2005 Big 10 Conference Preview

Jorge Gonzalez- Football is right around the corner. With all the college teams that are being added to the rotation annually, it is never too early to start researching the diamonds in the rough in order to find teams that will have value this season. The Big Ten Conference was a bit of a disappointment last season but should rebound nicely this season. The Big 10 is loaded with returning talent and has an influx of successful new coaches that will have an immediate impact on the betting lines. Let's begin by saying a simple fact. The Big 10 conference will have value in the betting lines as a conference from top to bottom. However, the value we are speaking of resides where the expectations are not as high. Several programs will finish with a winning record and improve on their season from last year but more importantly boast a bundle of value which we all should take full advantage of. The Big 10 as a whole will improve in the years to come because of the addition of two quality coaches in Ron Zook and Terry Hoeppner. Randy Walker will continue to work his magic in Chicago transforming Northwestern into a bowl game attendee while the two newcomers lay down the foundation of their programs. Theses three coaches have the ability to make their respective teams competitive and will improve the overall quality of football in the conference.

northwestern wildcats Preview

The Northwestern Wildcats will be looking to improve on their overall 6-6 record and 5-3 conference record. Head coach Randy Walker fell one game short of getting to a bowl game when the Wildcats lost the last game of the season at Hawaii. Back to lead the offense will be QB Brett Basanez (6-2, 210, Sr.) Brett made great strides last season as a junior. If he can continue to improve, this offense may improve on the 409 yards that averaged last season. RB Noah Herron moved on to the NFL. RB Terrell Jordan (5-10, 200 Sr.) was hurt in the spring and will be pressed by Brandon Roberson (5-9, 195, Jr.) who impressed the coaches stepping in for the injured Jordan. The offense was able to move the ball but must be able to get into the end zone on a regular basis to move up the ladder within the conference.

The Defense will improve this season with the return of 6 starters. DE Loren Howard (6-4, 280, Sr.) is one of the best in the conference at his position and will be a force if he can stay healthy the entire season. MLB Tim McGarigle (6-1, 235, Sr.) is the team leader on defense and has the skills to play on Sundays in the future. CB-PR Jeff Backes (5-9, 190, Sr.) has big play capabilities and will have to be accounted for at all times. The Wildcats are no longer cellar dwellers of the Big Ten, but have lacked the consistency needed to be considered a conference contender. The Wildcats are a tough favorite to back but have been a live underdog over the last four seasons. Walker has the ability to get this squad into a bowl game if they improve on last season. Bet on the Wildcats >>

Illinois illini Preview

Illinois will have a big name at Head Coach when they open the 2005 season. Ron Zook will bring show to Illinois after a record of 23-14 while coach the University of Florida over the last three years. Zook will have to deal with the good and the bad of his new job as he will have less pressure on him than he did trying to fill the shoes that Steve Spurrier left behind. However, level of talent that he will be able to recruit will also not be the cream of the crop. Zook’s first big priority will be deciding on his starting quarterback. During spring ball Junior Tim Brasic (6-2, 185, Jr.) emerged as the starter come fall. The strength of this team will be at running back. Pierre Thomas (5-11 will be the starter but will share time with E.B. Halsey (5-10, 200 Jr.). The Wide receivers on this squad will be good as a unit with a superstar. The best of the bunch will be Kendrick Jones (6-2, 180, Sr.) Tight End Melvin Bryant (6-5 235has the talent and size to be a big part in Zook’s offense.

The Defense returns seven starters from last year’s team. The young defensive line is undersized and must improve from last season after being pushed around last season. The success of the defensive line as a unit will depend on the development of redshirt Derek Walker (6-5, 245, Fr.). Walker could be the player that brings this defensive unit some respectability. The linebackers will be very green because they will be starting two sophomores and a red shirt freshman. Justin Harrison (5-11, 205, So.) will be the star of the secondary that has a lot of potential and room to improve. Steve Weatherford (6-4, 205, Sr.) will come back as an all American candidate at punter. Zook will need some time with this young and athletic group to put up some victories. However, look for the fighting Illini to have the ability to cover the point spread as an underdog. Bet on the Illini >>

Indiana hoosiers Preview

The Hoosiers of Indiana will also have a new coach this season in Terry Hoeppner. Hoeppner compiled a record of 48-25 at Miami-Ohio in six seasons as head coach and is tied for eighth in the nation among active coaches' winning percentage (.657). The offense will start with a veteran offense line led by NFL prospect, Isaac Sowells (6-3, 330, Sr.). There is a lack of experience at the wide receiver position but lightning fast Marcus Thigpen (5-9, 175, Fr.) will get playing time and make big plays for his new coach. After spring football, Blake Powers (6-4, 228, So.) is the front runner to take the ball under center when the season begins in the fall.

The defense will have their problems this season trying to stop their conference foes from running the ball. The defensive line lacks size and depth will be led by Victor Adeyanju (6-4, 270, Sr.) Kyle Killion (6-0, 230, Sr.) is the best player on defense at the outside linebacker position. No one player sticks out in the secondary but the unit is fast and they have depth. The secondary will have to improve their ranking of 102nd in pass defense if this team is to have any success. If this team develops quickly look for them to cover a few spreads on the back end of the schedule. Bet on the Hoosiers >>

penn st. nittany lions Preview

Penn State returns nine starters on the defensive side of the ball. This is good news for head coach Joe Paterno, as his defense did not allow more than 21 points in any game last season. Junior LB Paul Posluszny (6-2, 229, Jr.) was the best player on the defensive side of the ball last season and led the team in tackles his team in tackles. The Lions will have an all senior defensive backfield that will be led by CB Alan Zemaitis (6-2, 201, Jr.). The secondary only allowed 5 interceptions last season and intercepted 16 passes. FS Chris Harrell (6-2, 210, Sr.) is coming back after missing all of last year with a neck injury to provide depth in the secondary. The offense does return all five starters to the offensive line. The best of the lineman is Junior OT Levi Brown (6-5, 324, Jr.). Brown was all-Big Ten and a NFL prospect.

This unit will only improve if starters E.Z. Smith (6-1, 276, Sr.) and Tyler Reed (6-4,307, Sr.) are cleared to play after being suspended for an off the field incident. Senior Michael Robinson (6-2, 217, Sr.) will get the nod at starting quarterback after playing wide receiver last season. In the Blue-White Game (spring game), the former Varina High School standout was 6 of 6 for 143 yards. Tony Hunter (6-2, 219 Jr.) will carry the work load running out of the backfield. Hunter led the team in rushing last season with 777 yards rushing and receiving with 39 receptions. Derrick Williams (6-0, 191, Fr.) and Justin King, both highly recruited freshmen, will get immediate playing time at wide receiver. Williams has 4.3 speeds and played well enough during the spring scrimmage to be a starter come fall. Penn State has an easy schedule to start the season that will allow them the opportunity to be undefeated when they face conference rivals Minnesota and Ohio State in back to back home games. If Penn Sate gets out of the gate in good shape this year, look for a winning season and a bowl game for Paterno. Bet on the Nittany Lions >>

michigan st. spartans Preview

John L. Smith starts his third season as head coach of the Spartans. Last year's offensive attack finished tenth in the nation, and first in the Big Ten. Smith’s team will go as far as QB Drew Stanton (6-3, 228, Jr.) will take them. Stanton is a dual threat to run and throw but is not very durable. Last years back up QB, Stephen Reeves, has transferred leaving two freshmen to back up Stanton. RB Jason Teague (5-9, 199, Sr.) will be the primary ball carrier. Jehuu Caulcrick (6-0, 243, So.) was very impressive during spring ball and should get plenty of playing time. The offensive line has holes to fill but will be more athletic than the previous starters. The offensive line as a unit demonstrated steady improvement during spring football scrimmage.

Only five starters return on defense. Last year the defense gave up over 27 points per game and 381 total yards. Road games at Purdue, Notre Dame and Ohio State make for a tough schedule. The Spartans need to win one of these games away from home to have a successful campaign. If the Spartans are to have a winning season, the defense will have to make huge improvements and Stanton needs to stay healthy at QB. Bet on the Spartans >>

wisconsin badgers Preview

Wisconsin’s defense was one of the big stories of the 2004 Big Ten season finishing ninth in the nation and sixth in scoring defense. This senior heavy unit only allowed 15.4 points and 291.2 yards per game. Although this defensive squad lost seven players to graduation, the Badgers will still field a solid defense. The defensive line will have four new starters that have very big shoes to fill. However, there's hope with athletic young defensive linemen ready to take over and a solid group of linebackers to steady things early on. There\'s no way to duplicates as last year’s numbers, but don't look for the roof to cave in.

The Defense’s strength will be the linebackers led by LB Dontez Sanders (6-1, 208, Sr.). Bret Bell (6-0, 200, Sr.) will need to come back healthy to lead the three starters in the secondary. Offensively the Badgers will be led by Colorado transfer Brian Calhoun (5-10, 194 Jr.)Calhoun will take the pressure off second year starter John Stocco (6-2, 197, Jr.). Stocco will have three senior receivers to throw to, led by Brandon Williams (5-7, 175, Sr.). The massive offensive line returns two starters and will need to gel quickly to open up holes for Calhoun and give Stocco time to pass the ball downfield. Look for Barry to get the Badgers to a bowl game and upset of one of the top teams in the conference in Camp Randall Stadium. Bet on the Badgers >>

minnesota golden gophers Preview

Offense will not be a problem for Minnesota this upcoming season. The Golden Gophers looked like conference contenders last season with one of the best offenses in the country. After a 6-0 start, back to back loses to Michigan and Michigan St dashed any hope of a conference title. RB Laurence Maroney (5-11, 205, Jr.) is one of the best backs in the conference and will be the focal point of the offense after sharing the ball the last two seasons. QB Bryan Capito (6-1, 195 Jr.) should improve in his second season under center after an inconsistent season as a freshman where he only completed 47% of his passes. Wide receiver Ernie Wheelwright (6-5, 210 So.) has the most potential at wide receiver. Ernie caught seven touchdowns last year and averaged over 21 yards per catch. The offense line returns the whole left side anchored by Joe Ainslie (6-7, 300, Jr.) and Mark Setterstrom (6-3, 295, Sr.).

The Defense will need to beat expectations if the Golden Gophers are to make it back to a bowl game this season. The defensive line will be fortified in the middle with the return of both tackles. Mark Losli (6-6, 290, Sr.) and Anthony Montgomery (6-5, 305, Sr.) will occupy the opponent’s offensive line giving the inexperienced linebackers room to make plays. John Pawielski (5-11, 200 Sr.) is the leader in the secondary at FS but the rest of the secondary is weak and must solidify if Minnesota wants to play during the holidays.
Bet on the Golden Gophers >>

michigan wolverines Preview

Michigan is one of the favorite from the Big Ten to have a shot at the national title and making a third straight tip to the Rose Bowl. The Wolverines return 16 starts from a club that went 9-3 last season. Two super sophomores will be the foundation of this team, QB Chad Henne and RB Michael Hart. Henne will have speedster Steve Breaston to throw deep passes to when he is not pounding the defense with Hart. The defense needs to improve after allowing the most points in school history, 279 points.

The Defense has talent and will look to senior defensive tackle Gabe Watson, All-American candidate, to anchor the defensive line. To help correct the mental mistake the defensive unit made last season, Defensive line coach Steve Stripling was hired away from Michigan State. This should an ace up the sleeve when these two in state rivals go head to head this season.
Bet on the Wolverines >>

ohio st. buckeyes Preview

Ohio State may have the best wide receiver unit in the country. Santonio Holmes is the starting WR but CB Ted Ginn Jr. can score anytime he touches the ball. Ginn’s high school QB, Troy Smith will be back to guide the offense after a two game suspension by the NCAA. Ohio State will use a more wide open offense than head coach Jim Tressel would like to use due to the inexperience at running back. However, the rest of the cupboard is full as the Buckeye’s return 18 starters from last years 8-4 squad.

The Buckeyes defense will be led by NFL prospect middle linebacker A.J. Hawk. He will be flanked by Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Shlegel at the other linebacker positions to make up one of the best linebacker units in the country. The defensive line and the secondary both return 3 lettermen starters to the best defensive in the conference. The big question is whether this program can stay out of trouble. If they do, they should be a BCS team at the end of the year.
Bet on the Buckeyes >>

purdue boilermakers Preview

Purdue returns the most starters in the conference this season with 20 lettermen. This season we will see the offense try and use the multidimensional Junior QB Kirsch QB in the option. The Boilermakers will be a more ground oriented team this season with the departure of QB Orton and the all time leading NCAA receiver Taylor Stubblefield and the returning depth at the RB position. Two seniors, Brandon Jones and Jerod Void in the backfield will be taking handoffs from Kirsch. Giving the two seniors a breather will be lighting fast redshirt freshman, Kory Sheets.

All 11 starters return to a defense unit that only allowed 17 points per game last season. The defense did so with only 15 forced turnovers and allowed wining score in the last three minutes in four of the five loses last season. Look for the defense to only get better and lead this team to a New Year’s Day bowl game.
Bet on the Boilermakers >>

iowa hawkeyes Preview

Iowa has a Heisman candidate in Drew Tate. With the injuries to running back, Iowa ranked 116th in rushing, last season he shouldered the offense, Tate led the Big Ten is passing with 262.4 yards per game and a QB rating of 137.1. The offense will be dangerous this season as they will have a more balanced attack as the Hawkeyes will have eight players in the running for playing time in the backfield.

On the defensive side of the ball, the defensive line will be very young as all four seniors have graduated. The linebackers behind then may be the best in the Big Ten and the ball-hawking secondary returns three starters. Iowa is a serious candidate for the BCS if they come through on the defensive line and the offensive backfield. Bet on the Hawkeyes >>

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By: Jorge Gonzalez (Special to WagerOnFootball.com)
Jorge Gonzalez owns VegasWise out of Las Vegas. Jorge has lived where all the action begins for 33 years and is a pre-law graduate from UNLV. With over 15 years of experience beating the sportsbooks get his premium plays here.