The season is less than two weeks away and it is time to get more previews out. In this article, I will preview the Big 10 West. If you are looking for a specific team, they are listed in alphabetical order.

Illinois

Last Season

After taking down two cupcake teams (sorry Kent State and Western Illinois) to start the season, Illinois dropped to 2-2 after they lost to South Florida and Penn State. The Fighting Illini kept themselves above .500 with a win over Rutgers, but that was short lived after they lost in blowouts to Purdue, Wisconsin, and Maryland. Illinois came up big with a win over Minnesota. The high of that was short lived though as they lost to Nebraska, got blown out by 60 against Iowa, and lost to Northwestern. The Fighting Illini finished the season 4-8.

Offense

Illinois is in the midst of a battle at quarterback. AJ Bush took the majority of snaps last season and graduated. MJ Rivers rotated in at times, and he transferred after spring ball likely because he knew he would not win the starting job. Brandon Peters was brought in as a graduate transfer from Michigan. Peters started some in 2017 for Michigan after their starter went down, but did not see action in 2018 after Shea Patterson transferred in. Despite that, Peters is a solid option at the position. The other player in the quarterback battle is true freshman Isaiah Williams. Williams is one of the most exciting recruits to sign with Illinois in a while. Williams was listed as an athlete coming out of high school and stands at just 5’10”, but was named Gatorade Player of the Year in Missouri at quarterback twice. Williams said a big reason he picked Illinois was that they did not force him to convert to receiver. Peters and Williams have pretty contrasting styles, and I believe Illinois will likely go with Peters to start things off before eventually turning to Williams. This is probably how I would handle the situation as well. Whoever is at the helm will be helped out by Reggie Corbin. Corbin emerged as one of the best running backs in the Big 10 last season and ran 1,085 yards on 8.5 yards per carry. Mike Epstein and Ra’Von Bonner are also back after playing rotational roles in the backfield in 2018. Receiver Ricky Smalling is back after he led the team in receiving yards last season. Sam Mays finished second and is gone, but Illinois has two transfers at the position that can fill his spot. Trevon Sidney and Josh Imatorbhebe both transferred to Illinois after being unable to crack the rotation. Both were four-star recruits out of high school and should be able to be contributors for the Fighting Illini (everybody needs to stop reading this article right now and watch the video of Josh Imatorbhebe’s 47-inch vertical jump because it is absolutely jaw-dropping). Trenard Davis and Dominic Stampley will also see a lot of time at receiver. Illinois returns four starters on the offensive line but loses their best player on the unit in guard Nick Allegretti. Alabama transfer Richie Petitbon will take Allegretti’s spot. The best player on the line will likely by tackle Vederian Lowe.

Defense

Illinois returns a lot of talent on the defensive front. The team was hit with tough news in May when they found out that defensive end Bobby Roundtree will not play this season as he is rehabbing a spinal cord injury he suffered in a swimming accident this offseason. Roundtree was the best player on the defensive line last season. The Fighting Illini will likely have Isaiah Gay starting in the spot left by Roundtree, but USC transfer Oluwole Betiku will surely get some playing time either at defensive end or outside linebacker. Betiku was a five-star recruit in the class of 2016, but could never live up to the hype at USC and missed all of 2018 due to a hip injury. At defensive tackle, Tymir Oliver and Jamal Milan return after starting last season. Linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips tied for first on the team in tackles and was first on the team in interceptions last season and will be gone. In his spot will be Milo Eifler who transferred from Washington after seeing some action for the Huskies as a true freshman in 2017. Jake Hansen is back at outside linebacker and will be one of the best players on this defense. The Fighting Illini lose Cameron Watkins at cornerback, but return some key players. Jartavius Martin picked off three passes his freshman season, and Nate Hobbs is back as well after missing some time last season due to injury. Tony Adams returns as the nickel cornerback with Delano Ware also seeing time at the position. Another likely contributor at cornerback will be true freshman Marquez Beason, who is the highest rested recruit to sign with Illinois since 2009. Free safety Stanley Green is back after finishing fourth on the team in tackles despite playing in just seven games last season. Sydney Brown is back as the starting strong safety. The Fighting Illini will need to find a new kicker after Chase McLaughlin graduated. The next man up will be redshirt freshman Caleb Griffin. Blake Hayes returns at punter.

Coaching Staff

Lovie Smith is back for his fourth season as head coach. Smith was the head coach for the Chicago Bears for nine seasons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for another two. Smith made the playoffs three times with the Bears and made the Super Bowl once. Despite his NFL pedigree, Smith is just 9-27 at Illinois. That being said, everyone knew this would be a tough rebuild. No matter how tough the rebuild is, Smith will need to produce some results sooner or later. Rod Smith is back for his second season at offensive coordinator after serving as the co-offensive coordinator at Arizona for six seasons. Lovie Smith will take over defensive coordinator duties himself. With how good some of the defenses he coached in the NFL were, it might not be a bad call.

Final Prediction

Illinois football has not been in a good place for awhile. The Fighting Illini have not had a winning season since 2011 and have won eight games since 2007. Lovie Smith was brought in to turn around the program. While things are looking better, the team has still yet to truly show results. This team returns a lot of talent both on offense and defense. They just need to break the six win ceiling at some point sooner or later. The bad thing is, there are many up and coming teams in their division. While I think they are due for a big season soon, I just do not see it happening with the teams in their division. I expect Illinois to show some major signs of growth, but end up 5-7.

Iowa

Last Season

The Hawkeyes got off to a 3-0 start in 2018 that included a win in the Cy-Hawk Classic over in-state rival Iowa State. Iowa was a bit less lucky when they played Big 10 rival Wisconsin as they lost 28-17. The Hawkeyes responded with three dominant wins over Minnesota, Indiana, and Maryland. Unfortunately, those wins were followed by three straight one possession losses. First the Hawkeyes fell at Penn State 30-24. They then fell 38-36 against Purdue and were eliminated from Big 10 West contention after they lost 14-10 to Northwestern. Iowa took out their frustrations in a 63-0 win over Illinois, and beat rival Nebraska. The season also ended on a high note with an Outback Bowl win over Mississippi State.

Offense

Nate Stanley returns for what will be his third season as the starting quarterback for the Hawkeyes. With Stanley’s solid play, Iowa has opened up their pass game more than one would expect from a Kirk Ferentz coached team. Last season, Stanley attempted more passes than any Hawkeyes quarterback since 2011. Stanley threw for 2,852 yards and 26 touchdowns last season. While Iowa has typically relied on one workhorse back in the past, the Hawkeyes will likely go running back by committee again this season. Mekhi Sargent emerged as the best running threat at the end of 2018 and led the team in rushing yards. Sargent is a versatile back that can also be a solid pass catching threat. Toren Young is a bit more of a traditional power back and returns as well after finishing second on the team in rushing yards. Ivory Kelly-Martin will also be a nice change of pace back with his athleticism and elusiveness that is rare for an Iowa running back. Iowa loses their two best pass catching threats from last season in tight ends Noah Fant and TJ Hockenson, who were both first round draft picks. Fant was a receiver with a tight end’s body and could burn the linebackers and safeties covering him with his athleticism. Hockenson was a great all around tight end who took home the Mackey Award (best tight end) in 2018 and definitely earned the nickname “Baby Gronk” that was given to him near the end of the season. Filling in at tight end will be Nate Wieting, who primarily excels in run blocking and Shaun Beyer. Receiver Nick Easley also needs to be replaced. The best returning receivers are Brandon Smith and Ihmir Smith-Marsette. Smith Marsette is more of a speedy receiver while Smith is a bigger and stronger one. On the offensive line, the Hawkeyes return three starters. Tackles Tristan Wirfs and Alaric Jackson are two very nice pieces on this line and will be asked to do a lot. Keegan Render and Ross Reynolds were both solid players who will be tough to replace. True freshmen Ezra Miller, Tyler Endres, and Justin Britt were all solid pick ups who should be key contributors later down the line.

Defense

Iowa loses quite a bit of experience from last season on the defensive line. Defensive tackles Matt Nelson and Sam Brincks are gone after both being starters last season. Filling those spots are Cedrick Lattimore and Brady Reiff (brother of NFL offensive tackle Riley Reiff). Parker Hesse and Anthony Nelson are also gone at defensive end. Nelson was a definite impact player as he had 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss on the season in 2018. Thankfully for the Hawkeyes they return their best defensive lineman from last season in AJ Epenesa. Despite not starting in 2018, Epenesa led the team with 10.5 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss, and eight quarterback hurries. Epenesa is an elite pass rusher who will surely do better with increased reps and will likely be hearing his name called in the first round of the next NFL Draft. Chauncey Golston will take the other defensive end spot. At linebacker, the Hawkeyes lose some key players in Jake Hockaday and Amani Hooker who tied for first on the team with four interceptions and was second on the team in tackles. Kristian Welch will fill in at middle linebacker. Djimon Colbert is back at outside linebacker and has the most tackles of any returning player on the team. Safety Jake Gervase will be missed as he led the team in tackles in 2018 and picked off four passes. In his spot will be Kaevon Merriweather who saw limited action his freshman season in 2018. Geno Stone is back at strong safety after starting last season. Matt Hankins and Michael Ojemudia are back at cornerback after starting in 2018 and should make for a strong duo. Iowa will be going with a new kicker in 2019 after Miguel Recinos graduated. The new starter will be Caleb Shudak who has never kicked an extra point or field goal. There will be a bit of a battle at punter as Colton Rastetter started last season and will be back, but Michael Sleep-Dalton transferred in from Arizona State. My money would be on Sleep-Dalton to win the battle. Ihmir Smith-Marsette will be the main return man for the Hawkeyes in 2019.

Coaching Staff

Kirk Ferentz is back for his twenty first season as head coach. Ferentz is the longest tenured head coach in the FBS and has definitely done a very good job in Iowa City. Kirk’s son Brian Ferentz is back for his third season as offensive coordinator. Iowa’s offense has typically been reliant on a power running game, but they have been opening up a bit more recently. Phil Parker is back for his eighth season as defensive coordinator.

Final Prediction

Iowa has become somewhat of a reliable program under Kirk Ferentz. Every year, Iowa seemingly can be penciled in for at least eight wins while relying on the run game and defense. This Iowa team will be interesting. I am excited to see if they continue their trend of throwing the ball more frequently, and I feel like they should as Nate Stanley is too good of a quarterback not to be used. I think Iowa will throw more this season and it will be good for them. Defensively, they have some good pieces but question marks at a lot of spots too. I think these problems can be worked out with an easy early schedule and Iowa will go 8-4 this season.

Minnesota

Last Season

Minnesota got off to good start in 2018, winning their first three games in non-conference play. Unfortunately for the Golden Gophers, they lost their next four games. They were blown out at Maryland, lost to Iowa, lost after hanging with Ohio State, and were blown out by Nebraska. Minnesota righted the ship with a win over Indiana, but were inexplicably blown out by Illinois the next week. The Golden Gophers needed two wins in their last three games to secure a bowl berth. A win over Purdue put them on the right track, but they lost to Northwestern the next week. Needing a win to gain bowl eligibility, the Golden Gophers came up big and beat rival Wisconsin for the first time since 2003. The season ended on a high note as well with a 34-10 win over Georgia Tech in the QuickLane Bowl.

Offense

At quarterback, Tanner Morgan looks to get the nod. Zack Annexstad started the first seven games last season and looked a bit shaky. When Morgan took over after Annexstad went down, he outperformed Annexstad and will look to take the starting gig in 2019. Morgan still could afford to improve his accuracy and decision making, but I think he is still the better option. At running back, Mohamed Ibrahim returns after leading the team in rushing yards with 1,160. Ibrahim was a scout team player in 2017 who broke out after an injury to starter Rodney Smith. Smith led the team in rushing in 2017, but tore his ACL in just the second game of the season. Both Smith and Ibrahim will see a lot of carries. Bryce Williams will also get some looks as well. All in all, this is a very solid running back unit with a lot of depth. Tyler Johnson is back at receiver after leading the Golden Gophers in receiving yards last season with 1,169. Johnson was a first team all-Big 10 receiver last season and should only be better in 2019. Rashod Bateman will be a nice second option at receiver. Chris Autman-Bell will be another contributor in the receiving corps. Jake Paulson and Ko Kieft both saw time at tight end, but will primarily be used as run blockers. On the offensive line, Minnesota loses tackle Donnell Greene who was a very nice guy to have in pass protection. They also lose center Jared Weyler who started every game last season. The best player on the offensive line will be right tackle Daniel Faalele. Faalele drew attention when he arrived at Minnesota because of his massive 6’9” 400-pound frame, and the fact that he is from Australia and had never played football before his senior year of high school. He now should be drawing attention after having a very strong showing his freshman season despite being a bit raw. I think another year to develop his skills will turn Faalele into a great offensive lineman (I am also excited to see if Minnesota runs the ball with him since he ran for a touchdown in their spring game). Center Conner Olson and guard Blake Andries will also be key contributors up front.

Defense

Minnesota loses two starters at defensive tackle from last season in Gary Moore and Royal Silver. Moore especially was a good run stuffer and will be missed. Jamaal Teague will look to take one of the spots. The other spot will likely go to Notre Dame transfer Michael Dew-Treadway. Dew-Treadway saw some playing time with the Fighting Irish last season, but could never really crack the rotation with them. Both starters are back at defensive end. Winston DeLattiboudere will be a solid player, but the best player on the defensive line will be fellow defensive end Carter Coughlin. Coughlin led the Golden Gophers with 15 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in 2018 en route to being second team all-Big 10. Coughlin will draw a lot of attention from opponents and should give more of an opportunity for his fellow defensive linemen. The Golden Gophers lose a very good linebacker and the leader of their defense from last season in Blake Cashman. Cashman had a nose for the ball and consistently made big plays. His production will be tough to replace. In Cashman’s spot will likely be Mariano Sori-Martin. Thomas Barber is back at middle linebacker and while he racked up a solid 81 tackles, he does not make nearly as many big plays as Cashman did. Kamal Martin will take the other outside linebacker spot. Cornerback Jacob Huff will be gone after finishing second on the team in tackles last season. The new number one cornerback will now likely be Terrell Smith. Smith started for most of the season and led the Golden Gophers in pass deflections in 2018 as a true freshman. In Huff’s starting spot will likely be Chris Williamson who started some and saw time as a rotational player last season. Antoine Winfield returns at safety and is a very good player when healthy. The concern is that he has missed a majority of the last two seasons with injury. Corey Durr is back at the other safety spot after starting last season. Jordan Howden took over when Winfield was injured last season and will also make an impact at the spot. Minnesota will need a new kicker in 2019 after Emmit Carpenter graduated. The next man up will be sophomore Grant Ryerse. Jacob Herbers is back at punter and had a solid showing in 2018 with a 41 yard net average. Winfield and backup receiver Demetrius Douglas will return as the punt and kick returners respectively, both of which have had success at their spots.

Coaching Staff

PJ Fleck is back for his third season as head coach. Fleck became known at his job at Western Michigan for being an intense coach and a great motivator. His motto of “Row the Boat” is now a commonly known phrase in college football. His infectious personality is also paying dividends in recruiting. Fleck was a slam dunk hire for Minnesota and should continue to succeed as head coach. Kirk Ciarrocca is back for his third season as offensive coordinator and sixth season working under Fleck. Joe Rossi was named interim defensive coordinator last season and was hired on full time at the spot for this season.

Final Prediction

It is starting to feel like something big is brewing in Minnesota with PJ Fleck at the helm. The Golden Gophers had some shaky performances but also came up big in spots. There is a ton of production coming back this season offensively especially at skill positions. On defense, there will be some holes but they should be great defending the pass. I think the Golden Gophers will be a breakout team this season and go 8-4, benefiting from an easy non-conference schedule.

Nebraska

Last Season

2018 and the Scott Frost era did not start off too well for Nebraska. They opened things up with a loss to Colorado which was not too crazy. What was a bad look was a loss to Troy in their second game. The Cornhuskers then lost their first four Big 10 games to Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Northwestern. The Northwestern loss was especially rough as they held a lead late in the game. Nebraska finally got their first win after six straight losses by beating Minnesota and their second win by beating FCS foe Bethune-Cookman. Nebraska then looked good by only losing to Ohio State by five points, and looked even better by beating Illinois and Michigan State. Their season could not end on a good note though as they lost to rival Iowa in their last game. The first season of Scott Frost’s coaching tenure was a bit disappointing as they finished 4-8, but there is a lot to be excited about for the future in Lincoln.

Offense

Adrian Martinez got the nod at quarterback for his true freshman season and did not disappoint. Martinez proved to be a very talented and exciting prospect as he completed 64% of his passes on 7.5 yards per attempt while also running for 629 yards. Martinez had a combined 25 touchdowns on the season and should only look better with more experience. The Cornhuskers will have to replace their leading rusher from last season in Devine Ozigbo who went over 1,000 rushing yards. Maurice Washington was the second running back last year will likely take over the number one running back spot in 2019. Junior college transfer Dedrick Mills is another contender. Martinez can make things happen on the ground too, but Nebraska might want to use him in the run game less due to injury concerns. Nebraska will also have to place their leading receiver from last season and their program’s all time leader in receiving yards in Stanley Morgan. Morgan was a very nice possession receiver and could come down with contested catches often. The Cornhuskers do return JD Spielman who finished second on the team in receiving yards in 2018. Spielman is a bit more of a speed demon who does very well at burning opposing cornerbacks. Jack Stoll is also back at tight end and should be a decent pass catching threat and impact player in run blocking. Kade Warner and Mike Williams look to take the other two spots at receiver but there are other players who could contribute. Kanawai Noa started for two seasons at California before transferring to Nebraska and surely will see time at receiver. There is also a lot of buzz surrounding true freshman Wan’Dale Robinson. Robinson was the number one all purpose back in the class of 2019, but could see time at receiver as well this season. The Cornhuskers return three starters on the offensive line but lose two key players and multiple year starters in Tanner Farmer and Jerald Foster. Tackles Brenden James and Matt Farniok will be nice to have back.

Defense

At nose tackle, Carlos Davis returns after starting last season. Davis is a solid run stuffer but also is pretty good at swatting down passes as he had five pass deflections last season. Freedom Akinmoladun will be gone after starting at defensive end, but Ben Stille will be back. The two were about even in terms of production, but Stille will need to step up in 2019. Filling in at the open spot will be Khalil Davis, who actually had more tackles than both of last year’s starters. The best returning player on the entire defense will likely be inside linebacker Mohamed Barry. Barry led the Cornhuskers with 112 tackles in 2018 and also added 11 tackles for loss. Barry will be the leader of the defense this season. Luke Gifford will need to be replaced at outside linebacker after leading the team in sacks in 2018. Dedrick Young also needs to be replaced at inside linebacker. Will Honas will likely fill in at inside linebacker. Honas started the first four games of last season but then missed the rest of the season with an injury. Jojo Domain and Tyrin Ferguson will battle to fill in at Gfford’s spot. The Cornhuskers lose both starters from last season at safety in Aaron Williams and Tre Neal while rotational backup Antonio Reed also departs. Those three were the third, fifth, and sixth leading tacklers respectively and all played big roles in the secondary. Filling in those spots are Deontai Williams and Marquel Dismuke. Williams looks to be the better of the two. Nebraska does return both starting cornerbacks from last season in Lamar Jackson (unfortunately not the Ravens quarterback) and Dicaprio Bootle (I promise this is an actual person’s name). Jackson will enter his third season as a starter and has always been solid at his spot. Bootle led the team and the Big 10 with 15 pass deflections, and will hope to get thrown to less this season. Isaac Armstrong is back as the main punter after splitting time in 2018. Barrett Pickering was a perfect 41/41 on extra points but was a shaky 14/18 on field goals and 2/5 past 40 yards. Pickering will hope to be more trusted in 2019. JD Spielman is back as the main return man after being impressive in that role in 2018.

Coaching Staff

Scott Frost is back for his second season as head coach at Nebraska. Frost, a former backup quarterback for the Cornhuskers in the 1990s, has established a reputation of being able to turn teams around as evidenced by the work he did as head coach at UCF and his successful tenure as Oregon’s offensive coordinator. Frost has high expectations in Lincoln, but definitely has the tools for success. Troy Walters is back for his second season as offensive coordinator and fourth season working under Frost. Erik Chinander returns for year two as defensive coordinator and also worked with Frost at Oregon.

Final Prediction

Nebraska was definitely better at the end of last season than their 4-8 record would suggest. Fans should definitely focus less on their struggles early in 2018 and be excited for the future. The Cornhuskers got their guy at head coach in Scott Frost and have an unwavering confidence in him. While I share this confidence, I do think he will have a tougher rebuilding job than most would expect. While this team has some good players back, they lose a lot of production on both sides of the ball. While I believe Scott Frost is going to turn things around in Lincoln, I have doubts anything major will happen this year. I do not really see how this team can go from four wins to Big 10 West winners with what they lose. I expect Nebraska to go 7-5 this season but show a lot of promise for the future (Nebraska fans if you are upset with me, I hope I have won you back by saying I think your 1995 team is the best college football team ever).

Northwestern

Last Season

Northwestern won at Purdue on opening night, but things soon took a turn for the worse. The Wildcats lost to Akron, Duke, and Michigan in three straight games. The Michigan loss was especially rough as they held a 17-3 lead before losing 20-17. The Wildcats got back on the right track with a win over Michigan State and a comeback win over Nebraska to get themselves back up to .500. Wins over Rutgers and Wisconsin made it four wins in a row. The Wildcats sadly ended their four game winning streak with a loss against Notre Dame. A win over Iowa the next week clinched a Big 10 West title for Northwestern. The Wildcats put the icing on the cake with wins over Minnesota and Illinois to end the regular season. Unfortunately, Northwestern could not get the job done against Ohio State in the Big 10 Championship Game. Thankfully, they did end the season on a good note by winning the Holiday Bowl over Utah 31-20 to finish the season 9-5.

Offense

Northwestern will be replacing their all-time leader in passing yards and the winningest quarterback in school history in Clayton Thorson. While Thorson should definitely be remembered fondly by Wildcats fans, he struggled a bit in 2018 while recovering from a torn ACL. Fans also should feel confident because they singed a big time transfer in Hunter Johnson. Johnson was the consensus top quarterback in the class of 2017, but transferred from Clemson after losing the job to Trevor Lawrence. While it looks bad that he could not win the job at Clemson, Johnson was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and will be a very good player if he lives up to that. Isaiah Bowser came along very strong late in the season at running back and will return as the starter this season. Bowser led the team with 866 rushing yards last season, an impressive feat when you realize he was third on the depth chart to start the year and did not start until midway through the season. John Moten will also see some time at running back. The Wildcats lose two of their three leading receivers from 2018 in Flynn Nagel and Cameron Green. Nagel led the team in receptions and receiving yards while Green led the team in receiving touchdowns. Bennett Skowronek will most likely be the number one receiver on the team as he finished second in receiving yards last season. Kyric McGowan will also be a contributor. Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman will fill in Nagel’s spot while Trey Pugh will fill in Green’s. Northwestern only returns two starters on the offensive line. Tackle Blake Hance and guards JB Butler and Tommy Doles all were multi year starters and will be tough to replace. Tackle Rashawn Slater will be the best player on the line.

Defense

Northwestern loses both starting defensive tackles from last year’s team in Jordan Thompson and Fred Wyatt. Thompson and Wyatt both were solid at their spots and now leave a hole at defensive tackle. Filling in their spots will be Alex Miller and Jake Saunders. Miller has a few starts under his belt already and has been in the rotation the last two years. Saunders on the other hand has just one tackle to his name. Northwestern does return both starting defensive ends from last season. Samdup Miller was fifth on the team in tackles while Joe Gaziano led the team in sacks and tackles for loss. They both bring something different to the table and will both be relied upon more with the inexperience at defensive tackle. Nate Hall will be gone at outside linebacker, but the two best players on the unit will be back. Middle linebacker Blake Gallagher led the with 127 tackles and was always a consistent playmaker. The best player on the linebacking corps will be outside linebacker Paddy Fisher. Fisher was second on the team in tackles last season and is a strong and physical player between the tackles. Fisher will probably hear his name called in the first round of the draft next spring, something that does not happen too often with players from Northwestern. Fisher and Gallagher make up a very good duo. Chris Bergin will fill in Hall’s spot. Montre Hartage was an all Big 10 cornerback last season and will be gone. Trae Williams will now take over the number one cornerback spot while Greg Newsome will fill in Hartage’s. Safety JR Pace led the team in interceptions last season and will return as the likely best player in the secondary. Jared McGee will be gone at safety and his replacement will likely be Travis Whilock. The Wildcats will have to turn to a new punter in 2019 as Jake Collins graduated. The next man up will be Cody Gronewold who has not attempted a kick or punt in college. Charlie Kuhbander returns at kicker, but saw limited action in 2018.

Coaching Staff

Pat Fitzgerald is back for his 14th season as head coach for the Wildcats. Fitzgerald has done a very impressive job elevating Northwestern’s program and making them a consistently good team. He was finally rewarded for that when he was named Big 10 Coach of the Year last season. Mick McCall is back for his 12th season as offensive coordinator and has really established a nice pro style offense for the Wildcats. Mike Hankwitz returns for his 12th season as defensive coordinator.

Final Prediction

Northwestern had a very solid season in 2018 and was able to capitalize well on a down year for the rest of their division. Pay Fitzgerald and his teams always improve as the season goes along and are downright scary by the end of the season. The Wildcats have a lot of talent returning on both sides of the ball, but seem to lack the depth they had last season. While I think they will still be good, I think they might take a slight step back in 2019. I predict the Wildcats to go 7-5 and pull off an upset win (I am calling it right now that they will beat Ohio State).

Purdue

Last Season

Purdue got off to a rough start in 2018. They dropped their opener against Northwestern, lost to Eastern Michigan, and lost in a back and forth game to Missouri to start 0-3. The Boilermakers turned things around with a 30-13 win over a ranked Boston College team. They beat Nebraska and Illinois, and then had one of their biggest wins in recent memory as they blew out second ranked Ohio State 49-20. Their four game win streak was snapped in their next game with a loss to Michigan State. A win over Iowa put Purdue at 5-4, meaning they needed just one win to make a bowl game. Purdue did themselves no favors as they were blown out by Minnesota in their next game. A triple overtime loss to Wisconsin meant they needed to win over rival Indiana to make a bowl game. Thankfully, Purdue pulled through with a 28-21 in the Battle for the Old Oaken Bucket. Making a bowl game was a big accomplishment but they could not end the season on a high note as they were blown out by Auburn in the Music City Bowl.

Offense

Purdue will be rolling out a new starting quarterback in 2019. Elijah Sindelar lost out on a quarterback battle with David Blough before last season, but will now be the starter after Blough graduated. Blough ran away with the opportunity as he completed 66% of his passes for 3,705 yards last season. Sindelar started week one last season and eight games in 2017 but was soon beat out early last season by Blough after inconsistent play. I think Sindelar will have improved from last season, and should do better with an offense designed for him. Purdue loses their two leading rushers from last season in DJ Knox and Markell Jones. With those two gone, Purdue does not have a single running back on their roster who ran for more than 50 yards last season. Tario Fuller and Zander Horvath were backups last season and will look to take most of the carries. At receiver, Purdue returns the best player on their team last season in Rondale Moore (who upon hearing his name disappoints me because he was once committed to my Texas Longhorns). As a true freshman, Moore had a nation leading 114 catches for 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns. Moore was a consensus All-American and win the Paul Hornung award (most versatile player). Moore will be asked to do a lot this season but I believe he is more than up to the task. The receiving corps does lose some depth as Isaac Zico and Terry Wright are gone. Jared Sparks was a backup last year and will fill in one of those spots. True freshman David Bell, a blue chip recruit and Gatorade Player of the Year in Indiana last season, will likely fill in the other spot. Brycen Hopkins is back at tight end and should be one of the best at his position in the conference. Purdue loses three starters on the offensive line from last season. Center Kirk Barron and guards Dennis Edwards and Shane Evans all will be gone. Barron especially will be tough to replace as he was a definite leader on the unit. Viktor Beach will fill in at center while redshirt freshman Jimmy McKenna and concerted defensive lineman Alex Criddle will take the guard spots. Tackles Matt McCann and Grant Hermanns return after starting last season.

Defense

All starters return for the Boilermakers on the defensive line. Defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal (son of former NFL all-Pro fullback Lorenzo Neal) will be recovering from a torn ACL but should be ready for the start of the season. Neal will be the best player on this defensive line. Anthony Watts will be back at the other defensive tackle spot. Giovanni Reviere will be another contributor at defensive tackle. At defensive end, there is a lot of buzz surrounding blue chip true freshman George Karlaftis. Karlaftis was the only top 100 recruit to sign with Purdue in this recruiting class and has impressed in the time he has been there. He will likely start or definitely at least see some time at defensive end this season. Kai Higgins and Karlaftis will battle it out for the starting spot, but both will definitely see a lot of time. Derrick Barnes finished third on the team in tackles last season at defensive end and will return as well. The best player and leader on this defense will be outside linebacker Markus Bailey. Bailey led the team with 115 tackles last season and put up 10 tackles for loss as well. Cornel Jones is back at inside linebacker after leading the team in tackles for loss last season. Ben Holt, a graduate transfer and starter from Western Kentucky, will fill in at outside linebacker as well. Holt was recruited by current head coach Jeff Brohm while he was at Western Kentucky and has played in defensive coordinator Nick Holt’s system before. Cornerback Antonio Blackmon will be gone after leading the team in pass deflections last season. This means Kenneth Major will be the primary cornerback on the team while Dedrick Mackey will take Blackmon’s spot. Major was a solid starter in 2018 and led the team in interceptions. Navon Mosley will be back at strong safety after finishing second on the team in tackles last season. The team does lose last year’s starter at free safety in Jacob Thieneman. Filling in the spot will be redshirt freshman Cory Trice. The Boilermakers will have to replace last year’s starter at kicker and punter. Jake Schopper was a solid punter who will be replaced by true freshman Brooks Cormier. Cormier has impressed in camp, but it can still be concerning going with a true freshman. Spencer Evans was a solid kicker, but this year’s starter JD Dellinger does at least have some experience. Rondale Moore will be back as the return man and did very well at it last season.

Coaching Staff

After rumors circled that he would accept the job at his alma mater Louisville, Jeff Brohm elected to return to West Lafayette for his third season with Purdue. Purdue showed appreciation for this as well by giving Brohm a nice contract extension. Brohm has done very well at improving the team at Purdue but his contract suggests that there are still greater heights he needs to take the program. It might not be immediate, but I think Brohm can build something with the Boilermakers. JaMarcus Shepard and Jeff’s younger brother Brian Brohm are back as co-offensive coordinators. Nick Holt returns as defensive coordinator and has done a very solid job at Purdue. Holt has Purdue playing above their talent level on defense and should only get better with the players coming into the program.

Final Prediction

Jeff Brohm has done a very good job in his two years at Purdue. While the program has made tremendous strides, there is still definitely room to grow. The program needs to establish more consistency as the Boilermakers can get geared up for big games, but they also lose some games inexplicably. A retooling on offense is going to be needed and they need to find a solid back to rely on. Rondale Moore is awesome but he can not shoulder all of the load offensively. The defense is going to have to stay sharp this season as well which I think they will. Purdue has some early tests in non-conference play that will be nice measuring sticks for this team. I expect Purdue to go 6-6 this season and sneak up on somebody. This program has a bright future.

Wisconsin

Last Season

Wisconsin entered last season with a lot of hype, being ranked fourth in the preseason polls. After two easy wins to start things off, the Badgers lost their first home game since 2016 as they were upset by BYU. They were able to rebound the next week with a win over rival Iowa and also took down Nebraska. Unfortunately for the Badgers, they were blown out by Michigan in their next game and lost to Northwestern soon after. The last third of the season did not go well for Wisconsin either. They struggled to get wins over Rutgers and Purdue and also lost lost Penn State. What stung worst was a 37-15 loss to Minnesota in the season finale, their first loss to Minnesota since 2003. Thankfully, Wisconsin was able to salvage things a bit with a 35-3 win over Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Offense

Wisconsin is in a bit of an interesting situation at quarterback. Alex Hornibrook started for the first part of last season which was his third year starting, but after injuries and a drop-off in play, Jack Coan was named the starter. Coan did a bit better than Hornibrook but still not perfect. Hornibrook transferred to Florida State after the season. This now leaves a battle for the starting spot between Coan and true freshman Graham Mertz. Mertz was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and is the highest ranked quarterback to ever sign with Wisconsin. There is a ton of hype surrounding Mertz, but he was behind Coan on the most recent depth chart according to reports. While I think Coan will probably start at first before turning it over to Mertz, it is possible Coan starts all season. Whoever starts at quarterback will have the benefit of having the best running back in the country, a two-time All-American and last year’s Doak Walker award winner in Jonathan Taylor. Taylor ran for a nation leading 2,194 yards last season as well as 16 touchdowns on seven yards per carry. His combination of power, speed, and vision has led to tremendous succes in Wisconsin’s offense. Taylor also has grown used to getting a lion’s share of the carries in Wisconsin’s offense which is useful considering they lose backup running back Taiwan Deal and fullback Alec Ingold. Filling in the role of backup running back will be Bradrick Shaw while former walk-on quarterback Garrett Groshek will also get some looks. Mason Stokke will fill in Ingold’s spot at fullback. Wisconsin also returns their five leading receivers from last season. AJ Taylor led the team in receiving yards while fellow receiver Danny Davis led in receiving touchdowns. Wisconsin will use a lot of two tight end sets on offense this season, which means it is nice to have Jake Ferguson back at the spot. Ferguson led the team in catches last season. The other tight end spot will likely go to Luke Benzschawel but true freshman Hayden Rucci could also get some looks as well. The Badgers will have a new look offensive line this season as they lose four starters from 2018. Wisconsin’s offensive line was one of the best in the country last season but will have to undergo a bit of a retool (I would be inclined to say reload with the talent Wisconsin often has at the position). Guards Beau Benzschawel and Michael Deiter were both multi year starters who were amazing in run blocking and will be tough to replace. The same goes for tackles David Edwards and Jon Dietzen. Thankfully, they do return a first team all Big 10 center from last season in Tyler Biadasz. Biadasz will now be the leader of the offensive line and will have a lot more asked of him. The good news is that each of the four new starters saw time in every single game last season and should not be completely inexperienced.

Defense

The Badgers will have to replace Olive Sagapolu at defensive tackle. Sagapolu was a huge but athletic player who could take on double teams well. In his spot, Bryson Williams looks to start and has some experience. True freshman Rodas Johnson could also get some looks. Wisconsin returns both starters from 2018 at defensive end. Isaiahh Loudermilk and Matt Henningsen both were solid in their roles last season. The Badgers also get back Garrett Rand who was a nice rotational player in 2017 but missed all of last season with a torn achilles. Where Wisconsin loses a lot of production from last season is at linebacker. TJ Edwards was a very nice guy to have as the leader of the defense and led the team with 113 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and three interceptions. Ryan Connelly also was a major impact player at inside linebacker and finished second on the team in tackles. Chris Orr will fill in at one of the spots after being a rotational player the last two seasons. The other spot is a bit more up for grabs but will likely go to Jack Sanborn. Outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel will also be gone. In his spot will be Christian Bell, but Tyler Johnson could work in as well. The only returning starter from last season at linebacker will be Zack Baun, who leads all returning players in tackles and led the team in quarterback hurries last season. The Badgers will also have to replace strong safety D’Cota Dixon. Eric Burrell will fill in that spot and has starting experience but will need to improve to be able to provide the impact Dixon had. Scott Nelson returns at free safety. Richard Wildgoose (awesome name) and Faion Hicks return at cornerback after starting last season. Hicks had more tackles between the two but Wildgoose led the team in pass deflections. Deron Harrell will also see time at cornerback. Wisconsin will have to replace a multi year starter at kicker in Rafael Gaglianone. Gaglianone was a very good kicker early in his career but dipped off a bit in 2018. In his sport will be Collin Larsh who has not kicked in a game before. Anthony Lotti returns at punter.

Coaching Staff

Paul Chryst is back for his fifth season as head coach for the Badgers. Chryst has kept the same identity that Wisconsin has always had. Chryst has done well in Madison, but has not taken the next step with the Badgers that many fans have been hoping for. Joe Rudolph is back for his fifth season as offensive coordinator. Former safety for the Badgers Jim Leonhard returns for his third season as defensive coordinator. Leonhard looked like a defensive genius in 2017, but the the defense dropped off a bit last season. I still have confidence Leonhard will right the ship.

Final Prediction

Wisconsin had a downright disappointing 2018 season. There were rumblings of them sneaking into the playoffs in the preseason but they finished the regular season 7-5. This team has a bit lower expectations this season but should have some pressure to perform still. The quarterback situation is a bit interesting, but I worry they will just rely on Jonathan Taylor too much. They need to find a way to generate yards through the air. There will be some new faces defensively and Jim Leonhard’s coaching chops at defensive coordinator will be shown. This team will need good coaching all around but I think they can still have a solid year. I expect the Badgers to go 9-3 and win the Big 10 West.

Here are my final standings predictions

Wisconsin 9-3 Iowa 8-4 Minnesota 8-4 Nebraska 7-5 Northwestern 7-5 Purdue 6-6 Illinois 5-7

To be notified when I post, follow my Instagram @impassionedsportsnerd. In my next article, I will preview the Big 12.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

Like this: Like Loading...