Which Big Ten football programs produce most talent at each position?

Fans of college football fanbases love to debate, especially when it comes to naming their favorite program (insert position) U.

Ohio State often gets inserted deeply into the debate because of all the talent it sends to the NFL, but so do many other programs. And when it comes to the Big Ten, the Buckeyes aren’t the only program that excels at individual positions.

ESPN ran a piece examining and researching which schools produced the best talent at each position, and as you would expect, Ohio State was well represented. But how do the Buckeyes line up with their Big Ten brethren? If we were to name a Big Ten school as the best at developing talent at each position group, which schools would come out on top for quarterbacks, running backs, defensive backs, etc.? I mean, you get the idea.

We decided to name a school as position U for each of the spots on the football field based on the research and numbers ESPN published to declare supremacy in the Big Ten.

Off we go. Get in the act and tell us where you might disagree with ESPN’s assessment.

NEXT … How it all works

How it all works

Aug 31, 2018; Madison, WI, USA; ESPN College Football logo on a tv camera prior to the game between the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The method to the madness according to ESPN

“We’re counting players since 1998 only. Why 1998? It seemed a good breaking point, as it was the start of the BCS era that best represents modern college football. We know Notre Dame would love to claim Paul Hornung in the race for, um, Halfback U, but we’re trying to keep it to the era of players today’s recruits might be most familiar with.

“What counts as success? We narrowed it down to a few key categories. Schools got points for all-conference and All-America selections, along with points for being drafted (weighted by round) and for success at the next level. For that…