, and call it the end of the Ron Zook Era.
9.) Indiana 6-6 (2-6)
Here's a team that can go 8-4 or 4-8, in my opinion, so I'll say they're in the middle. They have one of the Big Ten's best passers in Ben Chappell, as well as some of the best receivers in the conference. The defense is very questionable, so they can expect to be involved in some high scoring games. An easy non-conference schedule gets them 4 wins and they get 2 more against Michigan and Northwestern. With only 2 wins in the Big Ten, they miss out on a bowl game.
8.) Michigan (6-6) 3-5) - Dallas Football Classic
Michigan got everyone all excited last year, starting out 4-0, only to lose 7 of their last 8 games. It appears to be Denard Robinson's turn running the spread. Apparently, he has really improved his passing game to go along with his lightning speed.....but then again, anyone should look great when playing against Michigan's defense. What's worse is they just lost Troy Woolfolk, a captain and the only solid corner on the team. Rich Rod’s 3-3-5 defense worked in the Big East, but I can’t see it working in the Big Ten. They manage a 6-6 season and make the new Dallas Football Classic Bowl, which Rich Rod will not be coaching. He will be fired immediately after the Ohio State game at the end of the season.
7.) Purdue 7-5 (3-5) - Texas Bowl
After two less than stellar seasons, Danny Hope is ready to get this program back to its winning ways. They had some close ones last year(almost beat Oregon in Eugene), and could have ended up in a decent bowl game. They were probably the only team in history to beat both Michigan and Ohio State and end up at home for Christmas. This year, they're turning the corner and going bowling. Miami transfer Robert Marve is running the O and they have one of the best receivers and best defensive ends in the conference. OSU won't let them out of the Shoe without a beat down after last year's debacle, but they have a favorable schedule, missing Penn State and Iowa.
6.) Northwestern 7-5 (3-5) - Insight Bowl
Northwestern, as always, will be a team capable of beating anyone (see Iowa and Wisconsin 2009), but also losing to anyone (see Syracuse 2009). They start off with a big W over an SEC team, albeit Vanderbilt, and roll through the non-con before losing week 1 at Minnesota (like I said, they can lose to anyone). They pull off a few more against Purdue, MSU and the Wrigley Field game against the Illini, but don't knock off any of the big dogs this year....unless you consider MSU a big dog.
5.) Michigan State 8-4 (4-4) - Gator Bowl
Can this team ever live up to preseason expectations? Most pundits had them pegged #3 in the Big Ten last year before they lost at home to Central Michigan and limped through the rest of the schedule to go 6-6 with a trip to the Alamo. This year, they return a lot of key players. Kirk Cousins has some of the best receivers to throw to and a couple good running backs to rely on. Greg Jones is the best linebacker in the conference and should lead a strong front 7 in the new 3-4 defensive look. The secondary is questionable, but I think this team will be tough and should keep most of their games close. They upset the highly touted Badgers in the first week of the Big Ten, but struggle on the road against their in-state rivals. They lose 2 close ones on the road at Northwestern and Iowa and end up 4-4 in the conference and down to Florida for the Big Ten’s latest addition to the post-season, the Gator Bowl.
4.) Penn State 9-3 (6-2) - Outback Bowl
Tough to judge a team that's starting a true freshman at QB. I could easily see 8-4, but not much worse than that. They miss Wisconsin again, but have to play at night in Tuscaloosa vs. Alabama, at night in Iowa City vs. Iowa, and in the Shoe vs. Ohio State. I think they lose all 3, but they should all be close. I just don't see any teams on the rest of their schedule that JoePa will fall to. The defense should be solid again and Evan Royster is going to break the all time rushing record at PSU, while JoePa gets his 400th career win. Not a bad career, right?
3.) Ohio State 10-2 (6-2) - Capital One Bowl
You read that right. For the first time in 6 years, OSU fails to win the Big Ten (or a share of it) and misses out on a BCS game. After all the Terrelle Pryor Heisman and National Championship talk, this is the year The Vest can't get it done on the road. The Buckeyes lose at night in Camp Randall on October 16th, but like last year, still have a shot at the title when they face the Hawkeyes. Since Northwestern fails to break Ricky Stanzi's ankle this year, the Buckeyes don't have the fortune of facing a freshman QB making the first start of his career. AmeriStanzi lights up the OSU secondary in the de facto Big Ten Championship game as the Hawks beat the Bucks by double digits. Pryor single-handedly loses a trip to New York as a Heisman finalist after committing 3 turnovers in this game.
2.) Wisconsin 10-2 (6-2) - Rose Bowl (or other BCS at-large if Boise or TCU takes a spot in the Rose)
This is going to be one of the toughest teams in the Big Ten. They return 10 starters from the Big Ten's best offense last season, and have a very stingy defense. John Clay will win the rushing title again this season behind the nation's best offensive line. However, he is held in check against MSU and Iowa's defenses. As mentioned above, I think the Badgers lose their first conference game at Spartan Stadium. A week after coming off of a huge upset victory at home against the Buckeyes, Wisconsin tries to bring the Heartland Trophy back to Madison when they go into Kinnick Stadium. As announced last night, the Wisconsin-Iowa rivalry will no longer be an annual matchup with the teams in opposite divisions. This will be a huge game with a lot on the line, but the Hawkeyes pull out a close one. Still, Wisconsin goes on to a BCS game to cap a solid season.
1.) IOWA 12-0 (8-0) - BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, AZ
The stars are aligned, my friends. This team has what it takes to win it all. Adrian Clayborn declined a shot at the NFL as a first round pick last year to come back his senior year. He leads the nation’s best defensive line, while Tyler Sash and Co. form the best defensive backfield in the Big Ten. This defense is going to be tough to score on. Third year starter Ricky Stanzi, who loves America more than Uncle Sam, leads an offense that returns all of its top playmakers from a year ago. DJK will break the program’s all time receptions and yards records midway through the season, and Jewel Hampton is back and ready to run after missing last season due to injury.
The main concern on this team is the O-line, but they have two of the best O-line coaches in the nation working with them in Kirk Ferentz, and it can’t hurt going against that front four in practice. If that unit can gel early and survive a tough road contest in the desert against Arizona, the sky is the limit for this squad. The offense will be more explosive and will be able to put teams away early, unlike last season. The Hawkeyes get Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State all at home this season after going through that brutal road schedule a year ago. They may not all be the prettiest wins, but they manage to pull out a victory week in and week out and meet undefeated Oklahoma in the National Championship. The SEC will beat up on each other and miss out on a shot at the title.
Is this a homer pick? Absolutely. But why not make the bold prediction this year? People called me a homer last year when I said they would go 10-2 and get an at large BCS bid. What happened? They went 10-2, got an at large BCS bid and demolished Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Need I remind you that those 2 losses came when Stanzi got injured? When he’s healthy, all he does is win. If there is a year the Hawks can pull it off, this is it. See you in Glendale. GO HAWKS!
1.) Ohio State 11-1 (7-1) - Rose Bowl - actually went 10-2 (7-1) and went to the Rose
2.) Iowa 10-2 (6-2) - BCS at large - spot on10-2 (6-2) and went to the Orange Bowl
3.) Penn State 10-2 (6-2) - Cap One Bowl - spot on 10-2 (6-2) and went to the Capital One Bowl
4.) Michigan State 9-3 (5-3) - FAIL actually 6-6 (4-4)
5.) Illinois 8-4 (5-3) - FAIL actually 3-9 (2-6)
6.) Northwestern 8-4 (4-4) - actually went 8-4 (5-3)
7.) Wisconsin 8-4 (4-4) - actually went 9-3 (5-3)
8.) Michigan 6-6 (4-4) - actually 5-7 (1-7)
9.) Minnesota 6-6 (3-5) - spot on
10.) Purdue 3-9 (1-7) - actually 5-7 (4-4)
11.) Indiana 2-10 (0-8) actually 4-8 (1-7)
Anyway, last year is long gone and in the books. Here are my predictions for this season, the last before the conference is split up into divisions and the champion is decided in a conference championship game:
11.) Minnesota 3-9 (1-7)
This team just doesn't have the horses this year. I originally had them 2-10 and losing the opener to Middle Tennessee St., until I found out that MTSU's stud QB is suspended. They beat Northwestern on their homecoming, but that's it.
10.) Illinois 4-8 (2-6)
A team I had going 8-4 last year was a huge disappointment in the conference. Can they finally get over the hump against Mizzou?? If so, it could give a huge confidence boost to a young QB and end up leading them to a decent season. I think they lose their 6th straight to the Tigers, get a couple wins against Indiana and Minnesota, and call it the end of the Ron Zook Era.
9.) Indiana 6-6 (2-6)
Here's a team that can go 8-4 or 4-8, in my opinion, so I'll say they're in the middle. They have one of the Big Ten's best passers in Ben Chappell, as well as some of the best receivers in the conference. The defense is very questionable, so they can expect to be involved in some high scoring games. An easy non-conference schedule gets them 4 wins and they get 2 more against Michigan and Northwestern. With only 2 wins in the Big Ten, they miss out on a bowl game.
8.) Michigan (6-6) 3-5) - Dallas Football Classic
Michigan got everyone all excited last year, starting out 4-0, only to lose 7 of their last 8 games. It appears to be Denard Robinson's turn running the spread. Apparently, he has really improved his passing game to go along with his lightning speed.....but then again, anyone should look great when playing against Michigan's defense. What's worse is they just lost Troy Woolfolk, a captain and the only solid corner on the team. Rich Rod’s 3-3-5 defense worked in the Big East, but I can’t see it working in the Big Ten. They manage a 6-6 season and make the new Dallas Football Classic Bowl, which Rich Rod will not be coaching. He will be fired immediately after the Ohio State game at the end of the season.
7.) Purdue 7-5 (3-5) - Texas Bowl
After two less than stellar seasons, Danny Hope is ready to get this program back to its winning ways. They had some close ones last year(almost beat Oregon in Eugene), and could have ended up in a decent bowl game. They were probably the only team in history to beat both Michigan and Ohio State and end up at home for Christmas. This year, they're turning the corner and going bowling. Miami transfer Robert Marve is running the O and they have one of the best receivers and best defensive ends in the conference. OSU won't let them out of the Shoe without a beat down after last year's debacle, but they have a favorable schedule, missing Penn State and Iowa.
6.) Northwestern 7-5 (3-5) - Insight Bowl
Northwestern, as always, will be a team capable of beating anyone (see Iowa and Wisconsin 2009), but also losing to anyone (see Syracuse 2009). They start off with a big W over an SEC team, albeit Vanderbilt, and roll through the non-con before losing week 1 at Minnesota (like I said, they can lose to anyone). They pull off a few more against Purdue, MSU and the Wrigley Field game against the Illini, but don't knock off any of the big dogs this year....unless you consider MSU a big dog.
5.) Michigan State 8-4 (4-4) - Gator Bowl
Can this team ever live up to preseason expectations? Most pundits had them pegged #3 in the Big Ten last year before they lost at home to Central Michigan and limped through the rest of the schedule to go 6-6 with a trip to the Alamo. This year, they return a lot of key players. Kirk Cousins has some of the best receivers to throw to and a couple good running backs to rely on. Greg Jones is the best linebacker in the conference and should lead a strong front 7 in the new 3-4 defensive look. The secondary is questionable, but I think this team will be tough and should keep most of their games close. They upset the highly touted Badgers in the first week of the Big Ten, but struggle on the road against their in-state rivals. They lose 2 close ones on the road at Northwestern and Iowa and end up 4-4 in the conference and down to Florida for the Big Ten’s latest addition to the post-season, the Gator Bowl.
4.) Penn State 9-3 (6-2) - Outback Bowl
Tough to judge a team that's starting a true freshman at QB. I could easily see 8-4, but not much worse than that. They miss Wisconsin again, but have to play at night in Tuscaloosa vs. Alabama, at night in Iowa City vs. Iowa, and in the Shoe vs. Ohio State. I think they lose all 3, but they should all be close. I just don't see any teams on the rest of their schedule that JoePa will fall to. The defense should be solid again and Evan Royster is going to break the all time rushing record at PSU, while JoePa gets his 400th career win. Not a bad career, right?
3.) Ohio State 10-2 (6-2) - Capital One Bowl
You read that right. For the first time in 6 years, OSU fails to win the Big Ten (or a share of it) and misses out on a BCS game. After all the Terrelle Pryor Heisman and National Championship talk, this is the year The Vest can't get it done on the road. The Buckeyes lose at night in Camp Randall on October 16th, but like last year, still have a shot at the title when they face the Hawkeyes. Since Northwestern fails to break Ricky Stanzi's ankle this year, the Buckeyes don't have the fortune of facing a freshman QB making the first start of his career. AmeriStanzi lights up the OSU secondary in the de facto Big Ten Championship game as the Hawks beat the Bucks by double digits. Pryor single-handedly loses a trip to New York as a Heisman finalist after committing 3 turnovers in this game.
2.) Wisconsin 10-2 (6-2) - Rose Bowl (or other BCS at-large if Boise or TCU takes a spot in the Rose)
This is going to be one of the toughest teams in the Big Ten. They return 10 starters from the Big Ten's best offense last season, and have a very stingy defense. John Clay will win the rushing title again this season behind the nation's best offensive line. However, he is held in check against MSU and Iowa's defenses. As mentioned above, I think the Badgers lose their first conference game at Spartan Stadium. A week after coming off of a huge upset victory at home against the Buckeyes, Wisconsin tries to bring the Heartland Trophy back to Madison when they go into Kinnick Stadium. As announced last night, the Wisconsin-Iowa rivalry will no longer be an annual matchup with the teams in opposite divisions. This will be a huge game with a lot on the line, but the Hawkeyes pull out a close one. Still, Wisconsin goes on to a BCS game to cap a solid season.
1.) IOWA 12-0 (8-0) - BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, AZ
The stars are aligned, my friends. This team has what it takes to win it all. Adrian Clayborn declined a shot at the NFL as a first round pick last year to come back his senior year. He leads the nation’s best defensive line, while Tyler Sash and Co. form the best defensive backfield in the Big Ten. This defense is going to be tough to score on. Third year starter Ricky Stanzi, who loves America more than Uncle Sam, leads an offense that returns all of its top playmakers from a year ago. DJK will break the program’s all time receptions and yards records midway through the season, and Jewel Hampton is back and ready to run after missing last season due to injury.
The main concern on this team is the O-line, but they have two of the best O-line coaches in the nation working with them in Kirk Ferentz, and it can’t hurt going against that front four in practice. If that unit can gel early and survive a tough road contest in the desert against Arizona, the sky is the limit for this squad. The offense will be more explosive and will be able to put teams away early, unlike last season. The Hawkeyes get Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State all at home this season after going through that brutal road schedule a year ago. They may not all be the prettiest wins, but they manage to pull out a victory week in and week out and meet undefeated Oklahoma in the National Championship. The SEC will beat up on each other and miss out on a shot at the title.
Is this a homer pick? Absolutely. But why not make the bold prediction this year? People called me a homer last year when I said they would go 10-2 and get an at large BCS bid. What happened? They went 10-2, got an at large BCS bid and demolished Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Need I remind you that those 2 losses came when Stanzi got injured? When he’s healthy, all he does is win. If there is a year the Hawks can pull it off, this is it. See you in Glendale. GO HAWKS!
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