Oct 12, 2013; Madison, WI, USA; The Big Ten logo on the field at Camp Randall Stadium following the game between the Northwestern Wildcats and Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin won 35-6. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Illinois football hasn’t been a serious threat to win the Big Ten Championship, much less the Big Ten West division, in quite some time. Could 2015 be different than a vast majority of years past?
Next: 100/1 Odds
I am going to give you the Writing Illini odds at winning the Big Ten West. I completely disagree with the odds some sportsbooks put out there like Bovada.
Every team has a chance at winning the division heading into the season. All teams have the same record and every fan base is excited to see if their team can catch fire. After a few weeks though, all teams start spreading out and you can see who are true contenders and true pretenders.
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In 2014 the Wisconsin Badgers won the Big Ten West in fairly easy fashion. They were only challenged by Minnesota and Nebraska, but no one really thought those teams were true threats.
The Badgers advanced to the championship game with a 7-1 conference record only to be upended by a much better, eventual National Champion, Ohio State Buckeye team.
Wisconsin was clearly the best team in the division last season, but I don’t think it will shake out the same this year. Here are the Writing Illini odds on who will win the Big Ten West in 2015.