1. Michigan
I know this is most likely a homer pick, but a little piece of my heart was crushed at the thought of putting MSU in this number 1 spot. At the end of the season Michigan’s record will not reflect the quality of the team (just like last season, but in the opposite way). This year’s schedule is absolutely brutal, I would say that only 3 teams in the country would be able to finish with 2 or less losses playing the same teams. So while MSU will likely have a better overall record, I think Michigan can grab the top spot in the Legends Division. This is the first time in my recent memory that Michigan has a solid back 7 and some depth behind the starters. I wouldn’t be surprised to see any one of the 7 make All-B1G recognition at the end of the year. There are question marks on both lines, but I think that will get solidified as the season progresses. Offensively, the team will be one dimensional until Denard can prove he can be a 55%+ passer. If he can be, this team’s ceiling is very high.
As much as I dislike Sparty, I think they are a legitimate top 10 team. At this point I believe that they have less question marks than Michigan, but the difference is that Michigan’s question marks have higher ceilings than Michigan St. A great MSU season results in a Rose Bowl appearance and maybe a 5th overall ranking, but an average season has MSU finishing still inside the top 15. On the otherhand, Michigan’s great season would likely involve a BCS championship game appearance and a top 5 finish, but an average season puts Michigan outside the top 15. Michigan State is definitely the safe pick at this point to win the conference, but I still don’t want to think about Sparty in Pasadena. The defense in East Lansing will be the best in the B1G and likely a top 5 overall group again, but the offense will be a big question mark. The offensive line is more experienced, but are strides behind Wisconsin’s road graters, the receiving corps has a lot of young potential, and they are breaking in a new quarterback. Le’Von Bell will need to shoulder the load, at least in the beginning of the season.
Nebraska might be the 3rd best team in the conference this year, but the problem is the top 2 teams are in the same division. Taylor Martinez looks to correct his nasty side arm slinging to become a real quarterback, and Rex Burkhead is back again to carry the ball 25+ times a game. If Martinez can stay healthy all season, Nebraska could finish with 10 wins. They do have some questions on the defensive side of the ball, but have young talent to fill those big holes left by the graduating players.
4. Northwestern
The Wildcats lose their best quarterback in recent history, Dan Persa, but the signal caller’s job is made a little easier knowing that talented Kyle Prater is going to be catching his passes. Northwestern has lacked a big time play maker over the years, and now that they finally have one, will they be able to get him the ball. Again, like the Nebraska preview, Northwestern would fare much better in the Leaders Division (and likely get 1-2 more wins). Unless something goes very wrong, the Wildcats will be bowling again.
Well Iowa is not getting much hype this offseason which is usually about the time that the Hawkeyes make a run for a B1G title. I have a very hard time seeing history repeating itself this year. It seems like Iowa has lost its top 10 running backs in the offseason and are now down to two freshman players remaining. If one of these guys can take some pressure off of Vandenberg, Iowa could again surprise some people. They have lost their big play receivers and some depth on defense. We will see how far a veteran quarterback can carry the Hawkeyes this year.
Well Minnesota is going to be better this year, but the problem is they are in the tougher division. If Marqueise Gray can stay healthy at quarterback, the Gophers could push for a bowl game. It seems that all 6 teams in the Legends Division are in the top 10 of the conference right now (including 5 in the top 7). Lets hope that Coack Kill can stay healthy enough to enjoy his improving team.
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