Why Your Favorite Big Ten Team Will and Won't Make a Playoff Run
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MICHIGAN
WILL: Jim Harbaugh knows how to bring talent to Ann Arbor, and he is trying to get the Wolverines into the “reloading” category every year. Nothing is off limits for Harbaugh, and he would suit up with his players if he could. Whatever it takes to win is his mentality, and that trickles down throughout the program. People may not like his antics, but you can’t get mad at the results.
WON’T: One, yes one, starter returns on defense and only four on offense. Even with all that senior talent in 2016, they still lost to Ohio State…..and Iowa. Now they have less talent and have a long road to win the conference despite an easier schedule. Harbaugh may find talent to fill the empty positions, but his showmanship may grow old quickly if the Wolverines struggle.
WISCONSIN
WILL: You wouldn’t mess with a wild badger, so why would you think messing with the Badgers defense would be any better? Wisconsin produces one of the best defenses in the country, and they aren’t afraid of a challenge. Offensively, word is that they may have their most talented line ever. If you know anything about Wisconsin, that should scare you. Oh and their schedule is significantly easier than last year. Want to see how you handle an easy schedule Minnesota fans? Watch the Badgers. Winning eight games isn't a good season when your schedule is easy, so stop gloating over beating crap teams. At least the Badgers can compete/beat top competition.
WON’T: You. Cannot. Throw. The. Football. Passing for under 100 yards isn’t abnormal with the quarterbacks on this team (yes, even your “savior” Russell Wilson did it once). It doesn’t matter that your offense isn’t predicated or throwing the ball, you can’t win championships if you can’t throw consistently. Imagine if the Badgers didn’t have a great run game. Maybe their defense should give up more points to force the offense to throw?
OHIO STATE
WILL: Doesn’t matter who is on the team, Urban Meyer will find a way to turn them into a winner. With the Buckeyes, Meyer gets top talent from around the country, and forces them to compete with every rep. That combination is what has led Ohio State to a 61-6 record under Meyer, and it will be more of the same this year. JT Barrett’s (above) final season figures to be another good one, and the defense seems to have so much talent that reps will be hard to distribute.
WON’T: Anyone that said the Buckeyes could be a sleeper in the 2016 College Football Playoff was quickly proven wrong against Clemson. Winning the Big Ten has never been easy, and that is the case once again this year, as Penn State and Michigan will compete with the Buckeyes for the division crown. It’s not that the Buckeyes will be bad, but they have to beat top teams each year.
IOWA
WILL: Did anybody see the magical season coming that was 2015? If you’re a Hawkeye fan, you probably did, but not many others were with you. Iowa has been consistent lately, and has proven that it can compete in its conference. The addition of Nevada transfer James Butler will be a welcomed addition, and the Hawkeyes defense will be stingy again under the leadership of Josey Jewell. Is that enough for a run? We will find out.
WON’T: They say the best part about driving through Iowa is Missouri. I’ll keep the Iowa jokes to a minimum, and let’s turn the clocks back a little bit. Can you imagine what would have happened if the Hawkeyes beat Michigan State in 2015 to win the conference championship game? Michigan State beat the Hawkeyes and proceeded to get destroyed by Alabama in the CFP semifinals. Iowa was handed a favor if you ask me. Case in point, that’s as good as Iowa got, and this team won’t get back to that level of success.
ILLINOIS
WILL: Lovie Smith took his talents from the NFL to the college game, and there a lot of connections on the team. Hardy Nickerson is his defensive coordinator, and his son just finished his eligibility last year. Jeff George Jr. might play some quarterback, and his dad was alright so that’s promising.
WON’T: Let’s bring Juice Williams, Rarshard Mendenhall, and Arrelious Benn back and maybe we will have something. Expect another bad season in Champaign.
NORTHWESTERN
WILL: Northwestern has a great coach in Pat Fitzgerald, and they should enjoy them while he’s around. He’s taken some average talent and produced double digit wins in the Big Ten, and that only means team with job openings will have their eyes on him. The Wildcats defense is always good, thanks to Fitzgerald’s defensive roots, and now the offense may hold their end of the bargain. For those laughing, Northwestern only lost to Ohio State last year by four, and that’s with an offense that couldn’t really score.
WON’T: It’s been so long since the Wildcats made a serious run. They also lost to an FCS team as well as a Group of 5 team in consecutive weeks to open 2016. Winning against inferior teams is essential, and finding a way to beat the best seems to elude Fitzgerald’s teams. Northwestern only scored 40 total points in their three games against ranked competition last year in the regular season. The defense can win them a championship, but not by themselves.
NEBRASKA
WILL: Head coach Mike Riley can make some magic happen, and he has more talent with the Huskers than he ever had at Oregon State. Now that he’s had a chance to get his recruits to campus and competing for starting spots, we will get a clear view of how Riley’s Huskers stack up against the conference. Their schedule starts fairly forgiving, with only Oregon as a team that could be difficult, so there is time to fill holes in the lineup.
WON’T: Has anyone taken them seriously since Tom Osbourne left? Probably not. Don’t get me wrong, they are always competitive in the conference, but never a national threat. Nebraska is 2-8 under Riley against ranked opponents, and that trend doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon. Also, they may be relying on a quarterback transfer from Tulane to be their starter.
MICHIGAN STATE
WILL: Let’s be honest, last year was a fluke for the Spartans. Anyone who thinks that they will struggle again this year is kidding themselves. Mark Dantonio endured his first losing season since 2009, but he will turn things around this year. This team will be overlooked because of the general perception that the team is struggling, and that’s a dangerous road to follow. Dantonio has recruited well, and three years of double digit wins have brought talented recruits who will now suit up on Saturdays. His stable of running backs include LJ Scott (above) and Gerald Holmes, so there is still plenty to work with.
WON’T: Connor Cook’s presence was deeply missed, and the Spartans finished ninth in the conference in total offense last year. Defensively, Michigan State seemed fine, but struggled at times as well. Dantonio is yet another coach dealing with a sexual assault scandal on his team, and he has been fielding questions ever since it started. If the head coach is distracted, it’s going to be hard to keep the team focused.
PURDUE
WILL: Jeff Brohm was an outstanding hire, and his time at Western Kentucky should have Boilermaker fans excited. Brohm’s offenses were some of the best in the nation, and now he gets to work with David Blough. Blough is a potential star, and threw for 25 touchdowns last year.
WON’T: Blough threw 21 interceptions last year, which doesn’t exactly get people excited too quickly. Purdue is still one of the worst Power 5 teams, and will struggle to stay out of the cellar of the Big Ten. Brohm may have been a good hire, but this is still a basketball school until further notice.
MARYLAND
WILL: Head coach DJ Durkin’s first year resulted in a 6-7 campaign, and he followed that up with a tremendous offseason. Maryland’s recruiting class ranked 18th in the nation according to 247Sports, and Terps fans should be excited based on those two stats alone. After a miserable four years under Randy Edsall, Maryland has exceeded expectations in just one year under Durkin. So, it wouldn’t be too much more surprising if they made a run this year.
WON’T: They gave up 36 points to Boston College in their bowl game. Now, getting to the bowl game was nice, but giving up that many points to a team that is still looking for its offense is hard to stomach. Sure, they may have experience success early, but Durkin still has some growing pains to endure. The opener this year is against what should be a fired up Texas team.
INDIANA
WILL: Now that Kevin Wilson is out, the Hoosiers shouldn’t have to worry about any abuse of its players. Tom Allen steps in, and has plenty of talent left in the cupboard. Allen’s defense includes linebacker Tegray Scales and cornerback Rashard Fant. Scales is extremely disruptive, and should open up lanes for the rest of the front seven. The Hoosiers have finally escaped the bottom of the conference, and have shown they can be competitive with anyone. The next step for them is beating these top teams in the conference.
WON’T: To make a run, you have to beat top talent, and, while they have come close multiple times, the Hoosiers can’t seem to upset anyone. Indiana is 2-14 against ranked opponents over the last five years, which doesn’t give them a great reputation for becoming one of the best in the conference. Right now, this is a very average team.
RUTGERS
WILL: Janarion Grant will need to score 100 touchdowns this year alone. He’s just 93 shy of that number for his career.
WON’T: Let’s just say that they’re guaranteed to start 0-1, and it won’t get much better than that.
MINNESOTA
WILL: If anyone has more energy than PJ Fleck, I would love to meet them. Fleck’s unique energy and phrases are what make him successful. “Row the Boat” and “Elite” are two things that Gophers fans need to get used to hearing, and the whole nation will hear it should they win. With Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks carrying the load, the offense will have some time to find a quarterback and for receivers to emerge. The defense is highly underrated, and has a ton of talent at every position. This could be a team to watch for the next few years.
WON’T: The only thing “elite” about Minnesota is their athletic department’s ability to attract a scandal. Football success hasn’t exactly been a priority because there has been issues off the field and within the athletic department. That doesn’t even begin to address how bad the quarterback play was the last few years. Speaking of last year, let's address this: it was not a successful season. Winning eight games was a disappointment. A good team would have won at least 10 games, but the Gophers seem to be happy with beating bad teams. Minus beating Northwestern, who did you beat? Nobody, and you almost lost to Rutgers. Alright, I'm moving on. Last year was a joke, and I'll argue that all day. Hopefully Fleck can convince fans that winning eight games isn't the standard anymore, and that this team should have loftier expectations.
PENN STATE
WILL: Trace McSorely and Saquon Barkley (above) are arguably the best backfield in the country, and the Big Ten will not enjoy trying to stop them. James Franklin finally has a team that has the talent to win football games at a high level, and anything less than a playoff appearance will be disappointing.
WON’T: A slow start can’t happen again this year. Losses to Pitt and Michigan all but sealed their fate last season, and another start like that will make the Happy Valley faithful disgruntled. Pitt awaits again in Week 2, and their conference schedule isn’t easy either.
