Your 2008 Big Ten Preview

Amy LamareJul 28, 2008

Note: I will be adding to this tonight and tomorrow until it is complete.

Your Big 10 Preview

by Amy Lamare of www.gridirongoddess.net

ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI

When we last saw the Fighting Illini, they were limping off the field at the Rose Bowl after losing 49-17 to USC. But not to worry, Illini fans, that was not a sign of things to come.

In fact, Coach Ron Zook has pulled a Pete Carroll-USC type transformation on his Fighting Illini. To make it to the Rose Bowl in his third season is an amazing turnaround for a program that formerly resided in the bottom half of the Big Ten. Zook now has the University of Illinois poised to be a permanent fixture in the Big Ten’s top tier.

The Big Ten’s preseason poll has Illinois finishing third, behind Ohio State and Wisconsin. They have the third-ranked Defensive End in the Big Ten in senior Will Davis, as well as the fifth-ranked DE in senior Derek Walker.

Overall, their defensive line is ranked second in the Big Ten and features three retuning All-Big Ten players in Davis, Walker and Doug Pilcher.

The Fighting Illini’s offensive line only allowed 16 sacks last year and had the top rushing attack in the conference. All but two of last year’s starters return, including All-Big Ten candidates Ryan McDonald and Xavier Fulton.

Senior QB Juice Williams returns and is the biggest rusher on the team thus far. Arrelious Benn, the Illini’s sophomore WR, is one of the Big Ten’s most dynamic players.

The Illini haven’t identified the RB depth chart yet. Junior Daniel Durfrene, Troy Pollard and frosh Mikel LeShore look to fill the shoes of the departed star Rashard Mendenhall.

On the WR front, Jeff Cumberland and Chris James look to join Benn as the targets of the Illinois passing game.

The Illini open their 2008 season with a statement game against Missouri. Last year the Tigers beat the Illini 40-34.

Illinois' Non Conference Schedule: Missouri, Eastern Illinois, Louisiana-Lafayette, Western Michigan

INDIANA HOOSIERS

Indiana returns the conference’s top-rated QB in junior Kellen Lewis. According to ESPN.com’s Big Ten blog, Lewis has the best combo of arm strength, decision making and athleticism.

Do you find this surprising? I do. I would have ranked OSU’s Todd Boeckman or Illinois’ Juice Williams ahead of Lewis, but I am an expert only in my own mind.

Last season, Lewis had 28 TDs with only 10 INTs and more than 3,000 passing yards. He was the Hoosiers No. 1 rusher with 736 yards. He was recently reinstated after a summer of academic ineligibility.

The Offensive Line for Indiana is ranked ninth in the Big Ten. Rodger Saffold and Pete Saxon return and have a group of sophomore linemen joining them, including Alex Perry and Mike Stark. Sacks were an issue for this Hoosier line last year and Lewis needs them to protect him better.

Junior wide receivers Ray Fisher and Andrew Means anchor the Hoosier passing game. Tight End Max Dedmond gives Lewis another go-to guy for the no-huddle offense. Still, this is a shallow depth chart for the Indiana squad and more starters need to emerge for the Hoosiers to be competitive in the conference.

Indiana’s leading rusher is their QB, Lewis. Outside of him, senior Marcus Thigpen can get the job done. Last season, he had 11.5 carries per game for 568 yards.

On the Defensive Line, Indiana ranks seventh in the Big Ten. Big DE Greg Middleton led the nation in sacks last season with 16.

Junior DE Jammie Kirlew had 12.5 tackles for a loss and could break out as the team leader this year when Middleton finds himself bogged down under double coverage. Senior Greg Brown and twins Keith and Kevin Burrus need to solidify the defense’s interior.

Strong Safety Austin Thomas led the Indiana defense last year and ranked seventh in the conference with 112 tackles. His performance against Michigan State last season was the first time an Indiana player had 20 tackles in a single game since 1993. Thomas anchors an Indiana secondary in need of two new cornerbacks.

Indiana is coming off its first bowl appearance since 1993 and finished last season ranked 8^th in the Big Ten. In order to maintain that level, the defense is going to need to solidify and create plays to help out Indiana’s rather anemic offense. Look for Indiana to finish in the bottom third of the conference this season.

Indiana’s Non Conference Schedule: Western Kentucky, Murray State, Ball State, Central Michigan

IOWA HAWKEYES

Right now, the investigation into the handling of sexual assault charges against two Hawkeye football players by a female student athlete looms large over the program. A letter from the alleged victim’s mother stated that athletic director Gary Barta and football coach Kirk Ferentz encouraged the victim to keep the matter in-house.

The alleged victim’s mother sent the letter to university officials last November and said she received no response. A decision from the Iowa Board of Regents is expected Sept. 18.

Further bad news came last weekend, when incoming freshman defensive end Riley Reiff was arrested for public intoxication and interference with official acts after allegedly leading at least eight Iowa City police officers on a 20-minute foot chase.

The Hawkeyes are in flux at quarterback. Junior Jake Christensen had a rough season last year and he is fighting to keep his job. Though Christiansen remains the frontrunner, the comers looking to unseat Christensen are sophomore Ricky Stanzi and freshman Marvin McNutt.

Christiansen struggled in his first year as a starter, but he also didn’t have much of an offensive line to protect him. He will have to come out swinging if awarded the start in the opener of Maine and work on getting the offense into the end zone. That was one of his weak points last year, when Iowa ranked 109th nationally in total offense and 110th in scoring.

Iowa’s offensive line is a veteran group ranked seventh overall in the Big Ten, due mostly to the 46 sacks they allowed last fall. Guard Seth Olsen is entering his third season as a starter and is the only Hawkeye offensive lineman assured of a starting job come fall.

The Hawkeye Defensive Line is ranked sixth overall in the Big Ten. They have the best interior line in senior tackles Mitch King and Matt Kroul. The pressure is on sophomores Christian Ballard and Adrian Clayborn to show they can shore up the D-line and become the disruptive pass rushers this defense needs.

Senior Wide Receiver Andy Brodell was out with a broken leg for most of the 2007 season, but he is all healed now and ready to take his place amongst the elite receivers of the Big Ten.

Look for him to put up performances like his 2006 Alamo Bowl, when he had a bowl-record 159 yards receiving and a 63-yard TD. In addition, TE Tony Moeaki is back from injury; Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and Trey Stross give the Hawkeyes some needed depth and offensive power.

The situation at Running Back is likely giving Kirk Ferentz fits. At the end of Spring practice their top running back was walk-on Paki O’Meara. Shonn Greene returns to the Hawkeyes and two incoming freshman, Jeff Brinson and Jewel Hampton, will be evaluated in training camp.

Overall, Iowa has too many questions on offense to be considered one of the top teams on the Big Ten. Look for them to finish around the middle of the conference at best.

Iowa’s Non-Conference Schedule: Maine, Florida International, Iowa State, Pitt

MICHIGAN WOLVERINES:

The arrival of new coach Rich Rodriguez in Ann Arbor has had tongues wagging for months. Now that the issue of contract money owed to his former employer, WVU has finally been settled, we can look ahead to what RichRod’s primary focus in Ann Arbor will be: Bringing Wolverine football into the 21^st Century.

Lloyd Carr is a beloved figure for University of Michigan fans, I get that. But look at his track record in recent years. Could he beat conference rival Ohio State? Could he beat Rose Bowl opponent USC? No and No (and no and no and no again.) Watching Michigan get manhandled by Appalachian State during the 2007 Season Opener told me one thing: The Wolverines were playing a mode of ball that is outdated in the current Big Ten and if the University didn’t do something to change their program, the Wolverines would have continued to fall from the elite of the Big Ten to a mid level competitor.

One of the biggest issues facing the Wolverines as the 2008 NCAA Football season approaches is: Just who is going to replace Chad Henne at QB? Keep in mind that RichRod runs the spread offense, so he’ll be looking for a new kind of Michigan QB this year. So let’s take a look at the candidates for starting Wolverines QB:

Steven Threet is a GA Tech transfer with freshman status who is 6′6 and 230lbs. In spring practice, Threet emerged as the leading candidate at the end of Spring. He showed off his strong arm and threw only one interception in the spring game, but he should not rest easy just yet. He looked the least shaky of the QB candidates, but he’s no Pat White (WVU QB), at least not yet.

Nick Sheridan is currently listed in the #2 position on the depth chart. A 6′1, 212lb sophomore walk-on played in two games last season, but didn’t attempt a pass in either outing. A bit undersized, with questionable arm strength, he came on strong at the end of spring before throwing three interceptions. He is the son of former Wolverine asst. coach.

David Cone, a 6′7, 214lb sophomore is the only potential Wolverine QB who has thrown a pass in a college game. He is third behind Threet and Sheridan and is considered more of a pro-style QB.

Six footer Justin Feagin is a freshman with a skill set that could be the best fit for Rodriguez’s offense. He comes out of Florida and is a dual-threat QB. Good speed.
Overall Rodriguez has a lot of work ahead of him. Once he settles the question at QB, he’s got an O-line that is ranked 8^th in the Big Ten. Right tackle Stephen Schilling is the only returning starter.

Things don’t get any better when attention is turned to the RB, WR, TE situation on the Wolverine offense. BUT, don’t panic as there is a whole new offense to learn, so chances are if there were some old school Lloyd Carr style RBs and WRs hanging around, they would not fit into the new system. Michigan ranks 9^th overall in WR-TEs and 7^th in RBs due mostly because of not having any proven commodities in this new to Ann Arbor offense. One to watch is true freshman WR Darryl Stonum, he enrolled early and showed impressive skills in the Spring.

Michigan’s defense is a strong unit that returns enough starters to make them the 4^th ranked D-Line in the Big Ten.

It’s going to be a rebuilding year in so many ways in Ann Arbor. It is also going to be exciting to watch Rich Rodriguez transform this storied program back into an elite force in college football. Be patient Wolverine fans, it could take a couple years.

Michigan’s Non Conference Schedule: Utah, Miami (Ohio), Notre Dame, Toledo

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS:

Few people outside the Big Ten may realize that though Michigan State ended their 2007 season with a 7-6 record, those six losses were by no more than a touchdown. They lost by 3 to Wisconsin and Boston College. They lost by 2 to Michigan. They lost by a touchdown to Ohio State, Iowa and Northwestern. And this was all during the first season of Coach Mark Dantonio’s tenure with the Spartans.

The Spartans enter 2008 with high hopes. Their goal last year was to be bowl eligible. They achieved that with their trip to the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando. Their goal this year, according to Coach Dantonio, is the Big Ten Championship. Yeah, well good luck with that.

Oh it’s not that the Spartans aren’t loaded and ready for all comers. It’s just that within their own conference they face the looming giant known as Ohio State. True, they came within a touchdown of beating the Buckeyes in Columbus last year. Hey, stranger things have happened, right? Spartan Nation is amped and with good cause.

The Spartan Offensive Line is solid but lacks depth. Junior Rocco Cironi takes over the starting left tackle spot vacated by All Big Ten Pete Clifford. Starters Roland Marin and Joel Nitchman return and several incoming freshman will round out the Michigan State O-Line.

Senior QB Brian Hoyer checks in as the 6^th best in the Big Ten. Hoyer was instrumental in the Spartan’s successful 2007 campaign, but he needs to step up and figure out how to close out his games with a win. Remember, the Spartans lost 5 games by seven or fewer points.

RB Javon Ringer had more receptions last year than any of the returning Spartan WRs. Deon Curry, Mark Dell, B.J. Cunningham and Blair White have a chance to show their stuff and earn a starting position.

Speaking of Javon Ringer-last season he rushed for 1,447 yards and six touchdowns. Up and coming RBs A.J. Jimmerson, Andre Anderson and Ashton Leggett are expected to contribute to the Spartans running game.

Michigan State made great strides last season under first year Coach Dantonio in 2007. 2008 should be a good year for the Spartans and they have a chance to be this year’s Illinois, in terms of quick turn around from mediocrity to conference contender.

Michigan State’s Non Conference Schedule: California, Eastern Michigan, Florida Atlantic, Notre Dame