| | By Jeff Potrykus
Special to ESPN.com
The debate over which conference is home to the best football in America -- SEC, Big 12 or Big Ten -- may never be settled.
By contrast, what nearly everyone seems to agree upon is that the 2000 Big Ten champion probably won't be determined until well into November and that the winner certainly won't run its eight-game gauntlet unbeaten. After all, that scenario has held true in each of the past two seasons, with Wisconsin needing to win its regular-season finale to clinch a berth in the Rose Bowl.
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Mon, August 14
The Big Ten is on a roll. In the last two years they are 10-2 in bowl games, including 4-1 against the SEC and 2-0 in Rose Bowls. This is the strongest the conference has ever been on paper, with more speed and depth than ever before.
On paper, Wisconsin is the team to beat. They return an extremely talented nucleus of players led by Brooks Bollinger at QB and a defense that is as experienced as any in the country. The key will be getting some depth at the tailback position, and letting Michael Bennett prove he's worthy of being the guy. He's got tremendous speed, he just needs to be more patient and learn to stretch a defense the way Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne did, then pick a hole and slide right through.
After that, it's a crap shoot. Michigan could be very talented offensively with Drew Henson, Anthony Thomas, the best offensive line they've had in years and a talented receiving corps led by David Terrell. The real question is going to be defense. Last year, their secondary proved to be vulnerable and the size of their corners got them into trouble in certain matchups.
Purdue isn't just about Drew Brees. They recruit superior talent that fits Joe Tiller's offensive scheme. Their defense has to stop people; they don't want to get into shoot-outs where they have to out-score everybody.
Illinois is for real. Keep an eye on Kurt Kittner. They got a taste of success last year after winning at Michigan and at Ohio State a year ago, then blowing Virginia out in the bowl game. Now they truly believe in themselves.
Ohio State has the talent to compete with any team in the Big Ten but they have to start showing character and playing with a little more determination than they did last year. If they can find the right attitude then they are a team to keep an eye on; Steve Bellisari could have a special year.
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"I think there are seven or eight teams that could be up there when it is all said and done," Illinois coach Ron Turner said bluntly.
Seven Big Ten teams were ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll, more than any other conference. (Only Northwestern, Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota were unranked) That is, coincidentally, the same number of teams that finished the '99 season ranked in The AP's Top 25.
Wisconsin, the first Big Ten team to win consecutive Rose Bowls, was ranked No. 4, the highest preseason ranking in school history. Remember, though, that reporters who cover the Big Ten picked the Badgers to finish second behind Michigan. The Wolverines, the only Big Ten team to beat the Badgers in the last two seasons, were ranked No. 6 in The AP preseason poll.
The third Top 25 Big Ten team is Purdue, at No. 14. The Boilermakers are generally considered the greatest threat to Wisconsin and Michigan.
However, each of those teams enters the 2000 seasons with major questions.
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr faces the prospect of replacing six defensive starters, including four all-conference picks.
"When you lose as many players as we did on defense," Carr said, "you really are faced with a major rebuilding issue."
Purdue's players must learn how to win close games. Four of the Boilermakers' five losses last season were by seven points or fewer.
"Learning how to finish a game is a big key for us," Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. "We'd like to become a more physical football team."
Wisconsin's physical nature over the past four seasons was epitomized by tailback Ron Dayne. But the '99 Heisman Trophy winner and NCAA's all-time leading rusher has moved to the NFL. Can the Badgers adequately replace him?
"We win as a team," Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said. "It wasn't just Ron Dayne. We are pretty good in all three phases. We led the league in scoring. We led the league in scoring defense. And we had the best special teams in the league. That's how we win."
Jeff Potrykus covers the Big Ten for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | |
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