2nd Half Preview

4. Big Ten: Four Teams in the top 25. Two BCS Bids last year. Very top heavy.

Michigan: If you want some proof that Michigan has changed a bit, look no further than the league’s preseason poll. For the first time in 13 years, Michigan was not chosen in the top 3. Rich Rodriguez comes to Michigan from West Virginia having completely resurrecting that program. He is going to need time though to get “his” players in this system as Lloyd Carr did not recruit spread offense skill players. Steven Threet looks to be the starter on opening day and with Kevin Grady’s off the field issues, Brandon Minor might start against the Utes in the home opener which Wolverine fans are hoping doesn’t end like last seasons App. State game. Like Joe Tiller, Rodriguez is trying to instill an offense into a conference that has been built off hard running and minimal packages. A win Sept. 13th @ Notre Dame is one of the bigger statement games that the Michigan will have played in a long time. I think Michigan will be a lot better than people expect them to be and this could allow them to creep up on some teams, but when you see those helmets it’s pretty hard to overlook the maize and blue.

#2 Ohio State: Surprise, surprise. The Buckeyes got blasted in the national title by another SEC school in 2007. 2008 looks pretty nice, however, for the Buckeyes who return 18 starters and add one of the best recruits in the nation, QB Terrelle Pryor. Jim Tressel and his ugly sweatervest might find himself coaching in the BCS title game again this season. The Buckeyes toughest test will be against USC September 13th in the biggest non-conference game of the season. After that, Ohio State’s toughest games are @ Wisconsin, @ Penn St. and @ Illinois. Michigan comes to the horseshoe to end the year as always. If the Buckeyes can get through their schedule with only one loss, look for them to make it back to the national championship and get crushed by another, more elite SEC team. Gosh, for some reason I just hate this damn University with almost as much passion as I do Kansas and Tennessee.

#22 Penn State: Joe Pa is still coaching so things in Happy Valley couldn't be better right? I think the Nittany Lions are going to fly under the radar in the Big Ten. Anthony Morelli wasn't exactly the reason why this team won nine games last year, so I don't think the QB situation will be as big of a problem as people expect. The D-line should be very good led by the pass rushing animal in Maurice Evans. There is a ton of experience, but it won't matter unless they can get solid play from the skill positions. The offensive line is as solid as anyone in the big ten so establishing the run shouldn't be too tough. PSU has Michigan and Illinois at home, but must go to Ohio State, Wisconsin and Purdue.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find a consistent QB to open up the run, beat Oregon State on Sept. 6th and take care of the football on offense.

#20 Illinois: Rashard Mendenhall has made his way to Pittsburgh to play in the NFL, but there is still talent in place in Champaign. Juice Williams and super soph Arrelious Benn are dangerous players on the offensive side of the ball and Vontae Davis, Vernon's little brother heads up a very underrated defense (just ask Ohio State). The Fighitng Illini face a daunting schedule though as they take on Missouri in St. Louis, @ Penn State, @ Michigan St., @ Wisconsin and Ohio State at home. They need to win three of those five to have a fighting chance at a Big Ten title. The passing game needs to continue to progress as it was the key in 2007. Benn needs to assert himself and I have heard that Ron Zook might even use Benn in the backfield at some point this season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find Rashard's replacement, sure up the offensive line and get through a rough Big Ten schedule without dropping too many games.

Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald has enough returning talent to expect a great season. Northwestern can always put up some points, but can they defend? QV C.J Bacher and RB Tyrell Sutton are the gems of this offensive unit and they should have one of the Big Ten’s best offenses in 2008. The defense suffered some key losses, but they only need to hold opponents under 30 points, which sometimes they couldn’t do last season. The offensive line did take some big hits so they’ll have to find some big ugly’s to protect CJ. The secondary has to be stronger with corners Deante Battle and Reggie Mcpherson. They should win their opener against Syracuse and then the Big Ten schedule comes not to far after. Defensive End Corey Wootton has NFL potential and he will be a key aspect in this teams success on the defensive side of the ball.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Keep Tyrell Sutton healthy, sure up the offensive line and show improvements on defense.

Michigan State: Mark Dantonio’s first season at Michigan State didn’t change what most Spartan fans usually see; a very talented State team that folds and fumbles in certain points during the year. However, after losing three straight they did go on the road to beat Purdue and Penn State at home and then took BC to the wire in the bowl game. Javon Ringer is one of the most underrated backs in the nation and he should be phenomenal this season for the green and white. QB Brian Hoyer had a very good year and looks to build on that in 08 opening against Cal. They must win games early because the end of the schedule has Ohio State, @ Michigan, Wisconsin, Purdue and @ Penn State. The Spartans were 10th in the league in punting and they’ll need very good field possession for as much running as they like to do. They were also 118th in punt returns so expect both of those to change.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Win early, get better in the special teams and avoid the typical Mich. St. slump.

Purdue: QB Curtis Painter is back and you know exactly what you are getting from him. He is going to sling it around and should have some run support from Kory Sheets and Jaycen Taylor. The defense will need time to replace some key players, but the offense should be able to give them time to get into a groove. Greg Orton will need to make some plays downfield for a Boilermaker team that is built off of the “long ball.” Something that will help them is dropping Wisconsin and Illinois off of the schedule. Danny Hope will take over the reins in Joe Tiller’s final season in West Lafayette. The defense is not in place to be remarkable this season, but Boilermaker fans have grown accustomed to this. The non-conference schedule has Oregon, an even better Central Michigan and a trip to South Bend to face Notre Dame. The offense needs to show that it can play against the best and not the lower level Big Ten teams and the MAC.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find something that works on defense, play big against the big teams and send Joe Tiller out on a plus.

#13 Wisconsin: Besides Clemson, I think the Badgers have the best 1-2 punch at running back in America. P.J. Hill and Zach Smith lead a powerful rushing attack behind Kansas State QB Allan Evridge. Evridge is ready to hit the ground running and he will need to get off to a good start because the Badgers have a fairly tough non-conference schedule. They have an underrated Marshall team coming in Sept. 6th and then must travel to face BCS buster Fresno State. Here are the first seven games of the Big Ten season for Wisconsin: @ Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, @ Iowa, Illinois, @ Michigan State and @ Indiana. That's six bowl teams and a trip to Iowa City which is going to be tough to get through. The line needs to get back to being Wisconsin, meaning a big meaty front five that don’t have problems protecting the quarterback.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Protect Allan Evridge, make a name for themselves on defense and get through the first seven conference games 5-2 or better.

Indiana: QB Kellen Lewis back, the offense should continue to improve as long as the line, which has four returning starters, gives him time to work. He had his off the field issues this past off-season, but is ready to have a solid junior campaign. PK Austin Starr is the best player on this team and if it ever gets down to the clutch, IU has the edge over just about anybody in the kicking game. The Hoosiers also have no Ohio State and Michigan for the second straight season (which has plenty to do with them winning six games last year). James Hardy is gone and Indiana is lucky to get a player like that once every four or five years. Indiana loves to blitz, but lost some talent on the corners which may hold them back some this fall. I like the Hoosiers to challenge for another bowl birth this season, but if they have any injuries whatsoever, it becomes very unlikely.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Ride Kellen Lewis, stay injury free and thank god they don’t have to play Ohio State or Michigan.

Iowa: Due to them being the most boring team to watch in the country and the rape incident that occurred in Iowa City involving Iowa players I will not give them a preview. I hope they lose every game.

Minnesota: Ok, so the Golden Gophers lost to Florida Atlantic, North Dakota State and every Big Ten game on the schedule, but were they really that bad? Yes, but they were very very young to Tim Brewster’s credit. He gave the freshman some very meaningful experience and the QB/WR combination of Adam Weber and Eric Decker really started pickup towards the end of the season. This year, the schedule won't be an excuse with a non-conference schedule against Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Montana State and Florida Atlantic. Minnesota needs to work on defense and has to find one thing that they do well and try and use it to their advantage as much as possible.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Improve from 07, find a defense that fits the system and continue to surround Adam Weber with talent.

Conference Champion: Ohio State Overachieve: Mich St. Underachieve: Purdue

5. Big East: Three ranked teams. Tons of sleepers. Good talent on every single team minus Syracuse.

#8 West Virginia: Bill Stewart gave WV fans something to smile about heading into the off-season with the massacre of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl last season. The big thing Stewart will need to prove is that he can recruit players like Rich Rod could. The Mountaineers should win the Big East even with Steve Slaton vamping to the NFL. In steps super Soph. Noel Devine who is just as dangerous as Slaton in the backfield. Pat White will be protected by a veteran O line that dominated Oklahoma in the trenches on January 2nd. The defense does have to replace seven starters so WV may have to put up some points to win games. Morgantown is excited for this new era of Mountaineer football. I have heard rumors that Pat White will also spend sometime at wide receiver with the lack of experience West Virginia will have in that position.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Win the games they should, find a playmaking receiver and beat Auburn to prove to the country you are for real.

#19 South Florida: The Bulls only lost one starter on an offense that tallied more than 400 yards a game last season. Matt Grothe had the Bulls at #2 in the country last year, but that dream ended and South Florida got trounced by a depleted Oregon team in the Sun Bowl. George Selvie is the best defensive end in the nation and he comes back to anchor a defense that should have just enough talent to challenge for the Big East. The non-conference slate has UT-Martin, UCF, Kansas, @ FIU and @ Nc State. The Bulls are very good in warm weather, but when they step out of their elements, they don’t seem to fare as well (losses @ Cincinnati and @ Uconn). The Bulls have a great up and coming coach in Jim Leavitt and as long as he is roaming the sidelines, I think South Florida is in a very good position to compete for a league championship ever year.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find other playmakers on defense, create turnovers and stay poised down the stretch of the season.

#25 Pittsburgh: LeSean McCoy LeSean McCoy LeSean McCoy. He is the reason why the expectations are very high in Pittsburgh this season. He is one of the best running backs in the nation and had as good of a freshman season as you can hope to have. Beating West Virginia gave Panther fans hope that this team has a real shot to be legit in 2008 behind a great defense and a Heisman candidate at running back. Four of the seven losses last year were by four points or loss. McCoy can’t do it all though so Pat Bostick needs to be able to throw it consistently and not turn the ball over. If he can’t get the job done, JUCO transfers Greg Cross and Robb Houser might be called upon to step in jump-start this offense when teams are putting eight in the box to stop LeSean. The Panthers have not been bowling in a long time and I think they will go as far as McCoy and Wannstedt can take them.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find a consistent QB, keep the offensive line healthy and protect home field against Louisville, Rutgers and West Virginia.

Rutgers: Even with the departure of Ray Rice, Rutgers still has a slew of talent on the offensive side of the ball including QB Mike Teel and WR Kenny Britt. The defense is lead by FS Courtney Greene who gave up the NFL for one more season of Big East football. He will play along side eight returning starters on a defense that finished the year ranked 17th in the nation. The offensive line did lose three starters so Greg Schiano’s biggest test will be to find a running game that can get yards on first down. Mike Teel must be able to be the leader and captain of this football team. He has not had a lot of pressure on him with Rice in the backfield, but he will have to embrace that roll this season. The special teams was pretty bad as well last season finishing 117th in the country, so that could continue to be a major problem unless Schiano found a gem in Fall camp. They have games @ Pitt, @ West Virginia and @ South Florida so the schedule looks to be pretty brutal as well.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find a Ray Rice replacement, Mike Teel gaining confidence and stealing a game or two on the road in conference play.

Cincinnati: Brian Kelly took over a program that Mark Dantoni was trying to build and he has gone above and beyond. Ben Mauk doesn’t look like he is going to get his wish of one more year of eligibility, so the Bearcats will have to move forward. Cincinnati has a very good defense which could keep them in a load of games this season. CB Mike Mickens returned for his senior year and he should be able to fill some of the void that Cincy lost due to graduation. Three starters on the offensive line are gone, but they still have players at the skilled positions. This could be a down year compared to last season, but rebuilding is a process that every school has to go through at some point. The bearcats have to go to West Virginia, and Uconn and have the rest of the tough teams from the Big East at home.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find Ben Mauk’s replacement, build on another great defensive year and win some road game because the home schedule is tough.

UCONN: The defense was awesome in 2007 and the offense was as average as it gets. They do return everyone on the offensive side of the ball so it almost has to improve with a year under their belt. The non-conference is terrible as they play Hofstra, Temple Virginia, Baylor and North Carolina. The Huskies must do the things they did well last season if they want to succeed again. They did not turn the ball over, played great defense and took advantage of almost every opportunity. If Uconn has any aspirations of being a legitimate Big East contender, they have to start recruiting speed on the offensive side of the ball because they can’t expect the defense to bail them out as many times as they did in 2007.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Improving on offense, continuing to dominate on defense and win all the non-conference games.

Syracuse: This team is just straight bad and Greg Robinson should be fired immediately after the season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: It really won’t matter either way.

Louisville: Steve Kraghtorpe had a disappointing season in Louisville, but he did finish 6-6. He was hit hard when Louisville lost four of their six games by very small margins. Then running attack should be among the best in the Big East this season, however, Brian Brohm and Harry Douglas have both moved on to the NFL. The defense was absolutely atrocious last year and they will need to improve on the pass rush if they want to contend this season. Hunter Cantwell takes over for Brohm and he is thought of very highly with his size and big arm. Cantwell does have the advantage of having a very good offensive line to protect him, so hopefully injuries won’t get the best of him. The schedule has games @ Pitt and @ Rutgers while WV, Cincinnati, Uconn and South Florida all come to Pape Johns Stadium.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Give Cantwell confidence, develop a pass rush on defense and protect home field against in conference foes.

Conference Champion: West Virginia Overachieve: Pitt Underacheive: Cincy

6. ACC: Worst Major Conference. Three ranked teams. Only deserves one liners.

#9 Clemson: Best 1-2 punch rushing attack in the country with C.J. Spiller and James Davis. Big first game against Alabama and will go as far as the offensive line takes them.

#17 Virginia Tech: Sean Glennon wills start and Beamer wants to redshirt Tyrod Taylor. We’ll see how he handles that.

#23 Wake Forest: Riley Skinner leads another underrated Demon Deacon squad. Will contend for an ACC title.

Florida State: Once they get all the starters back, they should be better than people expect. Is this Bobby’s last year???

Boston College: New QB, new expectations and a new era begins for the Eagles.

Georgia Tech: Will the Triple Option work in the ACC? Defense should still be legit.

Duke: Finally a good coach in David Cutcliffe, but will it make a difference with the lack of talent?

NC State: Big opener against South Carolina. Still a few years away from being back to true form.

Miami: Graig Cooper should take this very young, talented team far. Randy Shannon on the way up at the U.

Maryland: Great receiver, could be the most underrated team in the conference.

North Carolina: Butch Davis has this team confident and I expect them to win 7-8 games.

Virginia: Will get beat bad by USC and experience a true “rebuilding” year this seasom.

Conference Champion: Clemson Overachieve: UNC Underachieve: B.C.