B1G Predictions (Leaders)

We have made it to the final week of the summer, which on one hand is extremely disappointing knowing the sun will be leaving us shortly, but it also means that the college football season is upon us.  Even though my B1G preseason predictions crashed and burned big time last year, I am going to dust myself off and try again. 

1.       Ohio State

Seemingly the Buckeyes are the obvious choice of the Leader’s Division.  The return a legitimate Heisman candidate, Braxton Miller, a ton of talent and highly touted recruits are replacing the players gone from last year’s undefeated team.  While I think their number 2 overall preseason ranking is quite overrated, this half of the B1G is by far the weaker side. Yes Ohio has many questions on the defensive side of the ball, but it really shouldn’t matter because there is really only one defense on the schedule that has a chance at keeping the offense under 40 points (Michigan).

2.       Wisconsin

The Badgers break in a new coach who brings a new offensive system to Madison, but the meathead left quite a bit of talent in the cupboard for this season.  Wisconsin still has all of the pieces to be a road grinding running team, and will boast 2 of the best backs in the entire conference.  The defense will once again be solid tacklers that lack the top end lateral speed to keep up with the truly elite teams (which the B1G mostly lacks).  Even though Wisconsin’s run at the Rose Bowl should end this season, they should be able to finish with a better overall record than last season.

3.       Indiana

I predicted the Hoosiers to finish last in the Leader’s Division last year which was a mistake.  Even though their quarterbacks were hit with the injury bug, they managed to have the most prolific passing offense in the entire conference.  They return two proven quarterbacks, and are all but guaranteed to hold onto being the best team through the air again.  The problem with Indiana (as with most B1G teams) is they are extremely limited on the other side of the football.  If the Hoosiers are going to make a bowl game this year they will need to score in the 40’s most games, and that is a tall order.

4.       Penn State

To be honest, I am not exactly sure what to expect from Penn State this season.  The seniors rallied together last year to be the B1G’s biggest surprise team, but most of their production, from both sides of the ball, have graduated.  While Bill O’Brien managed to recruit reasonably well for a team under such strict sanctions, the Nittany Lions will be relying on a lot of unproven players.  Of course it will help having the conference’s best receiver, Allen Robinson, to help break in the new quarterback.

5.       Purdue

The Boilermakers were by dark horse candidate last year, and I almost immediately regretted that choice.  The struggled all season long which resulted in another coaching change in West Lafayette. Purdue still has some talent in the secondary, but I doubt it will be enough to push for bowl eligibility.

6.       Illinois

It became clear at an early stage last season that the Illini were the worst team in the conference.  Coach Beckman did little with the talent that the Zooker left him.  This year there is even less talent in Champagne, so there is no reason to believe the results will be any better.  It might be hard for these guys to win a conference game.