College Football Big Ten Preview: Ohio State and Iowa Battle for Title

Can RichRod recover? Will Iowa topple the Buckeyes? Who will go bowling? Al Dannity answers these questions and more in his Big Ten preview.

RichRod looks doomed
No-one could have imagined the disaster that has engulfed Michigan since Rich Rodriguez moved to Ann Arbor from West Virginia. In Morgantown, RichRod led the Mountaineers to BCS Bowl games and almost to the BCS title game itself. At Michigan, he’s led the Wolverines to self-imposed NCAA sanctions and two losing seasons. True, Rodriguez came into a program in transition and devoid of the talent required for his spread offense. That bought him a year and it looked like things were turning around when Tate Forcier led an improbable comeback against Notre Dame.

Instead the Wolverines went 5-7, including a 1-7 Big Ten record, leading to the current state of gloom around the program. With the secondary turning into a laughing stock, there’s little reason for College Football betting fans to put much faith in the Wolverines in 2010. It appears the end of the Rich Rodriguez era is fast approaching.

Depth remains a concern
The Big Ten enters 2010 with big concerns over the middle and lower tiers of the conference. The top end looks healthy, with Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State, and Wisconsin all tipped to do well this season. Beyond that the picture is far more worrying. Purdue, Michigan State, and Northwestern look capable of returning to the post-season this year. The Boilermakers and Wildcats however are making big changes to their line-ups in 2010 and are by no means locks to go bowling.

The bottom rung causes even serious panic. That Michigan is even in this tier of teams speaks volumes about the problems in Ann Arbor. Minnesota and Illinois look set to phone it in this season, while Indiana is also a long shot for the post-season. Despite these woes, I like Purdue and Northwestern to do enough to reach .500 guaranteeing the conference seven teams in bowl games.

Buckeyes still the best
The finishing order of the top four in the Big Ten this season is going to look an awful lot like the final standings of 2009. Ohio State has the best blend of offensive and defensive talent but only by a whisker. Iowa’s fearsome defense will ensure the Hawkeyes come out on top in almost every game but I see them just missing out to the Buckeyes in the race to the Big 10 title. Wisconsin and Penn State will both have their chances to break into the top two, and likely claim a BCS bid in the process. I don’t see either the Badgers or Nittany Lions doing enough to overtake Ohio State or Iowa this season. Take the Ohio State Buckeyes at -250 with Sports Interaction to win the Big Ten title.