The Big Ten football season is finally here and it’s finally happening. We get you ready with a quick overview of every team before it all starts up on Friday.
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Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Maryland | Michigan
Michigan State | Minnesota | Nebraska | Northwestern
Ohio State | Penn State | Purdue | Rutgers | Wisconsin
Illinois Fighting Illini
– The Illinois offense wasn’t exactly a smoothly run organization. The running game was okay at times, and the passing attack came through late when it had to in a few huge upsets, but for the most part, it was a struggle.
The Illini finished 112th in the nation in total offense, but it made the yards count with a not-awful 26.7 points per game. However, the O almost never had the ball – long, sustained drives were a rumor – and the attack fell flat late in the season.
There’s hope for a boost, though, with four starters back on what should be a good line, a deep group of quarterbacks to play around with, and with almost all of the key targets back.
– It’s been one of the stranger disappointments in the Lovie Smith era. He’s an elite defensive football coach who crafted some killers in the NFL, and yet he hasn’t been anything special at Illinois. It’s his D – he’s the coordinator – and it’s been great at forcing takeaways and getting into the backfield – but it’s been blasted too easily against the run and it’s been way too inconsistent overall.
Fortunately, the linebackers are great and the secondary is going to be a plus. Now the thump has to come from the interior.
Indiana Hoosiers
– The offense quietly started to work really, really well. It might not have been able to keep up enough to overcome the occasional defensive issues, and the firepower wasn’t there to do anything against the Ohio States and Michigans of the world, but at least the attack was able to keep things moving.
The running game needs to be stronger, but the passing attack was the second-best in the Big Ten. With the potential of eight starters returning – along with some parts that missed time last year – the league’s No. 3 offense should be every bit as strong under rising star QB Michael Penix.
– The defense couldn’t handle the better offenses, and it struggled too often late in the year, but it was hardly awful. It allowed 352 yards and 32 points per game, was serviceable at getting into the backfield, and it didn’t have any one glaring issue other than not being able to pick off enough passes.
The D line needs to be better at getting to the quarterback, but there’s a nice blend of bulk and experience across the front four.
Big Ten Preview Quick Overviews of Every Team
IIowa | Maryland | Michigan | Michigan State
Minnesota | Nebraska | Northwestern | Ohio State
Penn State | Purdue | Rutgers | Wisconsin
NEXT: Iowa Hawkeyes, Maryland Terrapins
Iowa Hawkeyes
– Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz has as much talent and experience to work with as Iowa has enjoyed in a long time, but a whole lot more pop has to be generated from the nation’s 99th ranked attack. The Hawkeyes had their moments, but they simply didn’t score enough until they ripped up USC for 49 in the Holiday Bowl win.
They didn’t score more than 27 points against anyone but Rutgers in Big Ten play, but that was still almost enough to come up with a huge season – each of Iowa’s three losses came by seven points or fewer.
– Longtime Iowa assistant and defensive coordinator Phil Parker has a bunch of work to do to build back up the nation’s 12th-best defense that allowed just 308 yards and 14 points per game.
How strong was the Hawkeye D? It didn’t allow more than 24 points, and it cave up fewer than 20 nine times.
But now the line needs a bit of an overhaul. It might be a concern, but it’ll be fine with a little bit of time. The same goes for the linebacking corps that’s going to be great – eventually. Losing three starters from the secondary certainly doesn’t help the cause.
Maryland Terrapins
– It looked like Maryland had something. It started out the season with 79 points against Howard, which didn’t seem like a big deal until it followed it up with a 63-point hit on Syracuse. And that was about it.
Take out those two games, and the 48-7 win over Rutgers, and the Terps averaged 12.5 points over the other nine games.
There weren’t any third down conversions, the O couldn’t control the tempo, and the offensive line got the quarterbacks crushed. This year’s offense is still undergoing a reboot, and it’s still going to take a whole lot of work.
Enter new offensive coordinators Joker Phillips and Scottie Montgomery, who’ll combine to jump-start the attack with more toughness for the ground game, while also trying to keep the quickened tempo.
– The defense finished dead last in the Big Ten in total and scoring D, but it was really, really young. Three of the top four tacklers are gone, but nine of the top 13 tacklers were underclassmen. However, some of them have bolted.
34-tackle safety Deon Jones left for Boston College, and he’s not alone when it comes to defensive backs leaving. Leading tackler and the team’s top star, Antoine Brooks, is now a Pittsburgh Steeler, and in all, seven defensive backs are transferring out.
On the plus side, many of the top young talents are back, and the recruiting class is supposed to play a role right away. It would help in a big way if it gets help from better play from the defensive front.
NEXT: Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans
Michigan Wolverines
– The offense wasn’t bad over the first half of the season, but it stalled a bit too often. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and Jim Harbaugh, though, were able to flip things a bit, and it seemed to come at halftime in the loss to Penn State.
All of a sudden, the running game got nastier when it was time to pound, Shea Patterson and the passing attack were far more effective, and the team went on a run before dropping the dates to Ohio State and Alabama. Now it’s up to Joe Milton to take over the offense and make it his – and consistent.
Overall, the O was okay – averaging just over 400 yards and 32 points per game – but it needs to be more consistent, and it starts with getting more out of the quarterback.
– The top three tacklers are gone, but the defense that finished 11th in the nation and allowed just under 21 points per game has enough overall talent back to be great again, if the linebacking corps comes together right away.
The Wolverines lost leading tacklers Khaleke Hudson and Jordan Glasgow to the NFL, and not having hybrid pass rusher Josh Uche around anymore hurts even more.
The linebacking corps has the upside, talent, and range to be great early on, and the line should be a brick wall with a little bit of time.
Michigan State Spartans
– The Michigan State offense could use a fresh set of ideas. Jay Johnson takes over after running new head coach Mel Tucker’s Colorado offense last season, and he inherits a veteran bunch that turned the ball over way too often, couldn’t run the ball nearly as well as it should have, and ended up averaging just 372 yards and 22 points per game.
It all starts with a line that was beaten up throughout all of last season. The offense couldn’t get into much of a groove when game after game there were new parts up front, but at least the experience is in place. The passing game should come around, but the team’s season relies on the ground attack to do more after coming up with just 1,653 yards and averaging 3.5 yards per pop.
– How fast will the rebuild take? Mel Tucker worked his way up as a defensive coach, and defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton comes in from Kansas State to help figure out how to keep the Spartan defense going like it’s supposed to.
MSU’s D was a slight disappointment after a special 2018, but it still finished 18th in the nation overall allowing 322 yards and 22.5 points per game. Seven of the top ten tacklers are gone with six starters needing to be replaced.
The pass defense has to be a whole lot sharper, and the D line needs work – especially at tackle – but the linebacking corps will be strong. It won’t be an amazing group, but it’ll be good enough to not be a problem.
NEXT: Minnesota Golden Gophers, Nebraska Cornhuskers
Minnesota Golden Gophers
– The offense was good, efficient, and explosive. This wasn’t the normal Minnesota team with a good running game that was able to control games from time to time. This O was able to throw haymakers and stretch the field.
The Gophers finished sixth in the nation in yards per completion, was fourth in the Big Ten in total offense, and it was still able to stick to the brand finishing fourth in college football in time of possession. With nine starters expected back, expect the machine – no more boat rowing mentions – to be even more productive. Tanner Morgan was among the nation’s most efficient passers, and he gets Rashod Bateman back to make the air show click.
– The offense is loaded with veterans and stars from the breakthrough season ready to do a whole lot more. The defense … not so much.
Five Gophers were drafted, four of them were from the defensive side that finished tenth in the nation in total defense and was ninth in pass D. Seven of the top eight tacklers and nine of the top 12 are done, starting with do-it-all safety Antoine Winfield who’s now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
Fellow defensive back Chris Williamson is gone, as are linebacking stars Kamal Martin and Thomas Barber. However, the biggest early concern is a defensive front that has to find more killers on the outside and options in the interior.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
– When is this whole offense thing going to kick in? It scored 34 fewer points than the 2018 version, it finished an okay fifth in the Big Ten overall, and it actually ran well – going for over 200 yards per game – but it wasn’t a differentiating factor.
It needs a jolt of confidence. It needs to know it can close out games and come through in the clutch. That comes with experience, and that comes with getting almost the entire starting group back … sort of.
Good freaking luck trying to figure out the Nebraska receiving corps considering the freshmen will play a huge role – and they should be fantastic. Now they need Adrian Martinez to grow into the type of quarterback who can make them all blow up. The O line is fine, and the running game will be decent, but the season is all about Martinez.
– The offense hasn’t been as good as hoped for, but the defensive side has been the bigger disappointment so far under Scott Frost. It struggles to come up with the key stop, it’s just okay against the run, and even with decent pressure in the backfield, it hasn’t been enough after finishing tenth in the Big Ten in total defense and 11th in scoring D.
Seven of the top 14 tacklers are gone and six starters have to be replaced. It starts on the defensive front where most of the top guys are gone. The secondary did a nice job overall, but it didn’t face a whole lot of high-powered passing games, and the linebackers are experienced enough to be better.
NEXT: Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio State Buckeyes
Northwestern Wildcats
– It was one of the strangest disasters of the entire 2020 college football season on a national scale. The Northwestern offense, really, really didn’t work, averaging just 297 yards and 16 points per game, scoring 15 points or fewer seven times.
New offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian comes in from Boston College where he was Steve Addazio’s guy for a year, but he has NFL coaching experience. He has a ton of work to do.
The passing game was the least-efficient in the nation, averaging just nine yards per completion with six touchdown passes and 15 picks, averaging a mere 4.5 yards per throw. Most of the top receivers are back, and the offensive line that wasn’t a problem last year should be a major strength.
– The defense did its part. Even with no help from the offense, the D was able to finish 25th in the nation overall, was great against the run, and allowed more than 24 points just four times. And now it’s about to be even better.
Start with the other side. The O should be a whole lot stronger – it can’t be any worse – and that alone will take some of the pressure off. Six of the top seven and nine of the top 11 tacklers are back. This will be a rock-solid sound D, and it all starts with the linebacking corps.
All-Big Ten performer Paddy Fisher is back after leading the way with 89 stops at his spot in the middle of the linebacking corps, but he’s not alone. No. 2 tackler Blake Gallagher returns on the weakside, No. 3 tackler Chris Bergin is back on the strongside, and they’re all seniors. The pass rush needs more options to emerge, but the secondary will be sneaky-good as the season goes on.
Ohio State Buckeyes
– Well that seemed to work out just fine. The Buckeye attack was fourth in the nation overall, third in scoring, No. 1 overall in third down conversions, and versatile enough to get things moving whenever and however it wanted. Even in the Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson, the O worked great up until the very end.
It all started with the guy who appears to be the best Ohio State quarterback in a fantastic chain of talents.
Everything was more than terrific after losing Dwayne Haskins, with Justin Fields coming in from Georgia and being everything the offense could’ve wanted and more.
He had the help of a whole lot of next-level weapons around him, but he was the one running the killer offense with the ground game to go along with one of the nation’s most efficient passing games. The receiving corps is phenomenal – again – and there’s a strong rotation of running backs behind one of the nation’s best O lines.
NEXT: Penn State Nittany Lions, Purdue Boilermakers
Penn State Nittany Lions
– The offense needs to be more consistent and it has to do even more. It scored more points than the 2018 version, but 79 of them came in the opener against Idaho, 59 came against a Maryland team that struggled to do anything right in the loss, and 53 came against a Memphis D that was a mere rumor. The team scored fewer than 30 points in seven of the last 11 games.
It starts with the return of senior Sean Clifford, who pulled off a little bit of a shocker before last season by rising up and taking the starting quarterback gig, and then came up with a nice season throwing for 2,654 yards and 23 touchdowns with just seven picks.
Where are the wide receivers? There’s talent, there’s just not a lot of experience. The offensive line should be a big plus for a ground game that finished fourth in the Big Ten, but has the potential to be stronger.
– The defense that allowed 347 yards per game only gave up 16 points per outing and led the Big Ten against the run. The pass rush was suffocating, it was one of the best defenses in the country at coming up with tackles for loss, it allowed fewer than 14 points eight times, and it got the job done with a veteran group that dominated at times. And now there’s a bit of a problem.
Almost all of the top tacklers are gone, including future top ten overall draft pick Micah Parsons. The secondary has talent, and it’s going to be better than 13th in the Big Ten in pass defense, but the rest of the D will be under trial by fire.
Purdue Boilermakers
– The offense was just fine, but it was hammered by injuries and the inconsistencies followed. The quarterback situation never seemed quite settled with three players getting a turn, the running game didn’t exist, and losing superstar receiver Rondale Moore in the first month wasn’t a plus.
Even so, the Boilermakers led the Big Ten and was 12th in the nation in passing, averaging 310 yards per game. The receiving corps is going to be amazing with Moore opting back in, and the O line is experienced.
– With all of the injuries and issues on offense last season, it was the time for the defense to step up and help the cause – it didn’t happen. The Boilermakers finished second-to-last in the Big Ten in total defense and allowed 31 points per game – the team went 0-6 when the D allowed 34 points or more.
The pass rush should be terrific with 265-pound hybrid Derrick Barnes on one side and freshman sensation George Karlaftis on the other after the two combined for 15 sacks. The tackles have enough bulk and options to hold up around 300-pound sophomore Lawrence Johnson.
NEXT: Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Wisconsin Badgers
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
– New head man Greg Schiano inherits offense that finished second-to-last in the nation in both total yards and scoring, and now needs to find a positive identity under new offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson. He comes in from Oklahoma State, and he’s all but starting from scratch.
The team only scored 159 points, and 92 came in two games. You were promised there wouldn’t be any math here, but that means the O scored just 67 points over the other ten games, averaging fewer than seven points per outing.
The program has come up with ten points or fewer in 11 of its last 15 games and scored more than 21 just six times in the last 33 games – that’s not very good. But there’s a positive – at least the O returns a ton of experience. The line will need a while, and the team needs playmakers, but expect a more physical identity from the start.
– New defensive coordinator Robb Smith is a veteran with pro experience and comes in from Texas A&M. He worked with Schiano during the 2010s, spending 2012 as the DC.
The D wasn’t the worst in the Big Ten, but it wasn’t great – it didn’t get a lick of help from the offensive side to stay on the field.
Fortunately, the top 11 tackles are expected to be back with a decent-looking linebacking corps to start with. The line has to learn how to get into the backfield more, and the secondary that only came up with five picks could use the help.
Wisconsin Badgers
– Plenty of parts will be different, but you know what’s coming. Great running backs will work behind elite offensive linemen in the ultimate ball control offense built on third down conversions and maximum efficiency.
The Badgers finished second in the Big Ten in total offense, led the nation in time of possession, was ninth in third down conversions, and managed 35 points or more eight times.
However, all four losses came when the O scored 27 points or fewer – only getting by Northwestern and Iowa when failing to hit 30 – and now the attack has to be better and more consistent without Jonathan Taylor and top receiver Quintez Cephus.
Again, it’s Wisconsin. You know what it’s going to do.
– The defense was special. Coordinator Jim Leonhard – who somehow isn’t someone’s head coach yet – put together a killer that finished fourth in the nation overall and No. 1 in third down defense.
18 of the top 20 tacklers are expected to be back, but two guys missing are big ones – Zach Baun and Chris Orr were amazing linebackers.
The pass rush will come from several spots – there are just enough options to play around with the rotation – and the defensive front is going to be phenomenal.
