The Big Ten will announce its all-conference teams and award winners Monday night (Big Ten Network, 8 p.m. ET), and there figures to be plenty of interest in Madison, Wis.
Wisconsin is one of two Big Ten teams with legitimate candidates for all four Big Ten awards: offensive player of the year, defensive player of the year, freshman of the year and coach of the year. Iowa certainly can make a case as well, but Wisconsin is a good bet to win in at least two of the four categories.
It wasn't a major surprise when I received e-mail from Wisconsin on Wednesday night detailing the school's Big Ten awards candidates.
Here's a quick breakdown of the Badgers' hopefuls and their chances of winning Monday.
RB John Clay
Category: Offensive player of the year
Notable: Big Ten's leading rusher (112.4) by a wide margin, leads league in touchdowns (12), owns six games of 120 rushing yards or more
Up against: Penn State QB Daryll Clark, Purdue QB Joey Elliott
Chances of winning: Clay has to be the front-runner at this point
DE O'Brien Schofield
Category: Defensive player of the year
Notable: Tied for national lead in tackles for loss per game (1.95), tied for second nationally in overall TFLs (19.5), Bednarik Award finalist
Up against: Michigan State LB Greg Jones, Michigan DE Brandon Graham, Iowa S Tyler Sash, Purdue DE Ryan Kerrigan, Iowa DE Adrian Clayborn, Ohio State S Kurt Coleman, Indiana DE Jammie Kirlew
Chances of winning: He's definitely in the discussion, but it could be tough to beat Jones, Graham or Sash
LB Chris Borland
Category: Freshman of the year
Notable: Tied for Big Ten lead in fumble recoveries (3) and tied for third in forced fumbles (4), named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 1) and co-special teams player of the week (Sept. 20), has made countless plays on special teams throughout the season
Up against: Michigan QB Tate Forcier, Iowa RB Adam Robinson
Chances of winning: Borland absolutely deserves it, though the award typically goes to offensive players
Bret Bielema
Category: Coach of the year
Notable: Badgers might win 10 games after being picked a mid- to lower-tier Big Ten team before the season, turnaround has happened largely with young players, team plays disciplined football
Up against: Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, Ohio State's Jim Tressel
Chances of winning: Bielema deserves a ton of credit for getting Wisconsin back on track, but the award should and likely will go to Ferentz.
Wisconsin is one of two Big Ten teams with legitimate candidates for all four Big Ten awards: offensive player of the year, defensive player of the year, freshman of the year and coach of the year. Iowa certainly can make a case as well, but Wisconsin is a good bet to win in at least two of the four categories.
It wasn't a major surprise when I received e-mail from Wisconsin on Wednesday night detailing the school's Big Ten awards candidates.
Here's a quick breakdown of the Badgers' hopefuls and their chances of winning Monday.
RB John Clay
Category: Offensive player of the year
Notable: Big Ten's leading rusher (112.4) by a wide margin, leads league in touchdowns (12), owns six games of 120 rushing yards or more
Up against: Penn State QB Daryll Clark, Purdue QB Joey Elliott
Chances of winning: Clay has to be the front-runner at this point
DE O'Brien Schofield
Category: Defensive player of the year
Notable: Tied for national lead in tackles for loss per game (1.95), tied for second nationally in overall TFLs (19.5), Bednarik Award finalist
Up against: Michigan State LB Greg Jones, Michigan DE Brandon Graham, Iowa S Tyler Sash, Purdue DE Ryan Kerrigan, Iowa DE Adrian Clayborn, Ohio State S Kurt Coleman, Indiana DE Jammie Kirlew
Chances of winning: He's definitely in the discussion, but it could be tough to beat Jones, Graham or Sash
LB Chris Borland
Category: Freshman of the year
Notable: Tied for Big Ten lead in fumble recoveries (3) and tied for third in forced fumbles (4), named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 1) and co-special teams player of the week (Sept. 20), has made countless plays on special teams throughout the season
Up against: Michigan QB Tate Forcier, Iowa RB Adam Robinson
Chances of winning: Borland absolutely deserves it, though the award typically goes to offensive players
Bret Bielema
Category: Coach of the year
Notable: Badgers might win 10 games after being picked a mid- to lower-tier Big Ten team before the season, turnaround has happened largely with young players, team plays disciplined football
Up against: Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, Ohio State's Jim Tressel
Chances of winning: Bielema deserves a ton of credit for getting Wisconsin back on track, but the award should and likely will go to Ferentz.
BIG TEN SCOREBOARD
Saturday, 12/17
Final Temple 37 Wyoming 15 Final Ohio 24 Utah State 23 Final San Diego State 30 Louisiana-Lafayette 32
Tuesday, 12/20
Wednesday, 12/21
Final 18 TCU 31 Louisiana Tech 24
Thursday, 12/22
Saturday, 12/24
Final Nevada 17 21 Southern Miss 24
Monday, 12/26
Tuesday, 12/27
Final Western Michigan 32 Purdue 37 Final Louisville 24 North Carolina State 31
Wednesday, 12/28
Final Toledo 42 Air Force 41 Final California 10 24 Texas 21
Thursday, 12/29
Final Florida State 18 Notre Dame 14 Final Washington 56 12 Baylor 67
Friday, 12/30
Final Brigham Young 24 Tulsa 21 Final Rutgers 27 Iowa State 13 Final Mississippi State 23 Wake Forest 17 Final Iowa 14 14 Oklahoma 31
Saturday, 12/31
Final Texas A&M 33 Northwestern 22 Final/OT Georgia Tech 27 Utah 30 Final Illinois 20 UCLA 14 Final Cincinnati 31 Vanderbilt 24 Final Virginia 24 25 Auburn 43
Monday, 1/2
Final 19 Houston 30 22 Penn State 14 Final Ohio State 17 Florida 24 Final/3OT 17 Michigan State 33 16 Georgia 30 Final 20 Nebraska 13 9 South Carolina 30 Final 10 Wisconsin 38 5 Oregon 45 Final/OT 4 Stanford 38 3 Oklahoma State 41
Tuesday, 1/3
Final/OT 13 Michigan 23 11 Virginia Tech 20
Wednesday, 1/4
Final 23 West Virginia 70 15 Clemson 33
Friday, 1/6
Final 8 Kansas State 16 6 Arkansas 29


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