This week on The Student Section college football roundtable we are looking at the most overrated teams and yesterday we started with the ACC. TSS Associate Editors Bart Doan and Terry Johnson join staff writer Kevin Causey and special rotating guests in our weekly roundtable discussing all things college football.
Earlier this off-season we looked at the Big Ten by discussing the most improved teams, the most intriguing games and who will challenge Ohio State. Now it’s time to look at who has been overrated. Joining us in this conversation is TSS writer and the man behind The Next Wave Football, Ryan Palencer….
Question: The coaches poll has been released, other outlets are releasing their Top 25 polls (SI, Athlon) and we are in the middle of releasing our poll. Which Big Ten team is the most overrated heading into the 2015 season?
Ryan Palencer:
On Twitter @RyanPalencer
It’s clearly Penn State.
With the amount of talent that they have on paper, Penn State should be easily one of the top teams in the Big Ten East Division behind Ohio State and Michigan State. Combine that talent with a strong defensive unit in James Franklin’s sophomore campaign, the Nittany Lions should be the hunted. However, sketchy offensive line play leading to an inconsistent Christian Hackenberg, that side of the ball certainly has seen its issues. Penn State has also lost Donovan Smith to the NFL at tackle, which will make the unit even more thin.
With all of this combined, Penn State is now in a place that nobody wants to be: one of the most overrated team in the conference for consecutive seasons. Last season, they were able to salvage an above .500 season with a Pinstripe Bowl victory. While they may be a game or so better this season, Michigan is certainly nipping at their heels.
Bart Doan:
On Twitter @TheCoachBart
Once again, as explained in the ACC post, I don’t do “overrated” so much as “overhyped,” so at least understand that when these questions are answered.
As far as overhyped relative to what they’ll do, I’ll go with Penn State. I think folks are thinking there’s going to be some massive rise in their record this year because of the ever maturing and honestly … damn talented Christian Hackenberg. The issue is that no matter how good he is, the offensive line needs to be appreciably better.
You toss that in with the fact that some of his favorite targets are gone and then understand they have a schedule that sees them going to Ohio State, Michigan State, as well as swing games in Maryland and Northwestern, and I think anything above 8 wins for the Nits is a bit generous in terms of your prediction. So I don’t know that I’m doing this question right, but this feels like the only decent answer.
Kevin Causey:
On Twitter @CFBZ
I’m not sure “overrated” is the word for it but there is without a doubt a team that has been “overhyped” this off-season and that team is Michigan.
After diminishing returns every year, the Wolverines finally cut ties with Brady Hoke and brought in Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh is a great coach but he’s not a miracle worker. It feels like many think that Harbaugh is going to come in and simply lift the Wolverines right to the top of the conferences.
Not so fast my friend…Michigan has talent but this isn’t a one-year turnaround job. Pump the breaks on Michigan. They will contend in a year or two but Michigan fans should lower their expectations for the 2015 season.
Terry Johnson:
On Twitter @SectionTPJ
The most overrated/overhyped team in the Big Ten is Wisconsin.
Make no mistake about it: the Badgers are going to struggle offensively. Sure, UW finished fourth nationally in rushing offense last year. But, most of the players responsible for those gaudy numbers depart this fall, including All-Americans Melvin Gordon, Kevin Costigan, and Rob Havenstein. Considering that the line only returns two players with starting experience, it seems highly unlikely that the Badgers will match last season’s production.
There are similar concerns in the passing game. The Wisconsin “aerial attack” was absolutely awful last year, ranking 118th in passing yards per game, 95th in completion percentage, and 93rd in yards per attempt. These struggles were evident against ranked opponents, as the Badgers only completed 44.3% of their passes with an awful 1/6 TD-to-INT ratio in these contests.
Without the threat of an explosive ground game, those numbers won’t change this year, because opposing defenses won’t have to load the box to stop the run.
That’s why I think Wisconsin is overrated. While they’ll certainly qualify for a bowl game, they don’t belong in the top 25.
