Russell Wilson and Bo Pelini arrive, Jim Tressel leaves: The Big Ten in 2011

By Ted on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
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Listen, I'll admit this: some days, I kinda wish I had gone to a Big Ten school. I think I'd have been good in a frat. This is going to sound lame as hell, but I just started watching Greek on Netflix Streaming, and I like to think there's a lot of myself in Cappie. If I had posted up at Michigan State for my undergrad days, well, maybe I would have been Cappie. It's still a dream, albeit one with no possible tie to reality.

Every year, I get fascinated by the Big Ten and their fanbases. Every year, I get excited for the brand of football -- then the games begin, and predominantly, I'm fairly bored. Three yards and a cloud of dust. Last year was a little different -- Denard Robinson was the most exciting thing on two feet for about six weeks, and even Dan Persa can throw a nice ball here and there -- so I kinda came back to the flock, admittedly with some hope that I could go to grad school at MSU and run a frat at age 32 (I think Old School is a pretty good movie, but I'm probably painting a less-than-flattering picture of myself right now).

Here's the basics of the Big Ten this year, as far as I can tell -- then we'll go team-by-team: (1) Jim Tressel is gone, so OSU may be f*cked; or, conversely, Luke Fickell is the man; (2) Nebraska arrives, along with Taylor Martinez, and absolutely everyone would go nuts if they won the conference; (3) Russell Wilson arrives, which means maybe Wisconsin is a favorite to reach Pasadena again -- and by the way, is it weird that Bret Bielama isn't married? and (4) more people need to respect Sparty (and no, I'm not just saying that).

Here's a breakdown. The new divisions in the Big Ten, "Legends" and "Leaders," are both epic fails.

LEADERS

Wisconsin: 13 starters back, but that doesn't include two All-American OLs, their QB, their TE, and a DE taken in the first round of the NFL draft. Montee Ball and James White are legit runners, though. Offensive could be explosive if Wilson clicks -- or could just bang the ball down the field before getting six. Either way, they're going to win at least eight games.

Penn State: The story is always Joe Paterno here, which is probably a bad thing/a distraction. Story should be: QBs with reps (Matt McGloin, Rob Bolden), a nice WR (Derek Moye), and a former backup looking for his moment in the sun (Silas Redd). If they beat Alabama Week II, you know this team is trending up.

Ohio State: Honestly, they lost seven starters on defense, their QB, and some of their best players have to sit out the first five games. This probably isn't going to be a successful year. Mike Brewster is a bear of a lineman, though.

Illinois: Don't sleep here. They bring back 13 starters, including the main offensive skill positions -- and last year they put up 32.5 PPG. The LBs and DTs are young, though, so this team may be in a few shootouts.

Purdue: They return nine defensive starters, but not the good one (Ryan Kerrigan) and their defense was putrid last year. Their QB, Rob Henry, could be dual-threat, which is cool -- I legitimately had no idea how Robert Marve was still enrolled at any program. Probably not a contending team here in the Boilers, but they could score one upset you don't expect.

Indiana: Give it time. Kevin Wilson is in here now, and just got Gunner Kiel to be his QB -- in a few years. This year, he'll lose a bunch of close games and maybe win five. Similar blueprint: Charlie Strong at Louisville. Then, in 2-3 years, there'll be "buzz" around Indiana football. Just not necessarily this fall. 10/22 -- at Iowa -- expect them to win. That'll be their "landmark" for this year.

LEGENDS

Nebraska: Defense is incredible. Martinez is really fast. Their line allowed 29 sacks last year, and Bo Pelini may be a nutjob. If they won the Big Ten, thousands of Michigan alums (and other schools, naitch) would go absolutely nuts. This is a very interesting team to watch. They could become as "evil" as the Miami Heat were to a certain sub-section of the Midwest.

Michigan State: I ain't a betting guy (... right this second ...), but putting the over/under for MSU wins at 7.5 seems way too low. You should get in on it. Most of their big names are back, and their DTs are all massive dudes with NFL potential (keep an eye on Jerel Worthy). I guess the lack of belief in them is based on the notion that the program hasn't had sustained success since the mid-1960s, but whatever. Most of those guys are in their 60s and 70s now. They ain't suiting up on Saturdays.

Iowa: Only nine starters back, so they may be an also-ran. I do like me some Marvin McNutt, though.

Michigan: Ah! Brady Hoke! Here he comes, with a coaching staff that has 144 years of experience at the NFL and college level! Denard Robinson! But will their systems click? Will the D not be so porous? Can they beat a watered-down OSU, finally, in November? Time shall tell all these things ... but listen, don't go booking that New Year's flight from DET to LAX just yet, friends.

Northwestern: 16 returning starters, including Persa, but, uh ... they gave up 163 points in the final three games last year. You gotta figure Pat Fitzgerald is looking for a bigger job eventually, no? The offense should be good, but the defense needs to be ... something. Great story here: in 2002 (I believe), they beat OSU. It took them over an hour to knock down the goalposts, including some kids trying to organize the most effective angles to hit the posts at. Gotta love academic institutions in a conference of football powers, no?

Minnesota: No. Not this year. But with a new stadium and a new coach, maybe something down the line. MarQueis Gray is pretty exciting, though.