Big Ten Preview: The Dregs

While college football fans across the country await the start of the new season with a drooling fervor there are also some fans who dread it. Why? Because they know their season is already over before it's even started. Oh sure, their boys are still going to go out there every Saturday and play hard for 60 minutes, but it's not going to make a bit of difference.

They're going to lose, and they're going to lose a lot.

No conference can escape from having teams like this, it's just a part of the game. They still serve their purpose because the good teams in the conference need a breather once in a while, and they also need six wins to qualify for a bowl game.

These teams are the conferences dirty little secret. They're the red-headed step child that's told to stay in their room when company comes over. They are the dregs of Big Ten, and they're here to play another set of 12 games whether we want them to or not.

Northwestern Wildcats

2007 Record: 6-6 (3-5)

When you think about it, even though they didn't make a bowl game last season, the Wildcats have to consider the 2007 season a success. After all, they actually won six games which isn't something often seen in Evanston. Of course, the fact that six wins is considered a successful season is the very reason why the Wildcats are considered one of the dregs of the Big Ten.

It also means that the expectations of head coach Pat Fitzgerald are a bit higher this season, as he plans on getting the Wildcats back to a bowl game in 2008. The Wildcats bring in two new coordinators this season as Mick McCall comes in from Bowling Green to take over the offense, and Mike Hankwitz moves south from Madison to take over the defense.

While McCall ran a very similar offense to what Northwestern already used while at Bowling Green, it could be Hankwitz who ends up having the biggest impact on this team in 2008. Hankwitz will bring a more aggressive style on defense in hopes of waking up a unit that appeared to be sleepwalking through the 2007 season.

On offense the Wildcats are poised to be pretty good. C.J. Bacher is ready to start his third year under center, while the team hopes Tyrell Sutton can stay healthy this season and provide some big plays in the ground game. The problem area for the Wildcats will be the offensive line, where they lost three starters to graduation last year. How quickly the new guys figure it out up front could go a long way in deciding how far this team actually goes this season.

So there's a chance the Wildcats could get to seven wins this season and be the Cinderella story of the Big Ten in 2008, but I wouldn't count on it. Frankly, I'll consider the 2008 season a success for NU this season if they can somehow manage to avoid losing to Duke again.

Indiana Hoosiers

2007 Record:7-6 (3-5)

The 2007 season was a raging success in Bloomington. The Hoosiers actually qualified for a bowl game, and even though they lost to Oklahoma State 49-33 in the Insight Bowl, they still got there. It was the first time they'd qualified for one in thirteen years after all. If it wasn't for the Fighting Illini, the Hoosier football team would have been the darling of the conference. The scrappy underdog everyone rooted for.

How it happened, I'm not sure. It could have been an emotional response to the passing of Terry Hoeppner, the coaching of Bill Lynch, or just dumb luck.

The question now becomes: can the Hoosiers do it again in 2008? The schedule sets up for it to happen as the Hoosiers will play eight of their first ten games at home, and no where on the schedule do you see Ohio State or Michigan (which was a big reason they were able to win seven games last year as well).

The loss of James Hardy will hurt an offense that averaged almost 32 points a game last season, but more important than Hardy's loss is the enigma wrapped inside a mystery that is quarterback Kellen Lewis. Lewis didn't participate in spring practice after Lynch suspended him indefinitely for violating team rules (he was texting Kelvin Sampson or something) and nobody's 100% sure he'll be back on the team when the season starts.

If he doesn't return that means sophomore Ben Chappell will have to take the reigns. Chappell is a capable backup but doesn't have near the mobility of Lewis and that could limit the Hoosier offense.

While the 2007 season was a success in Bloomington, and the goal in 2008 is not only to get to a bowl game, but to win one, I just don't see it happening. There are too many questions on this team, and they aren't going to catch anybody by surprise this season.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

2007 Record: 1-11 (0-8)

The Golden Gophers defined what a conference dreg is last season, going 1-11 and winless in the Big Ten. They also managed to finish dead last in the nation on defense. Which means second-year coach Tim Brewster has a lot of work ahead of him in 2008.

The good news is that most of the problems last season had more to do with personnel than coaching, and Brewster and his staff went out and signed what was ranked the 17th best recruiting class (according to Rivals.com) in the nation. Brewster is hoping that the infusion of talent into the program will help turn the team around much the same way it did at Illinois in 2007.

Unfortunately, relying on freshman in college football is seldom the formula for success. That's why quarterback Adam Weber is going to have to improve a bit this season if the Gophers are going to have a chance. Weber set all sorts of records at Minnesota last season (passing yards, completions, touchdowns, total offense) and led the team in rushing, but he also threw a back-breaking 19 interceptions as well.

When your defense sucks you can't afford to keep turning the ball over, so Weber is going to have to make smarter decisions in 2008 for this team to have a chance.

I don't think the Gophers are going to have a miraculous turnaround in 2008, but I wouldn't expect them to go winless in the conference again. If I'm a Gopher fan, I'd view the 2008 season as a buildup to next year when the Gophers will move into the new outdoor TCF Bank Stadium and a possible bowl bid in 2009.