BIG TEN ALL-LEAGUE SELECTIONS 2020

 

 

The end of the college football season is a sad time, because it means that we are almost finished withfootball, and have a long cold winter (and spring) ahead of us.

But it's also a time for passing out hardware, in the form of all-league teams. 

Plenty of players had the spotlight shining on them, so it was admittedly tricky trying to find the best of the best in each league. But through careful research, and all night film sessions, our committee of three came up with what we thought were the best choices in each conference. 

These selections may not match the ones unveiled by the conferences, but that's because much of that is name recognition more than stellar play. Digging deep behind the numbers is what's needed, and that's precisely what we have done here.

There were questions from the state about whether the Big Ten would even be viable, given its late start and lack of scheduling flexibility. Alas, it ended up postponing the most games of any Power 5 conference, and ended up voting to waive the six-game minimum to allow Ohio State -- which was the best team all season -- to represent the East in the league title game. The Buckeyes were led by quarterback Justin Fields, the best offensive player in the conference, and he led a contingent of OSU players on the two all-league units. Iowa defensive bulwark Daviyon Nixon was a terror inside, while surprising Northwestern dominated defensively, including the best freshman in the conference in Brandon Joseph. Indiana put together its best season in ages, thanks in large part to excitable coach Tom Allen.

1^ST TEAM OFFENSE                                                                               2^ND TEAM OFFENSE

QB Justin Fields/Ohio State                                                               QB Jack Plummer/Purdue

RB Mo Ibrahim/Minnesota                                                                 RB Trey Sermon/Ohio State

RB Tyler Goodson/Iowa                                                                      RB Jake Funk/Maryland

WR David Bell/Purdue                                                                         WR Chris Olave/Ohio State

WR Jahan Dotson/Penn State                                                           WR Ty Fryfogle/Indiana

WR Garrett Wilson/Ohio State                                                           WR Bo Melton/Rutgers

TE Jake Ferguson/Wisconsin                                                           TE Pat Freiermuth/Penn State

OT Alaric Jackson/Iowa                                                                     OT Peter Skoronski/Northwestern

OT Cole Van Lanen/Wisconsin                                                         OT Nicholas Petit-Frere/Ohio State

OG Kendrick Green/Illinois                                                               OG Cole Banwart/Iowa

OG Wyatt Davis/Ohio State                                                                 OG Mike Miranda/Penn State

 C Tyler Linderbaum/Iowa                                                                   C John Michael Schmitz/Minnesota                                 

1^ST TEAM DEFENSE                                                                              2^ND TEAM DEFENSE

DE Kwity Paye/Michigan                                                                     DE Jonathon Cooper/Ohio State

DT Daviyon Nixon/Iowa                                                                       DT Ben Stille/Nebraska

DT Haskell Garrett/Ohio State                                                           DT Jack Heflin/Iowa

DE Chauncey Golston/Iowa                                                               DE Shaka Toney/Penn State

LB Micah McFadden/Indiana                                                             LB Blake Gallagher/Northwestern

LB Pete Werner/Ohio State                                                               LB Antjuan Simmons/Michigan State

LB Jack Sanborn/Wisconsin                                                             LB Olakunle Fatukasi/Rutgers

LB Paddy Fisher/Northwestern                                                       LB JoJo Domann/Nebraska

CB Shakur Brown/Michigan State                                                   CB Tiawan Mullen/Indiana

CB Greg Newsome II/Northwestern                                               CB Shaun Wade/Ohio State

 S Jaquan Brisker/Penn State                                                             S Jamar Johnson/Indiana

 S Brandon Joseph/Northwestern                                                    S Nick Cross/Maryland

1^ST TEAM SPECIALISTS                                                                       2^ND TEAM SPECIALISTS

 K Charles Campbell/Indiana                                                             K Connor Culp/Nebraska

 P Adam Korsak/Rutgers                                                                   P Brad Robbins/Michigan

RS Aron Cruickshank/Rutgers                                                       RS Giles Jackson/Michigan

 

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Justin Fields/Ohio State                     

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Daviyon Nixon/Iowa                                

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Brandon Joseph/Northwestern

COACH OF THE YEAR: Tom Allen/Indiana

 

Thursday Night Quick Look -- Ohio State at Indiana

 Unfinished business.

 Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has said that his Buckeyes were embarrassed in last year's College Football Playoff, losing 31-0 to eventual national champion Clemson, and that it wasn't going to happen again. He tweaked the coaching staff, made sure that the players knew what they had to do in the offseason and has his Buckeyes ready for another run at the CFP.

Urban Meyer (AP)

 They uncharacteristically begin the season on the road -- just the 11th time ever, though it happened in 2015 in a victory at Virginia Tech -- and against a Big Ten foe, the first time since 1976 (Michigan State, a 49-21 victory) that has occurred.

OHIO STATE
 The Buckeyes enter the game ranked second in the nation and favorites to win the Big Ten East and the conference title. To do that, they will need to be more consistent in the passing game and not have senior quarterback J.T. Barrett shoulder as much of the load as he has in previous seasons.

 Yes, the quarterback always does the heavy lifting in an Urban Meyer offense, but if Barrett leads the team in carries again this year, something went awry. New offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson comes over from Indiana -- OSU's opponent tonight -- and has an offensive philosophy that favors tempo and open space over all else. Look for the Buckeyes to utilize running backs Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins quite a bit, sprinkle in some jet sweeps and misdirections to Parris Campbell and Demario McCall, and send receivers Austin Mack and K.J. Hill downfield. The offensive line will need to be better after allowing 28 sacks a season ago. Meyer says that bunch has improved and worked their tails off, and he is confident they will do the job.

 Defensively, the Buckeyes have as much talent as anyone, including the best and deepest defensive front in America. Sophomore Nick Bosa would start just about anywhere, but here he's just another piece of a majestic puzzle. Tyquan Lewis and his eight sacks returns at one end spot, and dynamic Sam Hubbard mans the other side. Bosa and Jalyn Holmes provide almost no drop off, and tackles Dre'Mont Jones and Tracy Sprinkle are stout inside. Linebacker Jerome Baker is an All-America candidate, and while the secondary is being rebuilt, it isn't lacking talent. Corner Denzel Ward could be the next in line for stardom, and he leads an athletic, aggressive group.

INDIANA
 The Hoosiers enter battle with question marks on offense and stability on defense, a big reversal from previous seasons. First year coach Tom Allen was elevated from defensive coordinator, and while the Hoosiers have improved on that side, he probably wishes they had a little easier opening contest.

 Richard Lagow is back under center and will need to improve his accuracy (57.8 percent) if the Hoosiers want to become a feared offense. The top two rushers are gone (Divine Redding went over 1,000 yards last year) so an inexperienced crew will tote the pigskin. Look for junior Mike Majette to get the bulk of the work. Simmie Cobbs junior is back after taking a medical redshirt last season, and he's one of the best receivers in America (1,305 yards in 2015). His battle with the Buckeyes secondary will be worth the price of admission. The offensive line is experienced but watched its sack total increase from 13 in 2015 to 29 a year ago. It will be a real task to keep the Buckeyes pass rushers out of the backfield.

 Defensively, it starts and ends with linebacker Tegray Scales. If you haven't seen the Cincinnati native play, you've really missed out. The senior All-America candidate made 126 stops in 2016, with 16.5 TFL and seven sacks. He's not bad in coverage, takes great angles to the football and seldom gets caught up in traffic. The Buckeyes will need to know where he is at all times. The secondary returns intact, led by corner Rashard Fant, who had a whopping 17 PBU a year ago. He's a tad undersized (5-10) but plays the ball extremely well, and isn't afraid to hit. IU's defensive front plays mostly to occupy gaps and funnel the play to the linebackers, though end Greg Gooch (4.5 sacks) is a dependable sort.

BY THE NUMBERS
 Ohio State has won 22 in a row against Indiana, though two of the last three were narrow wins and close heading into the fourth quarter; The Buckeyes are 18-1 on the road the last four seasons (though just 9-8 ATS as an away favorite in that span); OSU has covered four of five season openers under Meyer; OSU is 14-4 ATS in its last 18 road games in the first month of the season; Indiana is 14-1 in its last 15 home openers; The Hoosiers have covered the last six vs. the Buckeyes, all as double-digit underdogs; IU is 1-3 ATS in its last four conference contests; Indiana went 12-8-1 ATS as a home dog in six seasons under Wilson, including 5-2 when getting 14 or more points.

THE PICK
 Ohio State will be playing with a chip on its shoulder, and Wilson will want to show his old employer a thing or two. He knows how to scheme against that defense and should be able to put the Hoosiers on their heels for much of the night. While Indiana also knows Wilson's tendencies, it's questionable whether they have the players to stop the Buckeyes. In a game that's interesting until halftime, the Buckeyes athleticism and experience -- led by Barrett, who has a big showing -- helps them pull away and win comfortably.
OHIO STATE (-21) 42, INDIANA 14

QUICK PICKS
Central Florida 34, Florida International (+17) 20
Minnesota (-23.5) 40, Buffalo 12
(10) Oklahoma State 44, Tulsa (+18) 28
Utah (-21.5) 38, North Dakota 16
Arizona State 36, New Mexico State (+23.5) 21