College Football Big 10 West Rankings

steemsports (80)in #sports • 7 years ago

SteemSports Presenter: Scott Frank,@scottybuckets

College Football is back in only 9 days! Yesterday I covered the Big 10 East, which is loaded with talent. But how does the Big 10 West stack up? I will tell you how. Let's get it started!

1. Wisconsin - The Badgers are the clear cut favorite to come out of the Big 10 West and face Ohio State in the conference championship game. But they are no where nearly as talented as the Buckeyes. If Wisconsin was in the East, I would have them ranked as 3rd. But luckily for Wisconsin, they are in the Big 10 West and have one of the easiest schedules in the country. They avoid playing Ohio State and Penn State in the regular season and have Michigan, Iowa and Northwestern at home. They have 15 returning starters and quarterback, Alex Hornibrook, is one of the best in the Big 10. As always, they will have a strong running game and a solid defense. The Badgers need to be weary though on September 16th when they will face their first road test at a talented BYU team. They have a legitimate shot at going undefeated in the regular season and should be playing in a major bowl at the end of the year.

2. Northwestern - The Wildcats return 8 starters on offense and 8 on defense this year. They have a great team and should make plenty of noise in the Big 10. Running Back Justin Jackson is one of the best in the conference and their quarterback, Clayton Thorson, returns with his 22 touchdowns from last season. Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald will have an improved defense and Northwestern will improve on last year's 7 win total. They play in the “Nerd Bowl” at Duke on September 9th but their first real test will be at Wisconsin on September 30th.

3. Nebraska - With only 4 returning starters on offense, their season may rely on a transfer. Talented quarterback, Tanner Lee, at Nebraska after leaving Tulane University. Lee has a strong arm and will drastically help the Cornhuskers offense that lost their quarterback, top 2 running backs and leading wide receiver. Nebraska is normally known for their strong running game but look for them to air it out more this year. Their defense is suffering from a few key injuries this summer though. They will need to score and score often in 2017 and their first big test will be against the high flying Oregon Ducks on September 9th.

4. Minnesota - The biggest news in the offseason for the Golden Gophers was landing PJ Fleck at Head Coach. Fleck, a former college quarterback, was extremely successful as Head Coach at Western Michigan and nearly led them to an undefeated season last year. Minnesota fans were thrilled to hire him. His first season in the Big 10 will be a tough one. There is some good talent on the team but putting in his own offense may take some time. There are 12 returning starters including leading rusher Rodney Smith who ran for over 1,200 yards last year. Look for the one/two punch from Smith and backup Shannon Brooks who also had a strong season last year. Fleck loves to run trick plays so the Gophers will be fun to watch. Their first test is against Oregon State on September 9th.

5. Iowa - Run baby Run. The Hawkeyes had a somewhat disappointing 2016 season by only winning 8 games. Veteran quarterback, CJ Beathard is gone and fighting for a position with the San Francisco 49ers. With little experience at quarterback, Iowa will rely heavily on their running game. They have one of the best offensive lines in the country and have 2 talented backs. Akrum Wadley had over 1,000 yards last year and is joined by Nevada graduate James Butler who ran for almost 1,400 yards for the Wolfpack. Iowa's defense should be strong as they return 8 starters. They play inner state rival, Iowa State, on September 9th. We will know much more about this team after they host powerhouse, Penn State, on September 23rd.

6. Purdue - it was a tough year for the Boilermakers in 2016. They only won 3 games, fired their Head Coach, and hired Jeff Brohm. He comes from Western Kentucky where he lead one of the highest scoring offenses for the last several years. There will be no quick fix for Purdue, but the fans should be happy with their new Head Coach. Talent is pretty thin on the roster but they do have some experience at quarterback. David Blough threw 25 touchdowns last year. The downside though is his 21 interceptions. All of his top receivers are gone so it will take awhile to get the new offense down but Purdue will be a dangerous team to play later in the season. They open up against Louisville and their high paced offense. There will be some growing pains this year but there should be plenty of optimism for the Boilermakers.

7. Illinois - Head Coach Lovie Smith returns for his second season in Champaign. Illinois may have a decent offense with Chayce Crouch at quarterback and wide receivers Dudek and Turner, but it's the opposite side of the ball that will haunt the Illini. They lost all of the talent on defense and this is one of the weakest units in the country. They only won 3 games last year and I don't see any improvement on that this year. Lovie Smith must get better at recruiting and fast, or he will be once again fired from a team that wears orange and blue in Illinois.

There it is, the Big 10 West Preview. Wisconsin and Ohio State will play in the conference championship with Ohio State winning. And then winning the national championship.Tell me who you have winning the Big 10 West! As always, we love your feedback. Thank you for following @steemsports and you can catch me @scottybuckets Cheers!