Big Ten Preview: Five Best Players

1. James Laurinaitis, LB, THE Ohio State University: I hope Laurinaitis is ready for the backlash, because after we all decide we're sick of being sick of hearing about T** T***w, Laurinaitis is probably next on our scorn list. Pity. In a league that always has a sampler platter of great linebackers, Laurinaitis is a standout among the standouts, and there isn't much left for him to accomplish. He already has a Nagurski Award and a Butkus Award to go along with more conference-based awards than just about any defensive player ever. So, yeah, he's pretty good, even if we're all going to be sick of hearing Brent Musberger talk about him by, say, late September. Or at least we would be, if not for all the time Musberger is sure to spend talking about ...

2. Beanie Wells, RB, THE Ohio State University: This guy must be part cyborg. At 6'1" and somewhere in the 230s, he's just another prototypical Buckeye running back. You know the type. Big, not overly flashy, and about as easy to tackle as a 40-foot oak tree. Wells, however, has that magical 6th gear, the one that changes the sound of his motor from "vroooooom" to "Oh no you don't!" Wells is on every Heisman watch list out there; if anybody can knock off T** T***w, here he is.

3. Isiah "Juice" Williams, QB, Illinois: While his passing improved last season to the point where you could no longer refer to him as Isiah "Clank" Williams, Juice is not really what you'd call a throwing quarterback. What he is is the next generation Tommie Frazier, a guy who throws when he has to but doesn't have to throw very often because he's more slippery than wet ice on Teflon. Ron Zook has high hopes for Williams this season. Maybe too high; he's said he'd like to see Williams' completion percentage up around 70 or so. As far as I can tell, that's better than any Big Ten quarterback in the past six seasons, and better than any Illini quarterback ever. Come back to Earth, Ron; if WIlliams can just get his completion percentage up around 60-62%, he'll be a weapon without parallel anywhere in the conference.

4. Derrick Williams, WR, Penn State: Think there's no speed in the Big Ten? Go try to run down Derrick Williams. I hope you remember where you parked, because you're going to need a car. He averaged more than ten yards a touch last season, and if you saw his punt return against Notre Dame, you have to wonder if anybody is going to kick to him this season. With Penn State likely to try a little more vertical passing this season, Williams is worth watching. The pro scouts are already watching.

5. Travis Beckum, TE, Wisconsin: He should change his last name to Stickum. Last season Beckum had more receiving yards than any other tight end in the nation, and it wasn't close. In fact, Beckum had the fourth-most yards of any pass-catcher in the conference. Wisconsin might be a little squishy at quarterback going into this season, but Beckum gets open like no tight end this side of Dallas Clark, so whoever winds up throwing the ball in Madison will know they've got a reliable target to throw to.