SnoTap College Football Preview: B1G Legends

Finally, the college football previews are beginning on SnoTap. We are trying something new looking at divisions/conferences as a whole versus breaking down every team. We look at the power six conferences, Notre Dame and independents and mid-majors. 

After multiple years of still writing out Big Ten, I finally have succumbed to using B1G for all my posts moving forward. This is a conference wanting a seat at the biggest of big boys table, but they are still some paces away from truly being there. Ohio State and Michigan will probably not leave the top 15 all year, but there is not that third and fourth team who can bet there with them.  Hence there is the problem with the league as a whole.

END OF AN ERA as the legends and leaders are dead after next year along with a new realignment. For whatever it's worth, we did not do any cross divisional games in the ACC and that was probably a mistake. We make up for it here a bit.

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH
RB Vernric Mark (Northwestern) - One of the many that can be classified as an underrated player in college football.  Mark rushed for over 1,300 yards last season and him with Kevin Colter ran the zone-read option as good as a college football team can do. Mark is also a dynamic returner who can easily change the game on Special Teams as well. Mark might be a player who ends up on award ballots by December. Mark is a truly forgotten player because people tend to forget about Northwestern

QB Devin Gardner (Michigan) - Another player just like Mark getting slept on by the national media. It is hard to believe a Michigan quarterback is slept on, but Gardner is not nearly as sexy as Denard Robinson meaning the media does not seem to care about him as much. Funny enough, Gardner is easily a better quarterback. Gardner can run at times, but he is more of a passer than anything else. He only has one starting receiver coming back, but Devin Funchess seemed like a go-to receiver by the end of last season. Dead serious if Gardner has a big year, he could be a Heisman candidate and a surefire first-round draft pick if he comes out.

RB Ameer Abdullah (Nebraska) - Another sophomore who had a breakout season last year for the Cornhuskers. Abdullah rushed for over 1,100 yards with eight touchdowns and nine games where he rushed over 70 yards. I would not say he had an inconsistent year, but he definitely disappeared at some points of the season like Ohio State and Georgia.  Although, I contend this is more of the fault of the Nebraska's offensive coordinator as he did not get the same carries as he did in other games. Abdullah should have a big year for the Huskers.

LB Max Bullough (Michigan State) - Penn State always called themselves 'Linebacker U' and it probably still holds true today yet the Michigan State Spartans seem to be making a run at the crown in the B1G. Every year they seem to have one linebacker that stands out compared to the other teams in the B1G, and Bullough is the next one. He played a large part in making Michigan State one of the best defenses in the nation last season. Bullough had 111 tackles last season with 12.5 Tackles For Losses and 2.5 sacks.

OT Taylor Lewan (Michigan)  - It is hard to talk about an offensive lineman and their impact to a team, but Lewan might be the best offensive lineman in college football. People will talk about Lewan as the guy who held his own for the most part against Jadevon Clowney.  He will anchor the Michigan line protecting Gardner and creating lanes for Fitzgerald Touissant, a Van Wilder team member. Lewan should be a top five if not top three draft pick next season.

FIVE GAMES TO WATCH (Six, OSU-Michigan is too important but the Leaders division is stacked in B1G terms)

Saturday October 5th- Ohio State at Northwestern - Looking at back on what I said about Ohio State, I am starting to wonder if I overvalued them a bit. Sometimes when you start writing about a team, you invest too much stock in them. I also think I might be doing the same thing with the Northwestern Wildcats. I will explain in a second here, but I feel this could be a fascinating, high-scoring matchup of two of the B1G's best.  

Saturday October 26th - Nebraska at Minnesota - Upset alert for the Cornhuskers. The Gophers figure to be an alright team again this year and could make some traction yet they will probably need to win most of their games at home. Nebraska will get some fan assistance as Big Red travels extremely well, but the Gophers could be rounding into form right around this time.

Saturday November 2nd - Michigan at Michigan State - This is becoming the second-best rivalry in the B1G. Both of the teams clearly have no love lost for each other and they tend to play some classics even if one team tends to win multiple games in a row. Michigan broke State's four-game winning streak last year in a defensive struggle in Ann Arbor.  The Wolverines have not won in East Lansing since 2007 and the Michigan offense v. Michigan State defense will be the main focus once again.

Saturday November 9th - Nebraska at Michigan - Tough break for the Wolverines as they come home to face Nebraska. People always make a big deal about this matchup because it is two of the most iconic programs in history of college football. The Cornhuskers clamped the vice on Michigan last year holding them to nine points in Lincoln last season. This game could have Big Ten Championship implications being this late in the season.

Saturday November 23rd - Michigan State at Northwestern - These two teams tend to play some wild games. Look up the head-to-head and you will find they always play down to the wire classics. Northwestern and Michigan State will likely be contending for the second spot in the B1G or if the all the cards fall into place, one of these teams could be looking at the top spot in the Leaders division.

Saturday November 30th - Ohio State at Michigan - Am I the only one whom wishes this would be played in late October. I realize the pageantry that comes with The Big Game being played at 11 am on ABC. It has been going on since I can remember watching college football, but with the Big Ten Championship the following week, it is very possible we will get a repeat game of these two teams.  Personally, I feel like this could dent Ohio State's chances at going undefeated for the season more than anything else on their schedule.

FIVE QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Might Michigan be a sneaky National Championship contender? - How the hell is Michigan ranked number 17? I realize preseason rankings do not mean much, but the Wolverines seem to have what it takes to be a top team in college football. They have the quarterback, offensive line, running back and a defense which are all the major parts of having a very successful team. Looking at their schedule, they do have some tough road games against Penn State, Michigan State and Northwestern, but their two toughest opponents, Notre Dame and Ohio State, come to Ann Arbor.

Could Northwestern make a BCS Bowl? - Remember how I said doing these previews could make you fall in love with a team quickly... Um it's happening with Northwestern. The Cats bring back 15 total starters, eight on offense and seven on defense.  The only concern might be they only bring back one starter on the offensive line.  They host both Ohio State and Michigan and I would be stunned if they do not win one of those games.  Ryan Field can be an extremely tough atmosphere when the Wildcats are a good football team. Pat Fitzgerald's next step is getting this team to a BCS Bowl and if everything breaks right, he might get there.

How important is this year for Bo Pelini? - I am going to answer my own question and say very important. The Cornhuskers have had good seasons under Pelini, but it is not to Nebraska standards. In a weird way, Nebraska is like the UCLA basketball where the expectations are SKY HIGH. Pelini has yet to be in a BCS bowl and if Nebraska does not get there with a senior quarterback and Abdullah coming back, the natives could get extremely restless. Quick hot take on Nebraska: They only bring back four starters on an average defense, I would be extremely concerned if I was a Cornhusker fan.

What's Andrew Maxwell or other Michigan State's quarterbacks ceiling? - Weirdly enough, Michigan State tends to pump out pretty good quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins, Jeff Smoker, Drew Stanton alike and Maxwell did not come close to these players last season. People overvalued Michigan State last August thinking Maxwell would be Cousins in his first year of starting at quarterback. Now Maxwell lost his job during the season and there is a four player race for quarterback for the 2013 season. The biggest game for Maxwell or the other competing will probably be the road trip to Notre Dame on the 21st of September.

Minnesota going bowling for the second straight year? - I would keep an eye on the Gophers for another year. Sure they have to face both Michigan schools on the road, but a lot of their tougher games are at TCF Bank Stadium. Truth be told, the Gophers need a signature win at home this season that Jerry Kill can build on for the coming years.  They have Penn State, Nebraska and Wisconsin at home, all three could be major wins for the program.

PROJECTED FINISH
1.) Michigan
2.) Northwestern
3.) Michigan State
4.) Nebraska
5.) Minnesota
6.) Iowa

Yes I think Nebraska is overrated to start the year and I feel like Northwestern will make a push this season. But Michigan is the team to beat this season in the Leaders Division.

Charlie.

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