Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota lost five of its last six games to end a very disappointing season in 2004 although they got a lift by winning their first bowl game in 17 years. After starting 6-0, the Gophers fell apart at the hands of their defense and HC Glen Mason knows that in order to win more games this year, the offense will have to control the clock.
Quarterback Bryan Capito who had an inconsistent season as a freshman, completing only 47% of his passes and the hope is that the experience he gained last year will pay off in 2005 and that is bolstered by the return of powerful RB Laurence Maroney. This is a team that has shown that they can run the ball as they were ranked 5th in the country with 256 yards per game on the ground and the offensive line that helped them achieved those numbers returns almost in full force. Only four receivers caught more than four passes last year but they are all back as well.
A strong defensive line should provide some relief until the young but talented linebackers gain some game experience. A weak secondary gave up more than 3,000 yards passing last season and the unit this year does not look to be much better.
The non-conference schedule starts at Tulsa followed by home games against Colorado State and Florida Atlantic. The Big 10 season opens at home against Purdue, but includes solid road challenges at Michigan and at Iowa with tough home games against Ohio State and Michigan State in between.
Northwestern Wildcats
Over the last two seasons, HC Randy Walker has faced 15 teams who played in bowl games the previous year and again this season he will have to game plan for seven bowlers from last year. If he can put together another 6-6 season like he did in 2003 and 2004, he will be the first Northwestern coach to win six games in three consecutive seasons since 1931. Such is the life of a lower tier Big 10 team.
Brett Basanez started at quarterback for the Wildcats the last three years and will be back as a senior hoping to at least match his performance last season when he threw for more than 2,800 yards and 12 touchdowns. Walker has coached a remarkable string of running backs as 24 of them have run for over 1,000 yards in his 30 year career. Back from an injury suffered last year, RB Terrell Jordan will try to become the 25th to do so this season as seven of the top ten down offensive linemen return from the 2004 team as well as three veteran receivers.
The defensive line must do better but losing three starters will not help improve on the six sacks the squad recorded last season however, ML Tim McGarigle is back after being credited with 151 tackles in 2004. The secondary allowed more than 250 yards a game which was ranked 98th in the nation last year and no significant upgrade in personnel is seen for this season.
Depth on both sides of the ball will remain a concern. The Wildcat coaching staff decided against having a spring game due to the number of banged up players and if those injuries linger into the season it could be the biggest factor in whether this team is able to even compete in this league.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Four losses for the Bucks in 1004 did not please the Ohio State faithful and you know expectations are high when the fans turn up their noses at an eight win season, but that?s the way it is in Columbus. The team can finally put the drama of Maurice Clarret behind them and focus on the national title run which they seem prepared to mount.
The Buckeye?s braved another NCAA investigation as QB Troy Smith was caught accepting favors from a booster last year and it cost him a two game suspension by the NCAA which will be completed after Ohio State?s first game against Miami-Ohio. That is just in time as Texas visits The Horseshoe for the first meeting ever between these two teams on September 10th.
Smith took over for Justin Zwick last fall and completed 68 passes for nearly 900 yards and 8 touchdowns and he will be joined in the backfield by a very reliable but inexperienced running back in Antonio Pittman who averaged more than 5 yards a carry in 2004. The Buckeyes have another not so secret weapon in speedster Ted Ginn who seemingly can do it all, but will get most of his reps at wide receiver across from Santonio Holmes. There are some new faces at the offensive line position but a pair of two-year starters are back again this season.
For the third year in a row, HC Jim Tressel has brought in a new defensive coordinator but this year it was done since spring practice but Tim Beckman will have plenty to work with beginning with one of the best group of linebackers in the nation. The defensive line and the secondary also each benefit from the return of three starters from last year making this perhaps the most solid unit Tressel has had yet at a school that is known for defense.
There is no question that the Buckeyes will miss the talent of Mike Nugent, who may have been the best kicker in America last year but the team appears to be all around very capable and barring an implosion, should compete for the Big 10 title and a BCS berth in January.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Joe Paterno enters his 39th year as the head coach of the Nittany Lions after serving as an assistant for 16 years before that. His legacy was set in concrete when he donated $3.5 million to the university in 1997 to endow faculty positions, scholarships and to support two building projects. Although there are many who think that Jo Pa has stayed at Penn State longer than he should have, there is no question that this legend will leave on his own terms and not until he is ready. After last year?s 4-7 record, he wasn?t.
The entire front line is back from a year ago and should offer plenty of protection for senior QB Michael Robinson and should be able to open plenty of holes for RB Tony Hunter who rushed for 777 yards last year and caught a team high 39 passes. Three defensive backs have been moved to wide receiver and they will be joined at times by two freshman speedsters.
With all of the talent returning on both sides of the ball this year, it is pretty easy to see why ?Joe won?t go?. Nine starters are back on both offense and defense. It is the defense that is particularly frightening if you look at what this squad accomplished last year. It is doubtful that there will ever again be a four win team in the NCAA that allows a mere 15 points per game and not surrender more than 21 points in any game as the Nits did in 2004 when they allowed only three rushing touchdowns.
Penn State is home for all three of their non-conference games which include South Florida, Cincinnati and Central Michigan and then play Northwestern on the road. They get both Ohio State and Purdue at home but must travel to Ann Arbor to take on the Wolverines. If they get a fast start out of the gate, there could easily be a bowl game for Jo Pa at the end of the season.
Purdue Boilermakers
There ought to be a law. Not only does Purdue have 20 starters from last year back in 2005 but they do not have to face Ohio State or Michigan. In fact, the Boilermakers have only four teams on their schedule that finished with winning records last year. Head Coach Joe Tiller has taken this team to a bowl game in each of his eight seasons with the school and has averaged nearly eight wins per season over that span. Talk about consistency!
Only a half dozen plays and 14 points kept Purdue from an undefeated season in 2004 and yet they finished 7-5 by loosing four regular season games by a total of 10 points and their bowl game by 4 points in the last 34 seconds.
This season, gone is QB Kyle Orton and the all time leading NCAA receiver, Taylor Stubblefield but veteran junior QB Brandon Kirsch will take over the option attack after completing 58 passes for more than 700 yards and 7 touchdowns a year ago and Tiller will rotate two seniors and a lightning fast freshman at running back.
Every single starter on last year?s defense is back on the field after allowing only 17 points per game in 2004. The defensive line led the Big 10 in sacks last year and should continue with success in this area but the secondary was very susceptible to late game big plays as the Boilermakers allowed the go ahead winning score in the last three minutes in four of their five losses.
Wisconsin Badgers
Badger Head Coach Barry Alvarez has already announced that he will step down after this, his 16th year, and he will do so as the winningest coach in Wisconsin?s history with a current record of 108-70-4 and two Rose Bowl victories to his credit.
On offense last year, the Badgers were 10th in the Big 10 in scoring, 11th in passing yards and the three top wide receivers caught just three touchdowns each. John Stocco will start at quarterback for the second year after throwing for nearly 2,000 yards and nine touchdowns in 2004. If he is inconsistent, we could see Brian Calhoun take over for the Badgers after transferring from Colorado. Three senior receivers are back but I think we can expect to see a lot of action from three running backs who will be looking for holes from the two offensive linemen who return from last year to join a massive front five.
The defense lost four All Big 10 players from last year to the NFL and all four starters from the defensive line as well as the secondary are gone which is not a good sign.
Minnesota lost five of its last six games to end a very disappointing season in 2004 although they got a lift by winning their first bowl game in 17 years. After starting 6-0, the Gophers fell apart at the hands of their defense and HC Glen Mason knows that in order to win more games this year, the offense will have to control the clock.
Quarterback Bryan Capito who had an inconsistent season as a freshman, completing only 47% of his passes and the hope is that the experience he gained last year will pay off in 2005 and that is bolstered by the return of powerful RB Laurence Maroney. This is a team that has shown that they can run the ball as they were ranked 5th in the country with 256 yards per game on the ground and the offensive line that helped them achieved those numbers returns almost in full force. Only four receivers caught more than four passes last year but they are all back as well.
A strong defensive line should provide some relief until the young but talented linebackers gain some game experience. A weak secondary gave up more than 3,000 yards passing last season and the unit this year does not look to be much better.
The non-conference schedule starts at Tulsa followed by home games against Colorado State and Florida Atlantic. The Big 10 season opens at home against Purdue, but includes solid road challenges at Michigan and at Iowa with tough home games against Ohio State and Michigan State in between.
Northwestern Wildcats
Over the last two seasons, HC Randy Walker has faced 15 teams who played in bowl games the previous year and again this season he will have to game plan for seven bowlers from last year. If he can put together another 6-6 season like he did in 2003 and 2004, he will be the first Northwestern coach to win six games in three consecutive seasons since 1931. Such is the life of a lower tier Big 10 team.
Brett Basanez started at quarterback for the Wildcats the last three years and will be back as a senior hoping to at least match his performance last season when he threw for more than 2,800 yards and 12 touchdowns. Walker has coached a remarkable string of running backs as 24 of them have run for over 1,000 yards in his 30 year career. Back from an injury suffered last year, RB Terrell Jordan will try to become the 25th to do so this season as seven of the top ten down offensive linemen return from the 2004 team as well as three veteran receivers.
The defensive line must do better but losing three starters will not help improve on the six sacks the squad recorded last season however, ML Tim McGarigle is back after being credited with 151 tackles in 2004. The secondary allowed more than 250 yards a game which was ranked 98th in the nation last year and no significant upgrade in personnel is seen for this season.
Depth on both sides of the ball will remain a concern. The Wildcat coaching staff decided against having a spring game due to the number of banged up players and if those injuries linger into the season it could be the biggest factor in whether this team is able to even compete in this league.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Four losses for the Bucks in 1004 did not please the Ohio State faithful and you know expectations are high when the fans turn up their noses at an eight win season, but that?s the way it is in Columbus. The team can finally put the drama of Maurice Clarret behind them and focus on the national title run which they seem prepared to mount.
The Buckeye?s braved another NCAA investigation as QB Troy Smith was caught accepting favors from a booster last year and it cost him a two game suspension by the NCAA which will be completed after Ohio State?s first game against Miami-Ohio. That is just in time as Texas visits The Horseshoe for the first meeting ever between these two teams on September 10th.
Smith took over for Justin Zwick last fall and completed 68 passes for nearly 900 yards and 8 touchdowns and he will be joined in the backfield by a very reliable but inexperienced running back in Antonio Pittman who averaged more than 5 yards a carry in 2004. The Buckeyes have another not so secret weapon in speedster Ted Ginn who seemingly can do it all, but will get most of his reps at wide receiver across from Santonio Holmes. There are some new faces at the offensive line position but a pair of two-year starters are back again this season.
For the third year in a row, HC Jim Tressel has brought in a new defensive coordinator but this year it was done since spring practice but Tim Beckman will have plenty to work with beginning with one of the best group of linebackers in the nation. The defensive line and the secondary also each benefit from the return of three starters from last year making this perhaps the most solid unit Tressel has had yet at a school that is known for defense.
There is no question that the Buckeyes will miss the talent of Mike Nugent, who may have been the best kicker in America last year but the team appears to be all around very capable and barring an implosion, should compete for the Big 10 title and a BCS berth in January.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Joe Paterno enters his 39th year as the head coach of the Nittany Lions after serving as an assistant for 16 years before that. His legacy was set in concrete when he donated $3.5 million to the university in 1997 to endow faculty positions, scholarships and to support two building projects. Although there are many who think that Jo Pa has stayed at Penn State longer than he should have, there is no question that this legend will leave on his own terms and not until he is ready. After last year?s 4-7 record, he wasn?t.
The entire front line is back from a year ago and should offer plenty of protection for senior QB Michael Robinson and should be able to open plenty of holes for RB Tony Hunter who rushed for 777 yards last year and caught a team high 39 passes. Three defensive backs have been moved to wide receiver and they will be joined at times by two freshman speedsters.
With all of the talent returning on both sides of the ball this year, it is pretty easy to see why ?Joe won?t go?. Nine starters are back on both offense and defense. It is the defense that is particularly frightening if you look at what this squad accomplished last year. It is doubtful that there will ever again be a four win team in the NCAA that allows a mere 15 points per game and not surrender more than 21 points in any game as the Nits did in 2004 when they allowed only three rushing touchdowns.
Penn State is home for all three of their non-conference games which include South Florida, Cincinnati and Central Michigan and then play Northwestern on the road. They get both Ohio State and Purdue at home but must travel to Ann Arbor to take on the Wolverines. If they get a fast start out of the gate, there could easily be a bowl game for Jo Pa at the end of the season.
Purdue Boilermakers
There ought to be a law. Not only does Purdue have 20 starters from last year back in 2005 but they do not have to face Ohio State or Michigan. In fact, the Boilermakers have only four teams on their schedule that finished with winning records last year. Head Coach Joe Tiller has taken this team to a bowl game in each of his eight seasons with the school and has averaged nearly eight wins per season over that span. Talk about consistency!
Only a half dozen plays and 14 points kept Purdue from an undefeated season in 2004 and yet they finished 7-5 by loosing four regular season games by a total of 10 points and their bowl game by 4 points in the last 34 seconds.
This season, gone is QB Kyle Orton and the all time leading NCAA receiver, Taylor Stubblefield but veteran junior QB Brandon Kirsch will take over the option attack after completing 58 passes for more than 700 yards and 7 touchdowns a year ago and Tiller will rotate two seniors and a lightning fast freshman at running back.
Every single starter on last year?s defense is back on the field after allowing only 17 points per game in 2004. The defensive line led the Big 10 in sacks last year and should continue with success in this area but the secondary was very susceptible to late game big plays as the Boilermakers allowed the go ahead winning score in the last three minutes in four of their five losses.
Wisconsin Badgers
Badger Head Coach Barry Alvarez has already announced that he will step down after this, his 16th year, and he will do so as the winningest coach in Wisconsin?s history with a current record of 108-70-4 and two Rose Bowl victories to his credit.
On offense last year, the Badgers were 10th in the Big 10 in scoring, 11th in passing yards and the three top wide receivers caught just three touchdowns each. John Stocco will start at quarterback for the second year after throwing for nearly 2,000 yards and nine touchdowns in 2004. If he is inconsistent, we could see Brian Calhoun take over for the Badgers after transferring from Colorado. Three senior receivers are back but I think we can expect to see a lot of action from three running backs who will be looking for holes from the two offensive linemen who return from last year to join a massive front five.
The defense lost four All Big 10 players from last year to the NFL and all four starters from the defensive line as well as the secondary are gone which is not a good sign.
