Big Ten preseason conference outlook

By J.R. Hopwood  |   Tuesday, July 26, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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The Big 10 has some solid talent this year across the board and there are four teams at the top that all have a viable chance at winning the conference.

Big 10
1. The Ohio State Buckeyes return too much talent to place them anywhere else. The defense should be stellar led by linebacker AJ Hawk. Also, the special teams will have a spark with Ted Ginn. If they don't slip up, they could even have a shot at the national title game.

2. The Michigan Wolverines lose top WR Braylon Edwards yet they still have a top receiving group. Avant, Breaston and Massaquoi are all playmakers and the team as a whole is very solid.

3. The Iowa Hawkeyes QB Drew Tate proved he is a top talent last year. The Hawkeyes need to stay healthy though as they went through nearly every RB on the depth chart last season.

4. Purdue Boilermakers QB Brandon Kirsch has some big shoes to fill. But the benefit of not playing Ohio State and Michigan is always good in the Big 10.

5. The Penn State Nittany Lions return 17 starters and should be solid on both sides of the ball. QB Michael Robinson is now more experienced, and should he stay healthy could put up some big numbers. And as a side note, will this be Joe Pa's final year?

6. Michigan State Spartans QB Drew Stanton will look to have a breakout year after a disappointing one last season. The defense is a little less experienced, but should be close to last year's numbers.

7. The Minnesota Golden Gophers return some top talent, including 1000+ yard rusher Laurence Maroney. QB Brian Cupito has some talented receivers back, so this offense should shine.

8. The Wisconsin Badgers gain a fantastic RB in Brian Calhoun and he should thrive in the run heavy offense. QB John Stocco will look to improve his TD to INT ratio that had him at 9:7 last season.

9. The Illinois Fighting Illini will have to adapt to new schemes as new head coach Ron Zook takes over the reins. The team has some solid players but they just aren't talented enough to win a lot of games.

10. Northwestern Wildcats QB Brett Basanez is very talented but the question mark is the supporting cast around him. They have a tough schedule this year and may not top one win.

11. The Indiana Hoosiers face a tough schedule with very limited talent. New coach Terry Hoeppner is going to have to pull some miracles to even win a game.
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