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2008 Big Ten Football Picks & Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd on August 2, 2008

In the Big Ten Conference, the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes contend for a title each and every year. Find out which other schools have a legit shot at winning a Big Ten crown in this article. Will it be Illinois getting right back into the mix or could there be another sleeper rising to the top? All these questions and more are answered in Jimmy’s 2008 Big Ten football predictions. For a more in depth look at all of these teams, be sure to check out our individual team previews by clicking on the team name link.

1st Ohio State Buckeyes – With most of the 2007 team back, including Heisman trophy candidate Chris Wells, the Buckeyes are the big favorites to win the conference. An early season meeting at USC could be the only thing standing in the way of a perfect season.

2nd Wisconsin Badgers – Wisconsin’s powerful running attack led by P.J. Hill will make the Badgers a force week in and week out. Being able to control the clock and field position is why the Badgers have been consistently good with sometimes lesser talent.

3rd Illinois Fighting Illini – The Illini won’t be as strong as they were a year ago after losing running back Rashard Mendenhall to the NFL, but they still have enough talent returning to contend for a Big Ten title.

4th Penn State Nittany Lions – Penn State inherited a tough schedule having to go to Ohio State, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Iowa, but the Lions have enough playmakers to win two of four of these games to stay in the Big Ten elite.

5th Michigan Wolverines – This season will be an unfamiliar season for the Wolverines as the cupboard is pretty bare by Big Blue standards. A new QB and a new system should produce enough bumps and bruises of its own.

6th Michigan State Spartans – The Spartans have a lot of offensive talent, but this team always tends to trail off in the second half of the season.

7th Iowa Hawkeyes – Few teams are as tough as the Hawkeyes are at home, but Iowa can’t play all of its games at Kinnick Stadium. The Hawks are always a tough out so they will win some games they’re not supposed to and lose some games that they should win.

8th Purdue Boilermakers – Curtis Painter is the best passer in the Big Ten but he has lost most of his targets and the offensive line also looks sketchy. Unfortunately for coach Joe Tiller, his last season in West Lafayette won’t be his most memorable.

9th Indiana Hoosiers – I have a feeling that the magic in Bloomington will leave with the departure of superstar receiver James Hardy to the NFL.

10th Minnesota Golden Gophers – Big improvements will be made by last season’s butt of the Big Ten, but unfortunately, those improvements won’t result in many more wins.

11th Northwestern Wildcats – No defense means not many wins. I think the Gophers will improve more defensively which shoves the Wildcats into the basement.

Make sure you check out Jimmy’s college football predictions from other major conference also to see how those leagues compare to the Big Ten. And make the 2008 season a memorable one by football betting Jimmy’s award winning college football picks!

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