Michigan St had a huge turnaround last year, taking a mediocre 2012 team and making it in to a top 5 team in the country and B1G champions. Ohio State faltered at the end of the season, but continued their winning streak (undefeated in 2012) through much of 2013. Those 2 teams have had some significant off-season losses (most notably Braxton Miller the QB for Ohio State being lost for the season with shoulder surgery in pre-season camp). However both of them should compete for the East division title, as well as dark horses Michigan and Penn State. On the other side you have what should be a 2 team race between Wisconsin and Iowa, as we are not believers in Nebraska. However we would not rule out Nebraska or Northwestern. The B1G should have potentially their best year top to bottom in quite a few years as there are a lot of solid teams. However they unlike years past do not have the one or two standout teams. Look for a very competitive race between the top 7-8 teams in the B1G, we think that the middle teams have gotten better recently, and the top teams will not be as good.
Moving on to the preview:
East
OHIO STATE:
Overall Rating – 4.30
Big Ten Win Share – 5.16 (Total of 8.32)
MICHIGAN:
Overall Rating – 4.20
Big Ten Win Share – 4.98 (Total of 8.00)
MICHIGAN STATE:
Overall Rating – 4.05
Big Ten Win Share – 4.94 (Total of 8.06)
PENN STATE:
Overall Rating – 4.03
Big Ten Win Share – 4.62 (Total of 8.25)
MARYLAND:
Overall Rating – 3.92
Big Ten Win Share – 3.59 (Total of 6.35)
INDIANA:
Overall Rating – 3.71
Big Ten Win Share – 3.51 (Total of 6.02)
RUTGERS:
Overall Rating – 3.36
Big Ten Win Share – 1.96 (Total of 4.32)
West
WISCONSIN:
Overall Rating – 4.46
Big Ten Win Share – 6.11 (Total of 9.25)
IOWA:
Overall Rating – 4.12
Big Ten Win Share – 5.03 (Total of 8.22)
NORTHWESTERN:
Overall Rating – 4.00
Big Ten Win Share – 4.21 (Total of 6.96)
NEBRASKA:
Overall Rating – 3.91
Big Ten Win Share – 4.28 (Total of 7.14)
MINNESOTA:
Overall Rating – 3.82
Big Ten Win Share – 3.56 (Total of 6.70)
ILLINOIS:
Overall Rating – 3.61
Big Ten Win Share – 2.98 (Total of 5.98)
PURDUE:
Overall Rating – 2.84
Big Ten Win Share – 1.07 (Total of 3.34)
We have Wisconsin playing Ohio State in the Big Ten championship, with Wisconsin winning that and vying for the last playoff spot.
Top 5 Offenses:
Wisconsin
Indiana
Northwestern
Michigan
Iowa
Top 5 Defenses:
Iowa
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Ohio State
Michigan
Storylines to watch for:
- Will Ohio State replace Braxton Miller’s production?
- Will Gary Andersen’s defensive mind, be able to again produce a top 10 defense in Wisconsin to pair with their offense?
- Will Michigan State be able to replace so many defensive standouts and have a top 5 defense again?
- If there is a 1 loss Big Ten team, will they be get a bid to the Playoffs?
- Will Michigan or Nebraska finally take a step forward and live up to their talent?
- How will the off-season hoopla affect Northwestern? Will they look like the 4-0 team from last year or the team that finished 1-7 down the stretch?
- How good can Iowa be?
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