Academic Suspension- This is intended for an aspect that could be disastrous, and the best chance of that is none other than Juice Williams. A great receiving corps is a worthless tool if you have a quarterback who can’t get them the ball. Williams, up until now, has been not unlike Michael Vick; great athlete, great runner, passes like he’s allergic to completions. If he can fix that problem, the Illini can go very far. If not, especially considering their road games against Penn State, Wisconsin, and Missouri, they may backslide to a .500 team.
Wisconsin
Coach: Bret Bielema
2007: 9-4 overall, 5-3 in Big Ten (4th)
Head of the Class – This could be a huge year for PJ Hill. Another year in the system, with 4/5 of his line returning, plus an unsure passing game, could spell another year as one of the top rushers in all of Division One.
Underachievers – There’s that whole passing game thing. The team has no proven entity of any kind under center. With a talented player, that could be meaningless, but nobody has snatched the job outright yet, which isn’t a good sign. Relying on PJ Hill will get you some wins, but maybe not enough.
Academic Suspension – It’s generally going to be a rough year when you have to go from “one of the best ever at your school” to “some new kid” at any position, but given Wisconsin’s reliance on a ball-control offense, having that turnover be at both kicker and punter is probably not going to be fabulous. Including bowl games, Wisconsin went 9-0 in games decided by four points or less while Tyler Melhaff was the kicker. Expect that to change.
Penn State
Coach: Joe Paterno
2007: 9-4 overall, 4-4 in Big Ten (T-5th)
Head of the Class – This will be the last hurrah for the dynamic receiver trio of Derrick Williams, Deion Butler, and Jordan Norwood. If all three can stay healthy all season, it could be a good farewell party for all. Add on to that a non-conference schedule where the best team is a weak Oregon State squad, plus Michigan and Illinois at home, and another 9-4 year looks like a wrap.
Underachievers - The Lions will have new starters at QB and RB. There’s no solid quarterback choice just yet, but both Daryll Clark and Pat Devlin had chances and showed potential last season. So did new RB Evan Royster, who should make a more than adequate starter if he can continue to play like he did at the end of last season.
Academic Suspension - Wow. This one is quite literal for the Lions. They are down one offensive weapon since TE Andrew Quarless is suspended indefinitely. They also will be without super LB Sean Lee, who injured his knee in the spring and will be out all year. If all this academic and behavioral nonsense doesn’t come back to bite them (which seems like a pretty large if), they should be fine, but that seems to be the thing JoePa has the least control over.
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