Big Ten – 2009 Football Preview

Last season the Big Ten can be summed up as an up and down year for the conference. Traditional powerhouse Ohio State dominated as usual, finishing 7-1 in Big Ten play and tying for the conference crown. But after getting blown out early against USC, the Buckeyes spent the majority of the season trying to regain their national standing. Another big development was the reemergence of the Penn State Nittany Lions as a National Championship contender. Penn State started the year 9-0 and only a last second heartbreaking loss to Iowa kept them out of the BCS Championship Game.

There were other strong improvements in the BIG TEN as well. Iowa after two year run of mediocrity rebounded to finish 9-4 and the Michigan State Spartans won 9 games and finished 3rd in the conference. Both MSU and Iowa finished ranked in the polls at the end of the season. Another bright spot was Northwestern who surprised everyone by finishing 9-4. While the Minnesota Golden Gophers improved to 7-6 after finishing 1-11 in ’07.

Unfortunately for the Big 10, there were some major failures by some of their traditional programs. As Michigan endured the worst season in school history and new coach Rich Rodriguez’s team finished 3-9. When Michigan has such a bad season, the national view of the conference is going to suffer as well. Not to mention, Illinois, also took a step back and finished completely off the bowl map. The Fighting Illini last year was the most disappointing team in the entire country. And Wisconsin, who rose all the way to #9 in the rankings struggled to a 7-6 finish. In the end the top teams in the conference lost both BCS bowl games and the conference’s bowl record of 1-6 overall.

Things look up for the Big 10 this season as there is a lot of experience returning across the board. Also, recent facility upgrades and coaching changes have led to acquiring strong recruits giving the Big Ten some very talented team. The two favorites are Ohio State and Penn State after both finishing ranked in the top 10 last year. While both programs have some big shoes to fill due to graduation, there is no question that they are the 2 major contenders to win the title this season. Ohio State has been the cream of the crop for the conference recently but fans often overlook Penn State who are 40-11 over the past 4 season, and 3-1 in bowl games. The Nittany Lions have won 2 Big Ten conference titles and have finished in the final rankings in each season.

But the Buckeyes and Penn State are not the only teams contending for the championship title. The Iowa Hawkeyes’s 4 losses last season came by a total of 12 points and they have 15 starters back from that team. The Spartans bring back the majority of one of the Big Ten’s best D and have added some major upgrades to their talent level. Northwestern and Minnesota both veteran teams, should provide great depth and don’t forget about Wisconsin and Michigan, who are both athletically talented despite last year’s failures.

The greatest threat to Ohio State and Penn State for the crown is the Illinois Fighting Illini. 2 years ago, Illinois earned a Rose Bowl berth with a young team and many fans felt that Ron Zook’s strong recruiting was on the verge of creating a perennial Big Ten powerhouse. But the Illini imploded last fall and they underachieved more than anyone team in the nation. Notwithstanding this fall returns a hungry team with an stacked offense and an easy schedule. We fully expect them to come back with a vengeance and make a huge impact in the title race.

With 9 teams having a realistic shot at a bowl game, ’09 should be an extraordinary year in the Big 10 and this will be the year that the conference rebuilds its national reputation that was has questioned recently.

OUR 2009 BIG 10 STANDINGS PREDICTIONS

1. Ohio State Buckeyes
2. Illinois Fighting Illini
3. Penn State Nittany Lions
4. Michigan State Spartans
5. Minnesota Golden Gophers
6. Iowa Hawkeyes
7. Wisconsin Badgers
8. Northwestern Wildcats
9. Michigan Wolverines
10. Purdue Boilermakers
11. Indiana Hoosiers

Ohio State Buckeyes

7 Buckeye players were drafted in the 1st 5 rounds of the NFL Draft. Replacing players like James Laurinaitis, Chris Wells, Brian Robiskie, Brian Hartline, Malcolm Jenkins and Marcus Freeman will not be easy. It not happen overnight and it will not be easy. But all this is Ohio State and they will be a contender for the Big 10 title.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 7-1)

Ohio State 2009 Season Preview – Ohio State 2009 Season Schedule

Illinois Fightin’ Illini

After surprising every in ’07 by reaching the Rose Bowl, the Fightin’ Ilini was a major failure in ’08 by not reaching a bowl game. Coach Ron Zook continues to bring in higly ranked recruiting classes. Illinois could fail to reach a bowl game again this season if those players fail to produce.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 6-2)

Illinois 2009 Season Preview – Illinois 2009 Season Schedule

Penn State Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions were a field goal away from going to the BCS National Championship game in ’08. Last November Penn State lost to Iowa by 1 point and that was the only loss on their schedule until they ran into USC at the Rose Bowl. There is some work to be done on both offense and defense, but Penn State should be in the consideration for another trip to the Rose Bowl.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 6-2)

Penn State 2009 Season Preview – Penn State 2009 Season Schedule

Michigan State Spartans

In Coach Mark Dantonio’s 1st season at MSU, the Spartans went 7-6. Coach Dantonio followed it up last year with a 9-4 record and a trip to the Capital One Bowl. That has the Michigan State fans excited for the future. But that excitement may have to wait this season since the Spartans have to replace their superstar RB and their steady QB.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 5-3)

Michigan State 2009 Season Preview – Michigan State 2009 Season Schedule

Minnesota Golden Gophers

The Golden Gophers won just 1 game two years ago. And that was a home win over Miami Ohio in OT. Most expected the Golden Gophers to improve during Coach Tim Brewster’s 2nd year, but nobody thought that Minnesota would reach a bowl game. Minnesota’s impressive turnaround was just the beginning and they will be even better this year.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 4-4)

Minnesota 2009 Season Preview – Minnesota 2009 Season Schedule

Iowa Hawkeyes

Although Ricky Stanzi was not the most efficient QB in the Big 10, but he did get the job done once Jake Christensen was out of the picture. Last season he had nearly 2,000 passing yards and 14 TD’s and 9 picks. Another year of experience should have Ricky Stanzi ready to take on a bigger role. as Iowa’s leader.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 4-4)

Iowa Hawkeyes 2009 Season Preview – Iowa Hawkeyes 2009 Season Schedule

Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin had a tumultuous ’08 season and one that they would like to forget. By Wisconsin standards the Badgers went on a major losing streak, but the managed to recover and end the regular season with a 7-5 record., before getting outgunned by a depleted Florida State squad in the Champs Sports Bowl. Overall this is good team that had an off year.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 4-4)

Wisconsin 2009 Season Preview – Wisconsin 2009 Season Schedule

Northwestern Wildcats

The Wildcats did not challenge themselves during their out of conference schedule in ’08. The result was a 5-0 start to the season. Moreover, the team did have some big road wins against Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan. Wins like those do not happen very often for the Wildcats, especially outside of Evanston, Illinois.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 3-5)

Northwestern 2009 Season Preview – Northwestern 2009 Season Schedule

Michigan Wolverines

Coach Rich Rodriguez first season at Michigan was a disaster and did not go very well. The Wolverines ended up with the school’s worst record 3-9 and did not play in a bowl game for the first time since the 1974 season. The new offense proved to be difficult for his team to adjust and what should have been a quality D failed to live up to expectations. Mostly because the offense put them in bad situations all season.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 3-5)

Michigan 2009 Season Preview – Michigan 2009 Season Schedule

Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue Coach Joe Tiller’s career went out with a whimper as his team failed to reach a bowl game. And the future does not look any better as they have to replace just about all of their experienced skill players on offence. Coach Danny Hope was on the sidelines last year so the transition from one coaching staff to another should will smooth, but this a group that needs an upgrade in talent before they can start thinking about becoming a force in the Big Ten again.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 2-6)

Purdue 2009 Season Preview – Purdue 2009 Season Schedule

Indiana Hoosiers

For the Hoosiers it’s ironic, the team’s returning leader in passing and rushing is now a wide receiver. The multi-faceted Kellen Lewis has been moved to wide receiver to help shore up what has been a sore spot for the Hoosiers for quite some time now. How well it will actually work remains to be seen, but Indiana needs much more help than reshuffling players.

(Our Predicted 2009 Conference Record: 0-8)

Indiana 2009 Season Preview – Indiana 2009 Season Schedule

Big Ten – 2009 Football Season Overview

We believe the Big 10 is going to have a comeback season in ’09. There are no less than 5 teams which enter the year with a legitimate shot at the league title and there is quality depth throughout the conference.

The Big Ten has plenty of parity in the middle of the conference but one thing for sure is Indiana is clearly the league’s worst team. The Boilermakers are young but can be dangerous enough to pull off a few upsets. It will be tough for Northwestern repeat their success from last year but should end up earning a bowl game trip. Iowa and Minnesota both have difficult schedules but give opponents a run in bowl games. Michigan will be better but the are a year away from being competitive in the conference. Wisconsin fans will express their frustration because the Badgers aren’t better than an 8 win team.

That leaves the conference race in the hands of Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State and Illinois. MSU has a solid team, but they will have to travel to Illinois and deal with the pressure of high expectation and we believe they’ll fall to 4th in the standings. Illinois has a chance to upset the Nittany Lions early at home but their opening schedule is difficult and they finish the season 10-2 with both defeats in conference. That leaves the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions to battle it out for the title and we think that Ohio State’s result vs USC will define their year. If the Buckeyes beat Southern Cal, Ohio State can possibly be 9-0 going into the Penn State game. On the other hand, Penn State only has to prevail in two early tough contests before the November showdown which could be a battle of two perfect teams. Both teams are national level contenders, but we think the Buckeyes’s strong D and the individual magic of Terrelle Pryor will be to much for Penn State to overcome.