Leaders Division:

1- Wisconsin – 11 starters return from an 11-3 team last year and all the talk is replacing QB Russell Wilson.  Jr Danny O’Brien will fit in nicely.  He is not as athletic but he is mobile and accurate.  When in doubt the Badgers still have a massive offensive line and RB Monte Ball.  Ball has a great chance at winning the Heisman Trophy this year.  The defense is underrated as they have six starters back from a team that allowed only 19.0-ppg last year.  They are also a legitimate darkhorse to possibly get to the BCS Title game.

2- Ohio St – Urban Meyer begins a new era in Columbus and he is excited to be there.  OSU can’t go to post-season this year because of NCAA sanctions.  Meyer has 15 returning starters back to implement his system.  The offense will very be improved with his spread-attack offense.  QB Braxton Miller will fit in nicely with this style of play.  Wouldn’t be interesting if Ohio St could run the table this year?  They have a shot but will need to play well on the road as they go to Michigan St and Wisconsin.  Looks like a 10-win team this year and Meyer will be ready to make a run at a national championship next year.

3 – Illinois – New HC Tim Beckman comes over from Toledo where he had a winning record.  Beckman has some talent to work with as he inherits 14 returning starters.  Illinois started last year 6-0 and ended 7-6, mostly because they were ranked 95^th in the nation in turnover margin (-6).  If the team can get acclimated to the new schemes on both sides of the ball, they will be a surprise team in the Big Ten.

4 – Purdue – HC Danny Hope has his best Purdue in 4 years.  He comes in with a losing 16-21 record and he is on the hot seat.  It helped that he won the bowl game last year but he will need a better year in 2012 to possibly keep his job.  The schedule is brutal and if the Boilermakers can get to 7 wins and then win a bowl then it could be enough for Hope to hang on for another year.

5 – Penn St – Really don’t have to go into details on why Penn St will struggle this year.  HC Bill O’Brien says he is loyal to Penn St but we will see after this year.  Looks like a 5 to 6 win season.

6 – Indiana – Nowhere to go but up for IU as they are coming off a horrible 1-11 season.  There are 15 starters back in year two of HC Kevin Wilson’s system.  Looks lije they could start the season 3-0 but the rest of the schedule looks difficult and they may end the year on a 9-game losing streak.

Legends Division:

1 – Michigan St – The Spartans lose qb Kirk Cousins to the NFL but they still have some talent on the offensive side of the ball.  Five starters return on offense including a solid offensive line led by C Travis Jackson.  The defense is fantastic as they have eight starters return from a team that ranked 10^th in scoring and 6^th in total defense.   This is a team that has an excellent chance at the Rose Bowl and we will call for them to get to the Big Ten Title game

2 – Nebraska – The Cornhuskers have been solid under Bo Pelini (39-16) but they seem to be flaky in big games.  The Huskers have a solid nucleus coming back which includes 14 starters.  Jr QB Taylor Martinez leads a powerful rushing attack that was ranked 15^th nationally last year.  We see their 29.2-ppg increasing as well as their defense getting better.  This looks like a 10 to 11 winning team if they can learn how to win the big games on the road.  They go to UCLA, Ohio ST and Michigan St.  It will be tough but they have the ability to do it.

3 – Michigan – Everyone is assuming Michigan will be a top 5 team because Denard Robinson is back.  He doesn’t make up the whole team.  They have six starters back on offense but the quality of defenses they face this year are much better.  The Wolverines have a difficult schedule and we don’t expect another double-digit win total in ’12.   Trips to Notre Dame, Nebraska and Ohio St plus a neutral site game with the defending national champions Bama, make it very difficult for them to accomplish what they did last year.

4 – Iowa – HC Kirk Ferentz enters his 14 year at Iowa.  11 starters return from a disappointing 7-6 team.  The schedule seems favorable in the beginning but then really get difficult.  Iowa has been average the last couple years and they will remain average in 2012.

5 – Northwestern – Last year was supposed to be NU’s big year with 18 starters back but injuries became a problem.  They finished 6-7 and lost to A&M in their bowl game.  This year only 10 starters return on both sides of the ball.  The offense was avg and the defense was not good.  The defense really needs to improve if they want to compete with the big boys in the conference.   We don’t see that happening and it looks like a down year in Evanston, IL.

6 – Minnesota – The Gophers have a poor team for many years but there is some in 2012.  They return 12 starters including QB MarQueis Gray.  The offense was pathetic as they only avg 18.4-ppg and the defense was just as bad allowing 31.7-ppg.  This looks like an improved team in ’12 and could possibly be bowl eligible if they can get an upset or two.

Big 10 Championship Game: Michigan St over Wisconsin