Like many other crazed fans who want some real, somewhat untainted american football filled with amazing riavlries, passion, and the raw and youthful energy still present in the young athletes not yet corrupted by money, i am incredibly excited about the upcoming college football season. in my lifetime i have never seen a national title race so wide open before, there are at least 15 teams with a chance to win it and every week a win or a lose could equal hope or doom for championship contenders. the heisman race should also be exciting, and ill probably get goose bumps the 1st time my hawkeyes run out on the field arm-in-arm. the big favroites going into the season are ohio state and notre dame, both returning to the fiesta bowl after that buckeyes win last year but playing for the title this time. honestly, nothing professionally even comes close to rivaling college sports and the intensity and the fans that make up football make this a great time of year.

the big ten championship is likely going to be an epic battle between bitter rivals ohio state and michigan all year decided by that much-hyped november showdown, but a sleeper like iowa or even wisconsin could come in and shake things up.

1)there are no questions about OSU's offensive talent, troy smith has truly matured as an elite passer and maybe the best qb in college, and he has great mobility, he just doesn't use it much anymore, trying to impress the pro scouts with his arm instead. he has an underrated elite running back in antonio pittman along with bruising freshman chris wells, as well as one of the top wideout corps around. ted ginn jr is extremly fast and versatile, dangerous returning kicks and getting lined up all over he field so he's pretty hard to cover. anthony gonzalez is probly the best number 2 in D1, he's fast, has reliable hands, and comes up big in the biggest games. it's no coincidence that gonzalez and troy smith have become so popular in columbus, they both had their best games against michigan. their defense is a question mark just because they are replacing so many vets who are now in the nfl, but their interior line is tops in the big ten and the linebackers they got to replace nfl-bound a.j. hawk and bobby carpenter are very talented and full of potential, just short on experience. i think it will be a better defense than people think.

2) the wolverines have one of the most talented teams they have ever assembled, it's just a matter of if they underacheive again like last year. i don't think it will happen, they're gonna be hungry and motivated and they're too good on both sides of the ball to have a bad year. their offense has a proven but overrated QB who has started since he was a freshman, when he had a huge year, but chad henne (his name) had an off-year like the rest of this roster last season so lets see if he can bounce back, he should because he has the experience and the leader role now. he definitly has the weapons, everyone from touchdown machine mario manningham to speedy and versatile steve breaston (michigan's answer to ted ginn) is a threat to score so if henne doesn't play well it's not their fault. mike hart is a potential heisman winner at running back, he struggled with injuries last season which was one of their main problems, since he had a stellar freshman year too, so if he can be their workhorse again they will have a top offense. the defense may be even better, don't know too much about the secondary but the defensive line is monstrous and aggressive, will put the pressure on every time, and the linebackers are the best in the big ten led by future nfl lottery pick lamar woodley, who is always around the ball, forcing turnovers and making plays happen, he is truly a beast. they have tough games against notre dame and iowa, but their season will really be defined by the ohio state game, as they have been burned by troy smith the past two seasons and really wanna get a win this time.

3) the hawkeyes are an impressive team dear to my heart, kirk ferentz has truly done an excellent job rebuilding them and making them a national power using only average recruits compared to the superstars comitting to ohio state and michigan every year. we are a blue-collar and tough team who always play with heart, and we are finally getting the talent to match up with that mindset. we got a fantastic senior QB in drew tate, one of the best ever to line up under center at iowa. he makes up for a lack of size with a big arm and an even bigger competitive nature, his heart and intensity on the field along with his flawless leadership characteristics can pretty much will the team to win. we have a great running game that goes two or three deep, but the versatile albert young is our star, while the speedy damien simms and bruising shonn greene are our change of pace backs. our line is young and not the best we have ever had, but we have some big guys and o-line is something we never have to worry about with all the 300-pound cornfed farmboys wandering around the heartland in the state. senior mikes jones is the best of the bunch, but marshal yanda is big and a local favorite and dace richardson is one of the more athletic linemen we have ever had. wideout is a problem, we lack experience and a go-to-guy. herb grigsby is fast but small, calvin davis has stud potential and talent but is injury prone and unproven, while noone else has enough experience for me to predict the impact they will make (andy brodell, trey stross, dominique douglas). our main guy through the air will be 6 ft. 7 tight end scott chandler, tate's favorite and most consistent target. whenever drew's in trouble chandler is always there to bail him out with his great hands and dominate size, and he's a great option in the red zone. our defense has to replace two nfl-guys at linebacker, like the buckeyes, but theres plenty of experience there so it shouldn't be much of a problem. our d-line played great and with more aggressiveness as the season wore on last season, but looked lost and way too conservative for the 1st half of the year. the continued maturation of the line will be vital to our defense, i think they will do a good job carrying in momentum from last year. kenny iwebema and bryan mattison are all-big ten worthy defensive ends, iwebema being the physical freak and pass rusher while mattison is the hardworker and ball-hawk who thrives off the attention iwebema gets from opposing lines. the defensive ends are both pretty big and athletic and great run-stuffers, and our safeties are studs, especially the hard-hitting marcus paschal, but our corners, adam shada and charles godfrey, are mostly unproven and undersized. both are good hitters and norm parker schemes them so they dont have to play much man-to-man with taller wideouts, but their lack of size and elite speed will hurt them.

4)wisconsin-seems like they lost a lot even though they really didn't, they just lost real big names. the running game is the main question on offense thanks to the surprising departure of star brian calhoun to the nfl, but beastly bowling ball b.j. hill could be a sleeper, hes just unproven and coming off a major injury. i dont think beloved coach barry alvarez's resigning from head coach will make a big difference, he will still have input and contact with the players as athletic director, they just probably wont be able to maintain that inspired play they gave for him in the capital one bowl for this entire season. the defense, especially the linebackers in particular, is very solid and one of the better and more physical ones in the big ten, which is saying something seeing as the big ten is defined by its physical nature. john stocco is a capable veteran QB who gets the job done, and if they can get a running game going the badgers will be a very balanced and dangerous big ten team that could be a surprise, just more questions then answers but the talent, especially on defense, is definitly there.

5)penn state lost too much on both sides of the ball to compete for a big ten title, but they have the talent there for the future, especially with those versatile sophmore wideouts who got all that hype last season so they shouldnt stink it up for a long stretch and get the fire joepa stuff talked started up again. the biggest loss is probably offensive force micheal robinson, the team's athletic QB last year who was drafted in the NFL as a wideout. he was a big surprise and brought major life to an offense that was too conservative and had sputterd the past couple of years under traditional drop-back passers, as robinson brought explosive ability and a strong arm. the other major loss was on the defensive line, in their stud pass rusher tamba hali, who departed to the kansas city chiefs. the penn state defense was great last year at stopping the run and putting pressure on the QB, but the young and inexperienced line they have now will trouble matching that and is one of the team's major questions. the new QB, anthony morelli, is another one of their traditional strong-armed drop-back passers, he's not gonna spark up the offense with many big plays like robinson but he is good enough to get the offense rollin once he gets some experience. he will be helped along by those young weapons they have on offense, who have all been lined up at reciever, tailback, and even cornerback. the defense is led by bednarik award winner paul pozluzny, maybe the best linebacker in the nation if he is healthy. he suffered a major injury in the nittany lion's orange bowl win over florida state last year but his recovery will be vital to the young and unproven defense, paul's a hard hitter and physical player who's ferocious against the run. they should be decent and make a bowl but are not good enough yet to compete with the top of the conference.

6)michigan state has a lot of explosive weapons on offense, but they lack good balance because their defense is bad, probably worse than they were last year, especially at preventing the big play. the spartans also have a history of breaking down mentally and emotionally every season, when they look unstoppable out the gate and get off to a hot start but then inevitably suffer a crushing loss that they can never recover from. i hate to say that like it's a team attribute but it happens every year so it's worth mentioning, because all those intanigibles come to down to your player's heart and the coaching. the offense should not be a problem and they should be able to overcome their defensive deficiencies by outscoring people, it's just a matter of maintaining consistency and staying focused because they have the talent to make a bowl game. main offensive guys are future nfl QB drew stanton, who's got everything you could ask for in a quarterback. he's got a strong arm, mobility, toughness, and he's smart with great intangibles and athletic ability. matt trannon is a massive target at wideout and javon ringer is a speedy home-run threat whenever he touches the ball.

7)purdue has the same story as usual, looks like they have an explosive offense but horrible defense that should keep them out of a bowl game. their spread-option attack is pretty unstoppable and they have the weapons to make it effective. dorien bryant is a speedy threat to score every time he touches the ball, their QB curtis painter has the perfect combination of talents (mobility and decision making) to succeed in the uptempo offensive style, and cory sheets is a capable running game with a nose for the endzone. the only issue in the defense will not be able to stop anyone anywhere, simple as that, worst in the big ten, and that fact will keep them near the bottom.

8)indiana is a team on the rise, just not this year. their defense is bad, especially against the pass, but they have an unstoppable wideout in 6 foot 7 james hardy, who can battle with the best in D1 and should give some of the conference heavyweights trouble. if blake powers can get some consistency he can be a very good big ten QB, but he has a great athlete behind him in kellen lewis if he screws up. just really don't have the talent to elevate above the bottom of the conference right now.

9)minnesota-looks like an off-year for the gophers, who have rode their all-world running backs marion barber and laurence maroney to respectable success the past couple years but who have neither one of them now since they both left for the nfl. they have a talented QB on the rise, bryan cupito, but he is not good enough to handle the entire offensive load, which he will have to do now that running back gary russell is out for the year because of academics. defense isn't too hot either, and the only star they have is tight end matt spaeth, a big target in the red zone who should help out cupito big time but who fight be forced to block more because of the bad running game.

10)northwestern is only above illinois by random selection, as both teams are horrible and will not only be in the bottom of the big ten but most likely all of D1 football as well. the wildcats were pretty good last year, with a balanced and at times explosive offense that pulled off some upset wins (big one against iowa) and made up for the poor defense. the offense still has speedy freshman sensation tailback tyrell sutton, but lost their versatile and hard-nosed QB brett basanez, the leader and identity of the offense who's combination of mobility, decision-making, and great heart lead the team to most of their victories. the QB situation is quite a dilemma now with no-one looking good enough to start, none of the wideouts elevate themselves above the pack, and the defense is just as bad as last year, so sutton will have to be a workhorse if northwestern is to be successful.

11)illinois is on the right path to rebuilding, ron zook just inherited a bad team with a serious lack of talent. juice williams is their true freshman sensation at QB, who's a great athlete creating lots of hope and momentum for the illini's future. he has a long, long way to go however and noone should expect him to be a savior right away, the speed of the game and decision making will be his biggest issues. the defense is ok at spots but horrible in others, and it's hard to win with such holes, and there are questions and inexperience abound on the offense end. the main thing is just experience and time, illinois has shown some bright spots, they just need time.