A spring look at the Big Ten

By Bart Doan  |   Sunday, March 22, 2009  |  Comments( 2 )

College Football
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Overall, the Big Ten enters another spring practice college football session with all of the negative attention seeping from every national media orifice. Why? Because of another season with two BCS bowl game losses, another season with a poor conference bowl record, and another season of being completely non-competitive in the Rose Bowl. While much of the negativity surrounding the Big Ten is overblown, the conference could really use a positive change in perception. There's no time like the present to start the renaissance.

Here is the conference in a quick nutshell complete with what really needs to happen this March and April for things to turn around.

Illinois: One year after a Rose Bowl run, the Illini found themselves sitting home for bowl season with a staggering seven losses. Ron Zook’s highly rated recruiting class enters its third year. Arrelious Benn seemed to disappear after a massive freshman campaign despite the improvement of Juice Williams. It would suit the Illini well to find someone to take the pressure off Benn, as teams successfully game planned against stopping him last year. Also, cornerback Vontae Davis’ departure for the NFL leaves a smallish Illini defense lacking the one true scary player it had.

Indiana: Where to even start? Bill Lynch stepped into a situation he has not been ready to handle and it has showed. IU needs some sort of continuity at the quarterback position more than anything. Kellen Lewis seemed to be on a short leash last year despite leading the Hoosiers to their first bowl game since the early 1990s in 2007. Lynch rotated Lewis and Ben Chappel because Lewis started the season in hot water from off-the-field issues. Considering the dynamic freshman and sophomore campaigns Lewis had, one has to wonder if it’s the player or the coach.

Iowa: It is no secret where the most gaping hole on the Iowa roster exists. It would be where Doak Walker-winning running back Shonn Greene -- who is prepping for the draft -- once resided. On the uptick, however, is that Greene will see as much action this year at an Iowa spring practice as last year: He didn’t participate. Thus, the hope that another diamond in the rough exists isn’t out of the question. His supposed name is Jewel Hampton. Terrible pun aside, with Iowa’s ball-control offense, Hampton had better be a gem if a young Hawkeye team is able to improve upon last year’s surprising late run.

Michigan: Big Blue’s issues are well-documented, so in effort to be a little different, a major matchup battle to watch this spring will be on the other side of center -- at defensive tackle. Michigan lost a lot of meat on the interior line, and though three-year starter Terrence Taylor was considered apathetic, it lacks anyone to replace him. The candidates to make noise are Mike Martin, a true sophomore, and true freshman Will Campbell. In the run-heavy Big Ten, it’s scary to have so little depth at such an important position. Michigan isn’t even two deep, unfortunately, as it is moonlighting fullback Vince Helmuth at the position just for the sake of depth.

Michigan State: Much like Iowa, Sparty comes into the spring needing to shore up a massive hole at running back. Normally, finding capable backs isn’t the toughest position to fill, but when you run the ball as much as Michigan State does, it becomes the most important area of the offense. Dearly departed Javon Ringer set MSU records for yards and touchdowns last season. He had a national-high 44 carries against Indiana. His replacement to this date looks like incoming freshman Edwin Baker. In other words, they have no one of substance right now on campus with game snaps. Aside from bruiser fullback Jehuu Caulcrick, the backup to Ringer saw fewer than 30 touches all season.

Minnesota: The Gophers are a relatively youthful outfit, one coming off a ridiculous turnaround season that saw them win seven games after not being able to beat North Dakota State the year before. Yes, Tim Brewster is building something. But most of the improvements in the Minnesota program need to be made above the neck. Once again, seemingly no different from the Glen Mason era, they fizzled halfway through a season that saw an impressive start. They return 19 starters, most of any team nationally, but those players must learn to win. When you fall off the map as badly as the Gophers did last season, the mental growing pains might be the ones that need to be faced first.

Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald’s young teams finally started graduating a bit last season, leaving gaping skill-position holes at running back and wide receiver. Quarterback CJ Bacher returns, as do eight defensive starters. What doesn’t return is anyone who touched the ball with any regularity. Ross Lane is the one upperclassman left who has a collegiate pass caught to his name in the receiving corps and running back Omar Conteh, he of three touchdowns in spot duty last season, needs to step up in a big way as so many overachieving, lightly recruited Wildcats have in the past several years.

Ohio State: For being the Big Ten favorite every spring for seemingly the last decade running, the Buckeyes have more potholes to pave over than usual. Terrelle Pryor returns, but he’s about it. They will need to break in nine new defensive starters and just about every key contributor aside from Pryor. Even the customary steady receivers are gone. The cupboard is hardly bare, but it is young. If one guy needs to make an impact, you can point to Daniel Herron. There was a significant difference in Ohio State’s success with Chris Wells on the field and with him on the sidelines. OSU seems to just easily reload at running back, and to get a very young defense acclimated to big-time college football, it will need to do just that again in 2009.

Penn State: Last season’s Big Ten champs need an influx of playmakers, and fast. The top three pass catchers and three award-winning offensive linemen have all departed. It’s good news that they get back Sean Lee, a standout linebacker who missed last season with a knee injury. But he won’t be catching passes, and Daryl Clark needs some help. They’ll be dipping deep into the archives looking for a decent set of hands. Justin Brown appears that he will get his chance to shine, but relying on a freshman isn’t the most exciting route to go, big-time recruit or not. It will be tough for PSU to repeat last year’s wonderful run.

Purdue: If not for Michigan, Purdue would have been collecting all of the underachievement awards from the past Big Ten season. Eight years removed from the Rose Bowl, they returned 11 players on offense -- including a four-year starting quarterback -- and finished at the bottom of the conference. The battle at that same position will show if the program is looking more like another Joe Tiller bowl team or more like a Jim Colletto outfit of complete mediocrity. Justin Siller and Joey Elliott will compete for the once-prestigious stat-packing spot of Purdue gunslinger. Siller is a dual-threat type and Elliott is more Kyle Orton; thus, whoever wins will likely show where the program is headed for at least the duration of Danny Hope’s contract.

Wisconsin: Once again, we go to another team in passing game flux. Wisconsin suffered a miserable season last year in part because it could never get the quarterback position figured out. It doesn’t seem like the toughest gig in the world. After all, John Stocco and Jim Sorgi made careers out of throwing about 15 passes a game in Madison. But departed Alan Everidge was miserable in spots and returning Dustin Scherer wasn’t much better. Freshman Curt Phillips joins the competitive fray, and those around Wisconsin are convinced the Tennessee product is the next big thing. Whether that is little more than wishful thinking will determine how far these Badgers go.
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About Bart Doan

Bart has been with Realfootball365.com for about six months and thoroughly enjoys writing for the site. He has been featured for his writings on college football in The Sporting News, The Indianapolis Star, Sports Illustrated, and on CBS Sportsline.com. When he's not drowning himself in the ...
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