College Football: Big Ten Preview

The Big Ten is a conference in the Midwest with a few teams sprinkled around from a few other regions. Teams come from states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Nebraska. The conference is comprised of two divisions: the East and the West. For the 2016 season, the teams who are supposed to be the top dogs are Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Iowa. The reigning champion is Michigan State, who beat Iowa in last year's game. 

The Big Ten West consists of seven teams: Purdue, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, and Wisconsin. Ever since the conference split up into two divisions and adopted a conference championship game, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Iowa have been the top dogs, competing for a chance at the conference title every year. Last season, Iowa went undefeated into the title game but lost. This year I expect close to the same. Iowa returned their best players (QB CJ Beathard and CB Desmond King) so I expect them to repeat as West Division champs and return to the title game. However, I wouldn't sleep on Nebraska or Wisconsin, as they return solid teams that can compete with anyone.

The East is made up of the powerhouses Michigan, Ohio State, and Michigan State, along with Penn State, Rutgers, Indiana, and Maryland. In the preseason rankings, Michigan was rated at #7, Ohio State at #5, and Michigan State at #12 nationally, so these are definitely the top teams in the conference and the front runners for the East division. As long as Michigan's quarterback situation is figured out, then they are my favorite because they have one of the best defenses in the country and many offensive weapons. Ohio State only returns four starters from last years team but have restocked their talent pool with a top recruiting class. I expect Michigan to win the conference, but I wouldn't rule out the two State schools based off of their talent and coaching. 

So if this were a perfect world and I were to be correct with my predictions, I expect Michigan and Iowa to meet in Indianapolis in early December. I like that match-up for Michigan so I predict they will win that game and land a spot in the college football playoff. I like their roster and have one of the top coaches in all of football with Jim Harbaugh, so I think they'll win the Big Ten and represent the conference in January.

Who do you have winning the Big Ten?
Comment Below!