Connelly on Big Ten West 2020

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Pompous Elitist

Pompous Elitist

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Bill C on 2020 storylines including BT-W. Mentions Bateman as a top national WR.


The Big Ten West Race

This was one of the things I was most looking forward to heading into 2019, and it mostly lived up to expectations despite Nebraska failing to do so.

Wisconsin played at a championship level early in the year, Minnesota took over for a while, they both suffered stumbles in division play (Wisconsin lost to Illinois, Minnesota to Iowa), and the title was decided in the final game of the regular season. Iowa finished only a game back because of a two-point loss at Wisconsin.

Now imagine what might happen if Nebraska actually does its part. Wisconsin and Minnesota both have plenty to replace -- running back Jonathan Taylor and linebackers Zack Baun and Chris Orr for Wisconsin, receiver Tyler Johnson and offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca for Minnesota -- but should each maintain a strong identity and a high level of quality. Plus, Iowa returns most of an elite defense (sixth in defensive SP+), Purdue should reap the dividends of a massive youth movement on offense, and, well, Northwestern's offense almost literally can't get worse.

Even if Illinois can't replicate this season's late gains, the division as a whole should improve on net. And if it gets anything from Scott Frost's Huskers this time, it'll improve even more.




www.espn.com

12 things we're already excited about for the 2020 season

Will we get a Trevor Lawrence vs. Justin Fields rematch? Which team could be the next LSU? These are the games, storylines and players we can't wait to see.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 

Say what you want about this past season, next year I see a 3 or 4 team race for the West!

Givens:
1. Wisconsin - they have some spots to fill with Taylor, Cephus and their two linebackers to replace but they will still have a Wisconsin line to run behind and a returning quarterback. Loosing their two leading sack and tackling guys is the big question. Definite Contender Status.
2. Minnesota - Expect the boat to be fully loaded and ready to row out of the gate! Gophers return 9 of 11 starters on Offense. However, Chris Autman-Bell and Mo Ibrahim are available to fill those two slots vacated and they have both seen the field as a starter. Defensively they lose a lot of seniors but they weren't all-world players without back-ups. They should be at least as good as this year by the end of the year. That early season schedule could be murder if they don't develop much faster! If Winfield returns, they will be ready from the start. Definite Contender Status.
3. Iowa - They are Iowa and will be basically what they were this year. Contender Status.

Mystery Teams:
1. Nebraska - Good Coach, Good recruits, yet poor results. Will they pull together for Frost or rebel against the coach who said he wished they played like the Gophers?
2. Purdue - They were supposed to be better but were not due to injuries. Will they get to where they were meant to be next year?
3. Illinois - Flash in the pan year or is Lovie finally turning the corner?
 

Otis said:
Say what you want about this past season, next year I see a 3 or 4 team race for the West!

Givens:
1. Wisconsin - they have some spots to fill with Taylor, Cephus and their two linebackers to replace but they will still have a Wisconsin line to run behind and a returning quarterback. Loosing their two leading sack and tackling guys is the big question. Definite Contender Status.
2. Minnesota - Expect the boat to be fully loaded and ready to row out of the gate! Gophers return 9 of 11 starters on Offense. However, Chris Autman-Bell and Mo Ibrahim are available to fill those two slots vacated and they have both seen the field as a starter. Defensively they lose a lot of seniors but they weren't all-world players without back-ups. They should be at least as good as this year by the end of the year. That early season schedule could be murder if they don't develop much faster! If Winfield returns, they will be ready from the start. Definite Contender Status.
3. Iowa - They are Iowa and will be basically what they were this year. Contender Status.

Mystery Teams:
1. Nebraska - Good Coach, Good recruits, yet poor results. Will they pull together for Frost or rebel against the coach who said he wished they played like the Gophers?
2. Purdue - They were supposed to be better but were not due to injuries. Will they get to where they were meant to be next year?
3. Illinois - Flash in the pan year or is Lovie finally turning the corner?
Click to expand...
I'd still include Northwestern as a mystery team. Fitz is a good enough coach that they are still a potential contender, even off of a bad season.
 

Otis said:
Mystery Teams:
1. Nebraska - Good Coach, Good recruits, yet poor results. Will they pull together for Frost or rebel against the coach who said he wished they played like the Gophers and didn't wear hoodies?
Click to expand...

FIFY
 

If losing at Iowa is a "stumble", then what in the world would you call taking a dump against Illinois as a 30-pt favorite? Not sure those would remotely be classified in the same group, but that's just nitpicking
 


"Now imagine what might happen if Nebraska actually does its part."

No. I'm good.

Absolutely nothing wrong with a three-headed monster of historic, rivals Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin battling it out every year to see who will win the West.

Nebraska can play a supporting role with NW, Illinois, and Purdue.
 



BeerFueledFF said:
I'd still include Northwestern as a mystery team. Fitz is a good enough coach that they are still a potential contender, even off of a bad season.
Click to expand...

Northwestern should definitely be in the mystery group because counting on them to be that bad again seems highly unlikely for a Fitgerald led team. They may not rebound back to contender status i the conference next year but I would expect them to at minimum be around a .500 team with the possibility of more.

I think Iowa is a bit of a mystery for next season. Their offense didn't exactly light the world on fire with an experienced veteran QB and now they are going to be handing the reigns over to a guy with very little game experience. Their defense will be good enough to keep them in games but if the offense really sputters that might not be enough. Odds are they will be solid and in the mix but will be interesting to see how things shake out for them without Stanley.

Nebraska will once again get a ton of attention due to Frost and the perception that they are recruiting at a really high level. Maybe it will all come together for them at some point but so far the returns have not been great and they have a murder's row Big Ten Schedule next year once they get to Halloween. They start the season with Purdue and then starting on October 31st they have the following 5 games - @ Ohio State, Penn State, @ Iowa, @ Wisconsin, Minnesota. If those 5 teams are anything like their 2019 versions that is about as tough a conference stretch as you will ever see.
 




BroncoRedux said:
Overlook Northwestern at your peril.
Click to expand...

Meh, they lose Graziano on defense. They were historically bad on offense, I don't expect a quick turnaround to go from the bad to contender. Maybe bowl contender, non conference looks easy on paper. Tulane, CMU, and Morgan state for non conference. Since AAC teams count as P5, Tulane fills that role. Tulane and CMU were decent last year though.
 

I hope I'm wrong, but I think Nebraska makes a jump up in the standings in 2020.

That being said, I just checked the Husker's 2020 schedule.
They play (in consecutive weeks, starting on Halloween):

@ Ohio State

PENN STATE

@ Iowa

@ Wisconsin

MINNESOTA.

Uhhhh... yikes! Please disregard the first part of my post...
 
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RememberMurray said:
I hope I'm wrong, but I think Nebraska makes a jump up in the standings in 2020.

That being said, I just checked the Husker's 2020 schedule.
They play (in consecutive weeks, starting on Halloween):

@ Ohio State

PENN STATE

@ Iowa

@ Wisconsin

MINNESOTA.

Uhhhh... yikes! Please disregard the first part of my post...
Click to expand...

They’ll be lucky to go 1-4 in that stretch.

I saw enough of Nebraska this year. They are still a long way from being good.
 



btowngopher said:
Meh, they lose Graziano on defense. They were historically bad on offense, I don't expect a quick turnaround to go from the bad to contender. Maybe bowl contender, non conference looks easy on paper. Tulane, CMU, and Morgan state for non conference. Since AAC teams count as P5, Tulane fills that role. Tulane and CMU were decent last year though.
Click to expand...
AAC are G5, by far and wide.
 

RememberMurray said:
I hope I'm wrong, but I think Nebraska makes a jump up in the standings in 2020.

That being said, I just checked the Husker's 2020 schedule.
They play (in consecutive weeks, starting on Halloween):

@ Ohio State

PENN STATE

@ Iowa

@ Wisconsin

MINNESOTA.

Uhhhh... yikes! Please disregard the first part of my post...
Click to expand...
If Nebraska isn't ready to go right out of the gates and drop one in non conference, that last game against us on Black Friday might be for bowl eligibility.
 

BroncoRedux said:
Overlook Northwestern at your peril.
Click to expand...
I wanted to include Northwestern but that would have been every team in the West! They are going to have a hard time getting back to the top.
 

PitinoFan said:
They’ll be lucky to go 1-4 in that stretch.

I saw enough of Nebraska this year. They are still a long way from being good.
Click to expand...

There won't be the same buzz about Nebraska this year but will be interesting to see if they make a jump similar to the one we did in year 3. Agree though that it doesn't really feel like they are on the verge of being good the way we did at the end of the 2018 season.
 

MNVCGUY said:
There won't be the same buzz about Nebraska this year but will be interesting to see if they make a jump similar to the one we did in year 3. Agree though that it doesn't really feel like they are on the verge of being good the way we did at the end of the 2018 season.
Click to expand...
I think you are right, there won't be the same buzz about Nebraska this year. At least, legitimate buzz. But, can you imagine the amount of sarcastic buzz that will be generated between now and the start of the 2020 season? I've seen plenty of jokes already, but the old overvaluing of Nebraska during the offseason joke is the gift that keeps on giving.
 

Schnauzer said:
I think you are right, there won't be the same buzz about Nebraska this year. At least, legitimate buzz. But, can you imagine the amount of sarcastic buzz that will be generated between now and the start of the 2020 season? I've seen plenty of jokes already, but the old overvaluing of Nebraska during the offseason joke is the gift that keeps on giving.
Click to expand...

They were so ridiculously overhyped going into last year that the sarcasm about them heading into 2020 is going to flow very freely.
 

I think it comes down to Adrian Martinez. He did not play well this year.

Will he make a big jump? Or is he going to be what he has been, so far?
 

MplsGopher said:
I think it comes down to Adrian Martinez. He did not play well this year.

Will he make a big jump? Or is he going to be what he has been, so far?
Click to expand...

Martinez becoming the great player some think he can be would help them but when your defense gives up over 30 points 7 times in a season you are not going to win a ton of games unless your offense is really really good.
 

Chinander played OL for Iowa. OLB/DE coach for Oregon (3-4 system) in 2014-15. Frost's DC at UCF 2016-17. Then took him to Lincoln.

Yeah, he hasn't caught on to Big Ten offenses yet, that's for sure.

3-4 is tough on the run, that's just the nature of it. So taking a guess without looking that teams have been able to beat Neb D through the air.
 


PitinoFan said:
They’ll be lucky to go 1-4 in that stretch.

I saw enough of Nebraska this year. They are still a long way from being good.
Click to expand...

We made huge jump in year 3....
 

Schnauzer said:
I think you are right, there won't be the same buzz about Nebraska this year. At least, legitimate buzz. But, can you imagine the amount of sarcastic buzz that will be generated between now and the start of the 2020 season? I've seen plenty of jokes already, but the old overvaluing of Nebraska during the offseason joke is the gift that keeps on giving.
Click to expand...

Nebraska needs to fix their putrid defense before they can go anywhere. Can their defense improve 4-5 spots in the conference? They've had one mediocre and four bad defenses in the past five years. The term "Black Shirts" must be a definition for sh'tty defense. For comparison:

Total Defense (Yards) Big Ten Rank
YearNebbyMinny
2019#10#3
2018#12#6
2017#14#7
2016#6#4
2015#10#7
 


BeerFueledFF said:
I'd still include Northwestern as a mystery team. Fitz is a good enough coach that they are still a potential contender, even off of a bad season.
Click to expand...
I think Fitz is a much better coach than Frosty
 

MplsGopher said:
That is a surprise to me. Where did you read that? I thought it was only BYU, Army, Navy that counted.
Click to expand...
Sounds like it changed when we went to nine conference games. I googled something about it, sounds like independents and AAC teams count, also they allowed for scheduling an FCS team.
 

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