B1G Player Rankings: No. 15, Brandon Vitabile

We?re 15 days from the 2013 football season kicking off. Indiana (Indiana State) and Minnesota (UNLV) get things started for the Big Ten on Thursday, Aug. 29 on BTN/BTN2Go. To help count down the days to kickoff, BTN.com is ranking the top 25 players. Join us as we count it down, from 25-1, every day.

No. 15: Brandon Vitabile, C, Northwestern

For the second straight season, the 6-3, 300-pound native of Edison, N.J., started every game and finds himself on the Rimington Award watch list heading into 2013. That makes 26 career starts for Vitabile, the top center in the Big Ten. The junior helped Northwestern post the fourth-best rushing average in the Big Ten (225.5) and rank No. 1 in fewest sacks allowed last season. Vitabile earned a starting spot as a redshirt freshman in 2011, pushing three-year starting center Ben Burkett to guard. And Vitabile hasn't looked back.

BTN.com?s top 25 players of 2013
1. Aug. 28
2. Aug. 27
3. Aug. 26
4. Aug. 25
5. Aug. 24
6. Aug. 23
7. Aug. 22
8. Aug. 21
9. Aug. 20
10. Aug. 19
11. Aug. 18
12. Aug. 17
13. Aug. 16
14. Aug. 15
15. Brandon Vitabile, C, Northwestern
16. Jack Mewhort, OT, Ohio State
17. Kain Colter, QB, Northwestern
18. Jared Abbrederis, WR, Wisconsin
19. Spencer Long, G, Nebraska
20. Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State
21. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
22. Deion Barnes, DE, Penn State
23. Isaiah Lewis, S, Michigan State
24. James White, RB, Wisconsin
25. Anthony Hitchens, LB, Iowa