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Big Ten Football 2018 preview: Breakout stars, biggest games, predictions

By Brad Weiss

ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 25: Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins waits for the snap during the third quarter of Ohio State's 31-20 win over Michigan during a college football game on November 25, 2017, at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, MI. (Photo by Lon Horwedel/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 25: Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins waits for the snap during the third quarter of Ohio State's 31-20 win over Michigan during a college football game on November 25, 2017, at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, MI. (Photo by Lon Horwedel/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Shea Patterson, Michigan
PACIFIC PALISADES, CA – MAY 26: Shea Patterson of the University of Michigan poses for portraits at Steve Clarkson’s 14th Annual Quarterback Retreat on May 26, 2018 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) /

Breakout star to watch: Michigan QB Shea Patterson

Shea Patterson has taken an interesting road to get to the Big Ten, where he is in for a breakout season as the starting quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines. In fact, Patterson is head coach Jim Harbaugh’s best passing quarterback he has had since his days at Stanford, where he coached future No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck.

Patterson began his college career at Ole Miss, and it did not take long for him to become the team’s starter. Originally expected to redshirt his freshman year, Patterson saw starter Chad Kelly go down with a torn ACL, and was quickly inserted as the starting quarterback for the Rebels.

The following season, Patterson began the year as the team’s starter, and he certainly got off to a monster start to his sophomore season. He threw for over 900 yards in the first two games of the 2017 campaign, including 489 against UT Martin, which set the school’s record for most passing yards in a single game. He also threw for nine touchdowns in that span.

While the season started off great, the rest did not go so well, and after Ole Miss was saddled with another NCAA postseason ban for 2018, he decided it was time to go. Patterson choose the University of Michigan, and was granted a waiver by the NCAA to be eligible to play right away, which he will certainly do this Fall for the Wolverines.

Michigan has the horses to make a run in the Big Ten East Division this season, and Patterson is going to thrive under Harbaugh, who is a former NFL quarterback. He has the gifts to be the best passer this conference has, and if the offensive line can step up in 2018, he should have more than enough time to pick defenses apart.