West Division Winner: Wisconsin
In the weaker division, the Badgers are the clear-cut favorites to win the West. Nebraska is the only team with the talent to compete with them on offense, but the Cornhuskers always find ways to lose games they should win, such as the 34-23 defeat they suffered against Minnesota last season.
Wisconsin has a consistent running game, and with Tanner McEvoy now at quarterback will give coach Gary Anderson an opportunity to open up the playbook and force defenses to respect the pass, allowing Melvin Gordon and Corey Clement to get better running lanes.
East Division Winner: Michigan State
Despite having tough Michigan and Penn State teams in conference, 2014’s East Division was going to be a two-team race between Michigan State and Ohio State. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, Braxton Miller suffered a season-ending labrum injury, leaving the Spartans alone atop the division.
Michigan State has a balanced attack, with Connor Cook at quarterback, and workhorse Jeremy Langford at running back. And, like last year, they will have a dominant defense, led by Shilique Calhoun, Trae Waynes and Kurtis Drummond.
Conference Champion: Michigan State
It will be a battle in the trenches when Michigan State and Wisconsin meet up. Both have great running games, but the difference is Michigan State’s front seven is more talented and returns three starters from their Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl-winning front.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s only returning starters on defense are in their secondary, so their front seven is inexperienced as a unit.
In the end, the Spartans will walk away victorious.
Player of the Year: Christian Hackenberg, Penn State
Miller was the front-runner for this award prior to his injury, but Hackenberg will be looking to build on his solid freshman season, where he threw for 2,955 yards and 20 touchdowns, with only 10 interceptions. James Franklin never had great passing teams when he was at Vanderbilt, but a lot of that can be attributed to not having a quarterback as skilled as Hackenberg. He will find a way to highlight Hack’s strengths and help him succeed.
Offensive Player of the Year: Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
Last year, Gordon led the Badgers with 1,609 rushing yards and scored 12 touchdowns. With James White now with the Patriots, Gordon will have more opportunities, as the Badgers will need to distribute White’s 17 carries a game between Gordon and Clement.
Defensive Player of the Year: Joey Bosa, Ohio State
Bosa exploded on the scene during his freshman campaign in Columbus, and showcased why he is the best pass rusher in the conference. With a year of experience under his belt, and Adolphus Washington, Noah Spence and Michael Bennett all returning with him, Bosa will have plenty of one-on-one battles against offensive linemen to make plays and get to the quarterback.
Miscellaneous Predictions
Ohio State will win at least eight games without Braxton
This will not be the season the Buckeyes were prepared to have, but unfortunately, injuries are part of the game, and they will have to find a way to win without star quarterback Braxton Miller. J.T. Barrett is projected to take over for Miller, and while he may not be as skilled, he has plenty of talented players around him to help. Evan Spencer, Devin Smith and Dontra Wilson all return and will be the key to Ohio State’s season, as the Buckeyes also have four new starters along the offensive line. The receiving trio will need to get open, and quickly, to give Barrett opportunities to distribute.
The Buckeyes do return the best defensive line in college football, and two linebackers, so their defense will still be stout.
Their schedule is not overly difficult, but they could run into problems early against Virginia Tech, Maryland and Penn State early, then they play Michigan State in East Lansing, and their annual battle at the end of the season against Michigan. It’s tough to see Ohio State winning more than three of these games, but coach Urban Meyer will find a way to engineer a few key victories against their tougher opponents.
Indiana Will Make Some Noise
The Hoosiers finished ninth in total offense in 2013, and although Cody Latimer left for the NFL, quarterback Tre Roberson and last year’s leading rusher Tevin Coleman, as well as the entire offensive line, all return. The defense also returns nine starters.
Although they may not contend for the conference title, but they have the potential to upset a couple of teams along the way. They were able to beat Penn State last season, and lost to Michigan in a 63-47 shootout. With a schedule that gives them Michigan State and Penn State at home, they could make the East Division a lot tighter.
Neither of the Newcomers will go to a Bowl Game
2014 is the first year Maryland and Rutgers will be in the conference, and they were dealt brutal schedules.
Maryland plays Ohio State and Michigan State at home, but have to go to Happy Valley to play Penn State, the Big House to play Michigan, and to Camp Randall to take on Wisconsin. This is also a team that has struggled to stay healthy over the past couple seasons, including a 2012 season where they had to start a linebacker at quarterback, since all four on the roster had suffered injuries. They are very talented, but they will need to stay healthy and pull out some huge road wins if they want to be bowl eligible.
Rutgers, meanwhile, has to play at Ohio State, Michigan State, and Nebraska, as well as having Wisconsin, Michigan, and Penn State on the calendar, and they end their season at Maryland. The Scarlet Knights return Gary Nova, Leonte Carroo and their entire offensive line, but they were inconsistent in 2013, and unless they find a way to fix that, they will struggle in their first year in a new conference.
Special Thanks to Draftbreakdown.com for their video cut-ups.