Blitz Podcast: Big Ten football season preview for 2019

This week’s podcast dives into the Big Ten football races as we continue our look at each conference leading up to the start of the 150th season.

The oldest conference in college football has grown well beyond its brand. But even with the extra weight the Big Ten remains one of the most exciting conferences in the sport.

This year, both divisions should offer plenty of intrigue. In the East, one of the frontrunners starts off the year with a new head coach. That will have the rest of the coaches in the league salivating as the door opens for a potential sleeper bid.

In the West, a traditional powerhouse has been tabbed by many as the favorite to rise back to prominence. But last year’s champion has an intriguing new talent, and a couple of other regulars in the division race will also be looking to step up and take charge of their destinies.

And what will this all mean for a conference that has struggled to put teams into the College Football Playoff in recent years?

While there are plenty of question marks, several teams could emerge as threats in a way we did not see from this league last season.

This week, John and I dive in to look at each Big Ten team and see where they fall in their respective division pecking orders. We also offer our takes on who will emerge as conference champion, who will win the offensive and defensive player of the year awards, and what chances this league has of breaking its Playoff curse this season.

The Saturday Blitz Podcast is part of the FanSided Radio Network at Spreaker. The show goes live every Wednesday morning. You can reach John Mitchell at @jlmitchell93 and Zach Bigalke at @zbigalke on Twitter.