2006 NCAA Preview: The Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten conference has a personal place in my heart and is always an interesting conference to watch. As a Wisconsin native, I have always had an affinity for the Big Ten style of running and defensive football and grew up rooting for the Wisconsin Badgers in the 1990s. While the conference sometimes has difficulties in winning the big bowl games, football fans need to keep an eye out for teams like Ohio State and Michigan who will push for BCS bids in 2006. Below is a projection of how the Big Ten will turn out in 2006.
1. Ohio State- Ted Ginn Junior and Troy Smith are going to be a big play combination but coach Jim Tressel needs to hope that the Buckeyes defense can play as well as they have in the past with new NFL players like Bobby Carpenter. Tressel is an experienced coach and has a few big games behind him, including a national championship. Look out for the Buckeyes this season not only to win the Big Ten conference but also to win the national championship again.
2. Michigan- Lloyd Carr’s Wolverines will be able to get towards the top of the Big Ten conference but will be held back by the outstanding talent of the Ohio Buckeyes. Carr’s ability to deflect criticism and protect his players from a fickle fan base, combined with his big game experience, means that the Wolverines will be able to push the Buckeyes until the last weekend of the season and get into a top flight bowl.
3. Iowa- Kirk Ferentz has deflected not only rumors about a possible defection to an NFL job but also criticisms about how talented he is as a coach. The Hawkeyes have suffered from injury problems but they also suffer from having a lack of any star players on either side of the ball. The absence of A.J. Hawk means that the Hawkeyes will need to rely on a solid team game, rather than turning to a few strong players, to win games. However, Ferentz is an outstanding coach and will be able to coach his team into the top three of the Big Ten conference.
4. Penn State- Legendary coach Joe Paterno continued his great career with a Big Ten conference title in 2005 after many doubted his ability to coach a new breed of student athletes. However, Paterno won’t be able to continue the good luck he had in 2005 because the top teams in the conference are much better rounded and more experienced in big games than the Nittany Lions. While defensive players like linebacker Paul Posluszny will be able to keep Penn State in games throughout the season, their offense won’t be able to compete with Ohio State and Michigan.
5. Wisconsin- The big story for the Badgers in 2006 is the transition from legendary coach Barry Alvarez (who remains as athletic director) to defensive coordinator Bret Bielema, who was given the job nearly two years before the start of the 2006 NCAA season. Bielema has done well with the talented defense but the Badgers need to focus on utilizing experienced John Stocco to ease pressure on the run and get the offense rolling. The Badgers look good down the road, in 2007 and 2008, but in 2006 look for some growing pains in the shadow of Alvarez.
6. Michigan State University- Coach John L. Smith is a fiery leader on the sidelines but the Spartans just haven’t shown the ability to play a complete season during his tenure. Drew Stanton will do fine if he can keep the interceptions down and if he can get a rushing attack going that had a number of players getting 400-500 yards throughout the season. While the total stats say that the Spartans had a decent running game, they need one back to stand out and be a consistent rushing threat in the Big Ten.
7. Minnesota- The loss of Lawrence Mulroney at running back is big for the Gophers, who could always rely on him for 150 to 200 yards per game. While University of Minnesota fans may hope that they will be able to find a replacement right away for his prolific numbers, the reality is that the Gophers will need to rely too much on the pass early on to be a contender in the 2006 NCAA season within the Big Ten.
8. Purdue- The Joe Tiller system of throwing the ball all over the field has worked in the past and has made for some prolific throwing and receiving numbers. However, Purdue has never been much a defensive squad under Tiller and without a running game or a defense, the Boilermakers can turn their Big Ten conference games into Arena Football games. Look for high scores and low win totals.
9. Northwestern- The death of head coach Randy Walker in the offseason is devastating to the Wildcats squad that played off his emotion last season. Former Wildcat Pat Fitzgerald takes over for Walker and the memory of the beloved coach may be inspirational this season, but the rest of the conference is more talented and does not have to deal with the same emotional issues. All things considered, the Wildcats are at a disadvantage, even with Brett Basanez in the pocket.
10. Indiana- Terry Hoeppner’s Hoosier squad has little promise but they do have a slight bit more talent and heart than Illinois. Hoeppner endured a tough season in 2005 but the Hoosiers should be able to get a couple of wins and play close against the lower half of the conference. Hoosier fans may want to look forward to Kelvin Sampson’s debut as coach of the Hoosiers basketball coach while they are watching their Hoosiers football team.
11. Illinois- The Illini will have to wait another year to see if they can get out of the Big Ten cellar and Ron Zook will probably have to start looking for a new job if he can’t string together a couple of wins in 2006. Illinois just has too little talent to be competitive in one of the better conferences in the country.
Best Pro Prospect- Wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr, Ohio State- While quarterback Troy Smith may be the best player in the conference, the best pro prospect has to be Smith’s number one target, receiver Ted Ginn, Jr. Ginn is an outstanding kick returner, a receiving threat, and can make plays in the open field. Look for NFL teams to be jumping at a guy like Ginn in the draft because there is a dearth of talented players who can legitimately play several positions.
Most Improved- Michigan- Lloyd Carr may get criticized by local and national media for not putting his team over the top in years past, but Carr always has his team winning games. In 2006, the Wolverines will push Ohio State for the top spot in the conference and within two years may be able to surpass the Buckeyes for conference supremacy.
