With the start of the 2011 college football season a little over two months away, it’s never too early to look at the best wide receivers in the Big Ten.
The Big Ten has always been known as a run-first type of conference, but in 2011 they’ll have some of the best wide receivers in college football, as many of the top pass catchers in the Big Ten last season are returning.
Here is a look at some of the best:
Marvin McNutt (Iowa)
McNutt is one of the most explosive wide receivers in the Big Ten.
He has big-play ability every time he touches the ball. In 2010, he had 53 receptions, 861 yards, and averaged 16.2 yards-per-catch. His best game last season came against Indiana where he had 126 yards receiving.
Derek Moye (Penn State)
Moye would have put up better numbers in 2010 if he would’ve had a quarterback that could get him the ball more consistently. He still managed to average 16.7 yards-per-catch last season, with 885 total yards receiving, while accumulating 53 receptions. His best game of 2010 came against Illinois when he tallied had 106 yards receiving.
Roy Roundtree (Michigan)
Roundtree came on strong at the end of last season, evidenced most clearly against Illinois ,when he had 246 receiving yards. In 2010, he had 72 receptions, 935 yards, and averaged 13 yards-per-catch.  Roundtree will be the main target this year for Denard Robinson, which will help him improve his stats from 2010.
B.J. Cunningham (Michigan State)
Cunningham will become the go-to-guy this season for Kirk Cousins.  Cunningham was very productive last season with 50 receptions, 611 total yards receiving, and a 12 yards-per-catch average. His best game last season came against Northwestern when he had 113 yards receiving.
Jeremy Ebert (Northwestern)
Last season Ebert led the Big Ten in receiving yards with 953, especially proving that he has big-play ability (15.4 yards-per-catch). He will be Dan Persa’s main target this season, and should be able to improve on his 62 receptions from a season ago.
Demarlo Belcher (Indiana)
You might not have heard of him because he plays for Indiana, but this kid is extremely talented. Belcher led the Big Ten in receptions in 2010, catching a total of 78 passes. Along with all those 78 balls, Belcher had 832 total yards receiving and averaged 10.7 yards-per-catch. His best game last season came against Western Kentucky when he put up 135 yards receiving.
DeVier Posey (Ohio State)
Posey is one of the four Buckeyes that will be suspended in 2011. He put up very solid numbers last season with 53 receptions, 848 total yards receiving, and a 16 yard-per-catch average. Once he returns from his suspension, there’s no doubt that he will be the number 1 receiving target for Ohio State.
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* – Marvin McNutt photo credit: Sun-Sentinel via TheGazette.com
