Big Ten Preview - by Freddy Wills 2x NCAAF Champion

[Freddy Wills]

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1. DT Johnathan Hankins, Sr. Ohio State
2. OT Ricky Wagner, Sr. Wisconsin
3. DT Kawann Short, Sr. Purdue
4. CB Johnny Adams, Sr. Michigan State
5. DE William Gholston, Jr. Michigan State

– Everyone get excited for the 2012 Michigan Wolverines! Are they back? Of course they are, but I still think they’ll have a hard time beating teams that have the linebacking corps to shut down Denard Robinson who even in his senior season has yet to prove he can be a consistent passer. He proved me wrong in the Sugar Bowl when the defeated Virginia Tech 23-30 in OT, but they will have their hands full from the start opening up against Alabama on a neutral location.

Offense – Last year the Wolverines developed a 1-2 rushing punch with Robinson and junior Fitzgerald Toussaint. However, they have to prove that the offensive line has depth, but the real weakness will be at receiver. The passing game is keeping this team from being a national contender.

Defense – The defense was improved last year and had a pass rush, but now they lose their two best players up front in Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen. The secondary is loaded at corner back and they have a lot of experience at safety. The two strengths of this team are at linebacker and corner back, but there are question marks up front which are the worst places to have question marks.

- Nebraska enters their second year in the Big Ten and are already among the favorites to win it. However, I’m in denial along with the Michigan team for the simple fact that they do not have a balanced attack. Taylor Martinez is like a mirror image of Denard Robinson and less explosive. They’ll have two challenging road games that should define their season when they travel to Ohio State and Michigan State. They get Michigan and Wisconsin at home.

Offense - Unlike Michigan, Nebraska has a veteran group of receivers led by junior Kenny Bell and TE senior Ben Cotton. Senior RB Rex Burkhead really was the star of this offense as he rushed for 1,357 yards and 15 TD’s, but it will be hard for him to duplicate that kind of effort. Nebraska has a weaker offensive line than Michigan as the Cornhuskers have to undergo major changes. This will play an impact on an inconsistent passing game for sure.

Defense - The unit finished 37th in the nation in yards allowed, but did nothing to get into the backfield and lacked consistency last year. In fact they were did last in the nation in tackles for loss and if you are going to beat the top 3 teams in the conference you are going to have to create negative plays. The strength of this unit is the secondary and tackling. Unfortunately for them they lack any pass rush or linebacker depth. I see a similar year to last year where this defense can come up big, but when they meet a balanced offensive attack they will struggle.

– first test does not come until week 5 when they travel to Nebraska. They also get Michigan State, and Ohio State at home so a trip back to the Big Ten Championship is likely if they can take care of business.

Offense – Is it really a question on whether or not the Badgers will be one of the best in the country at running the ball? Led by Heisman finalist Montee Ball along with Melvin Gordon and James White the unit should rush for more then 3,000 yards. Danny O’brien comes over from Maryland to replace Russell Wilson which will be no small task. O’Brien looked like the real deal in his freshmen season 22 TD/8 INT, but regressed last year, but has plenty of opportunity to improve as a junior behind a big offensive line.

Defense –This is the group that will be better than a year ago. They are led by two All-Ammerican candidates at linebacker in Mike Taylor and Chris Borland while their secondary should be one of the best led by Devin Smith. The defense won’t take major chances so their will be a lack of a pass rush with the absence of any end that can get there on his own. Luckily there are not many offenses in the Big Ten that can throw the ball.

– Last year was a magical year for Michigan State even though they came up with a couple of clunkers that robbed them from what could have been. They still came up with a great performance vs. an SEC opponent in their bowl game (part of our ) which was shocking to most after they lost 49-7 the year before to Alabama. They have a challenging schedule to start with Boise state and Notre Dame in their first three games.

Offense – What a shocker, it’s another Big Ten team that will rely on the power running game. It’s no easy task replacing QB Kirk Cousins, but junior Andrew Maxwell will try. Maxwell was the apprentice and he’s got the experience, but with all of the top targets gone from last year it’s clear that they will run the ball behind an offensive line that returns four starters and RB Le”Veon Bell.

Defense – The Spartans defense finished 6th in total yards allowed last year, but they lost DT Jerel Worth and safety Trenton Robinson. However, the biggest strength of this unit and what will allow them to defend and stay in games against the two mobile QB’s in the conference are their three returning starters at linebacker. The line should also be very good despite losing Worthy as they have a dominant pair of ends in William Gholston and Marcus Rush. The experience and depth of the front seven leads me to believe this defense will be the best in the Big Ten yet again.

– They did not get the death penalty so there is still plenty to play for in 2012. At the end of the year I expect this team in a bowl game which will be a major accomplishment considering everything that has gone on.

Offense – Penn State had one of the worst offenses a year ago, but they do have an experienced player back at the most important position, QB. Matt McGloin is nothing to be excited about, but he does bring experience which is something this team needs in 2012. The offense however lacks any type of playmakers and their offensive line has 4 new starters. Their RB Silas Redd transferred to USC so there is a good chance the Nittany Lions offense will struggle yet again.

Defense – The secondary lost all four starters, but lucky for Penn State there are not many teams in the Big Ten or on the schedule that can pass anyway. The pass rush should also be good enough to make up for the lack of experience in the secondary. There is plenty of talent in the front seven despite losing the conference’s defensive player of the year, Devon Still. The linebacking corps could be the best in the nation if Michael Mauti can finally stay healthy.

– This team is always capable of coming out of nowhere for some big wins like they had last year over Michigan. There has been no consistency and Kirk Ferentz will enter his 14th year as head coach with the program. Their non-conference schedule is easy enough for this team to be a factor and they’ll make another appearance in a bowl game.

Offense – Greg Davis comes over from being the OC at Texas and he will have his hands full at Iowa. Iowa was 7-1 when they scored more than 24 pts, but were 0-5 when they did not. He gets a capable QB in senior James Vandenberg (3,022 yards, 25 TD’s, 7 INT). Vandenberg lost his top running back and receivers so there will be a lack of chemistry early on. Davis will look to push the tempo early which could create issues with all the inexperience at running back. Overall if Vandenberg can connect with new weapons they could be one of the few passing teams in the Big Ten making them very dangerous.

Defense- Like many of the teams in the Big Ten, linebackers are the strength of the defense. The defensive front will go through some major changes in 2012. This will impact the amount of turnovers they can force despite having one of the conference’s best corners in senior Micah Hyde.

– Don’t sleep on Illinois and first year head coach Tim Beckman (Toledo 2009-11). The team is in place to compete for the Leaders division with Ohio State not eligible, but it will have to get through Wisconsin on the road. I only wish our had these odds for conference championships.

Offense – The offense died down the stretch behind junior QB Nathan Scheelhaase who is out of the Denard Robinson/Taylor Martinez mold. He was their leading rusher, but they’ll need a lot more out of him in 2012. The offense will have plenty of speed, but replacing WR A.J. Jenkins will be a huge issue and won’t allow them to have a balanced attack to beat the teams they need to.

Defense – The Illini finished 6th in the nation in sacks and fourth in tackles for loss as well as third in pass defense. They have rare inside and outside talent along the defensive line led by Akeem Spence at tackle and Michael Buchanan at end. The secondary which was great last year gets three starters back and the linebacking corps returns their star in junior Jonathan Brown. Basically this team can defend the pass, but can they stop the run or force turnovers?

- The Dan Persa era ended in disappointing fashion and now it’s time for Kain Colter to take over the reigns at QB. The program still has yet to win a bowl since their 1949 Rose Bowl win over Cal and that’s the main goal for head coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Offense – The unit was inconsistent last year and they still were able to score 29 points per game and 431 yards. Kain Colter is a real dual threat at QB as he rushed 654 yards. Colter must improve as a passer if Northwestern wants to improve and they have the potential at receiver. A proven rushing attack and pass protection are the major concerns behind an offensive line that will have a few changes for 2012.

Defense – There was hope for this unit last year when they returned most of their starters from 2010. However, the unit could not stop anyone through the air and their run defense rarely was able to hold up in the second half. They have some youth and athleticism in 2012 and there is a lot of potential despite the lack of experience.

- Pudue has the same opportunity that Illinois has with so much fluctuation at the top of the division with all of Penn State’s issues and Ohio State being ineligible.

Offense – The unit was inconsistent, but it gets 8 starters back including senior QB Caleb Terbush and RB Ralph Bolden. The unit has experience and speed, but once again will lack depth and consistency. They’ll beat up on the weak and make it back to a bowl game, but nothing more.

Defense – Any team whose strength is the defensive line has a shot to be something special in my opinion. They have a pair of next level tackles in Kawann Short and Bruce Gaston that will make the ends and pass rush work, but the unit as a whole will lack depth and speed to make tackles in the backfield. It’s hard to say if they will hold up against good passing games considering their safeties, but their corner tandem is one of the best in the country with Ricardo Allen and Josh Johnson returning.

- After going 1-11 last year Kevin Wilson returns for his 2nd year as head coach. They have an easy 4 games to start the season and should be looking at a 3-1 or possible 4-0 start.

Offense - there is a bright spot and that’s the experience of the offensive line which will return 4 starters. They have a solid RB in Stephen Houston returning after 802 yards on just 151 carries for a 5.3ypc, but the offense as a total lacks balance and a #1 receiver. They should be better but just not good enough.

Defense - - It seems like Indiana is desperate to try anything on this side of the ball and they should be as both run defense and pass defense were terrible a year ago. They have experience but that’s not always a good thing when none of your players are leaving for the NFL. They add in some JUCO transfers hoping to get instant upgrades, but I’m a little skeptical that they will be able to hold up throughout the Big Ten season.

– It was a brutal start to last year, but this team got a lot better late last year closing the year 2-3. On any Saturday they do have the capability to pull some upsets as they nearly did to Michigan State in 2010.

Offense – Senior MarQueis Gray returns after leading the team in passing and rushing yards. The unit finished last in the Big Ten in yards, but they have several good blockers returning, but lack any form of consistency. With a lot of young talent you just never know if something special could happen.

Defense –The secondary and experience are a plus for the Gophers going into 2012. Overall the defense improved from 2010 and I expect them to approve yet again in 2012 from last year. They still lack the ability to make plays against the passing game as far as interceptions and their run defense from the front 4 won’t work especially against the strong running games throughout the Big Ten conference.

– It will take some time to adjust, but this team is implementing the spread attack that will become very dangerous in years to come especially with sophomore QB Braxton Miller taking snaps. The offensive line lost three starters, but they struggled in pass protection anyway so I believe a new look will only benefit them. This year will be a building year to something special in 2013.

Offense – Junior RB Jerrell Rhodes has all-conference potential, but he’s coming off an injury last year and is a huge question mark. Overall they are leaning a lot on potential starting with junior QB Jacob Karam. The inexperience and lack of big plays will be the downfall of this group in 2012.

Defense – The young defense from a year ago that was 19th and allowed just 21 points per game is about to get better. They return nine starters led by a loaded secondary that will be one of the best in the country. As I always say it is more about the defensive line and this team is loaded with two future NFL stars, one in the middle in Johnathan Hankins and John Simon at end. Linebackers are a weakness for the team, but they have young talents that could prove me wrong early.
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