| Total | * | Grad | Gone | Off | * | Def | * | Ath | * | Gone% | RS% | ||
| Ohio State | 06-07 | 35 | 3.6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 3.4 | 11 | 3.6 | 1 | 4.0 | 25% | 40% |
| 08-09 | 44 | 3.8 | 5 | 19 | 3.9 | 16 | 3.9 | 4 | 3.3 | 11% | 49% | ||
| Total | 28 | 3.8 | 27 | 3.8 | 5 | 3.4 |
| Total | * | Grad | Gone | Off | * | Def | * | Ath | * | Gone% | RS% | ||
| Penn State | 06-07 | 44 | 3.3 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 2.9 | 13 | 3.5 | 1 | 2.0 | 35% | 51% |
| 08-09 | 40 | 3.0 | 2 | 17 | 2.8 | 19 | 3.1 | 2 | 2.5 | 5% | 63% | ||
| Total | 27 | 2.9 | 32 | 3.3 | 3 | 2.3 |
| Total | * | Grad | Gone | Off | * | Def | * | Ath | * | Gone% | RS% | ||
| Wisconsin | 06-07 | 39 | 2.8 | 1 | 19 | 13 | 3.2 | 5 | 2.8 | 1 | 2.0 | 50% | 40% |
| 08-09 | 46 | 2.8 | 12 | 16 | 2.9 | 16 | 2.8 | 2 | 3.0 | 26% | 49% | ||
| Total | 29 | 3.1 | 21 | 2.8 | 3 | 2.7 |
| Total | * | Grad | Gone | Off | * | Def | * | Ath | * | Gone% | RS% | ||
| Iowa | 06-07 | 41 | 2.8 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 2.8 | 15 | 2.8 | 2 | 3.0 | 32% | 55% |
| 08-09 | 44 | 2.5 | 16 | 15 | 2.8 | 10 | 2.2 | 3 | 2.3 | 36% | 51% | ||
| Total | 24 | 2.8 | 25 | 2.6 | 5 | 2.6 |
This chart has a lot of information so I will give a brief explanation of the details. Each team is split by rows into 3 catagories -- Recruiting classes from 2006-07 which is the veteran players, Recruiting classes from 2008-09 which contain all of the major contributing players, and a total of these two catagories. The columns mean the following:
- Total - Total players recruited during the time period
- * - Average Star rating for the previous column
- Grad - Players that have either graduated or turned pro
- Gone - Players that are no longer with the program
- Off - Offensive players on the 2010 team from the time period
- Def - Defensive players on the 2010 team from the time period
- Gone% - How many players have left the team from the class (excludes grad/pro)
- RS% - Number of players redshirted in each time period
- Penn State - They lost alot from last years team but the still have good veteran depth and their defense is especially strong. Progression on the offensive side of the ball is necessary for success.
- Iowa - According to Rivals they are the least talented team of the bunch but they redshirt heavily to make up for their lack of talent. They should be very strong on the defensive side of the ball but losses on the offense side (esp the offensive line) are going to hurt more than people think.
- Wisconsin - This team literally has no veteran leadership on defense with only 5 players still on the team from the 06-07 recruiting classes. It is possible that underclassmen will pick up the slack but their average talent level leads me to believe they are going to need to score a lot of points to win. Luckily for them they have one of the best veteran offenses in the league.
| Total | * | Grad | Gone | Off | * | Def | * | Ath | * | Gone% | RS% | |
| 06-07 | 39 | 3.4 | 6 | 15 | 8 | 3.4 | 9 | 3.4 | 1 | 3.0 | 45% | 36% |
| 08-09 | 45 | 3.6 | 9 | 20 | 3.8 | 12 | 3.7 | 4 | 3.5 | 20% | 46% | |
| Total | 28 | 3.6 | 21 | 3.6 | 5 | 3.4 |
They are a bit thin from 06-07 due to the 45% that are gone from the program but the players that are left have a 3.5/3.4 average star rating so the talent is still there. They only have 17 players from these classes but Ohio State only has 20 so this isn't a huge advantage. Looking at the 08-09 classes they are more talented than anyone else in the Big Ten with the exception of Ohio State. The only other negative is they have tended to recruit more offensive players than defensive players. Even still their 3.6 for the 21 players on the team is again better than any team in the Big Ten with the exception of Ohio State.
Who is the mystery team? I'm sure you've guessed that I'm talking about Michigan.
I see people laughing on the blogs/forums about how bad Michigan sucks. I see the national pundits ranking them in the bottom half of the Big Ten. I see their players being ignored by All American lists. If I am Coach Rodriguez I'm ecstatic right now. He knows that Michigan has good players and there is no better motivator than disrespect. I know that recruiting services make mistakes but it is statistically improbable that any Big Ten team has more talent than Michigan (other than Ohio State). Many people point to the Michigan defense as the weak link but many don't realize that Michigan returns 8/11 players on that side of the ball. We can ignore that and put our heads in the sand with comments like, "but they were bad players!" This just isn't true as the recruiting services rated the current Michigan players .5+ stars better than Iowa/Penn State/Wisconsin. The truth is last year Michigan was young and when they lost a few games they collapsed. That won't happen now that they are older.
The first 5 games are Conn., @ ND, Mass, Bowling Green, and @ Indiana. It wouldn't surprise me to see them 5-0 after these games and I'd expect no worse than 4-1. Many will point to last years fast start then collapse and continue to dismiss them. I just don't see it happening again. The next 3 games are against Mich St, Iowa, and @ Penn State. This is the key to their season and I see them winning two of these contests (though again it is possible they win all 3). The next three games are Illinois, @Purdue, Wisconsin. Call me crazy but I think Wisconsin will be found out to be a fraud by this time and Michigan will win all three. That puts them going to the Ohio State game at no worse than 9-2 with 2 league losses. There is an off chance they could even be undefeated. Ohio State will then beat them ending their miracle run.
I know I'm basing a lot of this on my Rivals information but ultimately it is talent that wins games and Michigan has a lot more than most of the Big Ten. If they are unable to get 8 wins this season they underachieved and RichRod should be fired. You won't see many non-Michigan sites predicting more than 7 wins for the Wolverines. I think they will get at least 9 in the regular season with losses @Penn State and either MSU/ND/Iowa (they should beat all 3).
How's that for a bold Big Ten prediction???
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