The calendar now reads late July and that means August is nearly here. Of course most of you probably already have this date circled on your calendar but Thursday, August 28th is when College Football’s regular season kicks off in 2008 and that means it certainly is not too early to take a quick look at what we might expect from some of the teams around the country. We’ll continue where we left off last week as we now move on from the Big East Conference and this week we take a look at the Big Ten Conference:

Illinois – Illinois should be right up near the top once again this season. However, the problem is that they did lose 24 lettermen from last season’s 9-4 team (6-2 in the Big Ten). Their tough schedule this season could do them in as they play road games at Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin. Having Ohio State on the schedule won’t help them either and the loss of Rashard Mendenhall creates a drop-off in the backfield.

Indiana –The Hoosiers could drop big this season. Even though they played in a bowl game last season let’s not forget that this team was outgained by over seventy yards per game in Big Ten action. Also, they are weak on the offensive line and that hurts especially when it’s coupled with question marks at both the QB and WR spots!

Iowa – The Hawkeyes won’t blow you away with eye-grabbing talent at the high-profile QB and RB positions. However, being strong in the trenches means a lot and this team is very strong on both the offensive line and the defensive line. In the Big Ten, this means a lot. Also, don’t underestimate two other areas that make a key difference in the fiercely contested Big Ten: special teams and coaching. The Hawkeyes are solid in both of those areas as well.

Michigan – This will be a challenging year for the Wolverines. Last season certainly wasn’t easy as Michigan endured their fair share of disappointment. This season it’s only going to get tougher as they lost players like Henne at QB, Hart at RB, and Manningham at WR. That is what you call a trio of real talent and in the highly competitive Big Ten a fall could be on tap for Michigan.

Michigan State – Mark Dantonio is entering his second season with the Spartans and the players will be responding even better to the new “wrinkles” in working with a new system. You have to like the fact that they appear set at the QB and RB position. However, the Spartans do face a tough schedule and their defense is an area of chief concern.

Minnesota – After an awful season last year the only way the Golden Gophers can go is truly up. That said; don’t be surprised if it’s only a ‘baby step’ they take this season as they will likely battle Indiana to stay out of the cellar in the Big Ten. The Gophers just face too steep of a climb this season and they are still particularly weak at the running back spot and their defensive line is not a strength. This means they are unlikely to run the ball well and they also won’t be able to stop the run. That’s not a good sign in the Big Ten. Too much pressure will be put on QB Adam Weber.

Northwestern – The Wildcats could make a little noise this season and certainly we could find some pointspread value with them during the season. That’s because they were only a 6-6 team last season but note that they have 15 returning starters and 47 returning lettermen. They also do not have to play Penn State or Wisconsin this season. That certainly helps the odds that this Northwestern team makes a push up the standings!

Ohio State – Who can possibly stop Ohio State? They are simply so solid and they return 19 starters from last season’s team. They have arguably the top unit at each position area on the field. They outgained Big Ten opponents by more than 150 yards last season and they are simply a dominating team that is very well-coached and has a wealth of talent at their disposal.

Penn State – The Nittany Lions, even though they lost LB Sean Lee to an ACL injury in the spring, are truly loaded heading into the 2008 season. Their defense is rock solid and we like the fact that the offense is moving back to the spread offense that they used three seasons ago. They should have won ten games last season and they blew a huge lead in their season finale that prevented that. They use that as motivation throughout this season and we don’t foresee them being denied double digits this season.

Purdue – With Painter at QB the Boilermakers will make some noise on offense but they do return only 12 starters and they lost 23 lettermen from last season’s club.. Their defense is a weakness and, while they certainly will give it their all for coach Joe Tiller in his final season, there is simply too much of a talent gap between Purdue and the rest of the Big Ten. They’re likely to finish toward the very bottom of the conference.

Wisconsin – The Badgers have enjoyed some good fortune in coming up with good seasons in their first two seasons under Brett Bielema. However, they won’t too many “good bounces” to enjoy continued success in 2008. This is Bielema’s most talented team yet as the Badgers return 17 starters and they have a dominating offensive line that can pave the way for their potent ground game once again. Defensively their linebacking group is arguably the best in the conference. They may just be a notch below Ohio State in that category but, overall, it’s another rock solid season on tap for the Badgers!

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