The Big Ten Conference is undergoing an undeniable renaissance as of late, with a wide selection of the best talent in all of college football upping to quality of in-conference games and helping the Big Ten rival (and perhaps surpass) the SEC as THE must-watch conference in all of the game. Check out the best talent the Big Ten has to offer with our list of the 11 Best Players In Big Ten Football For 2015.
11) Corey Clement -- Wisconsin Badgers
Clement gets his chance to shine as the Badgers' feature back with Melvin Gordon beginning his pro career with the San Diego Chargers. Everyone seems to forget that Clement racked up 949 yards and 9 touchdowns last season, Clement's next-level vision and shiftiness in traffic gives him the nod to open our list.
10) Christian Hackenberg -- Penn State Nittany Lions
Hackenberg went through some major growing pains as a sophomore, but he's got the pure, raw talent to reach the top of this list by season's end. If the offensive line can solidify itself and a receiver or two can emerge as a true threat, Hackenberg's dominant 350-yard performance in this past postseason's Pinstripe Bowl will only be the tip of his awesomeness iceberg.
9) OT Jack Conklin -- Michigan State Spartans
Conklin is everything you want in a left tackle. He's massive (6-6, 317 pounds), consistent (26 starts the past two seasons), and was recently named by NFL.com as one of 15 college football players with the best intangibles. He's a born leader and the primary safeguard for QB Connor Cook during his quest for the 2015 Heisman Trophy. An absolute rock.
8) OT Taylor Decker -- Ohio State Buckeyes
Decker edges our Conklin as our best offensive tackle on the list based both on his bigger frame (6-8, 315 pounds) and the fact that Ohio State averaged 48 points and 287 rushing yards with Decker leading the way against Michigan State, Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon. Crunch time production is key, and there's not another offensive tackle in the nation we'd like on our side when things get heated in the trenches.
7) DT Anthony Zettel -- Penn State Nittany Lions
Zettel was an absolute force in his first year as a starter in 2014, posting 42 tackles and team-highs in sacks (8.0) and tackles for a loss (17.0). While he'll likely need to put on some muscle mass for a transition to the NFL level, the 6-foot-5, 276-pounder's natural quickness makes him a home-run defensive threat around the edge for PSU on any given down.
6) QB Cardale Jones -- Ohio State Buckeyes
Undoubtedly the most physically gifted quarterback on Ohio State's roster, Jones combines a huge NFL arm with a Cam Newton-as-bowling-ball running style that makes him a (bleep) to pull down either on the rollout or when breaks across the line of scrimmage. He’s big, strong and tall enough to stand in the pocket and continue to develop a deadly level of comfort there. With that, Jones will be able to make EVEN MORE unreal throws across the field from the pocket. Even if he loses the OSU QB competition to JT Barrett (more on him later), he's a marquee NFL Draft pick waiting to happen.
5) DE Shilique Calhoun -- Michigan State Spartans
Calhoun is the key factor for what will be one of the nation's top defensive lines in 2015. After an underwhelming 2012 season, Calhoun has posted back-to-back seasons with 37 tackles or more while amassing 15.5 combined sacks. The biggest asset he provides, however, is how offensive lines are forced to stretch out to the point of imbalance to account for him on the edge. That overall disruption is what lands him at #5 on our list.
4) QB JT Barrett -- Ohio State Buckeyes
From an eye-test standpoint, Barrett's intelligence manifests itself in jaw-dropping accuracy, including a dart to the goalline at the recent Elite 11 camp which made former QB Trent Dilfer scream out of amazement. Add in his versatility as a thrower from all angles and situations, along with the propensity to make leap-sized improvements on a week-to-week basis, and Barrett is the complete package. We've called Ohio State's QB competition in his favor and we're sticking to our guns.
3) QB Connor Cook -- Michigan State Spartans
He may be lost in the Buckeyes QB hype, but Connor Cook is simply the real deal. His overall passing numbers aren't going to drop any jaws this year, but Cook's steady hand and pinpoint accuracy (46 touchdowns to just 14 interceptions) is unmatched in college football this year. There's a reason why he's 23-3 as a starter over his past two years in East Lansing. Cook is a coach's dream and the guy who has the best shot at putting OSU out of commission in 2015.
2) RB Ezekiel Elliott -- Ohio State Buckeyes
We're believers. Elliott's 850 combined rushing yards against Michigan State, Wisconsin (Big Ten title game) Alabama and Oregon (CFP) has us drinking the Elliott Kool-Aid. He was unstoppable in all four of those gigantic games, so imagine what he's going to do against a slate of also-rans in 2015. Don't sleep on Elliott's Heisman hopes.
1) DE Joey Bosa -- Ohio State Buckeyes
Forget about Bosa's recent disciplinary issues. Bosa is the most dominant player in college football, defensive or otherwise. Put him on the board as the #1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. His 21 tackles for a loss, 13.5 sacks and four forced fumbles during his sophomore campaign are impressive enough, but it's his ability to open up rushing lanes for his fellow teammates that takes his game to a whole new stratospheric level. All hail Bosa, the new and future king.
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