Big Ten Preview - the pressure is on Michigan

Stiles Points moves to the beef conference - the Big Ten where muscle and brawn are the order of the day....

1. Michigan (11-1) - this is it for Michigan....they have to produce a win over Ohio State and win their bowl game....they must set the tone for the season against Oregon....Mike Hart (photo) is determined to beat Ohio State...

2. Penn State (10-2) - the Lions have a favorable schedule with Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Wisky all at Happy Valley....if Paterno can find a way to get Derrick Williams loose like he did 2 years ago, this will be a big year....

3. Ohio State (9-3) - the Bucks have an easy schedule....but watch for an upset in Seattle....this team will get better as the year goes on....9-3 is considered a bad year for Tressel....

4. Wisconsin (9-3) - if the Badgers had Stocco back at qb, I would have had them at #2 in the conference....they have to travel to Penn State and Ohio State....P.J. Hill is the heart of this team....but hard to pick in favor of them with Stocco and Joe Thomas gone....

5. Purdue (8-4) - nine players return on offense....if they can survive these 3 games in a row, Notre Dame, Ohio State, @ Michigan, Joe Tiller will have a nice year....

6. Iowa (6-6) - Kirk Ferentz is the most over-rated head coach in the country....he had two nice seasons about four years ago and has done nothing since.....this program is just average - at best...

7. Illinois (6-6) - this is the team on the rise....they will pull off an upset somewhere during the season....but I could then see them losing to an Indiana or Northwestern....growing pains...

8. Michigan State (4-8) - it will take Mark Dantonio at least a year to get these players out of the doldrums of John L. Smith.....one thing is for certain, the Spartans will be a more disciplined team than in the past few years....

9. Indiana (3-9) - the Hoosiers will play some inspired football for Terry Hoeppner...

10. Minnesota (3-9) - like Michigan State, this team is in transition....they have to learn how to win games after the Glen Mason era....

11. Northwestern (2-10) - this program took too much of a hit with the sudden death of Randy Walker before last season....

Upset Alert
September 15 - Ohio State @ Washington - the Buckeyes are a way better team than Washington, but Ty Willingham needs a signature win as pressure mounts in the Northwest....people also forget that Washington almost upset Southern Cal last season....
September 29 - Penn State @ Illinois - Ron Zook is waiting for a big win....remember, Illinois only lost to the mighty Buckeyes last season 17-10....
October 6 - Ohio State @ Purdue - the Boilers are loaded on offense....and could pull a shocker at home....
October 20 - Michigan @ Michigan State - Dantonio is a Tressel disciple.....the clock is ticking in East Lansing for this game....and the Wolverines could be looking ahead to Wisky the next week.....

Key Players
Michigan - Mike Hart, rb; Jake Long, ot; Chad Henne, qb; Mario Manningham, wr; Shawn Crable, olb
Penn State - Dan Connor, lb; Justin King, cb; Derrick Williams, wr, Deon Butler, wr; Sean Lee, olb
Ohio State - Malcolm Jenkins, cb; Kirk Barton, ot; James Laurinaitis, lb; Chris Wells, rb; Vernon Gholston, de
Wisconsin - Nick Hayden, dt; P.J. Hill, rb; Taylor Mehlhaff, k; Chris Pressley, fb; Jack Ikegwuono, s
Purdue - Curtis Painter, qb; Dorien Bryant, wr; Jordan Grimes, og
Iowa - Kenny Iwebema, de
Illinois - Juice Williams qb; J. Leman, lb; Rashard Mendenhall, rb; Arrellous Benn, wr
Michigan State - Otis Wiley, s; Javon Ringer, rb
Indiana - Marcus Thigpen, kr; Tracy Porter, pr
Minnesota - Amir Pinnix, rb; Willie VanDeSteeg, de
Northwestern - Tyrell Sutton, rb

Best coach - Jim Tressel, Ohio State - somehow he always seems to come out smelling like a rose...
Best quarterback - Chad Henne, Michigan - Henne is a talented player and leader, but he is 0-6 combined in bowl games and versus Ohio State....
Best offensive player - Mario Manningham - Michigan - when this kid is healthy, Michigan's offense may be unstoppable...he is a game changer...
Best defensive player - James Laurinaitis - the next linebacker just steps in and the Buckeyes do not miss a beat....I could understand why former Gopher head coach Glen Mason was sick when Laurinaitis got away....

Overview - the Big Ten needs to make a statement this bowl season after the whooping that Michigan and Ohio State took in their bowl games - it was an embarrassment....Michigan has the talent to take the whole works, but somehow I could see them losing to a Purdue or Illinois....one thing is for certain, Michigan must beat Ohio State and win their bowl game this year....the surprise team of this conference could be Purdue....Joe Tiller is due to have a solid team after the last few mediocre seasons....and you can never overlook Ohio State....remember when Peyton Manning left Tennessee, the Volunteers fans thought they were going to have an average year....but out of the blue, a kid named Tee Martin led them to a BCS title....Ohio State has the coach and easy schedule to pull it off....