1. Michigan State: The big three, or three headed monster of Edwin Baker, Le'Veon Bell, and Larry Caper is as good of a set of running backs as you will find in the country. Baker is a burner, Caper a slasher, and Bell a 237 lb. bruiser. Sparty comes at you relentlessly in the offensive backfield. All three backs are capable of earning All B1G honors.
2. Wisconsin: Montee Ball and James White are the best 1-2 punch in the B1G if not the country. I had a tough time choosing between Michigan State and Wisconsin for the top spot in the B1G rankings, but ultimately it came down to three backs being better than two. White provides breakaway speed, while Ball is a good all-purpose back. While neither are giants they both are over 200 lbs. so they should be easily able to handle splitting caries. Both backs should be given 20-25 touches a game in Wisconsin's run heavy offense.
3. Penn State: Silas Redd and Stephfon Green provide the Nittany Lions with a nice safety valve for the unsettled QB situation in State College. Redd runs as hard as any back in the conference and packs a punch at 201 lbs. Green is a veteran back who has accumulated 1087 rushing yards in his career. Green has always had great potential and look for him to have his best season as a Nittany Lion this year sharing carries with Redd. I think Silas Redd will be one of the breakout players in the B1G this year. Expect big things from Penn State's running back committee this year.
4. Michigan: Brady Hoke has some nice pieces to work with this year at running back. Michael Cox, Vincent Smith, and Michael Shaw all have good potential. If Hoke wants to transform Michigan back to a pro-style set it all starts with the running game and a nice trio of backs may help him accomplish that in year 1.
5. Ohio State: The Buckeyes are due to find that next great back and what better year than 2011? They must replace their Head Coach and starting QB this year so expect the Buckeyes to rely heavily on the running game. New Head Coach Luke Fickell will find a nice set of backs to choose from in Jaamal Berry, Jordan Hall, Dan Herron, and Carlos Hyde. Herron has been solid if unspectacular, and Berry and Hyde have All B1G potential.
6. Minnesota: Most people will find it surprising to find the Gophers in the upper half of the power rankings given their recent struggles on the ground, but new offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover loves to run the ball and it shows. Limegrover's Northern Illinois offenses were always among the best in the MAC at running the football and he will have tremendous depth and talent to work with at Minnesota. Senior Duanne Bennett provides great leadership and experience while a group of talented redshirt freshman backs will give the Gophers plenty of weaponry in the offensive backfield. The three redshirt freshman backs: LaMonte Edwards, Devon Wright, and Donnell Kirkwood were all highly regarded recruits with plenty of potential. I made a bold statement earlier in my blog that the Gophers would have a top 5 rushing offense and this set of backs is one of the reasons for my optimism.
7. Nebraska: Rex Burkhead provides the Huskers with a workmanlike option at running back, but true freshman Aaron Green provides Big Red with that "home run" threat. Look for Green to emerge as the feature back by seasons end after splitting carries with Burkhead to open the season.
8. Iowa: Marcus Coker will be the B1G's leading rusher this year in my opinion. However, Coker can't get hurt otherwise the Hawkeyes are in big trouble. Coker can certainly handle the beating of a full workload at 230 lbs, but it is essential for the Hawkeyes to build depth at the position so he doesn't wear down. With the departure of Adam Robinson the Hawks are incredibly thin at the position and will have to hope that someone like RS Freshman De'Andre Johnson can emerge.
9. Purdue: Ralph Bolden was off to a promising start in his college football career before a devastating knee injury last spring took away his 2010 season. It usually takes running backs 2 years before they are up to full speed so look for solid but unspectacular numbers from Bolden this year. Reggie Pegram and Akeem Shavers are talented young backs that could spell and eventually replace Bolden as the starter by seasons end.
10. Illinois: Jason Ford provides the Illini with a nice big option (literally at 235 lbs.) at running back. However, Ford ran into trouble with the law this off season and needs to avoid such circumstances in the future. The departure of Mikel Leshoure was a crippling blow to the Illini as he accounted for over 1/2 of their rushing offense. Their isn't much depth behind Ford so he needs to not only stay out of trouble, but stay healthy.
11. Indiana: Darius Willis has a ton of talent, but he hasn't lived up to all of his potential yet. With new head coach Kevin Wilson and a deep and talented receiving corp returning the Hoosiers figure to throw it a heck of a lot more than they run it. There isn't much depth behind Willis so he will need to find a way to be more consistent.
12. Northwestern: The Wildcats are just flat bad at the running back position. Mike Trumpy would make a nice back... at South Dakota State, not at a B1G school. Jacob Schmidt has been known to contribute from time to time but not in a significant way. Adonis Smith has some talent and ability and will need to step up his game for the Wildcats to take some pressure off of quarterback Dan Persa.
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