Big Ten Q&A: Who Should Be the B1G Preseason Offensive Player of the Year?

Big Ten media days have come and gone, training camps across the country are getting set to open up and, before you know it, the 2016 college football season will finally be here.

With that in mind, let's get to this week's Big Ten Q&A, where we'll pick the Big Ten's preseason Offensive Player of the Year and tackle Iowa's outlook for the coming season, Michigan State's title hopes and a potential conference wild card.

As always, you can send me your questions each week on Twitter (@BenAxelrod).

Let's get started.

Question 1

While some conferences still hand out preseason honors for championship favorites and offensive and defensive players of the year, the Big Ten hasn't done so since 2010.  

How long ago was that? The last time the conference selected a preseason Offensive Player of the Year, it was Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who has since seen himself disassociated and reassociated from and with the Buckeyes program.

Since that time, the conference has released an annual Players to Watch list, just as it did at this week's annual media days. Split between five players from each division, this year's list included most of the usual suspects, including the league's top two returning quarterbacks and running backs.

And when forced to choose a preseason Offensive Player of the Year from the bunch, the consensus pick might be Buckeyes signal-caller J.T. Barrett, but I'm going to go with a more under-the-radar selection. After rushing for 1,418 yards and four touchdowns in his sophomore season, there may not be a more overlooked player in the Big Ten than Northwestern running back Justin Jackson, who returns to Evanston as the conference's leading returning rusher.

"Very talented player from a standpoint of being able to do everything. Just not a first-down back or third-down back," Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald said of his star running back at media days. "He's a complete back."

Aside from Barrett, there may not be a player in the conference more valuable to his offense than Jackson, who helped negate Northwestern having the last-ranked passing offense in the Big Ten and led the Wildcats to a 10-3 record last year. Factor in the up-and-down 2015 Barrett is coming off of, and until proved otherwise, I'm giving Jackson the nod as the conference's top offensive player.

Question 2

Contender.

And trust me, I understand the skepticism.

After all, under Kirk Ferentz, Iowa has hardly been the poster child for consistency.

In order to find the last time the Hawkeyes put together double-digit wins in consecutive seasons, you'd have to go all the way back to 2003 and 2004, a two-year stretch that saw Iowa combine for a 21-5 record. The Hawkeyes will have a chance to snap that streak in the coming year, coming off last season's 12-2 (12-0 in the regular season) record.

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

And while I've been riding the "look out for Nebraska" train longer than most, at the least, Iowa deserves to be considered a heavy favorite for repeating as Big Ten West champions. Between an abundance of returning talent and a favorable schedule, the Hawkeyes have plenty working in their favor heading into their defense of the division crown.

While the Big Ten West is only seemingly improving, Iowa lays claim to not only the division's most accomplished quarterback in C.J. Beathard, but also two of the league's top defenders in cornerback Desmond King and linebacker Josey Jewell. According to SB Nation's Bill Connelly, the Hawkeyes return 72 percent of their production from a year ago—the second-highest return rate in the Big Ten West.

And then there's a schedule that will see the Hawkeyes' three toughest games of the year come at home, including visits from Wisconsin, Michigan and Nebraska. If ever there was a time for Iowa to sustain its success, it's right now, as no other team in the division has more apparent advantages than the Hawkeyes.

Question 3

"

@BenAxelrod MSU is currently at +700 odds to win the B10 title. Heading into the season is MSU overrated, underrated, or properly rated?

— TJ (@tmcgarry13) July 28, 2016"

As crazy as it might seem, there may not be a more underrated team in the Big Ten right now than the defending champs.

While I understand all Michigan State has working against it—namely the losses of quarterback Connor Cook, leading receiver Aaron Burbridge, left tackle Jack Conklin, star defensive end Shilique Calhoun and others—I think we're at a point where the Spartans deserve the benefit of the doubt. 

It's not like Michigan State is coming off one fluky standout season—this is a team that's now won two of the past three Big Ten titles. Dating back to 2010, the Spartans have won 11 or more games in every season but one, making their 7-6 campaign in 2012 appear to be more of an outlier than anything else.

Tae-Gyun Kim/Associated Press

Yes, the losses are significant, and Ohio State and Michigan are only getting better from top to bottom. But it's also worth noting that MSU is just now starting to reap the recruiting rewards of its recent success, which could pay dividends for the Spartans as early as this year.

For the past six years, Michigan State has maintained its consistency by continually getting the most out of 3-star prospects. Now, the Spartans are routinely recruiting 4- and 5-star players, which should only increase their long-term viability.

At the moment, I wouldn't pick the Spartans to win the Big Ten—Ohio State, Michigan and even Iowa simply have too much working in their favors. But giving Michigan State +700 (bet $100 to win $700) odds, per Odds Shark, to win the conference just doesn't seem to be granting the Spartans the respect they deserve, but then again, that's a role they've continually thrived in.

Question 4

As I found him to be one of the more intriguing players present at Big Ten media days, I spent a good portion of Monday talking to Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner.

And as much as I tried to direct the conversation toward ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay's first-round projection for the Golden Gophers signal-caller, Leidner kept changing the subject to something else: the Big Ten title.

Of course, it's the goal of every prominent player in the league to win the conference crown, but Minnesota is one of the teams nobody seems to be talking about that could actually do it. Not only does the Gophers quarterback possess arguably the highest upside in the league—or at the least, in the Big Ten West—but Minnesota also returns a talented running back duo in Shannon Brooks (709 yards, seven touchdowns in 2015) and Rodney Smith (670 yards, two touchdowns).

Factor in a favorable schedule, which will see the Golden Gophers avoid Ohio State, Michigan State and Michigan in cross-divisional games, and Minnesota may just have more on its side than many people realize. The Golden Gophers will even benefit from their toughest game of the year, against Iowa, coming in Minneapolis, which should only aid Tracy Claeys' team in bouncing back from last year's 6-7 campaign.

At the least, Minnesota possesses the potential to shake things up in its conference in the coming year. That, however, likely wouldn't be enough to satisfy Leidner's appetite, and he'll be the first to let you know it.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod.

Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. Recruiting and class ratings courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings.