Brandon Zimmerman
Guest
Around the B1G: Week 1 Edition
Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
We will have waited a painstakingly horrible 246 days from the time we saw the Ohio State Buckeyes leave the field against Notre Dame until we see them come through the tunnel against Bowling Green. The horror that is known as the off-season is over!
Now is the time of year where we sit back and watch the Big Ten flounder and be told how bad the conference is. It doesn’t help that we have Wisconsin taking on LSU to start the season. While everyone knows LSU is 100 times better, this will be the barometer thelazy national pundits will use to tell us why Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State have zero chance against the SEC. Never mind the fact that Wisconsin is probably the eighth best team in the B1G this year…NARRATIVE!!!!
Let’s go ahead and take a look at what is going on in the B1G heading into week one. As a special gift to you, I will add in my predicted record (overall and conference) for each team and your 2016 B1G champion.
Illinois (PREDICTED RECORD: 3-9 overall, 1-8 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: The Fighting Illini host Murray State as new head coach Lovie Smith looks to bring Illinois back to relevancy. Senior quarterback Wes Lunt and sophomore Ke’Shawn Vaughn will be key to keeping the Illini in games. I have the
Illini struggling pretty bad this year but with 13 senior starters, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made a push for 6-6 and a bowl game.
Indiana (PREDICTED RECORD: 6-6 overall, 3-6 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: The Indiana Hoosiers and their high-flying offense travel to Miami and takes on Florida International. Redshirt Junior Richard Lagow will take over the reins at quarterback after transferring from Oklahoma State via Cisco (NSFW) Community College. As with always the case when talking about theBig 12 Hoosiers, the defense will be pretty bad and will ultimately be the key to any team success they have. If they can make a few stops here and there, it may be all the Hoosier offense needs.
Iowa (PREDICTED RECORD: 10-2 overall, 7-2 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: The Hawkeyes open up their season against Miami of Ohio. As many of you already know, the Hawkeyes are pretty old school and still rely heavily on the old fullback and a good defense. Offensively, they are led by Senior C.J. Beathard who exploded on-scene last year with 2,809 yards passing and 17 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, they have the best cornerback in the nation senior Desmond
King who shocked everyone by not going to the NFL.
Maryland (PREDICTED RECORD: 5-7 overall, 2-7 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: Maryland will be welcoming the Howard Bison to town after their long journey from Washington D.C. to College Park, Maryland (7.5 miles). First year head coach D.J. Durkin has decided to let redshirt senior Perry Hills be the starting quarterback. Buckeye fans may remember Hills running all over the Buckeye defense for a tune of 170 yards and two touchdowns while adding another 133 through the air last year.
Michigan (PREDICTED RECORD: 10-2 overall, 7-2 conference)
Last Week: Didn’t give a damn about them.
This Week: Michigan welcomes Hawaii. I’m not going to lie, obviously I am not anywhere as high on the Wolverines as most people are. I realize they have 16 senior starters and their experience is off the charts but let me bring you in on a secret…that doesn’t mean they are all good. I’m tired of the narrative that just because a team has returning starters it must mean they are good. I still think Michigan is behind MSU and OSU talent-wise but this is one of the last years we will be able to say that. It will be interesting to see what happens this year at quarterback for the Wolverines. No matter who plays the most, they will have three of the best pass catchers in the B1G as targets in seniors Jehu Chesson (50-764-9), Amara Darboh (58-727-5), and Jake Butt (51-654-3). I can’t talk about Michigan without discussing Jabrill Peppers…so here you go:
Ohio State's Raekwon McMillan had 10 missed tackles on 124 att in 2015.
Michigan's Jabrill Peppers had 11 missed tackles on 54 att.
— CFB Film Room (@CFBFilmRoom) August 10, 2016
We will finish this up with this.
Michigan State (PREDICTED RECORD: 10-2 overall, 8-1 conference)
Last Week: Didn’t give a damn about them either.
This Week: Sparty will start off their season against Furman on Friday night. Redshirt senior Tyler O’Connor has been tasked with replacing Connor Cook as the quarterback to lead the Spartans back to the playoffs. Plan on the Spartans to run the ball a lot this year as running backs redshirt junior Gerald Holmes (540 yds, 8 TDs) and sophomore L.J. Scott (699 yds, 11 TDs) are both very capable of relieving some stress of the transition.
Minnesota (PREDICTED RECORD: 9-3 overall, 6-3 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: Minnesota will start off their season on Thursday against Oregon State. The Gophers defense will once again be solid enough to keep them in games but it all comes down to offensive production. Senior quarterback Mitch Leidner will have to be more consistent if the offense wants to be more successful. Last season he threw for 2,701 yards and 14 touchdowns but added in 11 interceptions.
Nebraska (PREDICTED RECORD: 9-3 overall, 6-3 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: The Cornhuskers start off with the always pesky Fresno State Bulldogs. Nebraska is a tough team to predict. They had a crazy amount of bad luck last year and I could see them finishing this year with anywhere from 1-5 losses. Senior Tommy Armstrong is the best worst quarterback in the history of the B1G. At times he looks dynamic but most of the time he appears to be a frazzled mess. In three years starting,
Armstrong has thrown and run for almost 8,000 total yards and 69 touchdowns. Unfortunately, he also has thrown 36 interceptions with many of those coming at key moments.
Northwestern (PREDICTED RECORD: 7-5 overall, 4-5 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: Northwestern starts off the season against Western Michigan. Junior Justin Jackson may be one of the most underrated players in the B1G. In two seasons, Jackson has racked up 2,968 yards from scrimmage and 16 touchdowns. With him running behind four upper-classmen on the offensive line, I expect him to rush for over 1,600 yards this season.
Penn State (PREDICTED RECORD: 8-4 overall, 5-4 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: The Nittany Lions start off their season against Kent State. We expect to see an entirely new offense for Penn State with Christian Hackenberg graduating but make no mistake about it, the offense will center around sophomore Saquon Barkley. After accounting for 1,237 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns as a true freshman, Barkley is expected to explode onto the scene in 2016…much like he did last year against Ohio State (194 rushing yards).
Purdue (PREDICTED RECORD: 1-11 overall, 0-9 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: The Darrell Hazell farewell tour begins with Eastern Kentucky where I feel like the Boilermakers will pick up their only win on the season. In an effort to say something nice, I think sophomore David Blough can turn into a Mitch Leidner type of player someday. As a true freshman, being pulled in and out of the lineup, Blough threw for 1,574 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Rutgers (PREDICTED RECORD: 3-9 overall, 1-8 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: Rutgers and former OSU defensive coordinator Chris Ash start their season traveling to play a very good Washington team. For those that don’t know, Washington is going to be very good this year. People don’t really think about them but as a quarter Pac 12 fan on my wife’s side, I pay a lot of attention to that conference. I would not be surprised if they are playing in the Pac-12 championship.
As for Rutgers, I think Ash will wind up being successful but this year he will definitely have some growing pains. He is in a prime position to bring in good recruits but it will take some time which, unfortunately for him, he really doesn’t have unless Rutgers is able to switch to the B1G West. Being thrown into the fire against OSU, MSU, UM, and PSU every year will be tough.
Wisconsin (PREDICTED RECORD: 7-5 overall, 5-4 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: Wisconsin starts out their season against LSU who returns 18 starters from last year. The game will be played in Lambeau Field but I don’t think it will matter. Senior Corey Clement is a dynamic player but has not proven he can stay healthy and carry the load. As a back-up in 2014, Clement had 1,068 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. Last year as the feature back, he managed to only stay healthy for four games. If he can stay healthy, he can singlehandedly keep the Badgers in the game against LSU…especially if Fournette isn’t healthy.
PREDICTED FINAL STANDINGS:
EAST CONF. OVERALL WEST CONF. OVERALL
Ohio State 8-1 11-1 Iowa 7-2 10-2
Michigan State 8-1 10-2 Nebraska 6-3 9-3
Michigan 7-2 10-2 Minnesota 6-3 9-3
Penn State 5-4 8-4 Wisconsin 5-4 7-5
Indiana 3-6 6-6 Northwestern 4-5 7-5
Maryland 2-7 5-7 Illinois 1-8 3-9
Rutgers 1-8 3-9 Purdue 0-9 1-11
PREDICTED B1G CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:
Ohio State vs Iowa
B1G CHAMPION:
Ohio State
The post Around the B1G: Week 1 Edition appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
We will have waited a painstakingly horrible 246 days from the time we saw the Ohio State Buckeyes leave the field against Notre Dame until we see them come through the tunnel against Bowling Green. The horror that is known as the off-season is over!
Now is the time of year where we sit back and watch the Big Ten flounder and be told how bad the conference is. It doesn’t help that we have Wisconsin taking on LSU to start the season. While everyone knows LSU is 100 times better, this will be the barometer the
Let’s go ahead and take a look at what is going on in the B1G heading into week one. As a special gift to you, I will add in my predicted record (overall and conference) for each team and your 2016 B1G champion.
Illinois (PREDICTED RECORD: 3-9 overall, 1-8 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: The Fighting Illini host Murray State as new head coach Lovie Smith looks to bring Illinois back to relevancy. Senior quarterback Wes Lunt and sophomore Ke’Shawn Vaughn will be key to keeping the Illini in games. I have the
Illini struggling pretty bad this year but with 13 senior starters, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made a push for 6-6 and a bowl game.Indiana (PREDICTED RECORD: 6-6 overall, 3-6 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: The Indiana Hoosiers and their high-flying offense travel to Miami and takes on Florida International. Redshirt Junior Richard Lagow will take over the reins at quarterback after transferring from Oklahoma State via Cisco (NSFW) Community College. As with always the case when talking about the
Iowa (PREDICTED RECORD: 10-2 overall, 7-2 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: The Hawkeyes open up their season against Miami of Ohio. As many of you already know, the Hawkeyes are pretty old school and still rely heavily on the old fullback and a good defense. Offensively, they are led by Senior C.J. Beathard who exploded on-scene last year with 2,809 yards passing and 17 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, they have the best cornerback in the nation senior Desmond
King who shocked everyone by not going to the NFL.Maryland (PREDICTED RECORD: 5-7 overall, 2-7 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: Maryland will be welcoming the Howard Bison to town after their long journey from Washington D.C. to College Park, Maryland (7.5 miles). First year head coach D.J. Durkin has decided to let redshirt senior Perry Hills be the starting quarterback. Buckeye fans may remember Hills running all over the Buckeye defense for a tune of 170 yards and two touchdowns while adding another 133 through the air last year.
Michigan (PREDICTED RECORD: 10-2 overall, 7-2 conference)
Last Week: Didn’t give a damn about them.
This Week: Michigan welcomes Hawaii. I’m not going to lie, obviously I am not anywhere as high on the Wolverines as most people are. I realize they have 16 senior starters and their experience is off the charts but let me bring you in on a secret…that doesn’t mean they are all good. I’m tired of the narrative that just because a team has returning starters it must mean they are good. I still think Michigan is behind MSU and OSU talent-wise but this is one of the last years we will be able to say that. It will be interesting to see what happens this year at quarterback for the Wolverines. No matter who plays the most, they will have three of the best pass catchers in the B1G as targets in seniors Jehu Chesson (50-764-9), Amara Darboh (58-727-5), and Jake Butt (51-654-3). I can’t talk about Michigan without discussing Jabrill Peppers…so here you go:
Ohio State's Raekwon McMillan had 10 missed tackles on 124 att in 2015.
Michigan's Jabrill Peppers had 11 missed tackles on 54 att.
— CFB Film Room (@CFBFilmRoom) August 10, 2016
We will finish this up with this.
Michigan State (PREDICTED RECORD: 10-2 overall, 8-1 conference)
Last Week: Didn’t give a damn about them either.
This Week: Sparty will start off their season against Furman on Friday night. Redshirt senior Tyler O’Connor has been tasked with replacing Connor Cook as the quarterback to lead the Spartans back to the playoffs. Plan on the Spartans to run the ball a lot this year as running backs redshirt junior Gerald Holmes (540 yds, 8 TDs) and sophomore L.J. Scott (699 yds, 11 TDs) are both very capable of relieving some stress of the transition.
Minnesota (PREDICTED RECORD: 9-3 overall, 6-3 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: Minnesota will start off their season on Thursday against Oregon State. The Gophers defense will once again be solid enough to keep them in games but it all comes down to offensive production. Senior quarterback Mitch Leidner will have to be more consistent if the offense wants to be more successful. Last season he threw for 2,701 yards and 14 touchdowns but added in 11 interceptions.
Nebraska (PREDICTED RECORD: 9-3 overall, 6-3 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: The Cornhuskers start off with the always pesky Fresno State Bulldogs. Nebraska is a tough team to predict. They had a crazy amount of bad luck last year and I could see them finishing this year with anywhere from 1-5 losses. Senior Tommy Armstrong is the best worst quarterback in the history of the B1G. At times he looks dynamic but most of the time he appears to be a frazzled mess. In three years starting,
Armstrong has thrown and run for almost 8,000 total yards and 69 touchdowns. Unfortunately, he also has thrown 36 interceptions with many of those coming at key moments.Northwestern (PREDICTED RECORD: 7-5 overall, 4-5 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: Northwestern starts off the season against Western Michigan. Junior Justin Jackson may be one of the most underrated players in the B1G. In two seasons, Jackson has racked up 2,968 yards from scrimmage and 16 touchdowns. With him running behind four upper-classmen on the offensive line, I expect him to rush for over 1,600 yards this season.
Penn State (PREDICTED RECORD: 8-4 overall, 5-4 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: The Nittany Lions start off their season against Kent State. We expect to see an entirely new offense for Penn State with Christian Hackenberg graduating but make no mistake about it, the offense will center around sophomore Saquon Barkley. After accounting for 1,237 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns as a true freshman, Barkley is expected to explode onto the scene in 2016…much like he did last year against Ohio State (194 rushing yards).
Purdue (PREDICTED RECORD: 1-11 overall, 0-9 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: The Darrell Hazell farewell tour begins with Eastern Kentucky where I feel like the Boilermakers will pick up their only win on the season. In an effort to say something nice, I think sophomore David Blough can turn into a Mitch Leidner type of player someday. As a true freshman, being pulled in and out of the lineup, Blough threw for 1,574 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Rutgers (PREDICTED RECORD: 3-9 overall, 1-8 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: Rutgers and former OSU defensive coordinator Chris Ash start their season traveling to play a very good Washington team. For those that don’t know, Washington is going to be very good this year. People don’t really think about them but as a quarter Pac 12 fan on my wife’s side, I pay a lot of attention to that conference. I would not be surprised if they are playing in the Pac-12 championship.
As for Rutgers, I think Ash will wind up being successful but this year he will definitely have some growing pains. He is in a prime position to bring in good recruits but it will take some time which, unfortunately for him, he really doesn’t have unless Rutgers is able to switch to the B1G West. Being thrown into the fire against OSU, MSU, UM, and PSU every year will be tough.
Wisconsin (PREDICTED RECORD: 7-5 overall, 5-4 conference)
Last Week: Off-Season.
This Week: Wisconsin starts out their season against LSU who returns 18 starters from last year. The game will be played in Lambeau Field but I don’t think it will matter. Senior Corey Clement is a dynamic player but has not proven he can stay healthy and carry the load. As a back-up in 2014, Clement had 1,068 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. Last year as the feature back, he managed to only stay healthy for four games. If he can stay healthy, he can singlehandedly keep the Badgers in the game against LSU…especially if Fournette isn’t healthy.
PREDICTED FINAL STANDINGS:
EAST CONF. OVERALL WEST CONF. OVERALL
Ohio State 8-1 11-1 Iowa 7-2 10-2
Michigan State 8-1 10-2 Nebraska 6-3 9-3
Michigan 7-2 10-2 Minnesota 6-3 9-3
Penn State 5-4 8-4 Wisconsin 5-4 7-5
Indiana 3-6 6-6 Northwestern 4-5 7-5
Maryland 2-7 5-7 Illinois 1-8 3-9
Rutgers 1-8 3-9 Purdue 0-9 1-11
PREDICTED B1G CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:
Ohio State vs Iowa
B1G CHAMPION:
Ohio State
The post Around the B1G: Week 1 Edition appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...