B1G position rankings: Secondary

1. Nebraska: Alfonzo Denard is a shut down corner and a likely 1st round NFL draft choice.  True freshman Charles Jackson could emerge as a viable option at the other corner.  Courtney Osborne is an emerging playmaker at safety.

2. Penn State: Chaz Powell is an incredible athlete and will provide a rock at corner for the Nittany Lions. Stephon Morris provides another excellent option at the other corner.  Powell and Morris, a senior and junior respectively will provide the Nitts with experience and production at one of the most important positions on the field.  Drew Astorino provides PSU with a rock solid senior at safety.  Astorino was on the field for an astounding 820 snaps!

3. Ohio State: The Buckeyes don't rebuild in the secondary, they reload.  Look for Junior Travis Howard to take over as the top cover corner for the Buckeyes, replacing All-American Chimdi Chekwa.  Orhian Johnson provides size (6-2, 205) and strength at safety.

4. Wisconsin: Antonio Fenelus and Aaron Henry provide the Badgers with elite talent at cornerback and safety respectively.  Frank Tamakloe and Marcus Cromartie are also up and coming playmakers for a Badgers team that boasts a lot of talent and depth in the secondary.  The Badgers, like the Buckeyes are no strangers to producing very good players at cornerback and safety.  Jamar Fletcher won the Thorpe Award for the Badgers in the early 2000's.

5. Iowa: The Hawkeyes are deep and talented in the secondary with players like: Micah Hyde, Greg Castillo and Shaun Prater.  The Hawkeyes are very underrated in the secondary and could easily finish the season ranked higher as a unit.  Look for at least two Hawkeyes to earn All B1G honors in the secondary.  Tyler Sash was a great player and had a nose for the ball, but I look for Iowa to easily replace his production at safety.  

6. Michigan State: Trenton Robinson and Johnny Adams give the Spartans two good, experienced players in the secondary, but I worry about ranking the Spartans this high... They always seem to get torched in the secondary by the good, the bad, and the ugly, pun intended.  The talent and players are definitely in place for the Spartans to be elite in the secondary, but like I said, they always seem to rank at or near the bottom in pass efficiency defense.

7. Purdue: The Boilermakers, like the Spartans have the talent and experience in the secondary to be very strong.  However, like MSU I don't trust Purdue historically to stop anyone through the air.  With that being said the Boilermakers return plenty of experience and production in players such as Ricardo Allen, and Logan Link.

8. Michigan:  The Wolverines return stud cornerback Troy Woolfolk to a secondary that could desperately use a shot in the arm.  J.T. Floyd also returns at corner.  Jordan Kovacs and Carvin Johnson return at safety.  The Wolverines definitely have the talent and numbers to make a gigantic turnaround in pass efficiency defense.  Look for that to happen under an elite defensive mind such as new DC Greg Matison.

9. Minnesota:  The Gophers have tremendous talent at all four starting positions in the secondary.  The only problem is they have absolutely zero depth.  Troy Stoudemire looks like a lock down corner after playing mostly receiver his first three years with the Gophers.  Michael Carter has all the talent to be an All B1G corner.  Carter has a nose for the ball and looks to have a breakout year after having his ups and downs the last two years.  Safety Kim Royston has been granted another year of eligibility by the NCAA after breaking his leg in the spring of 2010.

10. Illinois: Terry Hawthorne has shown signs of being one of the best corners in the conference, but has been plagued by inconsistency and injuries.  Look for him to step up this year in a big way.  Ashante Williams is another nice piece for the Illini in the secondary.  However, like Minnesota they like depth.

11. Northwestern: Jordan Mabin and converted running back Jeravin Matthews provide the Wildcats with a nice 1/2 punch at cornerback.  Again, depth is the name of the game in the B1G and the Wildcats don't have much of it...

12. I hate to have to keep picking on Indiana and ranking them dead last in so many categories, but I can't in good consciousness put them ahead of anyone else in the B1G, especially after they have been the worst defense in the conference the last 20 years.  I don't think the Hoosiers have a player at safety or cornerback that could start for anyone else in the conference.  End of story.