Right: Sophomore Steven Threet appears to be the front-runner for the starting QB job.
Andre J. Jackson/Detroit Free Press

This is the sixth in a series of previews on the 11 teams in the Big Ten in the order I predict them to finish.

MICHIGAN
Predicted finish in Big Ten: 6th (tied), 4-4

Taking over for Chad Henne as the starting quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines this fall will be sophomore Ryan Mallett.

Oh wait, never mind, he transferred to Arkansas.

The starting QB for the Maize and Blue in 2008 will be incoming freshman Terrelle Pryor.

Scratch that, he signed a Letter of Intent to play for Ohio State.

As one goes down the list, the next option is Steven Threet, a 6-foot-5, 228-pound redshirt freshman, who originally signed to play at Georgia Tech.

Threet, a native of Adrian, Michigan, was never offered a scholarship by former head coach Lloyd Carr, who opted to sign Mallett instead.

Mallett was ranked the second-best, pro-style quarterback by Rivals.com, just behind Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen from the class of 2007. Both where tabbed with a five-star ranking.

Threet graduated high school in December of 2006 and enrolled at Georgia Tech in January of 2007, only to transfer to UM the following summer.

During his senior year in high school, Threet managed to get a four stars and was ranked the ninth-best, pro-style QB in the nation from the class of ’07 after passing for 1,896 yards and 20 touchdowns.

But Threet has yet to throw a pass on the collegiate level.

Michigan does have two quarterbacks that have seen playing time, but one is a former walk-on, junior Nick Sheridan, and the other, junior David Cone, was listed third on the depth chart following spring practice.

Also, true freshman Justin Fagin hopes to compete for the starting position once fall camp starts.

But new Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez has plenty of other holes to fill on offense with only two starters returning from last season.

Gone from last year’s offensive unit is a long list of players that include: the aforementioned Henne at quarterback, running back Mike Hart, wide receivers Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington, plus offensive linemen Jake Long, Adam Kraus, Alex Mitchell, and Justin Boren, who transferred from Michigan to Ohio State back in April.

The lone starters returning on offense are: sophomore right tackle Stephen Schilling and tight end Carson Butler. You could also add junior wide receiver Greg Matthews, who started for the Wolverines when they began the game using a three-wideout set, and is Michigan’s top returning pass-catcher with 39 receptions for 366 yards and three touchdowns last season.

Michigan’s top returning rusher is junior Brandon Minor, who gained 385 yards on 90 carries with one touchdown last season. His backup, junior Kevin Grady, who sat out the entire 2007 season with a knee injury, was arrested last month on a DUI charge and his status with the team is unclear at this time.

Outside of Matthews and Butler, no other returning receiver caught more than five passes.

As for the defense, it will be much better than the offense, with eight starters returning from last year.

The entire front four comes back, which includes senior defensive tackles Terrance Taylor and Will Johnson, along with defensive end Tim Jamison, a senior, and junior Brandon Graham.

The lone returning starter in the linebacking corps is sophomore Obi Ezeh, while in the secondary, both cornerbacks return with senior Morgan Trent and sophomore Donovan Warren.

It appears that if Michigan is going to win their share of games, it not because the offense put a lot of points on the board, but rather the defense shutting down the opposition. I think if Michigan finishes the regular season with a record of 7-5, it’s due to the fact that they won games by scores of 17-13 or 14-10. And if the defense falters at any point, there could also be some ugly lopsided scores, too.

Big Ten Schedule

Sept. 27 vs. Wisconsin, Win
Oct. 4 vs. Illinois, Win
Oct. 18 @ Penn State, Loss
Oct. 25 vs. Michigan State, Loss
Nov. 1 @ Purdue, Loss
Nov. 8 @ Minnesota, Win
Nov. 15 vs. Northwestern, Win
Nov. 22 @ Ohio State, Loss

Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Right: Illinois quarterback Juice Williams had 2,498 yards of total offense while throwing for 13 touchdowns and running another seven into the end zone last year.
AP Photo

This is the fifth in a series of previews on the 11 teams in the Big Ten in the order I predict them to finish.

ILLINOIS
Predicted finish in Big Ten: 6th (tied), 4-4

So you are saying after reading my first four Big Ten previews that it was pretty standard stuff. Nothing too earth-shattering in terms of my predictions…until now. While just about every preseason publication has Illinois as one of the top three teams in the Big Ten, including the sports writers who cover the conference, I just don’t see it happening.

First of all, Illinois starts the season taking on a Missouri team destined for the top-10 in all of the major preseason polls. Then the Fighting Illini has to play their first two Big Ten games on the road, at Penn State and at Michigan. It’s very possible after five contests that Illinois could be 2-3.

Another aspect that I feel will undermine the Illini this season is that they will surprise no one, since teams will have a better game plan to defend Ron Zook’s spread offense.

One other thing, Illinois lost two players that really stirred the drink on both sides of the ball. Running back Rashard Mendenhall was one of the top ball carriers in the nation last year, who rushed for 1,681 yards and 17 touchdowns before he was selected in first-round (23rd overall pick) by the Pittsburgh Steelers in April’s NFL Draft.

Defensively, J (No Period Needed) Leman was a very underrated middle linebacker, though he was named consensus All-American. Leman had 132 total tackles, 10.5 of those for loss, and 2.5 sacks. Leman went undrafted but was signed by the Minnesota Vikings.

But Illinois still has some key personnel returning which will make the Fighting Illini competitive.

Starting quarterback Juice Williams enters his junior year after passing for 1,743 yards with 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions during his sophomore campaign. He’s also the Illini’s top returning rusher after gaining 755 yards on 165 carries and seven more scores in 2007.

But how much will sophomore backup quarterback Eddie McGee play, who’s supposedly the better passer? He played in 10 games last year and chucked 55 balls downfield, completing 29 of those for 444 yards with two TDs and three INTs.

Replacing Mendenhall in the backfield is junior Daniel Dufrene, who in limited duty last season gained 294 yards on 49 attempts and two touchdowns. Ohio State fans will remember him from last year as he was the one who ran 80 yards down the far sideline in the first quarter against the Buckeyes and fumbled before going out-of-bounds, but the play was never reviewed.

2007′s Big Ten Freshman of the Year Arrelious Benn is Illinois’ top returning receiver after catching 54 passes for 676 yards and two TDs. He just may be the most dangerous deep threat in the conference, but there’s not much experience after him.

Three starters return on the offensive line that includes senior left tackle Xavier Fulton, senior center Ryan McDonald, and junior right guard Jon Asamoah.

The defense returns six starters, three on the defensive line with second-team, All-Big Ten end, senior Will Davis, who led he team with 9.5 sacks a year ago. On the other side, senior defensive end Derek Walker also returns, as well as senior defensive tackle David Lindquist.

The biggest question marks on defense are in the linebacking corps with just one starter retuning. Senior Brit Miller moves from outside to inside linebacker, taking the place of Leman. Sophomore Martez Wilson will likely be one of the starters on the outside, and will be joined by either senior Rodney Pittman or freshman Ian Thomas for the lone spot left in the lineup.

In the secondary, two starters return with junior cornerback Vontae Davis, who is one of the best cover corners in the nation, along with junior cornerback Dere Hicks.

Illinois’ strengths last year were running the football and defending the run, but I think there are too many uncertainties when it comes to those aspects of the game to expect the Fighting Illini to have a repeat performance of 2007.

Big Ten Schedule

Sept. 27 @ Penn State, Loss
Oct. 4 @ Michigan, Loss
Oct. 11 vs. Minnesota, Win
Oct. 18 vs. Indiana, Win
Oct. 25 @ Wisconsin, Loss
Nov. 1 vs. Iowa, Win
Nov. 15 vs. Ohio State, Loss
Nov. 22 @ Northwestern, Win

Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Right: Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald looks up at the Ohio Stadium scoreboard high above the south end zone as the Buckeyes pasted the Wildcats 58-7, last season.
AP Photo

This is the fourth in a series of previews on the 11 teams in the Big Ten in the order I predict them to finish.

NORTHWESTERN
Predicted finish in Big Ten: 8th, 3-5

Its been just over two years now since the sudden passing of Randy Walker and the promotion of then-linebackers coach Pat Fitzgerald as head coach at Northwestern.

During the six years that Walker was in charge, the Wildcats were just 37-46 overall, but he did led them to three postseason bowl games and Northwestern claimed a share of the Big Ten title in 2000.

Fitzgerald, who played for former head coach Gary Barnett at NU during the mid-90s, was a former Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy-winning linebacker as the Wildcats won two Big Ten championships (one outright) and participated in both the Rose and Citrus bowls during his playing days in Evanston.

Can Fitzgerald return his Wildcats to national prominence as a coach like he did as a player? It does look like he can put NU over the six-win hump this season and get Northwestern a bowl invite thanks to a weak schedule.

Fitzgerald has 14 starters returning, seven on each side of the ball, including senior quarterback C.J. Bacher, who threw for 3,656 yards during his junior campaign. One thing, though, that Bacher is going to have to do is limit his mistakes, as he threw just as many TDs passes and he did interceptions (19) last season.

Senior running back Tyrell Sutton returns as well. He gained just 522 yards on 108 attempts with four touchdowns, but missed the better part of seven games due to an ankle injury. Senior Omar Conteh, Sutton’s backup, gained another 447 yards on 96 carries with five more scores in 2007.

Bacher will have plenty of experienced receivers to chuck the ball to as three of his top four wideouts from last season return, and they are all seniors with Eric Peterman (66 rec., 744 yards, 3 TDs), Ross Lane (49 rec., 649 yards, 7 TDs), and Rasheed Ward (46 rec., 434 yards).

The offensive line also returns three starters, which should help clear holes for the backs and give Bacher time to throw.

The biggest question marks are on defense. While the Wildcats were able to score 25.8 points per game on average in 2007, the defense yielded 31 points per contest last season.

The all four starters return on the defensive line that include senior tackle John Gill, junior tackle Adam Hahn, senior end Kevin Mims, and junior end Corey Wootton.

The biggest hole that need to be fill is at middle linebacker. Senior Malcolm Arrington will slide over from the weakside to replace last year’s top stopper, Adam Kadela, who graduated.

Junior cornerback Sherrick McManus and junior free safety Brad Phillips are the returning starters in the secondary.

Northwestern could very well be 5-0 before hosting Michigan State on Oct. 11, but their schedule is decidedly tougher through the Big Ten portion of the slate. Bowl eligibility is very possible, as is seven wins, as long as they avoid meltdowns like they did against Duke last season.

Big Ten Schedule

Sept. 27 @ Iowa, Win
Oct. 11 vs. Michigan State, Loss
Oct. 18 vs. Purdue, Loss
Oct. 25 @ Indiana, Win
Nov. 1 @ Minnesota, Win
Nov. 8 vs. Ohio State, Loss
Nov. 15 @ Michigan, Loss
Nov. 22 vs. Illinois, Loss

Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Right: If there’s one coach in the Big Ten that’s on the hot seat, it’s Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz and his $3 million a year contract.
SI Photo

This is the third in a series of previews on the 11 teams in the Big Ten in the order I predict them to finish.

IOWA
Predicted finish in Big Ten: 9th, 2-6

During a span of three seasons from 2002-04, the Iowa Hawkeyes won 31 out of 38 games, claimed two Big Ten titles, and played in three January bowls which included an Orange Bowl appearance.

In the last three years, though, Iowa has gone just 19-18 overall and 11-13 in the Big Ten. Not exactly sterling numbers led by a head coach getting paid over $3 million dollars per year.

But that’s what Kirk Ferentz makes as head coach of the Hawkeyes. He’s also the highest paid coach in the Big Ten, making more than Ohio State’s Jim Tressel and Michigan’s Rich Rodriguez. And he makes more per year than Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema and Illinois’ Ron Zook combined.

That’s a lot of dough for mediocre football, and it doesn’t look like it will get any better this season,
either. To add insult to injury, 14 players have been arrested since April of 2006.

Ferentz has seven returning starters on offense which include junior quarterback Jake Christensen, but he will have to fend off sophomore Ricky Stanzi in fall camp to secure his place in the lineup.

Christensen passed for 2,269 yards with 17 touchdowns and just six interceptions last year, but completed only 53.5 percent of his throws and struggled to avoid the rush as he was sacked a whopping 46 times in 2007.

Iowa was last in the Big Ten in both scoring offense (18.5 points per game) and total offense (316.3 yards per game) last season, and the Hawkeyes’ top returning rusher is a wide receiver who toted the rock just twice and gained 19 yards. Gone are both Albert Young and Damien Sims, who combined to rush for 1,467 yards and nine touchdowns.

Slated to be Iowa’s starting running back is junior college transfer Nate Guillory from Coffeyville Community College in Kansas.

Four offensive linemen return as well, but when you give up 46 sacks and rank 10th in the Big Ten in both rushing offense (126.3 ypg) and passing offense (190.1 ypg), the blocking sled at practice might be better than this group unless they improve substantially.

Defensively, Iowa ranked third in the Big Ten in scoring defense (18.8 ppg) and fifth in total defense (351.2 ypg), but only five starters return on that side of the ball which include senior defensive tackles Mitch King and Matt Kroul, who are both on the Outland Trophy watch list for 2008.

Iowa’s first two games are very winnable as the Hawkeyes host Maine and Florida International before playing in-state rival Iowa State at home. UI then travels to Pittsburgh to take on a much improved Panthers team. The following week, Iowa begins Big Ten play against Northwestern.

Iowa dodges a bullet by not playing Ohio State or Michigan this season, but getting six wins might be a stretch, as is getting more than four wins in conference play.

Big Ten Schedule

Sept. 27 vs. Northwestern, Loss
Oct. 4 @ Michigan State, Loss
Oct. 11 @ Indiana, Win
Oct. 18 @ Wisconsin, Loss
Nov. 1 @ Illinois, Loss
Nov. 8 vs. Penn State, Loss
Nov. 15 vs. Purdue, Loss
Nov. 22 @ Minnesota, Win

Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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