It’s no secret that he Big Ten has been struggling over the past few years both on and off the field. The once-powerful conference has been downgraded of late, but that doesn’t mean that there is a shortage of talented players in the conference. Sure, the Big Ten is living in the SEC’s shadow, but [...]
For the Ohio State Buckeyes, the 2012 season was quite bittersweet. The undefeated season was very rewarding for head coach Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes, but a postseason ban prevented Ohio State from competing for a Big Ten and possibly a BCS Title. Now free of sanctions, OSU has high hopes for this year, with [...]
The beleaguered Big Ten has been shrouded in change ever since the Nebraska Cornhuskers joined the conference in 2010. When the Huskers became part of the conference, the Big Ten brass made the call to create two divisions, dubbed “Leaders” and “Legends.” Which is confusing; the Big Ten hasn’t led anything lately, and the conference’s [...]
Last season was filled with disappointment for head coach Tim Beckman. He took over as coach for the struggling Illinois Fighting Illini and things went from bad to worse. A year after finishing 2-6 in Big Ten play, the Fighting Illini went winless last season (0-8). The season was truly a disappointment and included a [...]
Last season, Penn State Nittany Lions‘ running back Zach Zwinak rushed for 1,000 yards and six touchdowns in what was his sophomore season for the Lions. Beginning the season behind Bill Belton on the depth chart, Zwinak was not expected to make much of an impact. Then, Belton got caught in head coach Bill O’Brien’s [...]
The Illinois Fighting Illini went 2-10 last season, but to blame the defense wouldn’t be fair. The defense was by no means spectacular, ranking 54th in the country, but it was the offense’s inability to score that plagued the Illini. The offense’s struggles put even more pressure on a defensive unit that also had to [...]
As spring practice begins in Champagne, one thing has become clear: 2-10 isn’t going to cut it. The Illinois Fighting Illini head into this season trying to forget about their disappointing performance from a year ago, a year in which they failed to win a conference game. In fact, they rarely even come close. The [...]
Former Oklahoma State Cowboys running back Joseph Randle was widely regarded as one of the 2013 NFL Draft’s best prospects heading into the NFL Combine. When Randle ran a somewhat pedestrian 4.63 second 40-yard dash, many questioned if he was worthy of the first or second round pick some projected him at. Randle had good [...]
A season ago, the Wisconsin Badgers were led defensively by senior outside linebacker Mike Taylor, who started all 14 games for the Badgers. Taylor ended up leading one of the Big Ten’s best defenses in tackles and tackles for loss. Wisconsin must move into a new coaching era without Taylor’s talents and leadership. Gary Andersen [...]
The Oklahoma State Cowboys can score with just about any team in the country. The Cowboys ranked 3rd in both scoring offense and total offense last season, making the team’s 8-5 finish a disappointment for head coach Mike Gundy. Where the offense was stellar in 2012, the defense was lackluster, giving up 421 yards (80th) [...]
