My preseason All-Big Ten teams, OPOY/DPOY picks and projected standings
This post is unlocked and available for all readers.
Before too many other players opt out and before too many other publications post their own preseason All-Big Ten teams, I figured I should go ahead and post mine to get it on the record, so there can be plenty of dunk-on-Scott material floating around by the end of the season. And I’m making it my free newsletter offering for the month of August.
I went ahead and threw in some honorable mentions for skill position guys, just because I think that’s where there’s the most reader interest (and candidly, they’re the positions I feel most comfortable going a little “deeper” on).
So here ya go. Strongly disagree with anything? Hop into the comments below or shoot me an e-mail at bagofbell@gmail.com and tell me why I’m an idiot.
MY ALL-BIG TEN TEAM: OFFENSE
QB - Justin Fields, Ohio St (OPOY)
Not a whole lot to debate here. Fields is not only the best QB in the Big Ten, he might be the best QB in the country — I think only Trevor Lawrence and maybe four-months-from-now Spencer Rattler have much a claim at potentially challenging for that title.
(2nd team: Tanner Morgan, Minnesota. 3rd team: Adrian Martinez, Nebraska — HM: Sean Clifford, Penn St/Dylan McCaffrey, Michigan/Michael Penix Jr., Indiana)
RB1 - Journey Brown, Penn St
Brown rushed for 890 yards last season despite not becoming “the guy” in a crowded Penn State backfield until November. In those final five games from November through the end of the season, Brown rushed for 593 yards, averaging 7.6 yards per carry in the process and collecting nine touchdowns on the ground. Three of those games were against ranked teams (@ No. 17 Minnesota, @ No. 2 Ohio State, vs. No. 17 Memphis in the Cotton Bowl). He won’t have the shackles of being in a running back by committee situation this fall, and I think he could end up putting up some Barkley-esque numbers, at least when it comes specifically to the ground game.
RB2 - Mo Ibrahim, Minnesota
I think there are multiple more talented RBs in the 2nd/3rd and even HM squads below, but Ibrahim is going to get the nod here because of opportunity. The only Big Ten offenses that attempted more rushes than Minnesota last year were Ohio St and Wisconsin. More than 300 of those carries belonged to Rodney Smith and and Shannon Brooks, who are both no longer with the program, leaving Ibrahim the great opportunity of being a true lead back. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2018 when he got to be a 200-carry back. I think he’ll cross that threshold with ease this fall.
(2nd team: Trey Sermon, Ohio St/Tyler Goodson, Iowa. 3rd team: Stevie Scott, Indiana/Nakia Watson, Wisconsin — HM: Zach Charbonnet, Michigan/Master Teague, Ohio St/Elijah Collins, Michigan St/Dedrick Mills, Nebraska)
WR1 - Rondale Moore, Purdue
It’s pretty crazy that someone like Rondale Moore could be slightly under the radar on a national scale entering this season — or any season, really — but after not making it out of the first month of last season before suffering a season-ending injury, he’s a little bit of an afterthought when people are talking Biletnikoff candidates heading into 2020. And if you watched any of his 2018 true freshman campaign — a season where he had 114 catches, just shy of 1,500 yards receiving/rushing and 14 total TDs — you’ll know just how much of a mistake that’ll be. Even if he’s only at 80% coming off his 2019 injury, I’ll take 80% of Moore over 100% of any other Big Ten wideout.
WR2 - Chris Olave, Ohio St
(Full disclosure — this is where I had Rashod Bateman prior to Tuesday’s announcement that he’ll skip the season and prepare for the NFL Draft)
Olave was Ohio State’s leading receiver last year, after a relatively tame freshman campaign in 2018 — until he broke out in The Game against Michigan and continued that momentum in the Big Ten Championship Game. I expect him to be an even bigger fixture in the Ohio State offense in 2020, since the team’s 2nd, 3rd and 5th-leading WRs aren’t back this season. There’s enough talent behind him in the form of Garrett Wilson and some truly elite incoming freshmen that defenses won’t have the luxury of zeroing in on him, meaning last year’s mark of 12 Justin Fields-to-Olave TD connections will likely be topped this fall.
WR3 - Wan’Dale Robinson, Nebraska
This is an upside pick. I think it would be safer to choose anyone from the 2nd team and probably most of the third team, too, but Robinson is Moore v. 2.0 and if he gets the chance to shine (and with JD Spielman’s transfer to TCU, I fully expect that to happen), then I think Robinson could end up being the most dynamic player in the conference — as long as he stays a little healthier than he did during his true freshman season.
(2nd team: Nico Collins, Michigan/David Bell, Pudue/Jahan Dotson, Penn St. 3rd team: Chris Autman-Bell, Minnesota/Garrett Wilson, Ohio St/Whop Philyor, Indiana — HM: Ronnie Bell, Michigan/Dontay Demus, Maryland/Josh Imatorbhebhe, Illinois/Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Iowa)
TE - Pat Freiermuth, Penn St
This was a pretty intense self back-and-forth between Freiermuth and Indiana’s Peyton Hendershoot for a slot on the first team. I thought Freirmuth largely limped to the finish line last season and I’m not sold on Penn St passing the ball very frequently this fall. But Freirmuth still gets the slightest of nods just based on the Nittany Lions’ track record with tight ends and the lack of many other true threats in the Penn State passing game that could cannibalizee targets from Freirmuth.
(2nd team: Peyton Hendershoot, Indiana. 3rd team: Sam LaPorta, Iowa — HM: Jake Ferguson, Wisconsin/Nick Eubanks, Michigan/Payne Durham, Purdue)
OL - Alaric Jackson, Iowa/Wyatt Davis, Ohio St/Josh Myers, Ohio St/Blaise Andries, Minnesota/Jalen Mayfield, Michigan
I’m trying to keep these lines true to their position makeups (two OTs, two Gs and one center), which is a bummer for some good tackles and centers that are getting left off these teams altogether, because I think there’s a lot of depth at both of those positions — specifically center, since there are only three slots on these teams for them. But if you’re going to get mad about offensive linemen selected on my newsletter All-Big Ten team, that probably says more about you than it does me.
(2nd team: Logan Bruss, Wisconsin/Kendrick Green, Illinois/Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa/Kevin Jarvis, Michigan St/Rashawn Slater, Northwestern. 3rd team: Daniel Faalele, Minnesota/CJ Thorpe, Penn St/Doug Kramer, Illinois/Kyler Schott, Iowa/Cole Van Lanen, Wisconsin.
MY ALL-BIG TEN TEAM: DEFENSE
DL1 - George Karlaftis, Purdue
This might trigger some Michigan fans that followed his recruitment, but I’m confident placing Karlaftis as the conference’s top defensive lineman already just one season into his collegiate career. The only downside for him if he’s not surrounded by the talent that he’d be if he was at an Ohio State or Michigan, so he will likely get a ton of attention from opposing offensive lines. But his ability and his impact are undeniable, and I expect him to be an All-American caliber player for the next two seasons.
DL2 - Zach Harrison, Ohio St
I promise I’m not purposely choosing names strictly to piss Michigan fans off, but another near-miss for the Wolverines comes in as the No. 2 defensive lineman on this list. This just screams like it’s the year that Harrison becomes the next in a long line of super productive defensive ends for the Buckeyes. He only started two games last year, but he still managed to be No. 2 on the team in DE snaps. Now with Chase Young, Jashon Cornell and others gone, Harris will step into that Young role. Must be nice to have the nation’s top DE recruit just waiting in the wings for his turn to step into a starting role a couple years after his recruitment.
DL3 - Shaka Toney, Penn St
I was actually a little disappointed in Toney’s 2019. There was a ton of excitement surrounding him heading into last season after his breakout performance in 2018 at Indiana where he got four sacks — not just in one game, but in one quarter (the 4th, no less). He ended up earning 2nd-team All Big Ten honors by coaches last year, but I feel like that was more based off his reputation than performance. But he’s still one of the most talented and productive pass-rushers returning this year in a crop of Big Ten DEs that’s honestly probably the least decorated it has been entering a season in quite some time.
DL4 - Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
This spot was a tough call between two Wolverines: Hutchinson and Kwity Paye. The two players shared the Michigan Defensive Lineman Of The Year award last year and both should play key roles on the Wolverine DL this fall. I’m giving Hutchinson the slight nod over Paye for this spot because it took him less time to reach that level of productivity. But this could very well be the final year for both Paye and Hutchinson in Ann Arbor this fall even though Hutchinson has additional eligibility remaining. And that’s a testament to the upside Hutchinson has and to the expectations I have for him as the leader of the Michigan defensive front in 2020.
(2nd team: Kwity Paye, Michigan/Isaiahh Loudermilk, Wisconsin/Chauncey Golston, Iowa/Jerome Johnson, Penn St. 3rd team: PJ Mustipher, Penn St/Carlo Kemp, Michigan/Earnest Brown, Northwestern/Tyreke Smith, Ohio St)
LB1 - Micah Parsons, Penn St (DPOY)
Parsons is a Swiss Army Knife and pretty clearly the most talented and versatile defender in the Big Ten. As equally impressive as his 100+ tackles and 15 TFLs are has ability to put up impressive totals when it comes to pass breakups (5) and forced fumbles (4). Penn State’s reputation as LBU has taken a bit of a hit over the past few years, but they’re back to being the cream of the crop heading into this season.
LB2 - Antjuan Simmons, Michigan St
There’s not a whole lot of bright spots to write about when it comes to Michigan State’s program this fall, but I expect Antjuan Simmons to be one of them. He not only stepped into a starting job last year, but once LB captain Joe Bachie was popped for taking performance enhancing drugs, effectively ending his career, Simmons stepped into an even bigger role and position of leadership. There were some growing pains, but his potential was evident, and the experience he picked up last year should pay off this fll.
LB3 - Jack Sanborn, Wisconsin
Like Parsons, Sanborn is another do-all LB. He totaled 80 tackles (9 of them for loss), but also paired those totals with 3 INTs and 6 pass deflections in the passing game. When you consider over 60% of his TFLs were true sacks, you see a young LB that can make an impact in all facets of the game.
(2nd team: Cam McGrone, Michigan/Paddy Fisher, Northwestern/Baron Browning, Ohio St. 3rd team: Tyshon Fogg, Rutgers/Jake Hansen, Illinois/Tuf Borland, Ohio St)
DB1 - Shaun Wade, Ohio St
It’s fairly absurd that he came back to school this fall. But once he made that announcement, he immediately became the top returning secondary member in the Big Ten and a legitimate threat for the Thorpe Award. He has the versatility to play anywhere in the secondary, but is particularly impressive in the slot. He almost assuredly would have been a first-round pick in last year’s draft, but he’s hoping to iron out some things to become a better outside corner and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s a top-10 overall guy in next year’s NFL Draft.
DB2 - Tariq Castro-Fields, Penn St
Castro-Fields played a good chunk of last season battling an undisclosed injury, and still managed to have a pretty good season. He’ll need to (and will get the opportunity to) be a step above “pretty good” this fall, though, especially with the departure of John Reid as Castro-Fields’ defensive backfield-mate.
DB3 - Ambry Thomas, Michigan
Michigan fans know how good of a player Thomas can be, but I feel like the rest of the conference and country have slept on him a bit because he’s never been Michigan’s CB1. But with LaVert Hill out of the picture, Thomas is going to be “the guy” in a Michigan secondary that has year in and year out been one of the nation’s most consistently great unit since Mike Zordich arrived in Ann Arbor. I won’t sit here and repeat myself, but check out my section on Zordich in this State of Michigan Football post from a few months back if you want to know how I feel about his ability to turn great athletes into even better football players.
DB4 - Dax Hill, Michigan
Hill is the secondary version of George Karlaftis. Just way too talented and full of potential to keep off a list like this. He didn’t get the green light right out of the gates like Karlaftis did in Purdue, but it quickly become evident that Hill was Michigan’s best safety last season, and that he has a skill set that’s unrivaled by just about any other safety in America — sophomore, junior or senior. He’ll be a 1st-team All Big Ten guy for the next two years before being a Day 1 NFL Draft pick.
(2nd team: Eric Burrell, Wisconsin/Lamont Wade, Penn St/Tiawan Mullen, Indiana/Coney Durr, Minnesota. 3rd team: Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska/Travis Whillock, Northwestern/Nick Cross, Maryland/Sydney Brown, Illinois)
Here’s how the players selected on my preseason teams break down by school:
PROJECTED BIG TEN STANDINGS
The projected standings shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to people that have read my schedule analysis and game-by-game predictions back when it looked like non-conference play was going to happen (premium) and my Big Ten Power rankings from last month (free), but I figured I should go ahead and put these on record, too. Obviously this will be an inexact science without complete certainty on what the actual schedule will end up being, but I’ll go off what we have to work with for now.
Teams are listed in order of how ties would break (i.e. I have Michigan and Penn State finishing with the same record, but Michigan is listed higher b/c I expect Michigan to win the head-to-head matchup).
Big Ten East
Ohio State
Michigan
Penn State
Indiana
Maryland
Michigan State
Rutgers
Big Ten West
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Iowa
Nebraska
Purdue
Northwestern
Illinois
Like what you read? Consider subscribing to unlock access to all past and future premium posts.
View other premium posts below:
I don't know who needs to hear this, but Jim Harbaugh is a better football coach than James Franklin
Why everyone should chill out about Josh Gattis > Jim Harbaugh talk
Which unit has underachieved more under Jim Harbaugh: QBs or RBs?
View other free posts below:
My 2020 “State of the Program” look at Michigan football
Michigan's defensive line performance and development has been elite under Jim Harbaugh
Rival fanbases might want to think twice before playing the Donovan Peoples-Jones card. Here’s why.
"but it quickly become evident that Hill was Michigan’s best safety last season"
I feel like we remember the season differently, or that I'm just more scarred by the late-Carr and early-RR safeties. Give me the boring safety who makes nearly 0 mistakes over the freshman who isn't quite sure where he's supposed to be but is really fast.