Below, I have made my predictions for how I see the Big Ten Conference finishing up in 2010. The conference has some great teams at the top, but some pretty poor teams at the bottom. Stay tuned to HunterSportsPicks all year long as I will be making college football picks that crush the books. Last year, I hit 70% of my college football plays, and I am currently the #1 ranked handicapper on the planet in 2010. You can follow all of my sports picks here. Let’s take a closer look at how the Big 10 is likely to stack up this year.
Big Ten Conference Predicted Order of Finish (Odds to win Big 10 from 5dimes in parentheses)
- Ohio State Buckeyes (-180)- The Buckeyes are definitely the deepest team in the conference. The 2010 Ohio State football schedule isn’t easy at all. The Buckeyes must travel to both Iowa and Wisconsin, while hosting Miami in their second game of the season. I think the Buckeyes trip up once, but still sit at the top of the Big Ten.
- Iowa Hawkeyes (+550)- The Hawkeyes will have Ricky Stanzi back this year and they should be extremely difficult to beat. Iowa has an easier schedule than Ohio State, and will take on their toughest opponents at home. It is certainly possible that Iowa could tie Ohio State at the top.
- Wisconsin Badgers (+600)- The Badgers are another team that is certainly capable of winning the Big Ten Conference in 2010. Tolzien is a solid quarterback and their stable of running backs is amazing. John Clay and the offense will wear down defenses all year long.
- Penn State Nittany Lions (+1000)- There is a significant drop off from the Badgers down to the Penn State Nittany Lions. Losing Daryll Clark is a big hit for Penn State, and while Evan Royster will be very good, this team just doesn’t have the talent the top three teams have.
- Michigan State Spartans (+2700)- The Spartans talent level is high enough that they could breakout and finish in the top four, but I’ll keep them at fifth because of their tough conference schedule. I still think the Spartans program is on the way up with Dantonio at the helm.
- Michigan Wolverines (+2700)- Rich Rodriguez’s job is more than likely on the line this year. I think anything less than a bowl berth and Rodriguez will be done in Ann Arbor. The offense should continue to improve, but the defense looks like it will be just as bad in 2010. The defense will hold them back this year.
- Purdue Boilermakers (+5000) The Boilermakers weren’t nearly as bad as their record in 2009, and I think they have the ability to move up in the standings in 2010. Purdue has depth at many postions and Danny Hope seems to be the right man for the job in West Lafayette.
- Northwestern Wildcats (+5500)- The Wildcats no longer have Mike Kafka, who was the heart and soul of their offense in 2009. Pat Fitzgerald has proven that his teams will fight as hard as anyone, but the talent level just isn’t high enough to warrant ranking them any higher than this.
- Illinois Fighting Illini (+5000)- There’s a good chance this will be Ron Zook’s last season at Illinois. The Fighting Illini have question marks all over the offensive side of the football. It wouldn’t shock me to see them finish at the bottom of the Big Ten, but they do have a little more talent than the last two on my list.
- Indiana Hoosiers (+7500)- The Hoosiers actually have an impressive offense, but the defense is just horrendous. In this league, if you can’t stop the run, you’ll be in deep trouble. Indiana can’t stop the run or the pass, but they might win a couple of shootouts.
- Minnesota Golden Gophers (+6500)- The Golden Gophers were horrible on offense in 2009, and there is nothing new to suggest that this will change in 2010. The defense also might slip a bit this season due to some its leaders graduating. It will be a long year for Tim Brewster and company.
If you are interested in college football betting in 2010, make sure you keep it here for all the best college football picks from the first game through the BCS Championship Game.
