This story appears in ESPN College Football 2016, on newsstands June 7. Order online today!

It's a pretty simple equation for Ohio State in 2016: A great year from QB J.T. Barrett probably means a great year for the Buckeyes.

So that makes Barrett the easy choice as Ohio State's most important player. But who's the Barrett on every other Big Ten team?

Sure, as mentioned a time or two, the stud soph moved from safety to linebacker this spring, but positions are just labels for Peppers. The modern-day Charles Woodson will once again be a factor on offense (two rushing TDs in 2015) and on kick returns (27.9 yards per return on eight kickoffs last year). As Michigan looks to maximize his freakish athletic gifts, don't be surprised if his versatility begets Heisman talk.

Barrett returns to lead an offense that will feature new faces just about everywhere else. The good news for the Buckeyes, at least, is that the junior quarterback boasts a penchant for finding the end zone: He chipped in 11 touchdowns in the air and another 11 on the ground last year despite splitting reps with the since-departed Cardale Jones for much of the season.

As a true freshman in 2015, Barkley was a sensation on an otherwise abysmal offense, running for 1,076 yards and seven touchdowns. He put up those totals and averaged 5.9 YPC despite sitting two games because of injury and getting only one carry and 1 yard in the opener at Temple. He was a home run threat too: His 15 runs of 20 plus yards last year was tied for sixth most in the Power 5.

Alongside Shilique Calhoun, the 6-foot-6, 280-pound McDowell hounded quarterbacks throughout 2015 to the tune of 4½ sacks and eight QB hurries. With Calhoun now preparing to play on Sundays, McDowell's continued production is vital to a team that relies on stopping the run first -- the Spartans' defense has ranked in the top 25 in YPC allowed every year since '11. His two forced fumbles and one pick returned for a TD were a bonus.

The lanky 6-foot-4 junior finished last season strong (four 100-plus-yard games in his final seven) to become only the sixth Hoosiers wideout to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark. With strong-armed juco transfer Richard Lagow taking the reins under center, Cobbs' ability to stretch the field (17.3 YPC, No. 22 in the Power 5) should help smooth the transition.

He's only 5-foot-7, but Likely is a big play waiting to happen. The Big Ten returner of the year in 2015, he led the nation in combined return yards (1,197), averaged 17.7 yards per punt return and brought two punts and one kickoff back for TDs. On a team lacking explosiveness (14 team receptions of 25-plus yards in 2015, T-121 in the FBS), Likely provided a welcome burst. Oh, and he's also the team's star defender and lone defensive back returning to the Terps' secondary.

The captain -- and 2014 team defensive MVP when he had 11.5 TFLs and six sacks -- was shut down for the season in Week 3 last year after a lingering knee injury failed to heal. Not coincidentally, Rutgers' run defense fell off a cliff in conference play: a Big Ten-worst 5.7 YPC; four games allowing 250-plus rush yards, tied for seventh worst in the Power 5; and a 64.2 percent third-down conversion rate on runs, third worst in the FBS. Hamilton will help stabilize the defensive front, especially if the senior returns to 2014 form.

West Division