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Enjoy part two....


Purdue
Head Coach: Joe Tiller (106-73-1 overall)

Last season: 5-6 (no bowl)

# of returning starters: 12 (7 offense, 5 defense)

Returning Leaders:
Passing: Curtis Painter (89-170, 932 yards, 3 TD, 5 INT)

Rushing: Kory Sheets (104 att, 601 yards)

Receiving: Dorien Bryant (80 rec, 960 yards)

Tackles: George Hall (77)

Sacks: Anthony Spencer (3)

Interceptions: Dan Bick (1)

Schedule/Projected W-L record
Sept. 2 Indiana St. W

Sept. 9 Miami OH W

Sept. 16 Ball St. W

Sept. 23 Minnesota W

Sept. 30 at Notre Dame L

Oct. 7 at Iowa L

Oct. 14 at Northwestern W

Oct. 21 Wisconsin L

Oct. 28 Penn St. L

Nov. 4 at Michigan St. L

Nov. 11 at Illinois W

Nov. 18 Indiana W

Nov. 25 at Hawaii W

8-5 overall (4-4 conference)
4 “swing” games

Analysis
There are a lot of people that don’t like Joe Tiller’s coaching style, but don’t count me in that discussion. Last year will not be a trend, this team will make a bowl game….

This team had a lot of troublemakers last year (QB Brandon Kirsch at the top of the discussion), and those problems have been corrected….

Purdue should be 4-0 before their game in South Bend, that’ll be a dandy. They also get the huge advantage of missing OSU and Michigan in conference, just like last season….

A bowl game for Purdue after a losing season will be a nice little achievement….

Minnesota
Head Coach: Glen Mason (117-114-1 overall)

Last season: 7-5 (lost to Virginia 34-31 in Music City Bowl)

# of returning starters: 12 (6 offense, 6 defense)

Returning Leaders:
Passing: Bryan Cupito (176-297, 2530 yards, 19 TD, 9 INT)

Rushing: Amir Pinnix (78 att, 476 yards)

Receiving: Ernie Wheelwright (37 rec, 568 yards)

Tackles: John Shevlin (74)

Sacks: Steve Davis (6)

Interceptions: Trumaine Banks (1)

Schedule/Projected W-L Record
Aug. 31 at Kent St. W

Sept. 9 at California L

Sept. 16 Temple W

Sept. 23 at Purdue L

Sept. 30 Michigan L

Oct. 7 Penn St. W

Oct. 14 at Wisconsin W

Oct. 21 North Dakota St. W

Oct. 28 at Ohio St. L

Nov. 4 Indiana W

Nov. 11 at Michigan St. L

Nov. 18 Iowa L

6-6 overall (3-5 conference)
5 “swing” games

Analysis
I’m not a huge Glen Mason fan, he has had talented teams the last several years and have not been able to make a dent in the conference. He has been very good in the mid-level bowl however, going 3-1 in bowl games in 2002.….

Their top two running backs will not be back this season (Maroney, Russell), and that’s how Minnesota has been able to win in recent season. They’ll need to find a go-to back to be successful…

Cupito is more of a “game manager” at QB, but he’ll need to step with they want to go to a bowl..

I’ll give them 6 wins and a bowl game, but they’ll be very fortunate to get more than 6.…

Illinois
Head Coach: Ron Zook (25-23 overall)

Last season: 2-9 (no bowl)

# of returning starters: 19 (9 offense, 10 defense)

Returning Leaders:
Passing: Tim Brasic (206-337, 1979 yards, 11 TD, 11 INT)

Rushing: Pierre Thomas (127 att, 689 yards)

Receiving: Kyle Hudson (31 rec, 469 yards)

Tackles: Kevin Mitchell (78)

Sacks: Chris Norwell (3)

Interceptions: Remond Willis (1)

Schedule/Projected W-L Record

Sept. 2 Eastern Illinois W

Sept. 9 at Rutgers W

Sept. 16 Syracuse W

Sept. 23 Iowa L

Sept. 30 at Michigan St. L

Oct. 7 Indiana W

Oct. 14 Ohio W

Oct. 21 at Penn St. L

Oct. 28 at Wisconsin L

Nov. 4 Ohio St. L

Nov. 11 Purdue L

Nov. 18 at Northwestern W

6-6 overall (2-6 conference)
5 “swing” games

Analysis
Ron Zook is a good coach, and an even better recruiter. Illinois is going to have Minnesota type success in the future. They’ll never be a great team, but they’ll be a consistent bowl team….

19 returning starters, with a senior QB, I really think this team will surprise some people…

Unfortunately they have a wicked period between Oct. 21-Nov. 11, that will be a huge losing streak….

This team is better than 6-6 IMO, but with a tough conference schedule, I don’t see them getting better than that. And with only a 2-6 conference mark, that will probably not be good enough to make a bowl game, even though 6 wins will get them bowl eligible…

Northwestern
Head Coach: Pat Fitzgerald (0-0 overall)

Last season: 7-5 (lost to UCLA 50-38 in Sun Bowl)

# of returning starters: 13 (7 offense, 6 defense)

Returning Leaders:
Passing: CJ Bacher (6-15, 59 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT)

Rushing: Tyrell Sutton (250 att, 1515 yards)

Receiving: Tyrell Sutton (79 rec, 862 yards)

Tackles: Nick Roach (77)

Sacks: Kevin Mims (2)

Interceptions: Marquice Cole (5)

Schedule/Projected W-L Record
Aug. 31 at Miami OH W

Sept. 9 New Hampshire W

Sept. 16 Eastern Michigan W

Sept. 22 at Nevada W

Sept. 30 at Penn St. L

Oct. 7 at Wisconsin L

Oct. 14 Purdue L

Oct. 21 Michigan St. L

Oct. 28 at Michigan L

Nov. 4 at Iowa L

Nov. 11 Ohio St. L

Nov. 18 Illinois L

4-8 overall (0-8 conference)
4 “swing” games

Analysis
I would be wrong if I didn’t take the time to remember Randy Walker, who died last month due to a heart attack. Walker did an amazing job at Northwestern, taking a team that has routinely been in the bottom of the Big Ten to three bowls in five years. He will be missed by college football fans, and I can only imagine what his players are going through….

With that being said, Northwestern is going to have trouble in conference. Tyrell Sutton is the best player you have never heard about, but I have to imagine the loss of Walker is going to be the tone of their season. I have them winning 4 games, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s less…

I’ll be rooting for NU all season, I hope I am wrong…….

Indiana
Head Coach: Terry Heppner (52-32 overall)

Last season: 4-7 (no bowl)

# of returning starters: 14 (8 offense, 6 defense)

Returning Leaders:
Passing: Blake Powers (212-376, 2305 yards, 22 TD, 16 INT)

Rushing: Blake Powers (100 att, 335 yards)

Receiving: James Hardy (61 rec, 893 yards)

Tackles: Will Meyers (84)

Sacks: Greg Brown (2)

Schedule/Projected W-L Record
Sept. 2 Western Michigan W

Sept. 9 at Ball St. W

Sept. 16 Southern Illinois W

Sept. 23 UCONN L

Sept. 30 Wisconsin L

Oct. 7 at Illinois L

Oct. 14 Iowa L

Oct. 21 at Ohio St L

Oct. 28 Michigan St. L

Nov. 4 at Minnesota L

Nov. 11 Michigan L

Nov. 18 at Purdue L

3-9 overall (0-8 conference)
3 “swing” games

Analysis
I actually like what Hoeppner is doing with the program. He’s a good coach, did a great job at Miami and did a solid job last year in his first year at IU…..

With that being said, they are going to have trouble winning games in conference, there is just too much overall talent in the Big Ten, and unlike Illinois (who won the Big Ten in 2001 and have the ability to recruit Chicago effectively), Indiana doesn’t have that advantage….

I don’t think they are a 3-9 team, but they will have an awful time in conference, and wont be able to do much better than that….