The end of another football season is approaching, and most Big Ten teams have their last regular season game this weekend.

That means it's time to start compiling the All-Big Ten lists.

Since this year appears to be the year of the defense in the Big Ten, it seemed fitting to start off with a list of the top defensive players in the conference. Narrowing the list down to a top 12 all-conference team was no easy task, as a number of players around the Big Ten have stepped up big this year.

Nevertheless, the list had to be compiled, with numerous criteria coming into play so as to make it as objective as possible (hence the longer-than-average list of honorable mentions at the end).

So, without further ado, here is the All-Big Ten Defense...

That's the end of this slideshow, here are a few more you might like...

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  Penn State's Daryll Clark Quarterbacks the 2009 All-Big Ten Offense

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  Iowa Hawkeyes All-Time Defense

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  Rivalry Week 2009: Top 25 Style

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