Big Ten Q&A: How Many B1G Teams Will Be Ranked at Season's End?
Conference media days are over, players are checking into camp and by this time next week, practice fields across the country will officially be in full swing.
In honor of the unofficial start to the 2016 campaign, let's get to this week's Big Ten Q&A. This week, we'll tackle the accuracy of the preseason Amway Coaches Poll, which team in the conference outside the Top 25 possesses the potential to crash the College Football Playoff, the location of the Big Ten title game and a pick for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
As always, you can send me your questions each week on Twitter @BenAxelrod.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Let's get started.
Let's take a look at each team's case to be ranked at season's end, including their current ranking in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll, which was released on Thursday.
5. Ohio State
The Buckeyes will be ranked at the end of the year. It would take a lot to go wrong for them not to be.
8. Michigan
Road games against Michigan State, Iowa and Ohio State, as well as a potential bowl-game loss could all leave marks on Michigan's schedule. But it's hard to imagine the Wolverines going 0-4 in their biggest games, so for now, we can count Michigan as another ranked team.
11. Michigan State
Replacing a three-year starter at quarterback in Connor Cook among other key contributors from last year's team, Michigan State is the Big Ten's great unknown in 2016. At this point, however, the Spartans have earned the benefit of the doubt and should be pencilled into the season's final Top 25.
15. Iowa
Despite Iowa being consistently inconsistent under head coach Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes possess too much returning talent and a schedule too manageable to allow them to wind up unranked at the end of the year.
Wisconsin
Second outside the Top 25 in votes received, Wisconsin came close to cracking Thursday's coaches poll. But with the toughest schedule in the entire conference, if not the country, the Badgers should ultimately find themselves remaining on the outside looking in at the end of 2016.
Northwestern
Despite last year's 10-3 record, Northwestern found itself unranked in Thursday's coaches poll, but the Wildcats did receive 31 votes. While its schedule is less than favorable, I'm giving Pat Fitzgerald's team the benefit of the doubt when it comes to repeating last year's success, however, as Northwestern lays claim to arguably both the Big Ten's top running back in Justin Jackson and linebacker in Anthony Walker.
Nebraska
Nebraska received 17 votes in the coaches poll, which is perhaps indicative of the turnaround many expect from Mike Riley's team following last year's 6-7 mark. I expect the Cornhuskers to make good on those expectations, compete for the Big Ten West title and wind up ranked at the end of the year.
Indiana
Given all it lost from last year's team, it seems strange that Indiana earned even a single vote in this year's preseason coaches poll. That should look even stranger at year's end, as it's hard to imagine the Hoosiers winding up ranked at the end of 2016.
Minnesota
Flying under the radar following last year's 5-7 regular season, I like Minnesota to enjoy a bounce-back season in 2016. If quarterback Mitch Leidner can make good on his first-round potential, the Golden Gophers should find themselves ranked at year's end.
Penn State
For the first time in the James Franklin era, Penn State possesses a full roster in terms of scholarship players. With a new starting quarterback, however, the Nittany Lions still have work to do, and any progress made as a program likely won't be reflected in their record or a potential ranking.
Illinois
Even with Lovie Smith now standing on its sideline, Illinois simply has too much work to do as a program to crack any Top 25s in 2016.
Rutgers and Maryland
Like Illinois, Rutgers and Maryland may benefit from new head coaches in Chris Ash and D.J. Durkin, respectively, but earning a Top 25 ranking isn't coming up on either's immediate timeline.
Purdue
It's tough to imagine the Boilermakers going from 2-10 a year ago to a Top 25 ranking in 2016.
That gives us seven Big Ten teams (Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Northwestern, Nebraska and Minnesota) I expect to be ranked at season's end, which will be a tall task for the conference to actually pull off. But with four teams ranked at the start of the year and couple of other programs knocking on the door, the Big Ten is closer than you might think to having half the league represented in the Top 25.
If the Big Ten is going to continue its streak of being represented in the College Football Playoff for a third consecutive year, it will likely be because of one of the four teams already ranked in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll.
But if forced to choose one outside of the only official Top 25 to have been released, I'm going to go with Nebraska, based on a couple of the reasons that make the Cornhuskers one of the conference's sleeper teams to watch in 2016.
For one, it's tough to ignore the plethora of talent returning to Lincoln this season, including 94 percent of last year's offensive production, according to SB Nation's Bill Connelly. Nebraska will not only have an experienced quarterback to rely on in Tommy Armstrong Jr., but nearly his entire receiving corps from a year ago, as well as running back Terrell Newby (765 yards, six touchdowns in 2015).
Defensively, the Cornhuskers return 63 percent of their production from a year ago, according to Connelly, including leading tackler Nate Gerry and last year's leader in sacks, Freedom Akinmoladun.
From a scheduling standpoint, Nebraska has its work cut out for itself, between an out-of-conference game against Oregon and road trips to Wisconsin and Ohio State. But if the Cornhuskers can escape their first 11 games with just one loss, they'll then head to Iowa likely still in control of their fate in the race for the Big Ten West title.
If Nebraska can earn a trip to Indianapolis, where another potential quality win would await in the Big Ten title game, a trip to the College Football Playoff may not seem so far-fetched. It's a long shot the Huskers will catch so many breaks, but after the luck—or lack thereof—they endured a year ago, they're certainly due for some good fortune.
It's a fair question.
Considering there's not a Big Ten team that plays its home games in a dome, it's tough to understand why the conference's annual championship game is held in one, with Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium having hosted each title game since its inception in 2011.
I think the best answer is that for a game with so much on the line, perfect weather conditions are ideal and something that can only be obtained in Big Ten country in December with the aid of a dome. The irony of that is the regular season that determines which two teams meet in the Circle City rarely features pristine playing conditions throughout, as Ohio State learned last year when Michigan State took advantage of a wintery mix to knock off the Buckeyes and ultimately take control of its own playoff destiny.
It's also worth taking into consideration that Indianapolis has become one of the unofficial headquarters of the Big Ten, along with Chicago, which would certainly make sense as a hosting site if the conference ever does decide to explore crowning its champion outdoors. But the league's contract with Lucas Oil Stadium runs through 2021, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Big Ten re-up with the home of the Indianapolis Colts after that.
In the event the conference does opt to look elsewhere, Cleveland, Detroit and Green Bay, in addition to Chicago, all make sense as potential hosting sites. But until hosting outdoors becomes a more viable option, the home of "three yards and a cloud of dust" will continue to decide its league champion in weather conditions more conducive for a football track meet.
If you would've asked me this at the start of this offseason, I would have likely gone with Iowa cornerback Desmond King. Had you asked me a month ago, my answer probably would have been Michigan cornerback Jourdan Lewis.
But now that the 2016 season is finally upon us, I have a different prediction for this year's Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Such is life in the college football offseason, when outlooks on the coming year can change, even when everything has seemingly been the same since signing day. But with the amount of hype Michigan safety/nickelback/linebacker Jabrill Peppers received at Big Ten media days a week ago, the Wolverines' jack-of-all-trades has my attention once again.
"Anything is accomplishable for Jabrill Peppers in the game of football," Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "I think football players, professional football players are the greatest athletes in the world and Jabrill is that kind of athlete. He's that kind of athlete that has the greatest-in-the-world type of athleticism."
While the Wolverines seem to be downplaying Peppers' move to linebacker, when you look at new Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown's history of using hybrid players to rush the passer, the possibilities for Peppers appear endless. For a player who already had a habit of stuffing stat sheets—on both sides of the ball, no less—the former 5-star prospect will now be asked to add more sacks to his stat totals, which should make him one of college football's most prominent defenders.
At this point, it's hard to even project a potential season-long stat line for Peppers, because I don't know if college football has ever seen a player quite like him. This much, however, is clear: the New Jersey native's impact in the coming season will be apparent—regardless of which position he ultimately finds himself playing.
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.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
