BleedGopher
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per ESPN:
In a league now seemingly overflowing with individual talent, the bar has been raised for the season-ending countdown.
Without expanding the rankings beyond 25 spots, there's just not going to be room for everybody. And that can make for some heated conversations and difficult omissions when the time to finalize the list in the Big Ten arrived after a banner year for the league.
So who just missed the cut and produced the most debate? The ESPN.com reporting crew makes the case for a handful of stars who came up just short of a spot in the final rankings.
Austin Ward: Minnesota RB Rodney Smith
The redshirt sophomore didn't have to carry the load all by himself in the Minnesota backfield, and maybe that's part of the reason why he generally didn't get much attention or stand out in a league loaded with talented tailbacks. But the fact that Smith was sharing carries with two other guys should just make what he accomplished this season even more impressive, since he still finished fourth in the league in rushing yardage and second in the Big Ten with 16 touchdowns. The Gophers clearly benefited from their depth on hand to power the rushing attack, but the featured rusher proved this season that he at least deserved to be in the conversation with the conference's top performers.
http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/pos...from-the-countdown-of-the-leagues-top-players
Go Gophers!!
In a league now seemingly overflowing with individual talent, the bar has been raised for the season-ending countdown.
Without expanding the rankings beyond 25 spots, there's just not going to be room for everybody. And that can make for some heated conversations and difficult omissions when the time to finalize the list in the Big Ten arrived after a banner year for the league.
So who just missed the cut and produced the most debate? The ESPN.com reporting crew makes the case for a handful of stars who came up just short of a spot in the final rankings.
Austin Ward: Minnesota RB Rodney Smith
The redshirt sophomore didn't have to carry the load all by himself in the Minnesota backfield, and maybe that's part of the reason why he generally didn't get much attention or stand out in a league loaded with talented tailbacks. But the fact that Smith was sharing carries with two other guys should just make what he accomplished this season even more impressive, since he still finished fourth in the league in rushing yardage and second in the Big Ten with 16 touchdowns. The Gophers clearly benefited from their depth on hand to power the rushing attack, but the featured rusher proved this season that he at least deserved to be in the conversation with the conference's top performers.
http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/pos...from-the-countdown-of-the-leagues-top-players
Go Gophers!!