A great campaign without a great general is possible, but they’re few and far between. General Sherman’s rampage through the heart of the South was one of the biggest factors in the Union victory over our traitorous Southern states, and so we honor the visionary who broke the fighting spirit of the big-money-but-very-top-heavy Confederacy by presenting a virtual trophy in his memory.

This, of course, goes to our league’s best general as voted by the writers. With fifteen votes, your winner is:

Mel Tucker, Michigan State Spartans

63 Points | 9 first place votes | low: 5

That’s right, even after the title game, Mel Tucker still gets the Willy T, increasing his collection of bearded man trophies to 2 on the year. The Spartans’ sudden rise to legitimacy and conference title contention was truly the most surprising development of this Big Ten season.

The Big Ten West Memorial Trophy for Runner Up

With 61 points, 3 first place votes and a lowest rank of 4, Jim Harbaugh was the runner up this year after finally taking the next step with a Michigan program that he built into a perennial contender. Of the 15 voters, 14 voted Harbaugh either 1st or 2nd.

Other Nominations

3rd: Jeff Brohm, Purdue Boilermakers | 31 points, 1 first place vote, ranked by 11/15 voters (voters choose 1-5)

4th: Bret Bielema, Illinois Fighting Illini | 18 points, 1 first place vote, ranked by 9/15 voters

T-5th: PJ Fleck, Minnesota Golden Gophers | 14 points, 1 first place vote, ranked by 5/15 voters

T-5th: Ryan Day, Ohio State Buckeyes | 14 points, 1 first place vote, ranked by 4/15 voters

7th: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa Hawkeyes | 8 points, highest rank 3, ranked by 4/15 voters

8th: Mike Locksley, Maryland Terrapins | 2 points, highest rank 5, ranked by 2/15 voters

9th: Greg Schiano, Rutger Scarlet Knights | 1 point, highest rank 5, ranked by 1/15 voters

Stay tuned for more! How wrong are we? Any predictions for later? Let us know!