Big Ten Football: 1 Player on Each B1G Team Opposing Fans Still Like
A fan of any given team has plenty of reason to hate the guy who lines up against "Dear Old U." But every so often, we find a guy on the other team who just so darn likable, entertaining or just such a decent human being that we really can't bring ourselves to put much effort into our dislike.
Raising money to charity, visiting young fans in the hospital, endless optimism and fantastic on-field performances can all bring positive attention to college football players—and rightfully so. In that spirit, we've listed a player (or in a few rare cases, a collection of players) from each team who have earned fans throughout the Big Ten.
Admit it: It's just so darn easy to like these guys.
Illinois
1 of 14
By all accounts, Wes Lunt is a pretty decent guy. After transferring from Oklahoma State to Illinois, he spent much of his transfer season not roaming the sidelines or watching comfortably from the stands, but in the trenches, providing some much-needed hand-holding for visiting recruits.
Lunt was willing to put in a lot of extra work off the field on Saturdays to try to brighten the future of Illinois football, which is something not a lot of players sitting out a season would find enjoyable. Illinois fans have to like that kind of work ethic.
With his all-around decent-guy persona, his hard work and the relative lack of ability to torch opposing defenses (just 7.3 yards per pass attempts in 2014), even opposing fans can get on board the Wes Lunt bandwagon.
Indiana
2 of 14
It's easy to like a guy who racks up 2,036 rushing yards in a season and is overlooked by most national media thanks to a shocking plethora of 2,000-yard rushers in 2014, and he yet takes it all in stride with a smile on his face. Enter Indiana's Tevin Coleman.
In 2014, he averaged more than 7.5 yards per carry and found the end zone 15 times en route to one of the best single-season rushing performances folks in Bloomington have ever seen. His abilities on the field were so impressive, in fact, that people outside of Indiana's fanbase often got a kick out of seeing this guy run all over the field.
After all, Indiana doesn't beat many teams in the Big Ten, so it's hard to gin up too much hate for the Hoosiers...
Sadly for college football fans, Coleman opted to depart a year early for the NFL.
Iowa
3 of 14
Iowa fans are certainly going to miss Brandon Scherff, but his "everyman" qualities mean he'll likely be missed by a whole host of Big Ten fans who don't necessarily cheer for the Hawkeyes on a weekly basis.
Sure, Scherff is a heck of a football player, and he's arguably the top lineman prospect in the 2015 NFL draft. But this native of western Iowa hasn't been caught up in the hoopla surrounding his impending NFL stardom quite yet. He still spends his downtime with friends and teammates, often taking fishing or hunting trips with family.
He's just one of the guys—who happens to be a guaranteed first-round draft pick.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Maryland
4 of 14
Maryland's C.J. Brown has finally exhausted his extended eligibility, and after six years, College Park won't seem like quite the same place without him.
Brown has battled injuries during his time at Maryland, but he persevered throughout the setbacks and stuck with the program every step of the way. His commitment to Maryland was matched only by Maryland head coach Randy Edsall's commitment to Brown.
Brown finished out his career with nearly 2,300 yards in his final season. While Maryland didn't exactly tear up the competition in 2014, Brown was a big reason why the Terps find themselves on solid footing moving forward after their first Big Ten season.
We all have to admire Brown's dedication to his team. And as fans of Maryland opponents, it's a lot easier to like the guy when he's only completing 53.4 percent of his throws.
Michigan
5 of 14
There isn't a college football stage bigger than the Big Ten, and Michigan plays football on the largest stage of them all. It might be easy for us to assume that those who put on the maize-and-blue winged helmet are accustomed to the hoopla surrounding Michigan football, but it's not always the case.
When quarterback Shane Morris first took the field in front of roughly 110,000 fans, he reportedly told then-offensive coordinator Al Borges, "Coach, this is cool."
Morris hasn't really been given much of an opportunity yet, but it's hard not to like his wide-eyed enthusiasm for college football.
Michigan State
6 of 14
Connor Cook doesn't get mad, he gets even. After being passed over by every other Big Ten program, including his home state Ohio State Buckeyes and his dad's alma mater Indiana, Cook accepted his only scholarship from the conference and attended Michigan State.
Even when his dad's Hoosiers passed on him because Cook "wasn't accurate," it didn't seem to bother the now veteran quarterback. Heck, he isn't even mad.
For the record, Cook led the Big Ten last season with 3,214 yards and was second in the conference with 24 touchdown passes while completing 58.1 percent of his passes in 2014. Grantland's Matt Hinton even went so far as to call Cook "Michigan State's model of consistency."
OK, so opposing fans won't necessarily be Cook's biggest fans when he's fitting the football into what seems like impossibly small windows and finding receiver after receiver deep downfield. But his no-nonsense, down-to-earth attitude both on and off the field means that few people truly dislike the guy.
Minnesota
7 of 14
Probably the favorite player to see on the field for any opposing fan is the punter. But Minnesota's Peter Mortell is likable for more than just his possession-changing appearances on the football field.
Mortell has donated so much of his spare time to MAGIC (Maroon and Gold Impacting the Community, the community service program of Minnesota athletics) that his picture appears on the side of the program's bus.
Mortell even used his Best Buy gift card he received from the Citrus Bowl to purchase toys for kids at St. Joseph's Home for Children.
Clearly, this Gopher isn't only likable but also commendable in a way few college students are.
Nebraska
8 of 14
Nebraska fans will certainly miss Ameer Abdullah. Opposing defenses won't. But if you're a fan of traditional Big Ten football, there's no doubt that he was one of the most entertaining backs to watch over the past few seasons.
Abdullah finished in the top 10 in rushing yards in the conference three straight seasons (2012, 2013 and 2014), winning the Big Ten's rushing title in 2013 with 1,690 yards.
He may have seemed a bit more threatening if the Huskers had won a conference title during his tenure in Lincoln, but since Nebraska has been conference title-less since 1999, the Huskers seem somehow less than formidable. Until that changes, superstars in Lincoln are a bit easier to like.
Northwestern
9 of 14
Tom Hruby isn't your typical college football player. First off, he's in his early 30s. He has a wife and three kids. But beyond those unusual yet not bizarre points of biographical information comes one very unusual item: He's a Navy SEAL.
That's right, a freaking Navy SEAL. Hruby became a SEAL in 2006 and served on active duty in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Can you just imagine being the guy who lines up across from Hruby? First thought: This guy is a Navy SEAL, a true American hero and I really don't want to hurt a 32-year-old guy. Second thought: Wait a second, this guy is a trained Navy SEAL!
Ohio State
10 of 14
We might be willing to admit that Ohio State is a difficult team to like if you're not already a Buckeyes fan. Maybe the unadulterated egotism of Buckeyes fans stems from the athletic department itself, which The Washington Post called arrogant.
Sure, Ohio State fans have plenty of reason—today, anyhow—to be arrogant. Winning a national championship will do that. Just take a leisurely stroll through Tuscaloosa wearing anything other than Crimson Tide apparel if you don't believe us.
But when Cardale Jones beats a kid in the hospital in a video game 98-35 and then corrects the media when it is reported that the final was 91-35, those outside of the Columbus bubble just shake their heads. This is, of course, the same Jones who got himself into a bit of hot water when he tweeted that he didn't attend Ohio State to "play school" and that "classes are pointless."
Yes, it's probably true that Jones' beatdown of a kid in the hospital was all in good fun. Yes, it's equally true that Jones has been set straight on the true value of the education he's being provided free of charge. But maybe you can at least understand why some people don't like Ohio State.
But let's not lose sight of the fact that Jones—and a number of his teammates—were volunteering to spend time at a children's hospital. Whether you love or hate Ohio State, that kind of special community service has to be commended.
And it certainly can't hurt the program's image, either.
Penn State
11 of 14
In the firestorm over Keith Olbermann's mindless, mean-spirited Twitter battle with Penn State fans, for which ESPN suspended the host, something got lost: Penn State students—including members of the football team—raised more than $13 million for pediatric cancer research.
The sad part is that no matter what Penn State students—absolutely none of which were every involved with the Sandusky scandal—do these days, there will always be some snarky pundit or Internet troll ready with a quick jibe.
Yes, Penn State football has a terrible black mark on its past. But why on earth should that invalidate anything that happens at the school in 2015? There are people out there who will never give Penn State credit for anything, even when credit is due.
Thankfully, that didn't stop Penn State football players from participating in the fundraising event, and for that, the Nittany Lions should earn a great deal of adoration and respect.
To the Penn State students, staff, alumni and fans who helped raise so much money for pediatric cancer, you have our congratulations and heartfelt gratitude.
Purdue
12 of 14
Who doesn't like watching Purdue take on his favorite Big Ten team these days?
When the Boilermakers come to town, it's almost a guaranteed win, as the Boilers have gone 4-20 in two seasons under head coach Darrell Hazell. Actually, if you look at the numbers, it seems as if Purdue fans are the only ones who don't like watching Purdue play. Purdue ranked dead last in the Big Ten in both total attendance, average attendance per game and attendance based on a percentage of stadium capacity (the only Big Ten team less than 60 percent).
Still, there are some highlights. Wide receiver Danny Anthrop is entering his senior season in 2015 after leading Purdue in receiving yards last season with 616. More impressive is the fact that he led his team while appearing in just nine games due to injury.
Anthrop's recovery is a positive sign moving forward, and his optimism about his team's future can't be a bad thing—even if he is one of a small minority of people who believe big things are just around the corner for the Boilermakers.
Rutgers
13 of 14
Detroit was once a charmed city. As the automotive capital of the world, Detroit exploded with growth and economic wealth in the early half of the 20th century. After the Great Depression, Detroit became a major part of the "Arsenal of Freedom" during World War II, turning out planes, tanks and all manner of military vehicles at a pace never seen before or since.
That Detroit is gone. Today, the city is but a shadow of its former self. Three in 10 kids in Detroit public schools do not graduate from high school. Poverty and homelessness are rampant. A once great American city teeters on the edge of the abyss.
Enter the Rutgers football team.
During the Scarlet Knights' visit for the Quick Lane Bowl in December, the team all the way from New Jersey decided there was something it could do to help in some small way. The team volunteered at a food bank, and the Knights did this good work on Christmas Eve, no less.
That's not a bad way to introduce yourselves to the Big Ten, Knights.
Wisconsin
14 of 14
So long, Melvin Gordon; we hardly knew ye.
Wisconsin is a great football team that never really seems to rub anyone the wrong way—unless perhaps you're from Minnesota. Maybe that's why it was so easy for most Big Ten fans to cheer on Gordon's amazing rushing performance in 2014.
He came up just a bit shy of the all-time FBS rushing record, but it was fun to watch him chase it down. There was also that 408-yard performance against Nebraska that broke the 15-year-old single-game yardage record (a record that stood for one whole week).
Sadly, yet understandably, Gordon has opted for forgo his senior season at Wisconsin to take what is sure to be a first-round draft slot this spring.
Too bad. He was so entertaining to watch that it was hard not to like what he was doing on an almost weekly basis.
Follow Bleacher Report National College Football Featured Columnist David Luther on Twitter.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
