Illinois Fighting Illini
After HC Ron Zook was run out of Gainseville, he wasted no time in taking the job offered to him by the Illini but he faces similar problems as Coach Hoeppner at Indiana in that he also inherits a team that went 3-8 on the season last year. Zook however, is a good recruiter and should be able to build this program with a little time.
Also from Florida, new offense coordinator Ed Zaunbrecker runs a no huddle, shotgun formation spread attack, similar to the one the Gators used last year. The biggest problem will be deciding which of two junior quarterbacks is best suited to run this hectic style of offense. Whoever that is will be helped by a pair of returning running backs who combined for 1,350 yards last season but the offensive line will be a trouble spot again in 2005.
On the defensive side, the line and linebackers are young and undersized with only one senior on the line and two sophomores and a redshirt freshman at linebacker. Only five starters return and last year?s unit gave up almost 30 points per game and can be expected to struggle again this year.
Don?t expect miracles from Zook and Co. in his first year as the cupboard was pretty bare when he took over. Three of Illinois' first four games are at home, with Rutgers, followed by San Jose State then a trip to California before Big 10 play begins at home against Michigan State. The road schedule is pretty tough as the Illini have to travel to play Iowa, Ohio State.
Indiana Hoosiers
A 3-8 season in 2004 did not sit well with the Hoosier boosters and subsequently, Indiana fired HC Gerry DiNardo and brought in Terry Hoeppner from Miami-Ohio where he put together a nice 48-25 record over six seasons for a winning percentage of .657 which is ranked eighth among active coaches. Hoeppner never had a losing season with the Redhawks and he can take a lot of credit for the success that QB Ben Roethlisberger had in his college career. A Native Hoosier, Hoeppner also brought back Offensive Coordinator Bill Lynch to the team. Lynch was brains behind the spread offense that took Indiana to their last bowl berth in 1993.
Indiana?s 2004 season was not a success but there were some bright spots along the way as the actually beat two ranked teams in Minnesota and Oregon and took Northwestern to overtime before dropping that game. This season will feature a veteran offensive line and that is where the good news ends. There is hope that QB Blake Powers will excel in the new offensive scheme but last year he completed only 41% of his passes and this year?s receiving corps looks pretty thin.
The defense is average as well with only LB Kyle Killion and OL Victor Adeyanju standing out from the rest of the pack. Last year, the defense ranked 102nd against the pass and allowed 5.0 yards per carry which was the highest in the Big 10. Coach Hoeppner is putting in a new zone-blitzing tactic with the hope of forcing turnovers but the personnel is probably not there to execute.
The Hoosiers will have it easy to open their season with three non-conference games, at Central Michigan, then home against Nicholls State and Kentucky before opening the conference season at Wisconsin and could conceivably be 4-1 after their first 5 games. Unfortunately, that is where the fun ends and Indiana has to face the meatier teams of the Big 10.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Big expectations for the Hawkeyes after last year?s stellar 10-2 season which culminated in an amazing victory over LSU in the Capitol One Bowl and they may very well live up to them with the tools that HC Kirk Ferentz has at his disposal. The Big 10 title is within reach and if everything falls into place, this team could possibly be in the running for a trip to Pasadena.
Last season, Ferentz showed why he is one of the best coaches in the Big 10 by piling up the wins with virtually no running game as the running backs were injured one after another throughout the year. Near the end of the season, Iowa was down to their 5th string tailback who was a walk on and the team finished 116th in rushing offense. This year there are eight players competing for the running back position and Heisman candidate in Drew Tate will not have to shoulder the entire load at quarterback as he led the Big Ten is passing last season with 262.4 yards per game and a QB rating of 137.1.
The defensive line is inexperienced but if they will have a chance to gel in front of what is maybe the best pair of linebackers in the country. Abdul Hodge and Chad Greenway have combined for an amazing total of 555 tackles in their career. The secondary should also be among the best in the conference
Kirk Ferentz is nothing short of a magician. From 1998 through 2000, Iowa went 3-8, 1-10 and 3-9 but then the last three years they won 31 games and finished in the Top 10. Last year, they sold out every home game for the first time ever and hold an unbelievable 23-4-1 ATS record at home in Kinnick Stadium.
Michigan Wolverines
The nation?s all-time winningest football program has appeared in 30 consecutive bowl games which is the longest run in the nation. There are however, some question marks in Ann Arbor heading into the 2005 season. After painful losses last year to Notre Dame, Ohio State and to Texas in the Rose Bowl, the Wolverines ended up with a 9-3 record.
Head coach Lloyd Carr rallied his troops to come from behind victories in five games 2004 and a total of 16 starters return from last year but the offense this season will be in the hands of two sophomores; QB Chad Henne and RB Michael Hart. Henne completed 60.2 percent of his passes last fall for 2,743 yards and 25 touchdowns and Hart gained nearly 1,500 yards last season with an average of 5.2 yards per carry. Additionally, the Wolverines have four starting linemen and two wide receivers returning from last year.
After allowing 279 points last year (most in school history), much improvement is needed from last fall's campaign if Michigan is to have any chance of returning to the Rose Bowl. Big plays by the opposition were responsible for allowing 24 points per game in their three losses but the problem is that there are lots of new faces in the defensive lineup.
Michigan State
Despite a 5-7 record, the Spartan offense of 2004 finished 10th in the nation and first in the Big Ten. The are again led by QB Drew Stanton who ran for nearly 700 yards and threw for over 1,600 last year, accounting for 13 MSU touchdowns. This team outgained 8 of its 11 opponents and Stanton is a great leader but will need to stay healthy. To protect him, three starters back on an offensive line that allowed only eight sacks last year. Third year coach John L. Smith has emphasized the running game in the off season, featuring 61 running plays and 31 passing plays in a recent scrimmage.
Only five starters return from a defense that they gave up over 27 points per game and 381 total yards last year. In all six losses, the Spartans allowed at least 31 points and they ranked 71st in the country against the run in 2004. Six of the top eight defensive linemen are back and two solid linebackers return in Eric Smith and Kaleb Thornhilll. The secondary is green but does have some talented athletes.
Brandon Fields is back his stellar 47.7 yards per kick as the Spartan punter but the Spartans will have to cover better down field this year as they ranked 115th in the nation in punt coverage last year.
Michigan State will have to win on the road if they are going to compete in the Big 10 this year and that won?t be easy with road games at Purdue, Notre Dame and Ohio State but Kent St. and Hawaii at home to open the season should get them off to a 2-0 start before heading to Notre Dame on September 17th.
After HC Ron Zook was run out of Gainseville, he wasted no time in taking the job offered to him by the Illini but he faces similar problems as Coach Hoeppner at Indiana in that he also inherits a team that went 3-8 on the season last year. Zook however, is a good recruiter and should be able to build this program with a little time.
Also from Florida, new offense coordinator Ed Zaunbrecker runs a no huddle, shotgun formation spread attack, similar to the one the Gators used last year. The biggest problem will be deciding which of two junior quarterbacks is best suited to run this hectic style of offense. Whoever that is will be helped by a pair of returning running backs who combined for 1,350 yards last season but the offensive line will be a trouble spot again in 2005.
On the defensive side, the line and linebackers are young and undersized with only one senior on the line and two sophomores and a redshirt freshman at linebacker. Only five starters return and last year?s unit gave up almost 30 points per game and can be expected to struggle again this year.
Don?t expect miracles from Zook and Co. in his first year as the cupboard was pretty bare when he took over. Three of Illinois' first four games are at home, with Rutgers, followed by San Jose State then a trip to California before Big 10 play begins at home against Michigan State. The road schedule is pretty tough as the Illini have to travel to play Iowa, Ohio State.
Indiana Hoosiers
A 3-8 season in 2004 did not sit well with the Hoosier boosters and subsequently, Indiana fired HC Gerry DiNardo and brought in Terry Hoeppner from Miami-Ohio where he put together a nice 48-25 record over six seasons for a winning percentage of .657 which is ranked eighth among active coaches. Hoeppner never had a losing season with the Redhawks and he can take a lot of credit for the success that QB Ben Roethlisberger had in his college career. A Native Hoosier, Hoeppner also brought back Offensive Coordinator Bill Lynch to the team. Lynch was brains behind the spread offense that took Indiana to their last bowl berth in 1993.
Indiana?s 2004 season was not a success but there were some bright spots along the way as the actually beat two ranked teams in Minnesota and Oregon and took Northwestern to overtime before dropping that game. This season will feature a veteran offensive line and that is where the good news ends. There is hope that QB Blake Powers will excel in the new offensive scheme but last year he completed only 41% of his passes and this year?s receiving corps looks pretty thin.
The defense is average as well with only LB Kyle Killion and OL Victor Adeyanju standing out from the rest of the pack. Last year, the defense ranked 102nd against the pass and allowed 5.0 yards per carry which was the highest in the Big 10. Coach Hoeppner is putting in a new zone-blitzing tactic with the hope of forcing turnovers but the personnel is probably not there to execute.
The Hoosiers will have it easy to open their season with three non-conference games, at Central Michigan, then home against Nicholls State and Kentucky before opening the conference season at Wisconsin and could conceivably be 4-1 after their first 5 games. Unfortunately, that is where the fun ends and Indiana has to face the meatier teams of the Big 10.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Big expectations for the Hawkeyes after last year?s stellar 10-2 season which culminated in an amazing victory over LSU in the Capitol One Bowl and they may very well live up to them with the tools that HC Kirk Ferentz has at his disposal. The Big 10 title is within reach and if everything falls into place, this team could possibly be in the running for a trip to Pasadena.
Last season, Ferentz showed why he is one of the best coaches in the Big 10 by piling up the wins with virtually no running game as the running backs were injured one after another throughout the year. Near the end of the season, Iowa was down to their 5th string tailback who was a walk on and the team finished 116th in rushing offense. This year there are eight players competing for the running back position and Heisman candidate in Drew Tate will not have to shoulder the entire load at quarterback as he led the Big Ten is passing last season with 262.4 yards per game and a QB rating of 137.1.
The defensive line is inexperienced but if they will have a chance to gel in front of what is maybe the best pair of linebackers in the country. Abdul Hodge and Chad Greenway have combined for an amazing total of 555 tackles in their career. The secondary should also be among the best in the conference
Kirk Ferentz is nothing short of a magician. From 1998 through 2000, Iowa went 3-8, 1-10 and 3-9 but then the last three years they won 31 games and finished in the Top 10. Last year, they sold out every home game for the first time ever and hold an unbelievable 23-4-1 ATS record at home in Kinnick Stadium.
Michigan Wolverines
The nation?s all-time winningest football program has appeared in 30 consecutive bowl games which is the longest run in the nation. There are however, some question marks in Ann Arbor heading into the 2005 season. After painful losses last year to Notre Dame, Ohio State and to Texas in the Rose Bowl, the Wolverines ended up with a 9-3 record.
Head coach Lloyd Carr rallied his troops to come from behind victories in five games 2004 and a total of 16 starters return from last year but the offense this season will be in the hands of two sophomores; QB Chad Henne and RB Michael Hart. Henne completed 60.2 percent of his passes last fall for 2,743 yards and 25 touchdowns and Hart gained nearly 1,500 yards last season with an average of 5.2 yards per carry. Additionally, the Wolverines have four starting linemen and two wide receivers returning from last year.
After allowing 279 points last year (most in school history), much improvement is needed from last fall's campaign if Michigan is to have any chance of returning to the Rose Bowl. Big plays by the opposition were responsible for allowing 24 points per game in their three losses but the problem is that there are lots of new faces in the defensive lineup.
Michigan State
Despite a 5-7 record, the Spartan offense of 2004 finished 10th in the nation and first in the Big Ten. The are again led by QB Drew Stanton who ran for nearly 700 yards and threw for over 1,600 last year, accounting for 13 MSU touchdowns. This team outgained 8 of its 11 opponents and Stanton is a great leader but will need to stay healthy. To protect him, three starters back on an offensive line that allowed only eight sacks last year. Third year coach John L. Smith has emphasized the running game in the off season, featuring 61 running plays and 31 passing plays in a recent scrimmage.
Only five starters return from a defense that they gave up over 27 points per game and 381 total yards last year. In all six losses, the Spartans allowed at least 31 points and they ranked 71st in the country against the run in 2004. Six of the top eight defensive linemen are back and two solid linebackers return in Eric Smith and Kaleb Thornhilll. The secondary is green but does have some talented athletes.
Brandon Fields is back his stellar 47.7 yards per kick as the Spartan punter but the Spartans will have to cover better down field this year as they ranked 115th in the nation in punt coverage last year.
Michigan State will have to win on the road if they are going to compete in the Big 10 this year and that won?t be easy with road games at Purdue, Notre Dame and Ohio State but Kent St. and Hawaii at home to open the season should get them off to a 2-0 start before heading to Notre Dame on September 17th.
