By Brian Smith
Special to Under The Rock
With a plethora of bowl options, even teams that do not finish in the upper half of the Big 10 standings can make a bowl game.
One team that could make a run at the upper echelon of the Big 10 standings is Michigan State. The Spartans need better offensive line play, based on the Spartan tailbacks averaging less than two yards per tote during the spring game. If the running game improves, the transition for whomever the starting quarterback ends up being will be a much easier one. Head coach Mark Dantonio knows defense; defensive end Trevor Anderson will know Big 10 quarterbacks well by the end of next season, too.
Ben Chappell takes over at quarterback, several injured players return to the lineup, but the fact that Indiana won just one Big 10 game last fall still remains. The Hoosiers need Damarlo Belcher to reach his vast potential quickly to provide a quick-strike threat. Overall, the Hoosiers will need a high level of play from Chappell, Belcher, et al, to become bowl eligible this fall.
Minnesota knows offense; can they play "any" defense against a top five Big 10 opponent? Plus, Minnesota's rushing attack ranked dead last in conference play last season. At least one or the other must improve dramatically for the Gophers to go bowling. If they can somehow pull off a couple of Big 10 upsets along the way, a .500 or better overall record is not out of the question, leading to a bowl game.
Last season Northwestern found its way to being ranked in the middle of most of the Big 10 statistical standings, but one stat, not surprisingly, stood out. The Wildcats averaged just over 24 points per game. Ouch. For the boys from Evanston, Ill. to make any headway towards the upper division, a tailback or wide receiver needs to step forward this fall. If nothing else, quarterback Mike Kafka might just tuck in n' run. He's quite the athlete.
The two teams who are most likely to be at the bottom of the Big 10 both have a similar issue: quarterback play. Say what one will about overall talent and experience, if a team has an inexperienced quarterback, it spells trouble far more often than not.
Michigan will introduce Tate Forcier as its new signal caller, and he will need lots of help if Michigan has serious intentions of getting back to a bowl game. The Wolverines defense was gauged for 367 yards per game last season. That's horrendous. Will a new defensive coordinator and supposed new attitude on "D" spell the difference? Don't count on it. There's still the freshman quarterback issue.
And your likely cellar dweller, the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue lost not one, but both of its top quarterbacks from last season. Double ouch. The Boilermakers defense also left a stench with a defense that allowed 358 yards per game last season. Bad combination. Purdue will have a long, cold, winter to go through after football season ends.
