NCAA Football: Big Ten West Preview

I love college football. LOVE it. It was my first love. One that started all the way back in 1984. I was a kid living in Oklahoma, and the Sooners were the hottest ticket in town. I was hooked. The Jamelle Holieway-Spencer Tillman-Lydell Carr option took me in and never let go.

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Fast-forward 30 years later, and I am still a college football junkie. I spend my Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and most of Tuesday watching every game I could record over the weekend. For love of the game, I guess.

For the last four years, I have picked every single 1-A vs. 1-A college football game against the spread. I will do the same this year. But leading up to that, I am going to do a conference by conference preview. That’s right, for love of the game. And for those of you that are rabid fans like I am.

This piece will focus on the Big Ten West . Teams are in the projected order of finish. The AAC is here. The Coastal division is here. The Atlantic division is here. The Big 12 preview is here. The Big Ten East is here.

Gordon will get as many carries as he can handle for the Badgers. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

1. Wisconsin:

Schedule: vs. LSU at Jerry World, vs. Western Illinois, vs. Bowling Green, vs. South Florida, at Northwestern, vs. Illinois, vs. Maryland, at Rutgers, at Purdue, vs. Nebraska, at Iowa, vs. Minnesota

Prediction: The losses of RB James White and WR Jared Abbrederis will hurt. White not so much, but Abbrederis was the go-to guy on offense for Joel Stave, and likely would be for Tanner McEvoy as well. Stave’s inconsistency cost him the starter’s job, but he could gain the job back if McEvoy struggles. The O-line is a definite strength, so Melvin Gordon could have a monster season. The loss of LB Chris Borland, S Dez Southward, and DT Beau Allen mean that several guys on defense will have to step up. They have great depth at LB, but are starting a true freshman on the line and one at free safety. They will have to produce early with LSU on the docket for this weekend.

The game against LSU in the opener may as well be a road game. Aside from that, Wisconsin has it easy. They won’t have to face Ohio State, Michigan State, or Michigan in the regular season. If they manage to beat LSU, they likely will run the table, since it’s a pretty easy table. That said, I don’t think they beat LSU. I will say 11-2 with losses to LSU and Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship.

Abdullah is just one of three Nebraska running backs that will have an impact this year. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

2. Nebraska:

Schedule: vs. Florida Atlantic, vs. McNeese State, at Fresno State, vs. Miami(FL), vs. Illinois, at Michigan State, at Northwestern, vs. Rutgers, vs. Purdue, at Wisconsin, vs. Minnesota, at Iowa

Prediction: Losing Taylor Martinez is addition by subtraction. He was more of a distraction than anything last year. The losses of TE Jake Long and WR Quincy Enunwa will hurt more. That said, Nebraska is still loaded at WR with Kenny Bell, Jordan Westerkamp, and Jamal Turner. They are also loaded in the backfield with Ameer Abdullah, Imani Cross, and Terrell Newby. All of them are good runners. The questions come on defense. They lost CBs Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Ciante Evans, and Mo Seisay, along with DT Thad Randle. That leaves huge holes, especially in the secondary. DE Randy Gregory is a beast, and the linebackers are all solid. If the mostly new secondary can hold up, Nebraska could easily win the Big Ten West.

Their main roadblock is the game in Madison. They also have to travel to Iowa City and East Lansing, so the schedule is tougher this year. Add to that games against Miami and Fresno in OOC matchups, and there are plenty of potential pitfalls there. I think that they avoid most of them. I have Nebraska at 9-3, but they could just as easily go 7-5 or 11-1.

Iowa will go as far as Rudock can take them. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

3. Iowa:

Schedule: vs. Northern Iowa, vs. Ball State, vs. Iowa State, at Pittsburgh, at Purdue, vs. Indiana, at Maryland, vs. Northwestern, at Minnesota, at Illinois, vs. Wisconsin, vs. Nebraska

Prediction: QB Jake Rudock is more of a game manager than a game changer. The offensive line lost two pieces to graduation, and the outstanding TE C.J. Fiedorowicz is on to the NFL. There goes Rudock’s safety valve. RB Mark Weisman returns, and this guy is a powerful runner. He is a converted fullback with running back speed. This line will still be pretty good, and TE Ray Hamilton is a suitable replacement for Fedorowicz, but he won’t change a game like C.J. could. The defense lost LBs Chris Kirksey and Anthony Hitchens to the NFL. That said, their defensive line is arguably the best in the conference led by Carl Davis and Louis Trinca-Passat. Aside from Quinton Alston, they are inexperienced at linebacker, but the secondary is still solid.

The schedule is lined up for Iowa to do some serious damage. The dodge Michigan State, Ohio State, and Michigan and get their two toughest division foes at home. Their OOC schedule is weak as well. The Hawkeyes will go as far as Rudock can take them. The defense is solid for the most part, and I would not be a bit surprised if Iowa won 11 games. So why do I have them this low? Well, aside from Weisman, I just don’t see a playmaker on offense. Any team that can stop the run can stop the Hawkeyes. With their schedule though, they should win nine games easily. I will put them at 9-3. If they don’t win at least nine, they should be looking for a new coach…..

Mark may be small, but he is very elusive. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

4. Northwestern:

Schedule: vs. California, vs. Northern Illinois, vs. Western Illinois, at Penn State, vs, Wisconsin, at Minnesota, vs. Nebraska, at Iowa, vs. Michigan, at Notre Dame, at Purdue, vs. Illinois

Prediction: This team lost virtually nothing from the squad that started strong last year, but was derailed during conference play. RB Venric Mark is a fun gut to watch. This is a veteran team at nearly every position. In fact, the only non-upperclassman to start on offense of defense is sophomore CB Matt Harris. That’s it. Chi Chi Araguzo is a playmaker at linebacker on an underrated defense.

Northwestern imploded down the stretch last season in large part because of injuries. If then can stay healthy, I see no reason why they can’t win at least seven games. I have them at 7-5, but would not be a bit surprised if they won nine or even ten games. Health permitting, of course.

Leidner is the undisputed QB this year, and it should help him and the Gophers. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

5. Minnesota:

Schedule: vs. Eastern Illinois, vs. Middle Tennessee State, at TCU, vs. San Jose State, at Michigan, vs. Northwestern, vs. Purdue, at Illinois, vs. Iowa, vs. Ohio State, at Nebraska, at Wisconsin

Prediction: There will be no QB controversy this year with Philip Nelson out of the picture. This is Mitch Leidner’s team. Leidner is a great runner with a good arm, and is what the Gophers always thought Marquise Gray could be. David Cobb is a strong runner that also returns. Drew Wolitarsky will have to be the go-to receiver this year, and he should be good in that role. This team will run the ball. A lot. At times they will look more like an option team that a spread offense. The Gophers lost stud DT Ra’Shede Hageman to the NFL, along with safety Brock Vereen. They also lost three more solid players on defense. However, they return DT Cameron Botticelli and S Cedric Thompson who are capable of being leaders on defense. This is still a solid defensive squad.

The questions would seem to be on offense, but the Gophers have plenty of time to figure things out. Their schedule is heavily backloaded, and if they hit their stride at the right time, they could win eight or more games. I think that is a bit of a stretch considering they have tough road games at TCU, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. They drew Ohio State and Michigan from the East, so that does them no favors. I see the Gophers going to a bowl, but they might not finish any better than 6-6.

Oklahoma State transfer Wes Lunt could lead the Illini back to respectability. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

6. Illinois:

Schedule: vs. Youngstown State, vs. Western Kentucky, at Washington, vs. Texas State, at Nebraska, vs. Purdue, at Wisconsin, vs. Minnesota, at Ohio State, vs. Iowa, vs. Penn State, at Northwestern

Prediction: QB Nate Scheelhaase is gone, and he will be difficult to replace. Oklahoma State transfer Wes Lunt is the perfect guy to do it though. RB Josh Ferguson is also a great receiver out of the backfield, and can create some mismatches. They also have a very experienced offensive line, so offense is not their issue. It’s the defense. LB Jon Brown is the only major loss from last year, but they still need to progress as a unit. They allowed way too many points and big plays last year.

Someone hates the Illini. They have to go to Madison, Lincoln, and Columbus this year. A trip to Seattle doesn’t look too promising either. I expect the Illini to be much better than last year, but with this schedule, they might not win any more games. I see five wins at best. I’m going the safe route with 4-8.

The line did Etling no favors last year, and may be even worse this year. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

7. Purdue:

Schedule: vs. Western Michigan, vs. Central Michigan, vs. Notre Dame at Indianapolis, vs. Southern Illinois, vs. Iowa, at Illinois, vs. Michigan State, at Minnesota, at Nebraska, vs. Wisconsin, vs. Northwestern, at Indiana

Prediction: Purdue lost four offensive lineman from a team that finished dead last in Division one in rushing yards last year. QB Danny Etling showed some signs that he could be a good QB last year, but behind that line he spent more time running for his life. This year won’t be much different. RB Akeem Hunt lost his job to Raheem Mostert, but running behind this line will still be difficult. They have three sophomores up front. The defense wasn’t much to write home about either, and they lost eight players, including CB Ricardo Allen from that unit. This looks to be another lost year for Purdue.

Southern Illinois is the only game I would feel confident picking them in. They should beat Western Michigan, but outside of those two games, I don’t see another win. I’m taking them at 2-10

Keep checking in on FantasyCPR for more conference rundowns!

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