Although the addition of Nebraska should have been the biggest story in the Big Ten this off-season, it wasn’t. The indiscretions at Ohio State and the quarterback situation at Wisconsin were. These two Leaders foes would see their off-season stories heavily influence their 2011 seasons.
Ohio St.
There seems to be two camps when it comes to predictions for OSU in 2011. Camp one: they’re Ohio State, laden with talent and impervious to changing coaches, losing starters, or looming NCAA sanctions. Expect no less than 10 wins. Camp two: they’re going to suck. So, for my 2011 recap, I chose both options. I think that Ohio State is going to have a rough start. Assuming all four starters return after their five game suspensions, this isn’t going to be a team clicking on all cylinders until mid-November. All bets are off for their September and October games. I have them stumbling through the first two months at 4-4. But November starts off with Indiana and Purdue (two wins), and then they host PSU. This game will finally be where the OSU depth and overall talent level finds feng shui with experience and cohesion. They’ll bully Michigan again in the last game of their season, sitting out both the Big Ten championship game and a bowl game (whether self-imposed or NCAA-imposed, I don’t know). 2011 Results: 8-4 overall, 5-3 Big Ten (4-1 in Leaders).
Wisconsin
The recipe to Wisconsin success is no secret. Bruising lines. Steamroller backs. Game-managing QBs. Stiff defenses. The problem for Wisconsin in 2011 then, it seemed, was the QB position. The heirs to two-year starter Scott Tollzien were not impressive, and while no one expects a Dan Marino in Madison, competency is crucial to balance out the run game.
Enter N.C. St. graduate Russell Wilson.
Wisconsin went from Leaders division contender to national title contender overnight. Wilson himself isn’t a Heisman caliber talent, but when you bring his experience and competency to what Wisconsin already has on a yearly basis, you have a solid team, top to bottom.
The Badgers’ opening five are easy enough and then Nebraska comes to Camp Randall for the season opener. I think they’ll handle the Huskers easily. Chalk up a blowout over Indiana for homecoming before they’ll have to prove their mettle on the road. They’ll likely be ranked around #5 before traveling to Michigan State and Ohio State consecutive weeks. After winning those both, I think Wisconsin could be ranked in the top 3. Purdue and Minnesota shouldn’t be too challenging, but a road game to Illinois will be the game Wiscy overlooks. Wisconsin doesn’t have the talent to look past anyone, and I think Zook’s boys will be wily enough to win this one. Wisconsin may be looking ahead a bit at their last game with Penn State for the Leaders Division crown. Ironically, with their national title hopes dashed, Wisconsin won’t play their best game at 3:30pm EST against Penn State and will fall from #3 to #12 in the last two weeks of the season AND miss the first-ever Big Ten championship game. After the final weekend though, Wiscy will rise a bit and be a sure-fire pick for a BCS bowl. They’ll boot stomp 9-3 Notre Dame by 20 in the Fiesta and finish #7 for the second straight year. 2011 Results: 11-2 overall, 6-2 in Big Ten (3-2 in Leaders).
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