4 reasons the Big Ten West could be deeply entertaining in 2019

BleedGopher

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per Boyd:

The West is especially different than it was just a few years ago, now that spread advocates Frost, Jeff Brohm, and P.J. Fleck are around.
Purdue has some punching power that hasn’t been seen since Drew Brees was in West Lafayette.

The Boilermakers have arguably the best player in the division (conference? country?) in WR Rondale Moore, who had 135 total touches for 1,471 yards and 14 TDs last season as a true freshman. Brohm brought a lot of clever tactics, but with Moore on the field, things can be pretty simple and still work out just great.

Fleck’s Minnesota quietly put something together over the course of 2018. Fleck hit the jackpot when Minnesota native and IMG attendee Zach Annexstad passed up scholarship offers from G5 programs to not only walk on and play QB for the Gophers, but to recruit two of his blue-chip teammates from IMG to do the same. Those two OL, Daniel Faalele (6-9, 400) and Curtis Dunlap (6-5, 350), give Minnesota the biggest right side in college football.

Behind those behemoths and a TE, Fleck will find it easy to build his RPO schemes that force teams to defend a downhill run. Just outside, star slot WR Tyler Johnson runs a quick route that Annexstad can hit if the secondary crashes to help the beleaguered front.

The overall firepower across the West is considerably increased by the additions of spread offensive coaches like Fleck, Brohm, and Frost.

Wisconsin’s ability to run the division with a ground-and-pound offense and top defense will be seriously tested this year, now that UW’s opponents won’t all just try to line up and outmuscle the Badgers.

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2019/6/25/18691708/big-ten-west-2019

Go Gophers!!
 

per Boyd:

The West is especially different than it was just a few years ago, now that spread advocates Frost, Jeff Brohm, and P.J. Fleck are around.
Purdue has some punching power that hasn’t been seen since Drew Brees was in West Lafayette.

The Boilermakers have arguably the best player in the division (conference? country?) in WR Rondale Moore, who had 135 total touches for 1,471 yards and 14 TDs last season as a true freshman. Brohm brought a lot of clever tactics, but with Moore on the field, things can be pretty simple and still work out just great.

Fleck’s Minnesota quietly put something together over the course of 2018. Fleck hit the jackpot when Minnesota native and IMG attendee Zach Annexstad passed up scholarship offers from G5 programs to not only walk on and play QB for the Gophers, but to recruit two of his blue-chip teammates from IMG to do the same. Those two OL, Daniel Faalele (6-9, 400) and Curtis Dunlap (6-5, 350), give Minnesota the biggest right side in college football.

Behind those behemoths and a TE, Fleck will find it easy to build his RPO schemes that force teams to defend a downhill run. Just outside, star slot WR Tyler Johnson runs a quick route that Annexstad can hit if the secondary crashes to help the beleaguered front.

The overall firepower across the West is considerably increased by the additions of spread offensive coaches like Fleck, Brohm, and Frost.

Wisconsin’s ability to run the division with a ground-and-pound offense and top defense will be seriously tested this year, now that UW’s opponents won’t all just try to line up and outmuscle the Badgers.

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2019/6/25/18691708/big-ten-west-2019

Go Gophers!!

Pretty sure Zach had at least one P5 offer too. Pitt?
 

per Boyd:

The West is especially different than it was just a few years ago, now that spread advocates Frost, Jeff Brohm, and P.J. Fleck are around.
Purdue has some punching power that hasn’t been seen since Drew Brees was in West Lafayette.

The Boilermakers have arguably the best player in the division (conference? country?) in WR Rondale Moore, who had 135 total touches for 1,471 yards and 14 TDs last season as a true freshman. Brohm brought a lot of clever tactics, but with Moore on the field, things can be pretty simple and still work out just great.

Fleck’s Minnesota quietly put something together over the course of 2018. Fleck hit the jackpot when Minnesota native and IMG attendee Zach Annexstad passed up scholarship offers from G5 programs to not only walk on and play QB for the Gophers, but to recruit two of his blue-chip teammates from IMG to do the same. Those two OL, Daniel Faalele (6-9, 400) and Curtis Dunlap (6-5, 350), give Minnesota the biggest right side in college football.

Behind those behemoths and a TE, Fleck will find it easy to build his RPO schemes that force teams to defend a downhill run. Just outside, star slot WR Tyler Johnson runs a quick route that Annexstad can hit if the secondary crashes to help the beleaguered front.

The overall firepower across the West is considerably increased by the additions of spread offensive coaches like Fleck, Brohm, and Frost.

Wisconsin’s ability to run the division with a ground-and-pound offense and top defense will be seriously tested this year, now that UW’s opponents won’t all just try to line up and outmuscle the Badgers.


https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2019/6/25/18691708/big-ten-west-2019

Go Gophers!!


BLEESDGOPHER - The overall firepower across the West is considerably increased by the additions of spread offensive coaches like Fleck, Brohm, and Frost.
Wisconsin’s abil[/SIZE]ity to run the division with a ground-and-pound offense and top defense will be seriously tested this year, now that UW’s opponents won’t all just try to line up and outmuscle the Badgers.

There were a lot of things sad about Nebraska over the last few years.
I'm specifically talking about their DEFENSE. In the past you really had to be something to EARN your defensive Black Shirt. It seems under the last few Nebraska coaches, prior to Frost, you could earn one by just being a senior or a few good plays. My Wife got her undergrad from Nebraska. So we watch and pull for them.

FACTOID - Did you know that when Nebraska first started their football program in the late 1800's the called themselves -
"The BUG EATERS"?
 
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Is PJ really a spread advocate?

Sent from my phone using Tapatalk
 


Is PJ really a spread advocate?

Sent from my phone using Tapatalk

Spread is definitely an overused term when people analyze offense as almost everyone uses “spread” formations including pro-style offenses.

I’d consider Minnesota a spread. But it is a different kind of spread than Nebraska or Oregon. And those two are a different kind than Auburn. Etc
 

IMO the Big Ten West is the most entertaining division in CFB in 2019. It's not the best, and the winner likely won't make the playoff, but I think it's got the best recipe for mayhem and potentially a surprise champ. 6 teams have a fair shot and even Illinois winning it wouldn't be beyond conception.
 

I don’t consider 3WR base formation a spread, but that’s me.

To me spread is 10 and 00 personnel.
 

IMO the Big Ten West is the most entertaining division in CFB in 2019. It's not the best, and the winner likely won't make the playoff, but I think it's got the best recipe for mayhem and potentially a surprise champ. 6 teams have a fair shot and even Illinois winning it wouldn't be beyond conception.

I was totally with you..... until that IL comment at the end.


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I was totally with you..... until that IL comment at the end.

I don't think Illinois has much of a chance. But the gap between them and the best team in the division is the narrowest of the P5 divisions, I think. Maybe the Pac 12 South?
 



If it’s not a spread offense then what is it...? This seems like one of those topics where the terminology gets mucked up and everyone has their own definitions for the same thing or similar things.
 



If it’s not a spread offense then what is it...? This seems like one of those topics where the terminology gets mucked up and everyone has their own definitions for the same thing or similar things.


Pistol
 

The U needs to be an under-center offense. That’s how you best emphasize the run, which is what we need to be.

Shotgun is for chuck-n-duck. Bleh
 

I don't think Illinois has much of a chance. But the gap between them and the best team in the division is the narrowest of the P5 divisions, I think. Maybe the Pac 12 South?

We all know that to be West division champion that we probably need to go undefeated in division games. Since it’s inception, the winner of the West has been undefeated with exception of Bucky who lost a game to a 4-7 NW. Otherwise the West division champions have been 29 -1 in the division. Who cares about crossover games? I don’t.
 

If it’s not a spread offense then what is it...? This seems like one of those topics where the terminology gets mucked up and everyone has their own definitions for the same thing or similar things.

Fact
 

The U needs to be an under-center offense. That’s how you best emphasize the run, which is what we need to be.

Shotgun is for chuck-n-duck. Bleh

Tell that to:
Memphis, Clemson, and Oklahoma who are all top 15 in total rush yards and top 3 in yards per rush last year.


All out of the spread


Other teams in the top 30 of both rush yards and yards per attempt who run the spread:
Illinois
UCF
App State
Maryland
Mississippi state
Nebraska
Texas A&M
Toledo
Penn State
FAU
Cincinnati
Houston
Florida


I am not sure about Louisiana and UNLV because I don’t think I’ve watched them play in the past year.



For your own personal information...in 2018-19 college football. 24 teams were top 30 in both rush yards and in yards per carry. At least 16 of those 24 are spread teams.
 
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Tell that to:
Memphis, Clemson, and Oklahoma who are all top 15 in total rush yards and top 3 in yards per rush last year.


All out of the spread


Other teams in the top 30 of both rush yards and yards per attempt who run the spread:
Illinois
UCF
App State
Maryland
Mississippi state
Nebraska
Texas A&M
Toledo
Penn State
FAU
Cincinnati
Houston
Florida


I am not sure about Louisiana and UNLV because I don’t think I’ve watched them play in the past year.



For your own personal information...in 2018-19 college football. 24 teams were top 30 in both rush yards and in yards per carry. At least 16 of those 24 are spread teams.

It really depends on how you are trying to run. Spread offenses do it by opening up the middle of the field to give their running backs free lanes to run downhill. Under center is usually more of a power scheme, where you force holes open for a running back coming downfield. Both can be very effective, but you need to match the scheme to your personnel.

I think it's likely we run a combination of under center and spread formations as we have players who can take advantage of both.
 

It really depends on how you are trying to run. Spread offenses do it by opening up the middle of the field to give their running backs free lanes to run downhill. Under center is usually more of a power scheme, where you force holes open for a running back coming downfield. Both can be very effective, but you need to match the scheme to your personnel.

I think it's likely we run a combination of under center and spread formations as we have players who can take advantage of both.
Some of the best power run games in the country are spread teams.
Auburn, Florida, Mississippi state
Even Alabama has gone towards spread
 

Some of the best power run games in the country are spread teams.
Auburn, Florida, Mississippi state
Even Alabama has gone towards spread

I wasn't saying that spread has to be a spacing run formation, just that it is commonly done that way. You can technically run any run blocking scheme in any formation if you want, you just need to have the players to execute it.
 

The U needs to be an under-center offense. That’s how you best emphasize the run, which is what we need to be.

Shotgun is for chuck-n-duck. Bleh

The 20th century called and wants its playbook back.
 

I wasn't saying that spread has to be a spacing run formation, just that it is commonly done that way. You can technically run any run blocking scheme in any formation if you want, you just need to have the players to execute it.

Hey thanks for agreeing with my argument that non spread systems are not necessary better for running the football than spread systems
 


RPO! With a pinch of wildcat...

Can't wait for the season!
 

Tell that to:
Memphis, Clemson, and Oklahoma who are all top 15 in total rush yards and top 3 in yards per rush last year.


All out of the spread


Other teams in the top 30 of both rush yards and yards per attempt who run the spread:
Illinois
UCF
App State
Maryland
Mississippi state
Nebraska
Texas A&M
Toledo
Penn State
FAU
Cincinnati
Houston
Florida


I am not sure about Louisiana and UNLV because I don’t think I’ve watched them play in the past year.



For your own personal information...in 2018-19 college football. 24 teams were top 30 in both rush yards and in yards per carry. At least 16 of those 24 are spread teams.

Some guy wants us to be Illinois. Got it

Spread is such a slam dunk scheme, that’s why all the NFL teams run a spread. Got it
 


Some guy wants us to be Illinois. Got it

Spread is such a slam dunk scheme, that’s why all the NFL teams run a spread. Got it

I think the spread is pretty much the direction the NFL is headed which is why the last two #1 overall picks came from a spread offense. Really can’t say I care what we run as long as we win games.
 

Some guy wants us to be Illinois. Got it

Spread is such a slam dunk scheme, that’s why all the NFL teams run a spread. Got it

Lol

I think what we are doing is okay.
I’d rather be Oklahoma, Clemson, Texas A&M than Illinois.


I don’t really care what system we run as long as it allows us to run and pass the ball effectively. I would be totally against a triple option system because it wouldn’t allow us to do both things in most cases. But between a pro style and spread, I am fine with either because you can use either to run or pass the ball successfully.
 
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