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The Big Ten is coming off its best season on the football field in years and can call itself the home of the national champions for the first time since 2014 thanks to Michigan’s College Football Playoff run. The team the Wolverines beat to win the title, Washington, is one of four newcomers to the league, and while it won’t officially join until the summer (alongside Oregon, UCLA and USC), it is preparing this spring for its first season in its new home.
Both teams are excellent reflections of the kind of offseason the Big Ten has undergone. Everything is different. Michigan won the national title but has a new coach, Sherrone Moore, and plenty of new players in pivotal spots. Washington is in a similar boat after Kalen DeBoer left to take the Alabama job.
The Big Ten looks different across the board, from the makeup of the schools to the depth charts in the locker rooms. Each of its 18 (18!) members have plenty of questions that remain unanswered as they enter spring practice. We’re not likely to get answers to most of them in March and April, but the spring is our first glimpse at possible solutions. With that in mind, let’s examine the biggest questions facing each Big Ten team this spring.
Can the defense recover from its losses? Two years ago, Illinois had its best season since 2007 with eight wins and, at one point, a spot in the College Football Playoff Rankings. But then the secondary, anchored by top-five NFL Draft pick Devon Witherspoon, left for the NFL; defensive coordinator Ryan Walters left for the Purdue job.
Aaron Henry stepped into the role left by Walters. Though Illinois still had stalwarts Johnny Newton and Keith Randolph along the defensive line, the unit wasn’t the same in 2023. After allowing 12.8 points per…
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Author : Tom Fornelli
Publish date : 2024-03-27 17:01:12
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