Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has reinforcements ready to step in for the 12 Buckeyes picked in the NFL draft.(Photo: Jay LaPrete, Associated Press) TEAM CAPSULES BIG TEN WEST IOWA Coach: Kirk Ferentz (127-87, 18th season; 139-108, 21st season overall). Last year: 8-0 Big Ten, 12-2 overall. Impact players: CB Desmond King, QB C.J. Beathard, LB Josey Jewel, TB Akrum Wadley. Key game: Oct. 22 vs. Wisconsin. T he good: Did Ferentz design the schedule? Iowa’s toughest games – Northwestern, UW, Michigan and Nebraska – are at home. The bad: The Hawkeyes welcome back a host of talent from last season but that 45-16 loss to Stanford in the Rose Bowl lingers and Ferentz’s team wasn’t dominant in victories over UW, Minnesota, Indiana and Nebraska. NORTHWESTERN Coach: Pat Fitzgerald (70-56, 11th season overall). Last year: 6-2 Big Ten, 10-3 overall. Impact players: TB Justin Jackson, LB Anthony Walker Jr., QB Clayton Thorson, CB Matthew Harris. Key game: Oct. 1 at Iowa. The good: The Wildcats parlayed a solid ground game and an opportunistic defense into 10 victories last season. Jackson (1,418 rushing yards) and all five starting offensive linemen return, as well as several key starters on defense. The bad: Northwestern’s…
Continue Reading: Season preview: Big Ten football at a glance
