After an off-season spent celebrating a national title, welcoming in the splashiest hire of this year’s coaching carousel and enjoying its biggest surge of momentum in nearly a decade, the Big Ten must finally put its rising reputation to the test. The conference widely assumed to be shut out of the playoff after Week 2 of the 2014 season enters this fall with realistic hopes of putting two teams in the top four. Behind them, two powerhouse programs that fell into declines appear poised to begin their ascents back to dominance while two new coaches in the Big Ten West hope to make strong first impressions. Maryland and Rutgers both made successful debuts in their new conference last season but now face uphill battles to maintain that success in Year Two. And a Northwestern program that seemed on the rise after ’12 must now fight to avoid its third straight season without a bowl appearance. So how will these storylines and more play out in 2015? • More conference previews: ACC | Big 12 Conference title game: Ohio State over Wisconsin Names to know Offensive MVP 2014 stats: 2,834 passing yards, 34 passing TDs, 10 interceptions; 938 rushing yards, 11 rushing TDs 2015 projected stats: 3,705 passing yards, 42 passing TDs, 8 interceptions; 1,125 rushing yards, 12 rushing TDs As great as Cardale Jones was in the Buckeyes’ three most pivotal wins of last season, Barrett was even better. He beat out Jones to win the backup spot to Braxton Miller last year and will do so again to win the starting job this season. Had Barrett not gotten hurt, he seemed likely to be a Heisman finalist in 2014 after delivering some of his best performances against Ohio State’s toughest foes. Now imagine what he can do with a season of experience. Defensive MVP 2014 stats: 55 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles 2015 projected stats: 56 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, 4 forced fumbles While Virginia Tech will get a reprieve from Ohio State’s ferocious defensive end, the rest of the teams the Buckeyes face won’t be so fortunate. Bosa dominated opposing offensive tackles last year, picking up a sack in five straight games in the middle of the season. And he hardly benefited from an element of surprise after compiling 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks as a freshman. Even with defenses’ full attention, Bosa created havoc by blowing past blockers with incredible quickness or, as he showed against Penn State, simply overpowering with strength…
Continue Reading: 2015 Big Ten preview: Which team is capable of challenging Ohio State?
