2014 Big Ten Football All-Conference Team
The 2014 conference champions have now been crowned, which means it's time for Bleacher Report's annual All-Conference teams to be announced. The Big Ten was full of standout performances, record-breaking accomplishments and all-around outstanding plays by many, so there are plenty of candidates for our All-Big Ten team this season.
But with just 23 slots available, we're going to have to sift through mountains of stats, impact plays and highlights to find the best of the best in the conference this season. As long as the player in question was actively listed on a roster at the end of the season—even if injured—he's eligible to be named to our 2014 All-Big Ten team.
Let's not waste any more time and dive right in.
Note: Players in a position grouping are not listed in any particular order.
Kicker/Punter
1 of 9
Brad Craddock, Maryland
You don't really pay much attention to kickers until they screw up or are called upon to kick a game-winning field goal. That's where Maryland's Brad Craddock comes in.
The main thing we're looking for with kickers is an ability to impact games without screwing up too much, and Craddock hasn't screwed up much at all this season. He finished the regular season with an 18-of-19 performance on field goals, leading the Big Ten with a 94.7 percent success rate. While second in the conference in field goals made, Craddock bests every other Big Ten kicker's success rate by a pretty wide margin.
We also want to mention that Craddock is 41-of-41 on extra-point kicks—and nearly 39 percent of his kickoffs result in a touchback.
Defensive Backs
2 of 9
William Likely, Maryland
William Likely led the conference in interceptions with six, which is also tied for sixth in the FBS. His 14 total passes defended also ranked second in Big Ten, so it's impossible to make a logical argument against Likely this season.
Landon Feichter, Purdue
Purdue didn't have a ton of bright spots this season, but Landon Feichter was one of them. He finished with five interceptions this season and has broken up three additional passes. He also forced a fumble. Add in 105 total tackles (eighth in the Big Ten among all defensive players).
Kurtis Drummond, Michigan State
Kurtis Drummond is back on the All-Big Ten team for the second straight year. He's lived up to the expectations in 2014, snagging four interceptions while breaking up 11 more passes. Add three tackles for loss to his resume during his senior season at Michigan State, and Drummond is another easy choice for the All-Conference squad.
Trae Waynes, Michigan State
Three interceptions (tied for seventh in the conference), 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and seven passes broken up is good for any defensive leader—and Trae Waynes wasn't even leading his own team among defensive backs. Still, we are talking about Michigan State here, which has become one of the nation's premiere defensive squads year in and year out. He was a major part of MSU's "no fly zone, part deux" this season, and he's poised to continue his role as a playmaker next season as a senior.
Linebackers
3 of 9
Jake Ryan, Michigan
Michigan's 2014 season was disappointing enough that Brady Hoke lost his job just a few days after the Wolverines finished 5-7. While there were a lot of problems that kept Michigan from winning football games, the defense—led by Jake Ryan—wasn't one of them. Michigan finished the regular season with the 10th-ranked total defense in the nation, and Ryan led the team (and was second in the conference) with 112 total tackles. Ryan also had 14 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks in 2014. He forced two fumbles as well.
Mike Hull, Penn State
Only one player in the Big Ten had more total tackles than Jake Ryan in 2014, and that was Penn State's Mike Hull. Another in the long line of linebacking greats from Penn State, Hull's 134 tackles was seventh in the FBS this season (and third among players in the Power Five conferences). He also made an impact in the opposing offensive backfield with 10.5 tackles for loss, including a pair of sacks, a forced fumble and three pass breakups.
Vince Biegel, Wisconsin
Vince Biegel's performance this season was over by some outstanding offense in Madison, but that won't keep him off of our All-Big Ten list. This sophomore leads all linebackers in the conference with 15.5 tackles for loss (7.5 of which were sacks) and was second overall in the category. Add two forced fumbles and two passes broken up, and Badgers fans should be very excited for the defensive future of Wisconsin.
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Defensive Line
4 of 9
Joey Bosa, Ohio State
We had a feeling Joey Bosa was going to be good—but this good this early in his Ohio State career? There was no better defensive lineman in the Big Ten (and perhaps none better in the nation) than Ohio State's Joey Bosa. As a sophomore, Bosa looks to be a dominant anchor for Ohio State's D-line for years to come after leading the conference with 20 tackles for loss (fifth in the FBS), including a Big Ten-leading 13.5 sacks. The next closest in sacks this season was Maryland's Andre Monroe, who had 4.5 fewer. His ability to make things happen behind the offensive line was unmatched this year, and he should be on everyone's All-American watch list.
Andre Monroe, Maryland
Were it not for Bosa's outstanding performance this season, there'd be a lot more press about Maryland's Andrew Monroe. He showed that Maryland does have defensive players capable of playing at the Big Ten level, as Monroe finished second in the Big Ten with nine sacks and ninth with 12 tackles for loss. His production, along with his senior leadership, will be sorely missed next season by the Terrapins.
Anthony Zettel, Penn State
It's hard not to like Anthony Zettel's production this season: 15 tackles for loss (third in the conference), eight sacks (also third in the Big Ten), five passes broken up and a forced fumble. Plus, perhaps most impressive for a defensive tackle, three interceptions (one of which came against Ohio State and was returned 40 yards for a touchdown). With his momentum-shifting ability rivaling that of any DT in the nation, how can we not have Zettel on our All-Big Ten team this season?
Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State
Shilique Calhoun makes his second-straight All-Big Ten team, and he may very well follow that up with a 2014 selection to the All-American list, too (Calhoun was a 2014 preseason All-American). While the season didn't turn out the way MSU fans had hoped, Sparty is still likely headed for a "New Year's Six" bowl, thanks in no small part to the play of Calhoun. He finished the 2014 regular season with 11 tackles for loss, including 6.5 sacks. He also recovered a fumble (which he returned for a touchdown) and blocked a kick this season.
But his biggest contribution during 2014 didn't show up on the stat sheet. Shedding blocks is an art form nearly perfected by Calhoun, and his defensive speed and elusiveness forced countless incompletions, sacks and tackles for loss by his ability to confound offensive linemen and disrupt plays (even when schemed away from his end).
Offensive Line
5 of 9
Jack Allen, Michigan State
Jack Allen missed MSU's win over Indiana with an ankle injury, but the preseason All-Big Ten center returned to anchor one of the conference's best—and most surprisingly good—offensive units. Michigan State has built its reputation on defense over the past several seasons, but this year it was the offense that turned heads. Allen was a key component in the protection of Connor Cook, who led the Big Ten is passing (2,900 yards) in 2014.
Zac Epping, Minnesota
Zac Epping has been instrumental in Minnesota's running success this season, which has been the major reason the Golden Gophers had a shot at winning the West Division title. The Gophers may have come up just short against Wisconsin, but Epping's performance this season was easily worthy of recognition on our All-Big Ten list.
Brandon Scherff, Iowa
Being part of the All-Big Ten team isn't the only honorific Brandon Scherff will be awarded this season. He's a lock for the All-America team, and he's probably a lock to take home some individual hardware, too. He's been nothing short of an unqualified success at Iowa, and NFL defenses will be faced with a gargantuan task next season: figuring out how to get past Scherff.
Rob Havenstein, Wisconsin
Rob Havenstein has been one part of the Wisconsin offensive line's brick-wall protection this season. Guys like Melvin Gordon are going to get all of the press, but it's guys like Havenstein who deserve a lot of credit. The offensive line has been making Wisconsin's record-breaking offense possible this season, and without Havenstein (and his partner in crime Kyle Costigan), Gordon's numbers might not have been as lofty as they were in 2014.
Kyle Costigan, Wisconsin
Kyle Costigan, like Havenstein, has been a major part of Wisconsin's success. However, Costigan did it with added personal adversity, as his mother is battling kidney cancer, per Mike Fiammetta of SB Nation. Staying focused on football is hard enough for many athletes, but Costigan has managed to mix in some much-needed family time along with his work in football and school. Even if he weren't one of the best linemen in the Big Ten, that would be deserving of recognition. But Costigan is one of the best, so he's an easy pick for the All-Big Ten offensive line.
Tight End
6 of 9
Maxx Williams, Minnesota
First, we have to look at Maxx Williams' statistical output. He led all tight ends with 471 receiving yards, and he's among the top 20 in the Big Ten—regardless of position—with 42.8 yards per game. He's also fifth among all receivers with seven touchdowns. He also leads Minnesota in all three categories.
Now, let's look at the other side of Williams' play this season. Williams is big enough and smart enough to be one of the best "linemen" for the Gophers this season. Minnesota has been making its hay with the run game this season, and Williams' ability to block on the perimeter has been a major bonus for running back David Cobb.
Wide Receivers
7 of 9
Tony Lippett, Michigan State
Tony Lippett led the Big Ten in receiving yards and was one of just two receivers in the conference to surpass 1,000 yards (1,124). He has been a reliable target for quarterback Connor Cook, and he even got the opportunity to play a little defensive back in a blowout win for the Spartans over Rutgers. Lippett also led the Big Ten with 11 receiving touchdowns, making him a easy choice for All-Big Ten receiver.
Leonte Carroo, Rutgers
Rutgers' Leonte Carroo has been impressive in 2014. Rutgers is heading for a bowl game in its first Big Ten season, thanks in large part to the combination of Carroo and his quarterback Gary Nova. Carroo is the only other 1,000-receiving-yards performer this season (1,043). Along with Lippett, he is one of only two Big Ten receivers to average more than 85 yards per game.
Running Backs
8 of 9
Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
Okay, seriously, was there anyone who thought we wouldn't go with Melvin Gordon?
Melvin Gordon's accomplishments this season are the kind we see once in a generation or so. Through 12 games, Gordon has amassed 2,336 rushing yards—breaking the 2,000-yard mark faster than any other running back in FBS history, per Mike Huguenin of NFL.com. We also have to mention his 408 yards against Nebraska on November 15, which was a single-game FBS record (and which, somewhat shockingly, was broken the following week by Oklahoma's Samaje Perine).
The all-time single-season record sits at 2,628, but it was put in doubt for the first time in quite a while. With Gordon now 292 yards shy of that mark—and with Wisconsin's lone game remaining coming against Auburn in the Outback Bowl—it seems unlikely Gordon will break the all-time record.
Gordon is averaging 179.7 yards per game this season. He has five games of 200-or-more yards and three with 250-or-more.
Anything is possible.
Tevin Coleman, Indiana
Rushing is often a numbers game, and with the exception of the stellar performance from Gordon, no Big Ten rusher has been more impressive than Indiana's Tevin Coleman. With 2,036 rushing yards this season, Coleman is one of just two FBS running backs with 2,000-or-more yards (the other, obviously, is Gordon).
Coleman averaged 169.7 yards per game and better than 7.5 yards per carry. He also added 15 rushing touchdowns for a team that was never quite able to score enough points to outlast the better parts of the schedule this season.
Like Gordon, Coleman is a junior this season. Unlike Gordon, we might see him back on campus in the fall.
Quarterback
9 of 9
J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
Yes, J.T. Barrett went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Ohio State's game against archrival Michigan, but that's not going to stop us from naming him as our All-Big Ten quarterback for 2014.
While Michigan State's Connor Cook had more passing yards and fewer interceptions this season, there's no arguing that Barrett was a bigger factor in his team's success this season than perhaps any other quarterback in the nation.
This freshman quarterback was tabbed as the backup to Heisman hopeful Braxton Miller before the season began, but he was pressed into service as the starter when Miller was lost for the season with a shoulder injury before Week 1 even kicked off. Just when everyone was leaving Ohio State for dead, Barrett stepped in and showed everyone that Ohio State's talent wasn't a mile wide and an inch deep.
Ohio State defeated Michigan State, thanks in large part to Barrett, and the Buckeyes won another division title. There's no question that Ohio State is where it is because of Barrett.
Follow Bleacher Report's National College Football Featured Columnist David Luther on Twitter.
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