It’s been quite a year in the Big Ten — entertaining if not worth bragging about.

The crème stayed on the top, but the Buckeyes were ridiculed all year for losing winnable games and winning in boring style. Michigan stayed on the bottom, and Iowa and Wisconsin performed better than expected.

The story of the year, though, is old news. During a year in which Bobby Bowden was nudged out of Tallahassee, Joe Paterno guided Penn State to a 10-2 record. The Nittany Lions ranked first in the conference in scoring defense and second in scoring offense, and won eight games by 20 or more points. Soon to turn 83, Paterno is still meeting the expectations of his fanbase.

The week ahead

Fresno State at Illinois, Saturday at 11:30 a.m. CST

Illinois fans are just waiting for the year to be over, as 2009 has been long and miserable. The last contest will bring little joy. Of Fresno State’s four losses this year, three have come to respectable foes (Boise State, Cincinnati and Wisconsin in overtime). Another long day is in store for the Illini.

Wisconsin at Hawaii, Saturday at 10:30 p.m. CST

Don’t get fooled, this game is hardly a vacation for Bret Bielema’s Badgers. The team would very much like to win 10 games this year and to do that they’ll need to add win No. 9 against the Warriors. Hawaii has won its last four, but it allowed 248 yards rushing in the last win; Greg McMackin’s club can ill afford to give up so much ground to the Badgers.

The year that was

Biggest surprise: Northwestern
Forget Iowa for a second and the Cinderella ride they took us on. The Wildcats won eight games and did so without a name player on either side of the ball.

Biggest disappointment: Illinois
You know your season is bad when the highlight is a 13-point loss to undefeated Cincinnati.

Offensive Player of the Year: John Clay
Clay is one of the least deserving winners of this award in recent memory. The problem is that he has no real competition: Ohio State and Iowa do not have a candidate, and Daryll Clark and Evan Royster split the Penn State vote.

Defensive Player of the Year: Brandon Graham, Michigan
Shocked? Shouldn’t be. While Greg Jones and Jared Odrick won over the coaches and media, Graham somehow flew under the radar screen. Defensive linemen don’t get to lay claim to the ridiculous tackle numbers that linebackers do, they simply make those tackles possible. Graham did it all, and did his part to keep Michigan respectable.

Coach of the Year: Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
The media gave this award to Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz to show appreciation for his team’s hot start, but what about Northwestern’s hot finish? Fitzgerald’s club gave the Hawkeyes their first loss and dealt a blow to Wisconsin. No coach in the country gets so much out of so little.

Play of the Year: Tyler Sash
Iowa’s bid to go 9-0 was all but lost to Indiana when Sash caught a ping-pong interception and returned the ball 86 yards for a touchdown.

All-Big Ten Team

The Big Ten’s best? This year’s list was easier to create than in any other year in recent memory thanks to fewer impact skill players to choose from and clear standouts along both lines.

This team takes issue with several of the all-conference picks made by the coaches and media, most notably the absence of Ohio State players. The media selected just two Buckeyes to its first team, the coaches just one — surprising, considering Ohio State took home the conference crown. Our breakdown: Ohio State (4), Wisconsin (4), Iowa (3), Penn State (3), Michigan (3), Michigan State (2), Purdue (2), Northwestern (1), Indiana (1), Illinois (1) and Minnesota (0).

Here is a list of the best players on both sides of the ball, with comments for each selection:

OFFENSE

Quarterback – Daryll Clark, Penn State
This award had Terrelle Pryor’s name written on it before the start of the year but he never really showed. Clark led the conference in touchdown passes and avoided many of the mistakes that plagued him in 2008.

Running Back – John Clay, Wisconsin
The only Big Ten back to average more than 100 yards per contest, Clay was a difference-maker for Wisconsin.

Running Back – Even Royster, Penn State
Quiet but productive. Royster averaged 5.9 yards per carry and was one of just two conference backs with more than 1,000 yards rushing.

Wide Receiver – Keith Smith, Purdue
Led the conference in both yards and catches. Had four double-digit catch games, including a 15-catch day against Michigan State.

Wide Receiver – Tandon Doss, Indiana
One of the Big Ten’s emerging stars, Doss may have been its most consistent performer at receiver this year. Had an injury not shortened his season, Minnesota’s Eric Decker would be here instead.

Tight End – Garrett Graham, Wisconsin
In many ways Graham fell short of expectations in 2009 — he still caught 41 balls for 502 yards and seven touchdowns.

Offensive Line – Stefan Wisniewski, Penn State
The rock of Penn State’s front line, many believe Wisniewski to be the best interior lineman in the conference.

Offensive Line – Jon Asamoah, Illinois
The lone bright spot for an offense that ranked second-to-last in Big Ten scoring.

Offensive Line – Justin Boren, Ohio State
The Michigan-Ohio State stuff never really went away for Boren, but despite the distraction caused by his transfer he held up well.

Offensive Line – Bryan Bulaga, Iowa
Iowa’s offensive line has a host of worthy postseason performers; of them, Bulaga stands out.

Offensive Line – Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
A player who has gotten better with each season in the lineup.

Kicker – Brett Swenson, Michigan State
The conference’s leading scorer was also its most accurate kicker (18 of 20).

DEFENSE

Defensive Line – Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue
He faded a bit down the stretch but for a time no defender was doing as much as Kerrigan.

Defensive Line – Brandon Graham, Michigan
Finished second to Kerrigan in sacks, and averaged more than two tackles for loss per game. Wow. Graham was dominant every Saturday, regardless of opponent.

Defensive Line – O’Brien Schofield, Wisconsin
The Badgers had a few impact defensive players — Chris Borland, Chris Maragos — but none quite like Schofield, who notched eight sacks and forced a pair of fumbles.

Defensive Line – Cameron Heyward, Ohio State
Heyward’s steady play was a big reason for why the defense ranked first against the run and second in scoring.

Linebacker – Greg Jones, Michigan State
Hmmm, 141 tackles and nine sacks. Yep, let’s add Jones to the list.

Linebacker – Pat Angerer, Iowa
Kept step for step with Jones in tackles for much of the year, collecting 135 total. The battery of the Iowa defense.

Linebacker – Ross Homan, Ohio State
Navorro Bowman is the more popular pick here but Homan was probably the steadier player, and someone the Buckeyes leaned on.

Defensive Back – Kurt Coleman, Ohio State
The most seasoned defensive back in the conference, maybe the country. It’s easy to forget that Coleman also snagged five interceptions.

Defensive Back – Tyler Sash, Iowa
Some could say Sash was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time on numerous occasions this season. That’s all a coach can ask from a defensive back.

Defensive Back – Donovan Warren, Michigan
Finally the reality caught up to the hype. Warren is now one of the Big Ten’s most underrated defenders.

Defensive Back – Brad Phillips, Northwestern
Phillips was the spiritual leader for a defense that never quit. His inspired play against Wisconsin helped earn him this spot.

Punter – Zoltan Mesko, Michigan
Michigan did not punt as often as some might think, but Mesko was always on the mark.