Every year players depart college football via graduation, the NFL draft, or fightin' in da club, leaving behind a horde of fans wondering just who is going to replace the heroes of yesteryear. Herewith, the most heated/important position battles in the Big Ten this year.
| 1. Wisconsin Quarterback |
 The Badgers return just about everyone from their 12-1, Citrus Bowl-winning 2006 team except quarterback John Stocco (@ right) and Joe Thomas, the man who protected his blindside. As a result, many are projecting the Badgers to be Michigan's strongest Big Ten challenger in this gleefully Troy Smith-free year, but if the Badgers are going to make a run at the Rose Bowl or even the national championship game they're going to have to get some kind of production out of Not Stocco, whoever he is. Fifth year senior Tyler Donovan is the odds-on favorite; Kansas State transfer Allan Everidge is also in the running.Donovan started two games last year when Stocco was out with an injury. You can't tell much from a game against Buffalo, but Donovan was cool and collected against a kinda decent -- but not very -- Iowa defense, going 17 for 24 with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Donovan also added 61 rushing yards. Meanwhile, the last time Everidge surfaced he was true freshman overwhelmed at Kansas State. Whoever wins the job will have to perform well when Michigan rolls into Madison for one of the 2007 season's key contests, as fat Wisconsin running backs have never performed against the Wolverines and Michigan's secondary is a blinking red sign that says "exploit me"; a BCS bid hinges on the arm of either Donovan or Everidge if all goes according to plan. |
One of the benefits of spurning teams with actual success at their football programs, like heavily hyped DC-area wide Arrelious Benn did when he stiffarmed Notre Dame and everyone else to attend Illinois, is that you tend to get shoved into the starting lineup the moment you step on campus. This is the case for Benn, who will give the lacking Illini receiving corps some downfield punch. He lit up the Illinois spring game, catching deep pass after deep pass.
