The college football season is getting closer, and Sporting News is previewing each conference in order to get ready for the season. Today, a closer look at the Big Ten. Michigan State is the defending Big Ten champion, a conference that produced an amazing six teams with 10 or more wins last season. Michigan and Ohio State will be right back in the mix in the Big Ten East, and Iowa, Wisconsin and Northwestern will battle it out in a wide-open Big Ten West Division. MORE: 21 questions heading into 2016 | SN preseason All-Americans The conference continues to be on the upswing, and there should be more fantastic battles this season. Here’s a closer look at some predictions for the league heading into 2016: Breakout player The Big Ten has some outstanding running backs in Indiana’s Devine Redding, Michigan State’s LJ Scott and Northwestern’s Justin Jackson, but Barkley might be the best of the bunch. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry last season and had 100-yard games against Ohio State and Michigan State. He’s the key to Penn State’s hopes of getting back in the Big Ten East mix. Sleeper team Nebraska lost seven games by a combined 31…
Continue Reading: Big Ten Predictions: Breakouts, upsets and a battle for survival
