After decades of being known as the home of the nation’s best running backs and running attacks, the Big Ten has increasingly become home to the nation’s top receivers. This year, as one looks at the Big Ten, the area that is sure to stand out is the wide-receiver position.
The Big Ten is home to three of the nation’s top-20 receivers, and contains a plethora of big, physical receivers that will be earning a living playing on Sundays in the near future.
Coaches around the league have been impressed with the receivers they have seen in the league this season. This year’s groups, combined with a solid group last year that now has two players in David Terrell and Chris Chambers contributing as rookies in the NFL, has led some to believe that the trend of big physical guys in the Big Ten may continue.
“This is definitely a banner year in the Big Ten. Maybe this is an unusual year, or maybe it is a trend in football. Maybe were going to continue seeing these big physical wide receivers,” commented Purdue head coach Joe Tiller. “I know if you watch the NFL you are seeing more and more big receivers there, maybe this a trend that we are going to see in all future years.”
The conference’s premier receiver is Wisconsin wide-out Lee Evans, who leads the nation in both receptions and yards.
Illinois receiver Brandon Lloyd is second in the conference, and Michigan’s Marquise Walker is third. Each of these players fits the NFL mold of big, strong receivers that can go up and win balls in the air with great athleticism and strength.
This type of receiver has quickly emerged as the Big Ten prototype, as teams around the conference have looked to bigger players to fill the receiving positions. The productivity of the taller, bigger players in the league is statistically evident. Eight of the league’s top-ten receivers are 6-foot-2 or taller.
This group of big players around the league has presented problems for defenses, and coaches have had to face them week in and week out because there are so many of them.
“Illinois has a couple of great receivers, Michigan State does, Michigan does, and there’s Ron Johnson at Minnesota,” said Tiller. “There are more good wide receivers in this league than there ought to be.”
Getting Over The Record: Last weekend, Penn State’s Joe Paterno finally surpassed Bear Bryant as the all-time winningest college football coach, with his 324th career victory. But even now, Paterno continues to play down his record and his accomplishments, and says he won’t be thinking about the significance of his accomplishments.
“I think when the season is over, I might be able to think about it,” said Paterno.
As for holding on to the record forever, Paterno refuses to concern himself with that.
“Bobby Bowden is right around the corner and he is great coach,” commented Paterno. “Nowadays with the media and all that, it is going to be tough for a guy to have the durability as long as Bobby, Bryant and I have had.”
Still, the 75-year-old coach is pleased to have the record-chase off of his back.
“The best thing about the record is that you guys won’t be asking me about it,” Paterno said. “Now you can ask Bobby Bowden.”
Michigan In Title Hunt: At the beginning of the year, most observers were nearly ready to concede that the Big Ten would not be represented in the Rose Bowl this year. However, after playing seven games and winning six of them, Michigan sits atop the Big Ten standings and is ranked number four in the BCS standings. Nebraska, Oklahoma and Miami are all ahead of Michigan in the rankings at this point.
However, in the final stretch of the season each of these four teams will play games each against quality opponents that may test them and shake up the standings in the process.
Top-ranked Nebraska certainly has the easiest schedule. The only quality opponent they have left is an up-and-down Colorado State team.
Oklahoma still must play a tough Texas Tech team and a seven-and-one, soon to be eight-and-one Texas A&M ball club on Nov.11. Miami still must face Virginia Tech and a surprisingly good seven-and-one Syracuse team, before it can go after the national championship.
Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr isn’t eager to talk about the national picture yet, because he knows things aren’t easy for Michigan either, and the team needs to remain focused on the Big Ten.
“Anybody that has been in this conference understands that you better take it one game at a time and not be distracted by looking ahead or looking behind for that matter,” Carr said.
Michigan’s schedule is difficult; it faces in-state rival Michigan State this weekend and also has games remaining with talented Wisconsin and Ohio State teams on its schedule.
Michigan knows the season is far from over, and if the ball bounces the right way, the Big Ten might not be left out of the national championship Rose Bowl game after all.
