When the defending national champions are an inter-conference rival of yours, it may be difficult to get overwhelming media respect in some regards. That has been the case for the Michigan State Spartans this offseason, playing second fiddle to the Ohio State Buckeyes in what has been their shining moment under coach Urban Meyer. A recent Big Ten preseason poll showed that the Buckeyes are unanimous favorites to win the conference again and return to the College Football Playoff. As if that wasn’t enough praise heaped on Meyer’s band of merry men, individual accolades have been thrust upon a few of the players in the scarlet and gray. In a Cleveland.com poll — which was also the same poll distributed to Big Ten writers for their choice of the best conference team — Buckeyes Ezekiel Elliott and Joey Bosa were chosen to finish first as offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively. Elliott received 31 of 39 first-place vote. Bosa, the defending recipient of the Defensive Player of the Year award, received 37 out of 38 first-place votes. The other first-place vote went to Maryland cornerback William Likely. Running back Elliott had a monster season last year, amassing nearly 1,900 yards on the ground with 18 touchdowns and a 6.9 yards-per-carry average. He looked like a tank holding a football, aiding the Buckeyes during questions of quarterback ineptitude. Defensive end Bosa is primed for a bigger year in 2015. The 6-foot-6 junior anchors a defensive line that is expected to improve over last year, and he has all the physical tools to make that jump…
Continue Reading: Michigan State’s Cook, Calhoun Behind Ohio State Buckeyes in Individual B1G Predicitons
