2009-2010 Big Ten Football Prediction and Preview

It never fails, every year the Big Ten plays a role in the national title. Since they don’t have a championship game and two weeks off at the end of the year there is always controversy if one team from the Big ten plays for the National Championship. This year they are loaded with talent and ready to put their mark on the 2009 football season! The preview will list the teams in predicted order of finish in the Big Ten.

Penn St. Nittany Lions--Joe Pa is back and will be coaching in his 44th season and it is still amazing to see the energy he brings every year. This year he will bring energy and a shot at the Big Ten title to Penn St. They have plenty of talent coming back from last year’s squad to include Darryll Clark at QB and Evan Royster who ran for over 1,200 yards last year. The only weakness will be in the secondary because the Lions have to replace some veterans from last year. The rest of the defense will make up for this but they need to learn quickly. Ohio St has to play in Happy Valley late this year and that will determine the champions of the Big Ten.
Ohio St. Buckeyes--Ohio St. is ready for another good season. They lose some significant talent every year and they just restock as they recruit better than anyone in the conference. Beanie Wells is gone, but Dan Herron got plenty of touches last year when Wells was hurt. This will keep a solid running game intact. Terrelle Pryor gets to run the show this year and with a season under his belt he will only get better. He needs to rely on his arm more but his mobility will make him a dual threat. On defense Ohio St lost some serious all-stars but they are deep and they have veterans up front and in the secondary. Jim Tressel is known for getting the most out of his talent and Ohio St will fight for the Big Ten title and be in the mix for the big game.
Iowa Hawkeyes--Kirk Ferentz has a solid team this year and is looking forward to building off last year’s great finish. The Hawkeyes have one of the best offensive lines in the country and that will allow Ricky Stanzi to build on his great resume. Shonn Greene is gone but Iowa is deep at tailback and will let Jewell Hampton carry the load. The experience is back at wideout and this offense will impress. The defense is in place and they are deep at linebacker and great experience in the secondary. The schedule could be the only hurdle as the go to Happy Valley and the Horse Shoe to play Ohio St.
Michigan St. Spartans--the loss of Javon Ringer will be felt by the Spartans as they enter this year. Head Coach Mark Dantonio will make sure that the Spartans will be ready in his second year, but he has some holes on the offense. He will have some tough decisions to make with six people vying for running back and a healthy competition at quarterback. The good news is he gets 8 starters back on defense and that will be enough to let the offense catch up. Greg Jones is the heart of this defense and will make sure the Spartans defense is playing at their best.
Minnesota Golden Gophers—The Gophers will have a chance at stunning some teams in the Big Ten. There is plenty of excitement in the air as they play in a new stadium this year. The new open air stadium will bring an edge in winter and Head Coach Tim Brewster has planned for it and looks to make his team more physical. If they can run the ball that will make superstar wideout Eric Decker a bigger threat. The entire offensive line is back and that will help with the ground game. The defense is deep and returns plenty of key players, if you’re looking for a dark horse in the Big Ten it’s Minnesota.
Illinois Fighting Illini—Ron Zook is back and he is bringing back Juice Williams at quarterback for his fourth year. This experience will make Illinois an offensive threat. Martez Wilson is superb at linebacker but is the only standout on a suspect defense. They need the defense to stand up if they want to compete. The schedule is one of the hardest in the conference with eight bowl eligible teams on the horizon to include an opener against Missouri in St. Louis. Ron Zook could be in for his last year at Illinois.
Michigan Wolverines--Last year was very disappointing for Rich Rodriquez in his first year as head coach in Michigan. The loss to Appalachian St was hard to swallow so early in the season. He will finally get to implement his spread offense with freshman Tate Forcier at the helm. He is a great talent but will need help from Brandon Minor in the backfield to keep pressure off of him. The defense is workable but the Wolverines are just hoping for a bowl game this year.
Wisconsin Badgers--This team looks good on paper but will disappoint. They start the season off with four games at home but don’t be fooled, if they start off hot, they will collapse. Tailback John Clay will be a killer in the backfield and will put up some good numbers on the ground but that should be the lone bright spot. They will rotate at the quarterback position and at the running back position and that will be hard to maintain consistency. The defense is suspect and look for the badgers to stumble late in the year like they did in 2008.
Northwestern Wildcats--The cats surprised last year and Pat Fitzgerald will have this team ready to play again this year. Mike Kafka gets the call under center and he has proven that he can run the ball. The problem is there are several questions at running back and wide receiver and it may make the offense one dimensional. The defense will keep them in games as the entire secondary comes back but how fast key players recover from injuries may be the real question. Northwestern is not surprising anyone this year.
Indiana Hoosiers--The Hoosiers have a long way to go to compete with the top tier teams in the Big Ten, but they are getting there. Ben Chappel is the best choice for QB and will get a chance to run the spread. The offense should move with experience and depth at the running back spot. The real question is can the defense improve after allowing 35 points per game last year? With nine starters back if Indiana wants to go bowling the defense will have to step up.
Purdue Boilermakers—Joe Tiller is gone and he may have seen the writing on the wall as it looks like Purdue will be at the bottom of the Big ten in 2009. The offense has lost everyone in key positions and will look to replace QB, RB, and WR. The defense has plenty of returning starters but that won’t be enough to keep them in many games this year.

Big Ten Winner: Penn St. Nittany Lions