Once again, Ohio State was thumped by an SEC team in the Title game for the second straight year. Look, I think this conference needs to change the way they do things, and I noticed an open date in the schedule (Good, but add another one). So, what will it be like this year?
1. Ohio State Buckeyes-With 18 starters back, a trip to Miami is not out of the question. Circle Sept 13 on your calendar, the USC game could be a deal breaker for OSU making it to Miami.
2. Wisconsin Badgers-Like OSU, loaded back with talent, but they have a tendency to fold. If injuries are kept to a minimum, this could be their year.
3. Illinois Fighting Illini-Despite losing Reshard Mendenhall, the Illini may be better than they were last year. This team is young, and Ron Zook admitted this team did not live up to its potential last year. If they get their act together this year, they will be SCARY.
4. Penn St Nittany Lions-Coach Joe Pa still keeps going, but if the Fighting Paterno's want to contend in the Big 10, they need a QB.
5. Iowa Hawkeyes-Kirk Ferentz needs a good year, possibly to save his job. Will another 7-5 year cut it? Nope
6. Michigan State Spartans-Sparty might be the sleeping giant here. The Spartans lost no game by more than 7 points last year, showing the heart this team has. But with only 11 starters back, and the best WR now in the NFL, they can still surprise, so watch out.
7. Northwestern Wildcats-Pat Fitgerald may have his best team in Evanston this year. But the top light bottom heavy schedule could do them in as far as a bowl game goes.
8. Michigan Wolverines-Sorry, but Rich Rodriguez lacks the talent to run his offense. But the good news is the defense is well loaded. But without the playmakers on offense, you can see why Lloyd Carr stepped down. The Wolverines are too young to make anything happen this year. I'll be shocked if they win more than 5 games this year.
9. Indiana Hoosiers-Last year was magical, but it was last year. Overcoming the tragic death of Terry Hoepnner, the Hoosiers led by head coach Bill Lynch played well. The departure of James Hardy is going to be hard on the offense, but they can still make plays. If luck falls their way, they can finish in the top half of the conference, but luck can only take you so far.
10. Purdue Boilermakers-Fans ought to be drinking plenty of those before the games start. While Curtis Painter is the lone bright spot, this team is very inconsistent. Joe Tiller though does his best when his job is on the line.
11. Minnesota Golden Gophers-I think Duke is better than this team. Seriously.
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