Big Ten rankings: No. 1, Montee Ball

We have reached the summit. 

Our preseason Big Ten Top 25 player rankings conclude today with the No. 1 player on the list. As a final reminder, these rankings are based on past performance and potential for this season. 

As D'Angelo Barksdale once explained, "The king stay the king ..." 

No. 1: Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin, senior, 5-foot-11, 215 pounds 2011 postseason rank: No. 1 

2011 numbers: Led the FBS in rushing yards with 1,923 and tied the FBS record for most touchdowns in a season with 39. Averaged 6.3 yards per carry and caught 24 passes for 306 yards. Heisman Trophy finalist. 

Why he's here: There was very little suspense about who would be No. 1 on this list. We must admit that we got a bit nervous when Ball was the victim of an assault and suffered a concussion just before training camp. But all indications are that Ball will be healthy for the start of the season. And that's all the assurance we need to keep him at the top. 

What else is there to say about a guy who scored 39 touchdowns and rushed for more than 1,900 yards last year? I still believe that future college football historians will look at Ball's numbers and wonder how he could only finish No. 5 in the Heisman balloting. Ball surprised a lot of people by coming back for his senior year, but he heard from the NFL that he needed to get stronger and improve on his pass protection. So he has worked hard at doing that in the offseason, putting on some weight yet looking possibly even faster than before. 

Ball also informed us this summer that his first name is pronounced Mon-tay, not Mon-tee, so we'll have to get used to that. Seeing him reach the end zone though, is now a familiar sight, and he needs just 18 touchdowns to break the NCAA career record. If he comes close to last year's scoring pace, he should have that by midseason. 

It wasn't the greatest offseason for the Badgers star. But as Wisconsin's Heisman campaign says, this fall belongs to Ball. The top spot of this list has belonged to Ball since the end of last season. Let's see if he can stay there in 2012. 

The countdown 

No. 25: Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska 
No. 24: MarQueis Gray, QB, Minnesota 
No. 23: Ricardo Allen, CB, Purdue 
No. 22: Mike Taylor, LB, Wisconsin 
No. 21: Jared Abbrederis, WR/KR, Wisconsin 
No. 20: Denicos Allen, LB, Michigan State 
No. 19: Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State 
No. 18: Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State 
No. 17: Le'Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State 
No. 16: Michael Buchanan, DE, Illinois 
No. 15: Fitzgerald Toussaint, RB, Michigan 
No. 14: Max Bullough, LB, Michigan State 
No. 13: James Vandenberg, QB, Iowa 
No. 12: Ricky Wagner, OT, Wisconsin 
No. 11: Johnny Adams, CB, Michigan State 
No. 10: Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan 
No. 9: Jonathan Brown, LB, Illlinois 
No. 8: Chris Borland, LB, Wisconsin 
No. 7: Kawann Short, DT, Purdue 
No. 6: Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan 
No. 5: Gerald Hodges, LB, Penn State 
No. 4: William Gholston, DE, Michigan State 
No. 3: John Simon, DE, Ohio State 
No. 2: Rex Burkhead, RB, Nebraska
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