Big Ten preview:
The usual
suspectsby Brian Hamilton,
CNN/SI
Posted: Wed Aug 19, 1998
All-America linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer is a Heisman Trophy candidate in '98.
(John Biever) | |
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Projected Order of
Finish
|
1.
Ohio State
2.
Michigan
3. Penn
State
4.
Wisconsin
5. Michigan
State
6.
Northwestern
7.
Purdue
8.
Iowa
9.
Indiana
10.
Minnesota
11.
Illinois
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Offensive Player of the
Year
|
|
Ron
Dayne, RB, Jr.,
Wisconsin
| | Ran for 1,451 yards and 15 TDs in '97, despite struggling
with a variety of injuries. A healthy Dayne behind the
Badgers' massive offensive line is like a snowplow behind
five M-1 tanks. A soft schedule helps,
too.
| |
|
Defensive Player of the
Year
|
|
Robaire
Smith, DE, Jr., Michigan
State
| | Can't afford to double-team the Big Ten's returning sack
leader (12), because the rest of the Spartans' daunting
front seven will move in for the
kill.
| |
|
Newcomer of the
Year
|
|
James
Cotton, DE, Jr., Ohio
State
| | Buckeyes need to cinch up their line for a shot at the
national title. Enter Cotton, a
juco transfer who can and must produce. He was recruited from
San Francisco Community College as a linebacker, but
performed so well in spring practice that coaches
moved him to
end.
| |
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Coach on the Hot
Seat
|
|
Cam
Cameron, Indiana (2-9 in
1997)
| | Hoosiers' second-year coach is a victim of Joe Tiller
Syndrome. Rival Purdue produced pronto, creating
instant-gratification demands for Cameron
downstate.
| |
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Conference
Game-Breaker
|
|
David
Boston, WR, Sr., Ohio State
| | Led the Big Ten with 70 catches and 14 TDs, but it's his
spectacular spears that deflate opponents like a sharp pin
to a
balloon.
| |
|
Most Underrated
Players
|
|
Marcus
Ray, S, Sr., Michigan;
Brandon
Short, LB, Jr.,
Penn State
| | Contrary to popular belief, it ain't cooler in the shadows.
Ask Ray, who toiled without renown alongside Heisman winner
Charles Woodson; or Short, always second fiddle to Andy
Katzenmoyer among the Big Ten's middle-linebacker
fraternity. But both Ray
and Short make impacts with emotion—and their shoulder
pads.
| |
|
Best
Name
|
|
Jason
Czap, LB, Jr.,
Indiana
| | Runner-up:
Pat
Pidgeon, P, Jr., Penn
State
| |
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Toughest
Schedule
|
|
Minnesota's slate includes all seven Big Ten bowl teams of last year,
including six
in a
row from Oct. 3 to Nov.
7.
| |
|
Creampuff
Schedule
|
|
Wisconsin's
goliath linemen can devour more than just the pre-game
spread. The Badgers open the year against San
Diego State, Ohio and UNLV, and titanic clashes
with—gasp—Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota
await.
| |
|
Red-Letter
Games
|
| Penn State at Ohio
State, Oct. 3 | | It's never too early to have a game with national
title implications, don't you
think?
|
|
Michigan at Ohio
State, Nov. 21 | | Another Big Ten season comes down to this. Don't
you dare miss
it.
|
| Penn State at
Wisconsin, Nov. 21 | | This one, given the Badgers' light fare all
season, could be for an Alliance
bid.
| |
|
Drop This Name to Make Yourself Sound Smarter at the Water
Cooler
|
|
Antwaan
Randle-El, QB, Fr.,
Indiana
| | After sitting out '97 with academic woes, the speedy
Randle-El will have to carry the struggling Hoosiers in his
on-field
debut.
| |
|
Going
Bowling
|
Locks: Michigan, Ohio State, Penn
State, Wisconsin
Maybes: Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern,
Purdue
No
Way: Illinois, Indiana,
Minnesota
| |
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Top Three
Storylines
|
|
Two
Good
| |
Ohio State and defending national champ Michigan represent
the Alliance-bound Big Ten's best shots for No.
1.
|
| Hefty, Hefty,
Hefty
| |
How far can mammoth Ron Dayne and his Loch Ness linemen
carry
Wisconsin?
|
| Stuck in the
Middle
| |
Uninspiring teams in the middle of the conference pack will
battle for the last of the league's six precious bowl
bids.
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