BringTheBlitz.com | 2007 Big Ten Preview

2007 Big Ten Preview

By Eric Hyde
BringTheBlitz.com
08/24/07 at 10:55 AM

The Big 10 was extremely top-heavy last season where Michigan and Ohio State both got to appear in BCS bowls while Wisconsin was, oh…., a so-so 11-1. The rest of the conference didn’t exactly pick up the slack with Iowa, Purdue, Minnesota, and Michigan State having less-than-stellar seasons. Will things change for the Big 10 in 2007?

5 Burning Big Ten Questions:

1. Who will be quarterbacking for Ohio State?

The Answer: Todd Boeckman.

Analysis: He defeated freshman Antonio Henton and sophomore Rob Schoenhoft for the starting job and wasn’t that great in the spring game. Boeckman should be in the role of just taking care of the football and not take part of the Troy Smith-role. While he isn’t exactly Craig Krenzel, he should be able to develop as a passer as the season goes along. Ohio State doesn’t face much of a test until October when they get Purdue on the schedule.

2. What should be expected out of Minnesota this year?

The Answer: More enthusiasm.

Analysis: The Golden Gophers can now move on from what was the era of mediocrity under Glen Mason. Coming off of a collapse for the ages, the new blood appears to be a good thing. Brewster has promised Rose Bowls in the coming future and while this team won’t be able to quite make that many strides in year one, it’s obvious that the play shouldn’t be as lackluster as they were against teams like California, North Dakota State, and Wisconsin last season. Offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar should change things up and use more spread formations offensively.

3. When you think Big 10, you think of hard-hitting defense (well, besides when thinking about Purdue). Who’s the best player on defense in the conference?

The Answer: Dan Connor.

Analysis: As much as I want to go with James Laurinatis this year because he embodies all of the spirit and tenacity of a college LB, Connor has that too and more skill. Connor is a lock for all-Big 10 status if he can stay healthy and now that Paul Posluszny is gone to the pros, the spotlight should all be his. They call Penn State Linebacker U for a reason.

4. How does Indiana move on with the passing of head coach, Terry Hoeppner?

Answer: By playing every down like it’s their last.

Analysis: The Coach Hep tragedy extends beyond football, but solely focusing on the gridiron, Indiana has what it takes to go bowling. If they can keep Hep in their minds when taking the field and they play with a purpose, they can win their fair share of ballgames. Bill Lynch was a head coach at Ball State so he does have some experience in this arena. Indiana will be one of the more emotional storylines this season.

5. Will Michigan be able to replace all of the talent on defense?

Answer: To some extent, yes.

Analysis: It’s never easy losing guys like David Harris, LeMar Woodley, Leon Hall, and Alan Branch, but Michigan can do it. While they maybe don’t reload as well as a team like Florida, Virginia Tech, or USC defensively, they have some talent waiting in the wings. Brandent Englemon will be one of the players that needs to step up at S as does Morgan Trent. Trent really isn’t a #1 CB on most teams, he needs to surprise people and play like it if Michigan wants to stop the opponent’s passing game. Will Johnson, Jamar Adams, and Charles Stewart will emerge as good players for the defense. It won’t be as good as last year, but it won’t be bad.

BTB All-Big 10 Team:

QB: Chad Henne (Michigan)

RB: Mike Hart (Michigan)

RB: P.J. Hill (Wisconsin)

WR: Mario Manningham (Michigan)

WR: Dorien Bryant (Purdue)

TE: Travis Beckham (Wisconsin)

OT: Alex Boone (Ohio State)

OG: Steve Rehring (Ohio State)

C: Trevor Rees (Northwestern)

OG: Adam Kraus (Michigan)

OT: Jake Long (Michigan)

DE: Willie VanDeSteeg (Minnesota)

DT: Terrence Taylor (Michigan)

DT: John Gill (Northwestern)

DE: Vernon Gholston (Ohio State)

LB: Dan Connor (Penn State)

LB: James Laurinatis (Ohio State)

LB: Kaleb Thornhill (Michigan State)

CB: Tracy Porter (Indiana)

S: Anthony Scirrotto (Penn State)

S: Otis Wiley (Michigan State)

CB: Jack Ikegwuonu (Wisconsin)

K: Taylor Mehlhaff (Wisconsin)

P: Kenneth DeBauche (Wisconsin)

5 Potential Statement Games (in no particular order):

1. Sept. 8, Notre Dame @ Penn State

Penn State got shellacked last season by Notre Dame, 41-17 when it was obvious that Notre Dame couldn’t stand up to the elite. Penn State will be desperately looking for revenge in a game that would be crucial for each’s fate. Notre Dame would like to chalk up a big victory for their young and inexperienced team while Penn State would be looking to make a big impact on the national scene.

2. Sept. 15, Pitt @ Michigan State

This game was mentioned in the last segment, but this is a statement game just as much for the Big East as it is for the Big 10. Michigan State is looking to rebuild under Mark Dantonio and this game will probably take them to 3-0 heading into the Notre Dame game. Pittsburgh is a bit weakened as of the moment, but it would be a nice win for the Spartans.

3. Sept. 8, Oregon @ Michigan

Over the last few years, Michigan has stunk against the Pac-10. Oregon took out the Wolverines last time in Autzen and they have a very good shot to do so again. It’ll be interesting to see how Michigan’s new-look defense will handle the Ducks wide-open offense. Dennis Dixon has the potential to present some problems for Michigan’s defense because he is a good scrambler. Lloyd Carr’s crew normally has that one loss that keeps us scratching our heads for weeks after the fact. Could this be it? It will be crucial that Michigan avoids this upset bid.

4. Sept. 1, Missouri vs. Illinois (in St. Louis)

Is Illinois for real? One of the themes for the Big 10 this year is how much hype Ron Zook and his team has been receiving. He’s pulled in some great recruiting classes, but is he good enough of a coach to put them in a position to win 7 or 8 games this year? I doubt it, but Missouri is one of the best teams in the Big 12 conference. Juice Williams shouldn’t plan on completing 40% of his passes and competing with a high-powered offense like the one Chase Daniel leads in Columbia.

5. Sept. 29, Notre Dame @ Purdue

Another Notre Dame game, can Purdue win this time? Again, like Penn State, the Irish took the Boilermakers to the cleaners. The pass defense couldn’t keep up with the likes of Brady Quinn. Purdue never really proved anything from last year losing to the only live competition on their schedule (Penn State, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Hawaii, Iowa, and Maryland). So a win against a team that is somewhat solid would at least show that Joe Tiller’s bunch isn’t a fraud.

Take These to the Bank (at your own risk!):

1. Illinois will not evolve into the team many expect them to.

Yeah, Ron Zook has brought in a bunch of talent in his 2007 recruiting class. So what? Most of these guys are not physically mature or experienced enough to make a gigantic impact RIGHT NOW. Perhaps the Fighting Zookers will make a run at a bowl game next season, but not this year. Juice Williams completed fewer than 40% of his passes and the defense wasn’t that stellar. Illinois may win 2 or 3 Big 10 games this season, not really anything to go crazy over.

2. Northwestern will surprise.

Kind of. The thing with the Wildcats is that it’s now time to move on from the Randy Walker era. They should have their minds focused on football season this fall instead of the tragic loss of their head coach. They still don’t have as much talent as other teams do in this conference, but every now and then there comes an experienced Northwestern team that is good enough to go bowling. They may only go 3-5 in conference play, but that’ll be enough to get them in the bowl picture. C.J. Bacher should make the necessary strides as a passer and that will elevate them into bowl contention. Their non-conference schedule is very, very soft.

3. The bottom section of the Big 10 might have a harder time with the MAC than they think.

Just a few potential MAC/Big 10 upsets on the horizon: Purdue @ Toledo, Ball State @ Illinois, Indiana @ Western Michigan, Akron @ Indiana, Ball State @ Indiana, Iowa @ Northern Illinois, Western Michigan @ Iowa, Bowling Green @ Michigan State, Miami OH @ Minnesota, and Central Michigan @ Purdue. Expect the conference to drop a few of these.

4. The new coach with the most success in future seasons will be Mark Dantonio.

This guy appears to know what he’s doing. He orchestrated the Ohio State defense while in the meantime taking Cincinnati to a competitive level in a BCS conference. Michigan State is going to have a rough first few seasons, but the Spartans have the potential to become a Big 10 player 4 or 5 years down the road. No joke. He coaches defense very, very well.

5. Wisconsin should take the conference cake this year.

Well, at the very least they’ll be declared champions in a series of tiebreakers :) . One of the things that irks me is the fact that they aren’t able to play each other. Either play ten conference games or add one more team and go to a conference championship game format. Anyway, back to the Badgers, they have enough on defense to go to the BCS. Jack Ikegwuonu should be ready to play, he’s been having some legal issues lately. The line is big and stodgy and should hold most teams’ pass rush at bay (even though they didn’t do so hot against Arkansas). If Tyler Donovan fills in for John Stocco admirably, they should be fine. Michigan has too many defensive holes, Ohio State has too many offensive holes, and Penn State isn’t quite as talented as the “Big 3”.