Big 10 Football: Most Improved & Overrated Teams
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5 thoughts on “Big 10 Football: Most Improved & Overrated Teams”
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I don’t know about “overrated or most improved,” but I think Illinois definitely falls into the category of “most intriguing.” I think most everybody that follows the Big Ten closely would agree that they underachieved last season. Now, they bring basically the same talent back, if not more experienced, and add a coach that certainly has had a better track record recently than Zook ever did. Still, I’m a bit cautious. Sometimes the momentum from “jr. leagues” to “top tier” translates to more success (Urban Meyer) and sometimes it does not (Dan Hawkins). It will be interesting to see if Beckman can pull it off.
Also, I think one of the keys to Illinois’ success is how well Scheelhaase can pick up the new offensive spread scheme. Let’s face it, some of these dual threat QBs have talent with no brains (Michael Vick) and some have talent and brains (Robert Griffith III). Which one will Scheelhasse be? One thing is for sure though, the defense ought to be good enough to allow the offense to go through the learning phase and still get wins.
First let me say that I am not the biggest Nathan Scheelhaase fan. He is a very good athlete, but as a quarterback, he has a ways to go. Last year he completed 184 passes (63.2 comp.%) and other qb/players completed 42 passes. 90 of those were hauled in by first round pick A.J. Jenkins. Jenkins accounted for 40% of the Illini’s receptions and over 53% of the team’s receiving yards. So, unless another wideout steps up, Scheelhaase and company will have to do it on the ground. With a road schedule consisting of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio State in a span of 4 weeks, I would say 7-5 is doable. 8-9 wins could be possible if some other guys step up and make some plays on offense.