Ohio State will welcome Nebraska to Columbus for the opener of the Big Ten college football season. We’ve got your preview and prediction.
Records
Ohio State (0-0), Nebraska (0-0)
Broadcast, TV, Game Time
Date: Saturday, October 24 Game Time: Noon ET Network: FOX Venue: Ohio Stadium – Capacity – 104,944 (no fans permitted due to COVID-19 restrictions) All-Time Series: Ohio State leads 7-1 Last Meeting: Ohio State defeated Nebraska 48-7 in 2019
Ohio State football is back Buckeye fans! The long wait is finally over as Ryan Day and company have their eyes set on a college football crown. But before we dream of beating the Tigers and Crimson Tides of the college football world, focus has to remain steadfast on the opponent at hand… hello Cornhuskers.
The Big Ten did Nebraska no favors when handing out new schedules for a revamped 2020 season. Was it punishment for being so vocal against conference leadership and their handling of football in a pandemic? We can speculate, but the bottom line is – we’re ready to play some football!
Who are the best Big Ten quarterbacks heading into the 2020 season. We ranked them all from No. 1 through No. 14.
It’s the most important position in football these days — the quarterback. Gone are the days of trying to find a good game manager and surrounding that player with weapons. Yeah, there’s still some of that today, but the teams that tend to win conference championships and national titles generally have a dynamic playmaker under center and playmakers around him.
It’s no different in the Big Ten. Just look at the last few years. Ohio State has won three-straight conference championships, and each time, has also had a guy pulling the trigger that has won the Big Ten’s Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year. J.T. Barrett won it in 2017, Dwayne Haskins followed up with the award in 2018, and then Justin Fields was honored last season.
So, with that in mind, what does the field (no pun intended) look like entering 2020? We’ve stack ranked all projected starting quarterbacks for all fourteen teams in the Big Ten and are ready to dive into all the fun.
As a bit of an asterisk, some of these are still entrenched in position battles, and there could be injuries and other things that impact what happens at each school, so please don’t dunk on us too hard.
The key to success on the football field often comes down to one simple variable: quarterback play….
The key to success on the football field often comes down to one simple variable: quarterback play.
The last 20 Heisman Trophy winners? 17 quarterbacks.
The last 10 national champions? Six teams that also had the nation’s best-performing quarterback at the time.
I wrote yesterday about Jack Coan‘s career and why he’s the best thing the Badgers have had at quarterback since Russell Wilson.
No, he’s not on the level of fellow Big Ten quarterbacks Justin Fields and Tanner Morgan. But Wisconsin is set to enter the 2020 season with the best option they’ve had at quarterback in years.
Football is still obviously an extremely-complex game, and there will be many variables that play into the Badgers’ success or lack thereof this year. Nevertheless, whether the team is able to win their first Big Ten championship since 2012 will come down in large part to how Coan performs compared to the opposing signal caller.
So, here are the top five quarterbacks the Badgers will face during the 2020 season:
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) looks to pass during the first quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Michael Penix Jr. battled injuries a season ago but showed mile-high potential when he began the year by leading Indiana to their best start since 1993.
His 2019 season ended with six games played, 1394 passing yards, 69% completion, 8.8 adjusted passing yards per attempt (AY/A), 10 touchdowns and four interceptions in addition to 22 carries, 119 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
The Florida native is now healthy entering the 2020 season as he will work to improve upon his impressive showing from 2019 when he was healthy.
I give Coan the edge in this matchup as with a significantly-shortened offseason, or no live offseason at all, experience will be key at the position. Penix Jr. has a bright future but his 2020 outlook isn’t quite on the level as that of Coan.
