We’re still months away from the start of Ohio State and the rest of college football breaking the seal on another fantastic year, but if you follow us, you know by now that we like to talk about football any day we can throw a dart on a calendar. In fact, we’re always projecting ahead and we’re not the only ones for a football-crazed nation.
One of the things that often determine which teams have a shot at some really special things is the experience and returning production on a team. At a place like Ohio State, there’s always young talent to be next to come off the football assembly line, but returning talent and experience matters. Last season for instance, the Buckeyes were one of the youngest teams in the country, and while there still could have been a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff appearance with a break here or there, it didn’t happen.
Now, fast forward to next year, and the same Ohio State team returns a bit more. There is always some turnover, but the Buckeyes will be more experienced in key spots than they were last year. But how does OSU stack up with the rest of the Big Ten? Which teams have the most returning production?
We’ve already focused on the offensive side of the ball, and now we’re going to look at the defensive side to rank each Big Ten football team based on returning production thanks to the folks at ESPN (subscription required).
And just for understanding, this is all derived from a formulaic equation that resident ESPN analytics expert Bill Connelly has devised that takes into account returning production from total tackles and snaps across defensive position groups.
Let’s get after it.