College Football 2018 Conference Previews -- Big Ten

BIG TEN

OVERVIEW

Ohio State's Urban Meyer (Larry Brown Sports)

 
 Fans of the Big Ten will be as thrilled and as mystified in 2018 as they would be by a great detective novel. There is a ton of intrigue and a mountain of uncertainty before settling for a somewhat expected ending.
  Ohio State won't cede its throne easily, though there is a bit of concern about a rebuilt secondary and a new man under center. Dwayne Haskins has the keys to the Buckeyes ride now, and the coaches are optimistic that he will give the passing game a dynamic addition. But look for OSU to ride its talented 1-2 tailback punch of JK Dobbins and Mike Weber to success. The defensive line is one of the best anywhere, and the schedule is mostly manageable. Penn State coach James Franklin has been a tireless recruiter in his time in State College, and that could finally pay off as he has his most talented team -- but a demanding schedule. With Trace McSorley, the league's best quarterback, showing the way, and an aggressive, athletic defense -- not to mention getting OSU, Michigan State and Wisconsin at home -- Penn State could be an outside threat for the College Football Playoff. Michigan needs to make hay now, and fortunately for Jim Harbaugh it's his most talented team. There may finally be a quarterback that can put pressure on a defense in Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson. The defense will once again be lethal, with elite players at each level. Michigan State needs to become a bit more offensive minded it really want to challenge for East Division supremacy. Quarterback Brian Lewerke is an excellent field general but isn't asked to win games. That may change this year if the defense doesn't live up to expectations.
 It's still Wisconsin and all of the others in the West, but the gap is closing thanks to the infusion of new coaching blood at Nebraska (Scott Frost) and second-year bosses at Purdue (Jeff Brohm) and Minnesota (PJ Fleck). The Badgers feature, as usual, a mammoth offensive line and ground game led by Heisman candidate Jonathan Taylor. Wisconsin will grind foes into the ground and may be more deliberate this season as a typically stout defense returns just four starters. One of the old guard coaches -- Pat Fitzgerald -- has Northwestern primed as Wisconsin's biggest divisional threat. If quarterback Clayton Thorson is healthy after an ACL injury suffered in last year's bowl game, the Wildcats should be fast out of the gate. They open on the road with Purdue, so will need to be focused from the get-go. Iowa has its typical blue-collar team, though the combo of quarterback Nathan Stanley to tight end Noah Fant will be heard more than a few times this fall. The defense may drop just a notch as only six starters return. Purdue could be a better team this year but it might not be reflected in the record as it tackles Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin, as well as a non-league test with Missouri. The offense returns nine but the defense has only four returnees, though linebacker Markus Bailey is an all-league talent. Frost's homecoming to Lincoln could be bumpy, but expect Nebraska to win a game it shouldn't -- and lose one it shouldn't. A quarterback back that will extend into fall camp isn't the best thing, but the defense should be good with eight starters back and new, more aggressive coordinator in Erik Chinander, Frost's DC at UCF.

RISING: Nebraska
FALLING: Minnesota
BOWL TEAMS (9): Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Iowa, Purdue, Nebraska

BIG TEN PROJECTED STANDINGS 
EAST
1 Ohio State (12-1, 8-1)
2 Penn State (10-2, 7-2)
3 Michigan (10-2, 7-2)
4 Michigan State (9-3, 6-3)

5 Maryland (6-6, 4-5)
6 Indiana (5-7, 3-6)
7 Rutgers (4-8, 1-8) 
WEST 
1 Wisconsin (10-3, 7-2)
2 Northwestern (8-4, 5-4)
3 Iowa (7-5, 4-5)
4 Purdue (6-6, 4-5)
5 Nebraska (6-6, 3-6)
6 Minnesota (5-7, 2-7)
7 Illinois (4-8, 2-7)

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Ohio State over Wisconsin

ALL-BIG TEN TEAM
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB Trace McSorley/Penn State
RB Jonathan Taylor/Wisconsin
RB JK Dobbins/Ohio State
WR Stanley Morgan Jr/Nebraska
WR Felton Davis/Michigan State
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones/Michigan
TE Noah Fant/Iowa
OT David Edwards/Wisconsin
OT Michael Dieter/Wisconsin
OG Beau Benzschawel/Wisconsin
OG Michael Jordan/Ohio State
 C  Tyler Biadasz/Wisconsin
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DE Nick Bosa/Ohio State
DE Rashan Gary/Michigan
DT Dre'Mont Jones/Ohio State
DT Aubrey Solomon/Michigan
LB TJ Edwards/Wisconsin
LB Devin Bush/Michigan
LB Paddy Fisher/Northwestern
LB Joe Bachie/Michigan State
CB Lavert Hill/Michigan
CB Justin Layne/Michigan State
 S  Jordan Fuller/Ohio State
 S  David Dowell/Michigan State
FIRST TEAM SPECIALISTS
 K  Rafael Gaglianone/Wisconsin
 P   Drue Chrisman/Ohio State
KR Parris Campbell/Ohio State
PR J-Shun Harris/Indiana

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB Brian Lewerke/Michigan State
RB Karan Higdon/Michigan
RB Miles Sanders/Penn State
WR JD Spielman/Nebraska
WR Binjimen Victor/Ohio State
WR Juwan Johnson/Penn State
TE Cole Herdman/Purdue
OT Ryan Bates/Penn State
OT Alaric Jackson/Iowa
OG David Beedle/Michigan State
OG Ben Bredeson/Michigan
 C  Kirk Barron/Purdue
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DE Chase Winovich/Michigan
DE Chase Young/Ohio State
DT Mick Stoltenberg/Nebraska
DT Jacob Robinson/Indiana
LB Khaleke Hudson/Michigan
LB Markus Bailey/Purdue
LB Thomas Barber/Minnesota
LB Koa Farmer/Penn State
CB David Long/Michigan
CB John Reid/Penn State
 S  Darnell Savage/Maryland
 S  Jacob Thieneman/Purdue
SECOND TEAM SPECIALISTS
 K  Quinn Nordin/Michigan
 P   Blake Gillikin/Penn State
KR Rodney Smith/Minnesota
PR DeAndre Thompkins/Penn State

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Trace McSorley/Penn State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Nick Bosa/Ohio State
COACH OF THE YEAR: Pat Fitzgerald/Northwestern
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: LB Micah Parsons/Penn State