Rittenberg Big Ten rankings

[AhliBobwa]

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post...power-rankings-2?prosaction=newpost&status=ok

Now, Rittenberg loses points in that he tends to favor improvement in teams he actually visited this spring (i.e Michigan State, Penn State, Northwestern, Michigan).

I decided to do him a favor and correct them for you.

--Penn State is ranked far too high. They are really going to struggle with a possible walk-on starter at QB and a questionable O-line. The D will be solid but the points will be hard to come by. The Nits will be back strong in 2011, but 2010 is going to be a down year.

--Michigan finished last in the Big Ten 2009, lost 2 high draft picks off the Big Ten's worst D, and is depending on several true freshmen to start on D. Yet Rittenberg STILL picked them 7th? Ridiculous.

--Minnesota should certainly be ranked ahead of both Michigan and a Purdue team decimated by injuries, and with arguably the Big Ten's worst secondary.

--Indiana > Illinois

Here are better post spring power rankings:

1) Ohio State (by a mile). With a ton of weapons, and TP about to have a junior season to match Vince Young's, this will be the most explosive Buckeye O since 2006. And the D should again be one of the best in the country.

2) Iowa (hurts to write that)
3) Wisconsin (hurts even more) --Both teams will be formidable next year. I believe Wisconsin is more vulnerable because their D wasn't as good to begin with, and should take a step back without O'Brien S.

4) Tied--Michigan State/Minnesota/Northwestern/Penn State
--Penn State is great on D, but could be truly horrific on offense. The Nits may start a walk on, or a guy who plays like one (Kevin Newsome).

--Northwestern--lost a phenomenal player in Kafka, an O-line that can't get a push, no vertical passing game, and a D that loses key pieces and wasn't that athletic to begin with. That said, Fitzgerald might be the best coach in the Big Ten and I am grateful the Gophers get to play Northwestern early again. The 'Cats always play better later in the year once Fitzgerald finds ways to disguise his weaknesses (see last year's Iowa, Wisconsin, and Auburn games).

--Michigan State--great RB tandem, decent O-line, an improving QB, and the best LB in the country. Negatives include a perpetually horrific secondary, loss of #1 WR, and an O-line that often under performs.

--Minnesota--Athletic D with great size and strength on the front line and impressive athleticism in the back 7. Better secondary players than I thought we had. Really good talent/depth at LB (assuming Tinsley is back), and what looks to be a very improved Offensive line.
--Negatives? Jekyll/Hyde quality of starting QB, mediocrity of current RBs/need to have one of the freshmen immediately contribute. The question marks at WR after McKnight (and McKnight's bad freshmen year of dropped balls. He missed catchable TD passes in the Illinois and Iowa games. He cannot do that this year.

8)Purdue--Robert Marve is nice, too many injuries (10 starters missed significant parts or all of spring ball, the #1 offensive weapon tore his ACL, not enough talent in the secondary).
Purdue is still a year away from making noise.


9)Michigan--see above
10)Indiana--both teams will score points and play no defense. Should be a fun one when they meet up. Maybe if we're lucky Indiana will get jobbed, and Bill Lynch will rant and throw his headset again. Indiana, don't ever fire him because that man is the most entertaining aspect of Indiana football since Antwan Randel El

11) Illinois. Some things are too broken to fix without a full regime change.

 

[gophmeister]

I agree with your assessment of Purdue. They surprised some people last year, but it's going to be tough for them to overcome the injuries and they lose the element of surprise. I think Adam spent way too much time at Illinois and Purdue. I'm sorry, but no way does Illinois pull a rabbit out of its hat this fall. At best they get to a bowl and Super Zooker keeps his job. Is there a case out there where a coach turns over the majority of his staff after a disappointing season and turns it around in a big way?

As for our beloved gophers, we'll have to see. We are replacing an awful lot of guys on the defensive side of the ball. The offense is going to have to turn around in a big way this fall to get to a bowl.

 

[mnboiler]

Purdue WILL be in a bowl game this year. Take it to the bank.

 

[gophmeister]

Purdue WILL be in a bowl game this year. Take it to the bank.

Purdue does have a pretty soft non conference slate and a high likelihood of success there and you miss Iowa and Penn State. If you had our schedule, you may not be singing quite the same tune.

 

[Sumtimegophs]

I'm not as concerned about the D as some are. Yes, they need to get their game legs, but for the most part we are talking about players that got valuable experience last year. If somebody can get a fire lite in Hageman at DE the defense will be very solid.

I am still not convinced the OL has improved that much. I hope I am wrong. The RBs need an infustion of talent and I believe by the 4th to 5th game one of them will be starters.

 

[mnboiler]

Purdue does have a pretty soft non conference slate and a high likelihood of success there and you miss Iowa and Penn State. If you had our schedule, you may not be singing quite the same tune.

You are right.

 

[EG#9]

Big Ten seems wide open. As long as Pryor has not improved at QB, Ohio State is always vulnerable when forced to score points. Iowa had a rabbit's foot up there umm posterior last season, you have to figure that even if they are improved talent wise they will lose another game or two. Wisconsin probably should be 3rd in order of likelihood of success (how ridiculous is it that Wisconsin and Iowa are near the top of the conference and the Gophers can't even sniff a title?) with the return of Clay and a solid Oline. The overall talent level of the PSU roster makes it tough to rank them any lower than 4th, but if they can't find a QB, they will finish much lower than that. I feel fairly confident that Indiana and Illinois will be 10 and 11. The other 5 teams (MSU, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue) all have at least an outside shot to finish in top 3, but also could take that 9th spot too. QB questions are huge at Minnesota and Northwestern. Michigan certainly has a talented roster, but hasn't been able to put it together on the field under RichRod. Purdue seemed to be on the rise at the end of last year, but the injury to there RB is significant. MSU always seems to be a hot/cold type team regardless of who coaches them.

I can't be upset with Rittenburg picking the Gophers 9th as they've done nothing to give anyone a tangible reason to believe they will be improved in '10. Hopefully, the program will be in a position that it is laughable to have them so low in the rankings at some time in the future.

 

[Rosemountian]

Double Post

 

[Rosemountian]

MN might be ranked higher if not for the terrible schedule.
The bottom 6 teams in the conference are clearly (in no order) Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Purdue, Minnesota, Northwestern
Minnesota doesn't play 3 of these and plays 2 on the road.
The only one they catch at home would be Northwestern, who will probably end up being the best of the 6.

The schedule is hellish and although I think the gophers probably have the 5th or 6th best team in the conference this year, it would not at all surprise me to see a bottom 2 or 3 finish.