Few Legends, Lacking Leaders

Some games occurred while I was away...

Michigan was outclassed and eviscerated by the Crimson Tide, there is no other way to put it.  Alabama is once again a national title contender and the Wolverines simply have not reached that level yet.  The game raised massive concerns along both the offensive line and the defensive front seven.  Still, shortcomings easily show against the best in the country, Michigan won't be playing another team on Alabama's level the rest of the season which allows for optimism.

I said all summer that I disliked scheduling Air Force the week after Alabama in Dallas.  Michigan had a long trip home and a shorter week of preparation than normal for a triple option offense.  Once again, there are tons of issues that need to be straightened out and corrected.  Michigan simply is not a dominant team up front at this point.  Against Air Force, Denard Robinson showed that Michigan does have the most dominant player in the Big Ten.  He was simply ridiculous, setting an all-time college football record with his third game with both 200 yards passing and running while accounting for more total offense than Michigan's team total. As long as Denard is healthy, Michigan has a chance in it's remaining ten games.

And Michigan will have a chance in those games because woo-eee the B1G is bad this season.  Wisconsin is not a top 20 team and no team looks like it's capable of competing on the national stage.  The Big Ten remains wide open. 

Let's look at some takeaways from the first two weeks for the Wolverines.

• Issues up front.  For whatever reason, Michigan's experienced offensive line is struggling to start out the season.  Will we see true freshman Kyle Kalis in the lineup at guard soon? 
• The two best players on Michigan's defense?  Jordan Kovacs and Jake Ryan. 
• Defensive tackle is going to be an issue all season, how Michigan progresses here may determine how far this team can go in the B1G this season. 
• Devin Funchess is going to be a star.  He is too slim to be a reliable blocker as a true freshman but he showcased his playmaking ability against Air Force by high-pointing a TD pass for Michigan's second TD.
• Devin Gardner may just be Michigan's go-to receiver throughout the season.  As a convert to the position he still has a lot of room for growth. 
• Dennis Norfleet is going to be exciting to watch the next few seasons.
• I had Michigan's linebackers vastly overrated entering the season (both Demens and Morgan have been replaced often by true freshman James Ross and Joe Bolden)

After an awfully disappointing first two weeks for the B1G, let's rank the league where things stand as of now:

Every Two Weekly B1G Rankings

1. Michigan State

The Spartans may have the most impressive league victory (home over rebuilding Boise St in an underwhelming performance...this league is bad)  After a surgical demolition of CMU, the Spartans clearly have the league's best single unit as their defense.  Maxwell, the offensive line and the receivers all need to continue their improvement if this team wants to make the Rose bowl.

2. Ohio State

An imperfect team both offensively and defensively, the Buckeyes are still probably the league's most talented squad.  Braxton Miller might end the season as the B1G PTOY, so much for NCAA sanctions taking OSU down a peg.

3. Northwestern

Wait, what?  This may look like a joke, but a victory over a good Vanderbilt team is arguably the Big Ten's best non-conference victory.  Northwestern looked very susceptible through the air in their first game but really stepped up in week two.

4. Michigan

Michigan is only 1-1 but I'm not sure anyone would argue for another team in this spot.  Michigan has issues to resolve but also once again has the most dynamic playmaker in the league running the show.   Michigan has played clearly the league's best schedule to this point.

5. Nebraska

The first B1G team to play in the Rose Bowl this year, Nebraska is a talented team that will compete for the Legends crown.  Losing to a mediocre UCLA team looks worse on paper than it really is as UCLA played inspired yesterday and does have a high level of talent.

6. Wisconsin

The league's best offense in 2011 is grounded without Russell Wilson.  Danny O'brien and a new offensive coordinator have Wisconsin struggling to move the football.

7. Purdue

They had a chance late against Notre Dame and have one of the better defensive fronts in the league.  The QB rotation seems to be working out OK for them but I think they will be better off naming one guy the starter.

8. Iowa

Who knows about this team.  I thought they would be really bad defensively and very good offensively and then they lose 9-6 to Iowa State.  Doesn't Iowa do this every season during the nonconference year?  I have a feeling they will make noise in the Legends division as a spoiler.


9.  Illinois

The Illini got crushed on the road against Arizona State, but they were playing without their starting QB against a team they were very poorly matched.  I put Illinois here because I don't think it's unfathomable to see this team in Indianapolis (Illinois will be battling my 6th and 7th ranked teams due to OSU being ineligible)

10. Minnesota

2-0!  Is this too low for the Gophers?  Winning at UNLV is a solid victory for Minnesota.  I might be keeping Minny down because of last season's record but they will soon have a chance to move up this list.

11. Indiana

The Hoosiers beat UMASS to get to 2-0 and get their first victory of the Kevin Wilson era over an FBS foe. Tre Roberson is out for the year with a broken leg though, poor Hoosiers.

12.  Penn State

I know they have lost two heartbreaking games but this team is 0-2 with nowhere to go but down.  They may end the season getting some victories but Nittany Lion fans have nothing but despair to look forward to for the next half decade.

The B1G is clearly outclassed by the SEC, the PAC-10 and likely the Big 12 and ACC as well this season.  This may be a season of irrelevance for the Midwest.