12 Reasons to Believe in the Big Ten in the 2010 Season

Regardless of what perception many had of the Big Ten heading into 2009, the conference performed strongly in the bowl season, with their top four teams, Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin, pulling off big wins in the national spotlight.

With the work the Big Ten did last season, it suddenly has found itself as the second best conference in the country by most pundits, right behind the SEC.

But with a 12th team on the way in Nebraska and the guarantee of a conference championship game beginning in 2011, the conference needs some more momentum heading into the new season.

And in the spirit of the 12 teams, here are 12 reasons Big Ten fans should believe in their conference in 2010.

1. Ohio State and Iowa Both Can Win the National Title

As much as most people don't want to hear it, Ohio State could very likely find themselves playing for a national title, the fourth such time in the Jim Tressel era that the Buckeyes would be playing in the national championship game.

But for the second-ranked team in the country, this may be the best chance they have to take the title since they upset Miami in 2003.

And with Terrelle Pryor under center and a very good defense, especially in the front seven, OSU is loaded like few teams in the country.

One of those teams that is as loaded as OSU is actually in their own conference, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

On both sides of the ball, Iowa is just deep and talented across the board, from the QB and RB positions, to the DL and both starting safeties.

Iowa is not nearly as hyped up as Ohio State is this season, but the Hawkeyes are just as dangerous and can be just as much a national title threat as anyone in the country.

2. Wisconsin is Always a Good Sleeper Choice

In the past few years, everyone has talked about how good Ohio State and Penn State have been in the Big Ten.

But in that same period, everyone always seems to forget about Wisconsin, and sleeping on a top-15 team can be a very bad idea.

Despite losing to Ohio State and Iowa by double figures, the Badgers did surprise many with a convincing 20-14 win over Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl.

And the Badgers do have plenty of talent returning, including RBs John Clay and Montee Ball.

Many of efficient QB Scott Tolzien's favorite targets will return, including TE Lance Kendricks who was deadly against Miami with seven catches for 128 yards.

Defensively, Wisconsin has studs back in DT J.J. Watt, LB Chris Borland, and S Jay Valai leading an always physical unit.

Bret Bielema definitely has the talent to take the Badgers to a January bowl game for the third time in five years, and they have a very good chance to find themselves in a BCS bowl game should either OSU or Iowa slip.

3. One Way or Another, Michigan Will Be Better

Michigan fans should not be worrying much more, because regardless of what happens this season, the Wolverines will be better because of it.

Most fans think that the Wolverines would be better just by firing maligned coach Rich Rodriguez, who has only won eight games in two seasons which is unacceptable in Ann Arbor.

The problem the past two seasons has not been the offense, which was much better in 2009, but the defense, which used to be a staple of the program under Lloyd Carr.

This season is literally a win-now season for Rodriguez or he could very well find himself in the unemployment line.

But until Michigan can improve their defense, it won't matter how good the offense is.

And until that side of the ball is emphasized more in practices and recruiting efforts, Michigan might be staying mediocre for some time.

But rest easy Michigan, 2010 means there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Whether or not Rich Rod stays, Michigan will be better.

4. Keep Your Eyes on the Blackshirts

They're not in the Big Ten yet, but the farewell tour of the Big 12 for Nebraska is something that Big Ten fans should keep an eye on.

The Huskers are the third top-10 team from the new Big Ten (starting in 2011) along with Ohio State and Iowa, and look much improved from a team that almost shocked the world in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Nebraska shocked the world once again by leaving rival Oklahoma and Texas in the Big 12 to join the Big Ten beginning next season, so they want to go into a new conference in a wave of momentum.

And the Blackshirts certainly have the best chance to play for another Big 12 Championship, being the clear favorite to win a weak Big 12 North.

If the Huskers beat Texas at home on October 16, there is a very good chance Bo Pelini's squad could be undefeated heading into December.

Just think of how strong the Big Ten would look going into 2011 with three teams that came off a BCS appearance, especially if one or two of them played for a national championship.

The Huskers just need to build off a strong finish in 2009 and continue to build their program back to the glory days of the mid-1990s, and they will be just fine.

5. Sparty Has a New Look and a New Attitude

In case you didn't know, Michigan State has revamped their uniforms as seen above, but kept their original Spartan logo design after major backlash from students and fans.

Despite having a losing season in 2009, Michigan State could have had a very different season having lost five games by eight points or less.

But the squad returning in 2010 might be Mark Dantonio's best in four years in East Lansing, led by superstar LB Greg Jones on defense.

QB Kirk Cousins returns after a very good first season at QB, and his former competitor for the starting job in 2009, Keith Nichol, will be called upon as the top receiver in the MSU offense.

Sparty has a reason to be a little excited going forward, after falling just short of beating Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl despite having a vast amount of players suspended for the game.

If the MSU secondary can be stronger this season, and with Ohio State nowhere to be found on their schedule, the Spartans could be a quiet figure in the top part of the Big Ten standings.

6. The Conference Should Get Two BCS Teams Again

Since the 2005 season, the Big Ten has always had two teams play in BCS bowl games, mostly in part to Ohio State playing in back-to-back national championship games.

And the conference appears poised to do it again in 2010, and most likely with the same two teams that did it last year: Iowa and the Buckeyes.

As mentioned earlier, both squads will be competing not only for a Big Ten title and a berth in the Rose Bowl, but also for a spot in the National Championship Game with the second place team going to Pasadena.

The odds are very good that both Iowa and Ohio State will head into their clash in November undefeated, making it the second consecutive year the teams will meet in the de facto Big Ten Championship Game.

Both teams are very good on both sides of the ball, and have plenty of star power to go around.

But Iowa needs to stay healthy and stay humbled, and Ohio State will need Terrelle Pryor to play at a high level again for both teams to get back to the BCS, and for at least one to play for a national championship.

7. Hope is Alive in Purdue

The first year of the Danny Hope era in Purdue had its high moments and its lows as well. But it also featured a shocking 26-18 win over Ohio State, their only win over a bowl team in 2009.

As 2010 approaches, the Boilermakers should be better, and its not all about offense as it always had been under Joe Tiller.

Purdue should have few problems offensively as Miami transfer Robert Marve has been given the keys to the offense, and will have a favorite target in senior WR Keith Smith.

But the ACL injury to RB Ralph Bolden who had a spectacular year in 2009 will keep him out for possibly the season, and could be a huge blow to the Purdue offense.

If backup Al-Terek McBurse can fill in adequately, Purdue should be explosive once again.

Defensively, Hope found a gem in stud pass rusher DE Ryan Kerrigan, who led the Big Ten in sacks, including three in the win over the Buckeyes.

The front seven for Purdue will need to be very good as they are replacing all four starters in the secondary.

But with what they have right now, there has to be some optimism for Purdue going into this season.

8. Never Sleep on Penn State

As 2010 begins, Penn State will need to replace their starting QB and all three of their starting LBs from a team that won 11 games and beat LSU in the Capital One Bowl.

And even though Kevin Newsome did not look impressive in the spring game, Penn State fans should not be worried about this team competing for a Big Ten title.

Despite Newsome probably needing time to grow, PSU has plenty of horses offensively to take pressure off him, including RBs Evan Royster and Stephon Green.

If the offensive line led by OG Stefan Wisnewski can gel, there is a chance the Nittany Lions can recreate the magic of the Spread HD offense that was so deadly in 2008.

Defensively, the Nittany Lions should be fine up front with DE Jack Crawford and DT Ollie Ogbu returning, as they hope to equal the production lost by DT Jared Odrick going in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Also, fans in the Big Ten should get to know Michael Mauti, a very talented LB who, like Sean Lee a few years ago, suffered a torn ACL.

If he returns healthy, he could be a force in the middle of Penn State's defense.

With road games at Ohio State and Iowa this year, a surprise win at either locale could put the Nittany Lions in position for another Big Ten title as Joe Paterno's time in Happy Valley could end shortly.

9. The Big Ten Has More Top 15 Teams Than Anyone Else

In Friday's release of the preseason Coaches' Poll, everyone saw the top five of Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, Texas, and Boise State, in that order.

But what few people saw was the great presence of the Big Ten in the top 25.

Four teams, Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Penn State, all have homes in the top 15, something no other conference in college football has.

The Big 12 has more teams in the top 10, but the conference does not have another team in the rest of the top 25.

And while the SEC has half of its conference in the top 25, after Alabama and Florida at first and third respectively, you have to go a long way down to find LSU at 16th in the poll.

If nothing else, and although preseason rankings mean very little, it shows that the Big Ten looks to have a great amount of quality depth at the top of the conference.

However, it does also show that the rest of the conference has work to do to catch up to these four squads, as only Michigan State and Northwestern got top 25 votes.

But Big Ten fans have to like that their teams are getting some recognition high in the polls, especially after pulling off huge wins in bowl games last year, something that has turned around the perception of the Big Ten dramatically.

10. The Midwestern DE Factories

Cameron Heyward, Jack Crawford, Adrian Clayborn, Ryan Kerrigan, Broderick Binns...need we go on?

The Big Ten this season does boast a very high amount of quality defensive linemen, especially at the end position.

In fact, the Big Ten could very easily have two or three first rounders at the DE position alone, with OSU's Cameron Heyward, Iowa's Adrian Clayborn, and Purdue's Ryan Kerrigan all being outstanding coming off the edge.

Clayborn and Kerrigan are without a doubt two of the top pass rushers in the conference, while Heyward might be its best run stuffer from the DE position.

And while we all know about these three, there are plenty of other defensive ends in the Big Ten fans should know about before the season starts.

Some of the guys that have a very good chance to break out in 2010 are Ohio State's Nathan Williams, Purdue's Gerald Gooden, and Penn State's Eric Latimore.

Those three players are expected to have some very good seasons as well as the ones mentioned above, keeping alive a new tradition of stud DEs in the Big Ten.

11. Tradition is Still Worth So Much

While the Big Ten is changing its shape heading into 2011, the one thing that fans and players will always emphasize is that what makes the conference so special is the tradition.

It seems that every week in the Big Ten, there is a rivalry game happening which involves one of many unique trophies that are won and lost as a result of those games, such as Paul Bunyan's Axe, The Land Grant Trophy, and the Illibuck.

Don't forget there are also plenty of trophy-less rivalries that provide for great entertainment, including Iowa-Penn State in recent years, and as always, the Ohio State-Michigan game.

Now with the top teams in the conference all being very dangerous, the stakes in the trophy games are much higher than in most seasons.

Fans in the Big Ten feel more connected to their history than teams in most conferences, and that connection has made the rivalries and games in the Big Ten special games.

Seeing a top team playing in a rivalry game almost every week raises the stakes for bragging rights and bowl position that much more week to week.

12. Only the SEC is Better as a Conference

Two years ago, many questioned the legitimacy of the Big Ten and wondered if its BCS bowl bid should be revoked.

What a difference two years makes.

Heading into 2010, the Big Ten appears to be the second-best conference in the country only behind the SEC with two top-10 teams and four top-15 teams.

The Big 12, outside of Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, appears very thin and has major question marks outside of those big three squads.

The ACC does have a few good teams in Virginia Tech, Miami, and Georgia Tech, and the Big East has some BCS contenders of their own in Pitt, WVU, and Cincinnati.

But none of those conferences has the type of depth that the Big Ten has, at least at the top.

For the Big Ten to reach the level of the SEC, the middle teams in the conference, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Michigan all need to be dramatically improved and to give those top four teams a run for their money.

Regardless, the paradigm in college football has changed greatly from where it was two years ago, and most conferences will be looking up at the Big Ten in 2010, especially in 2011 when Nebraska makes it 12 in the Big Ten.