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Which Teams have the Cleanest Paths to Big Ten Championship Game?
by Steve Greenberg, Chicago Sun Times
Two years ago, defending national champion Ohio State was the only unanimous No. 1 in the history of the AP preseason poll. If ever there’d been a slam dunk to take down the Big Ten, it was those Buckeyes. Yet it was Michigan State that ended the 2015 season in the College Football Playoff, and Iowa that ended it in the Rose Bowl.
Then came 2016, when all the rage was about the revival of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry. Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh were in full stare-down mode; which superstar coach would blink, thereby ceding the Big Ten title to the other? Ah, but it didn’t work that way after all. Penn State — unranked to start the season — pulled off a shocker by winning the East division, then came back on Wisconsin in the league title game to earn a trip to the Rose Bowl.
The league has four teams ranked in the AP’s 2017 preseason poll — Ohio State (No. 2), Penn State (6), Wisconsin (9) and Michigan (11) — begging the question: How much are your opinions swayed? If you’re like us, the answer is not much.
Instead, here’s our ranking of the Big Ten teams in order of their chances to reach the league title game in Indianapolis:
1. WISCONSIN (WEST, 1)
The good stuff: The Badgers have an experienced quarterback in Alex Hornibrook, perhaps the best tight end in the country in Troy Fumagalli, a salty offensive line and, in head coach Paul Chryst, an elite offensive game-planner. Yet it’s their defense that could carry the day.
Our call: With neither Ohio State nor Penn State on the league slate, the Badgers should be favored in all 12 regular-season games.
2. OHIO STATE (EAST, 1)
The good stuff: Led by Tyquan Lewis and Sam Hubbard, the pass rush will be sick. J.T. Barrett is merely the most experienced big-time quarterback in the college game.
Our call: That regular-season-ending visit to Michigan looms extra-large, but this is always the league’s most talented team.
3. PENN STATE (EAST, 2)
The good stuff: Led by running back Saquon Barkley and big-play passer Trace McSorley, the Nittany Lions have the top offensive skill group in the league.
Our call: A brutal schedule includes five Big Ten road games, all of them losable.
4. NORTHWESTERN (WEST, 2)
The good stuff: Quarterback, running back, cornerback and safety are all areas of tremendous strength.
Our call: Circle September 30 (at Wisconsin) on your calendars — biggest ’Cats game in years.
5. IOWA (WEST, 3)
The good stuff: The Hawkeyes can line up and run the football on anybody.
Our call: Are those three losses (vs. Ohio State, at Wisconsin, at Nebraska) we see in November?
6. MICHIGAN (EAST, 3)
The good stuff: Harbaugh’s championship culture is taking deeper root all the time.
Our call: There are first-time starters galore and a pair of long-shot games (at Penn State, at Wisconsin) before the ultimate Ohio State test. Not good.
7. NEBRASKA (WEST, 4)
The good stuff: New defensive coordinator Bob Diaco could eventually be a game-changer.
Our call: These aren’t your daddy’s Huskers on either side of the ball.
8. MINNESOTA (WEST, 5)
The good stuff: The Gophs should run the ball well, and no one will be selling harder than new coach P.J. Fleck.
Our call: Not even Fleck’s bottomless enthusiasm will keep this team from going 1-4 or 0-5 down the stretch.
9. MICHIGAN STATE (EAST, 4)
The good stuff: It still feels great just to know that last year’s nightmare of a season is over.
Our call: The pressure is off the Spartans, but a rough early stretch could snowball all over again.
10. MARYLAND (EAST, 5)
The good stuff: There are big-play guys on offense and experience across the board defense.
Our call: The Terps still are at a deficit on both lines of scrimmage, and that’s a death sentence.
11. INDIANA (EAST, 6)
The good stuff: The Hoosiers, loaded with linebackers and fine receivers, are an any-given-Saturday kind of team.
Our call: What can we say? We all know they’re stuck in the wrong division.
12. ILLINOIS (WEST, 6)
The good stuff: Lovie Smith’s players believe they’re in the process of building something lasting and meaningful.
Our call: Best-case scenario looks like a bottom-rung bowl appearance.
13. PURDUE (WEST, 7)
The good stuff: New coach Jeff Brohm was a home-run hire. He’ll be the best the Boilers have had since Joe Tiller.
Our call: This defense isn’t stopping anybody.
14. RUTGERS (EAST, 7)
The good stuff: How’s that “New York footprint” working for the Big Ten?
Our call: Second-year coach Chris Ash won’t go 0-9 in league play again. Maybe?
Which Teams have the Cleanest Paths to Big Ten Championship Game?
by Steve Greenberg, Chicago Sun Times
Two years ago, defending national champion Ohio State was the only unanimous No. 1 in the history of the AP preseason poll. If ever there’d been a slam dunk to take down the Big Ten, it was those Buckeyes. Yet it was Michigan State that ended the 2015 season in the College Football Playoff, and Iowa that ended it in the Rose Bowl.
Then came 2016, when all the rage was about the revival of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry. Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh were in full stare-down mode; which superstar coach would blink, thereby ceding the Big Ten title to the other? Ah, but it didn’t work that way after all. Penn State — unranked to start the season — pulled off a shocker by winning the East division, then came back on Wisconsin in the league title game to earn a trip to the Rose Bowl.
The league has four teams ranked in the AP’s 2017 preseason poll — Ohio State (No. 2), Penn State (6), Wisconsin (9) and Michigan (11) — begging the question: How much are your opinions swayed? If you’re like us, the answer is not much.
Instead, here’s our ranking of the Big Ten teams in order of their chances to reach the league title game in Indianapolis:
1. WISCONSIN (WEST, 1)
The good stuff: The Badgers have an experienced quarterback in Alex Hornibrook, perhaps the best tight end in the country in Troy Fumagalli, a salty offensive line and, in head coach Paul Chryst, an elite offensive game-planner. Yet it’s their defense that could carry the day.
Our call: With neither Ohio State nor Penn State on the league slate, the Badgers should be favored in all 12 regular-season games.
2. OHIO STATE (EAST, 1)
The good stuff: Led by Tyquan Lewis and Sam Hubbard, the pass rush will be sick. J.T. Barrett is merely the most experienced big-time quarterback in the college game.
Our call: That regular-season-ending visit to Michigan looms extra-large, but this is always the league’s most talented team.
3. PENN STATE (EAST, 2)
The good stuff: Led by running back Saquon Barkley and big-play passer Trace McSorley, the Nittany Lions have the top offensive skill group in the league.
Our call: A brutal schedule includes five Big Ten road games, all of them losable.
4. NORTHWESTERN (WEST, 2)
The good stuff: Quarterback, running back, cornerback and safety are all areas of tremendous strength.
Our call: Circle September 30 (at Wisconsin) on your calendars — biggest ’Cats game in years.
5. IOWA (WEST, 3)
The good stuff: The Hawkeyes can line up and run the football on anybody.
Our call: Are those three losses (vs. Ohio State, at Wisconsin, at Nebraska) we see in November?
6. MICHIGAN (EAST, 3)
The good stuff: Harbaugh’s championship culture is taking deeper root all the time.
Our call: There are first-time starters galore and a pair of long-shot games (at Penn State, at Wisconsin) before the ultimate Ohio State test. Not good.
7. NEBRASKA (WEST, 4)
The good stuff: New defensive coordinator Bob Diaco could eventually be a game-changer.
Our call: These aren’t your daddy’s Huskers on either side of the ball.
8. MINNESOTA (WEST, 5)
The good stuff: The Gophs should run the ball well, and no one will be selling harder than new coach P.J. Fleck.
Our call: Not even Fleck’s bottomless enthusiasm will keep this team from going 1-4 or 0-5 down the stretch.
9. MICHIGAN STATE (EAST, 4)
The good stuff: It still feels great just to know that last year’s nightmare of a season is over.
Our call: The pressure is off the Spartans, but a rough early stretch could snowball all over again.
10. MARYLAND (EAST, 5)
The good stuff: There are big-play guys on offense and experience across the board defense.
Our call: The Terps still are at a deficit on both lines of scrimmage, and that’s a death sentence.
11. INDIANA (EAST, 6)
The good stuff: The Hoosiers, loaded with linebackers and fine receivers, are an any-given-Saturday kind of team.
Our call: What can we say? We all know they’re stuck in the wrong division.
12. ILLINOIS (WEST, 6)
The good stuff: Lovie Smith’s players believe they’re in the process of building something lasting and meaningful.
Our call: Best-case scenario looks like a bottom-rung bowl appearance.
13. PURDUE (WEST, 7)
The good stuff: New coach Jeff Brohm was a home-run hire. He’ll be the best the Boilers have had since Joe Tiller.
Our call: This defense isn’t stopping anybody.
14. RUTGERS (EAST, 7)
The good stuff: How’s that “New York footprint” working for the Big Ten?
Our call: Second-year coach Chris Ash won’t go 0-9 in league play again. Maybe?
