As a college basketball writer for the Star Tribune, I'm asked to vote for a lot of things. The Naismith Award, All-Big Ten teams, the Associated Press top-25 poll and more. To participate in these polls, you usually have to be a credentialed reporter, school official or a coach. My Big Ten Power Poll isn't like that. I've recruited a variety of college basketball minds who represent different perspectives. I have fans, a ref, a lawyer, former players, bloggers, students and writers on my 13-member panel. This is the people's poll. Each Wednesday, I will post the results. (A dead battery and a lack of wifi on my flight to Puerto Rico delayed this week's poll, but look for it on Wednesdays from now on). I've asked the voters, whom you will meet soon, to offer their most unbiased assessments each week. You'll see their individual votes at the bottom of the page. The official tally will sit at the top of the blog each week. A team receives points based on its position in each poll. No. 11 gets one point, No. 10 gets two, etc. Without further ado … The Big Ten Power Poll (Week 1, results through Tuesday) (T-1) Michigan State (132 points, five first-place votes)-Voter Dan Owen writes, "This team has a ton of experience and a whole lot of talent. It should be fun to watch Ohio State and MSU battle for the Big Ten title." (T-1) Ohio State (132 points, seven first-place votes) – Voter Christopher Cramer says, "The Buckeyes won easily on the road against a top-10 team (Florida) that pressed them all game. Sound like a team with point guard problems to you?" (3) Illinois (123 points, one first-place vote) –Voter Joshua Powers asks, "Can this team finally live up to its potential? They are so much better when Demitri McCamey looks to score rather than try to dish out 78 assists per game (see @ Wisconsin last year)." (4) Purdue (92 points) (T-5) Minnesota (91 points) – Voter and former Gophers forward Damian Johnson says, "When Devoe Joseph comes back, this team will be dangerous. I practiced against Trevor enough to know that he is hands down better than any 4 or 5 I played against in the Big Ten last year and with the freshmen getting playing time because of Devoe's absence, this team will be ready by conference play. Wish I had one more year." (T-5) Wisconsin (91 points)-Voter Nadine Babu wonders, "Do Bo Ryan teams ever lose? No matter how they're picked to start, they always finish at the top of the Big Ten. This guy does more with less every year. You can hate him, but you have to be amazed with what he's done." (7) Northwestern (60 points) (8) Indiana (54 points)-Voter Nathan Wickman says, "Indiana is out to a 3-0 start, and even if they haven't really played anybody, their win over a so-so Wright State team by 23 is the most impressive win out of the conference's bottom-feeders." Voter and former Gophers star Quincy Lewis declares: "Crean has talent." (9) Penn State (36 points) (10) Michigan (34 points) (11) Iowa (13 points)-Johnson says, "Might as well keep enjoying football season and seeing Ashton
Kutcher and Demi Moore because basketball season will be nonexistent." Here's how I voted this week: My Big Ten Power Poll (Week 1)

  1. Ohio State – Jared Sullinger looked like a manchild in a huge road win over No. 10 Florida Tuesday night.
  2. Michigan State – With freshmen faces trying to work their way into an established system, we'll see some missteps like Tuesday's rough start against South Carolina. But they're still very good.
  3. Illinois – The Fighting Illini look relaxed after a couple of rough exhibitions.
  4. Purdue – The Boilermakers can't replace Robbie Hummel with one guy, but a talented bench will help them remain in the Big Ten's top tier.
  5. Minnesota – The Gophers fought through tough games against a pair of NCAA tournament teams with the help of newcomer Trevor Mbakwe.
  6. Wisconsin – Bo Ryan will find a way to make the Badgers a threat come Big Ten season.
  7. Indiana – This could be last year's Northwestern.
  8. Northwestern –Getting Kevin Coble for another year would help their NCAA tourney dreams, but John Shurna's a proven leader now.
  9. Penn State – Ed DeChellis is on the hot seat. Will Talor Battle be his 2009 Brett Favre?
  10. Michigan – This year's hard times will help a young roster in the future.
  11. Iowa – The Hawkeyes started the year with a loss to South Dakota State. Like his predecessor, Fran McCaffrey will have a tough transition from Big Dance to Big Losses.

Check out the panel:

Christopher Cramer: I am an attorney who has followed Big Ten basketball for over 20 years. I have been to sporting events at most of the Big Ten campuses. I study college basketball for hours on end, comb the internet for news and I frequent online message boards. I have a fledgling blog where I post under the name Dan Zurn - http://nobm1.com/. 1. Ohio State 2. Illinois 3. Michigan State 4. Purdue 5. Wisconsin 6. Minnesota 7. Northwestern 8. Indiana 9. Michigan 10. Penn State 11. Iowa Tom C: I've been blogging about the Gophers since 2007 starting right before we hired Tubby Smith. I am a life-long Gopher fan who has always loved Gopher basketball over any other Minnesota sport. The Twins' World Series titles were great but did not compare to the Final Four run in 1997. I was fortunate enough to coach hoops at a local Division III school for several years which really only makes me think I know more than I really do. I now enjoy blogging my opinions on all things Gophers, but especially Gopher hoops. You can find me at www.thedailygopher.com. 1 - Illinois 2 - Minnesota 3 - Michigan State 4 - Ohio State - 5 - Northwestern 6 - Purdue 7 – Wisconsin 8 - Indiana 9 - Penn State 10 - Michigan 11 - Iowa Damian Johnson: My name is Damian Johnson, and I am a former Gopher hoops team member. (2005-2010). I am currently playing basketball in Japan for the Oita Heat Devils organization. During my spare time I am glued to ESPN and ESPN2, and I have downloaded the ESPN Radio Minneapolis app for my iPhone 4 to stay up to date with Gopher Sports. I am excited to be able to watch this Big Ten basketball season because I have a feeling that this season, the Big Ten will have two Final Four teams. Follow me on Twitter at @VIPJohnson34. 1. Ohio St. 2. Mich St. 3. Illinois 4. Minnesota 5. Wisconsin 6. Purdue 7. Indiana 8. Northwestern 9. Penn St. 10. Mich 11. Iowa Dan Owen: Dan Owen has been a diehard Gopher fan from the day he first learned about the wonderful world of college sports. Being a fan even played a role in him choosing to attend the U, where he is currently a senior in the Carlson School of Management. Dan is also a recruiting analyst and staff writer for www.GopherIllustrated.com, a popular site that provides info on Golden Gopher athletics. He's held the position since September. He is also a huge fan of college hoops in general and tries to watch as many games as he possibly can. 1. Ohio State 2. Michigan State 3. Illinois 4. Minnesota 5. Wisconsin 6. Purdue 7. Northwestern
8. Indiana 9. Penn State 10. Michigan 11. Iowa Eric Johnston: Eric B. Johnston, PR Analyst with AT&T, scratch golfer (Tiger '11). Enjoy Curb Your Enthusiasm, GQ Magazine, and the city of Las Vegas. College basketball runs through my veins. Got my priorities straight: Gophers one, Kansas Jayhawks two. A Big Ten title push is in the sights: Aim, fire. Bleed maroon and gold, and that's not a cliché. Find me at www.twitter.com/ericbjohnston and www.facebook.com/ericbjohnston. 1. Ohio State 2. Michigan State 3. Illinois 4. Purdue 5. Minnesota 6. Wisconsin 7. Indiana 8. Northwestern 9. Michigan 10. Penn State 11. Iowa Joshua Powers: A local high-school play-by-play announcer for 10 years in Bloomington, Josh has covered every sport from basketball to basket-weaving, and now calls events for 45.Grandstadium.tv and its exclusive online coverage of the MSHSL State Tournaments (shameless plug). But his true passion is everything Maroon & Gold. An alumnus of the U of M Marching Band, he's seen his share of memorable & excruciating football & basketball moments. Obsessed with Big Ten Basketball, he's watched literally every single Big Ten conference game during the last two seasons (he's not joking, just ask his wife!). Find him at jnpowers087@hotmail.com and www.45.grandstadium.tv (Grandstadium). 1) Michigan State 2) Ohio State 3) Illinois 4) Purdue 5) Wisconsin 6) Minnesota 7) Northwestern 8) Indiana 9) Michigan 10) Penn State 11) Iowa Nadine Babu: Nadine Babu is a college basketball fanatic. She actually doesn't mind the winter in Minnesota, because most of her time is spent at Williams Arena, or watching college hoops on TV. Her dedication to college basketball has brought her to seven Final Fours, dating back to the first one in Minneapolis in 2001. She manages and writes for www.GopherHole.com, which has been a hub for passionate Gopher fans since 1996. She has recently starting blogging on Gopher sports for the Star Tribune(http://www.startribune.com/yourvoices/Nadine_Babu.html?elr=KArks47cQiUdcOy_9cP3DiU47cQU7DYaGEP7U). You can also find her here: www.twitter.com/GopherHole and www.twitter.com/NadineBabu. 1. Michigan State 2. Ohio State 3. Illinois 4. Wisconsin 5. Purdue 6. Minnesota 7. Indiana 8. Northwestern 9. Michigan 10. Penn State 11. Iowa Nathan Wickman: I grew up a Gopher fan before anything else, owing to my dad's time spent playing baseball for the Gophers and his season tickets for both the football and basketball teams, and was attending games of both sports before I could walk. I continued that love for the Gophers by attending the University of Minnesota, and still attend every single Gopher basketball game. About three years ago I took my fandom up another level and started www.downwithgoldy.com, a blog devoted to Golden Gopher basketball and have continued writing for the past four years. Additionally, I am still Rico Tucker's No. 1 fan.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes 2. Michigan State Spartans

3. Illinois Fighting Illini

4. Minnesota Gophers

5. Purdue Boilermakers

6. Wisconsin Badgers

7. Northwestern Wildcats

8. Indiana Hoosiers

9. Penn State Nittany Lions

10. Michigan Wolverines

11. Iowa Hawkeyes

Ryan Weinzierl - Owner of Minnesota-Scores.net, a popular high school sports website. He's recorded over 43,000 scores in 11 high school and two college sports. Creator of a "Minnesota-Only" version of the College RPI called the Quality Results Formula (QRF), which has correctly predicted the winner of all State Tournament games 71% of the time since 2005. Also referees high school and college for the past 19 years. He currently lives in Moorhead. You can find him here: www.minnesota-scores.net 1. Michigan State 2. Illinois 3. Ohio State 4. Wisconsin 5. Purdue 6. Minnesota 7. Northwestern 8. Penn State 9. Indiana 10. Michigan 11. Iowa Lindsay Guentzel: As the youngest of four girls, I can confidently say my dad's life would've been perfect had I been a boy. Unfortunately, I wasn't—but as he says, pursuing a career in sports journalism makes me the next best thing. A lucky Pisces, I spend my days hanging out with the boys at KFAN (yes, I'm Intern Gal) and covering Golden Gopher volleyball and swimming for the Minnesota Daily. Blessed with incredible friends and family, I have major obsessions with running, Twins baseball, impromptu dance parties, and nail polish—and now, Big Ten basketball. You can find her here on Twitter. 1. Ohio State 2. Illinois 3. Michigan State 4. Wisconsin 5. Minnesota 6. Purdue 7. Northwestern 8. Indiana 9. Michigan 10. Penn State 11. Iowa Quincy Lewis : Quincy, an Arkansas native, played his high school basketball at Little Rock's Parkview. He was a four-year letterwinner for the Gophers from 1995 to 1999, a career played under the wisdom of Clem Haskins. Played 10 years professionally in the NBA and Europe. Earned his degree in Environmental Studies with an emphasis on education from the College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Science. Currently working for the Golden Gopher Fund at the University of Minnesota and as an assistant boys varsity coach at DeLaSalle High School. Started a private basketball-training academy called 20/20 Elite Basketball Academy. He's currently living in the North Metro. 1. Michigan State 2. Ohio State 3. Illinois 4. Purdue 5. Wisconsin 6. Minnesota 7. Michigan 8. Indiana 9. Penn State 10. Northwestern 11. Iowa Mike Milinovich: Mike Milinovich grew up in Bloomington and is a 1997 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While a student, Mike covered sports for The Daily Cardinal, one of the two daily student papers at the university. He focused on football, hockey and basketball. He currently lives in White Bear Lake with his wife and two children. You can follow him on Twitter @mjmilino. 1. Michigan State 2. Illinois
3. Wisconsin
4. Ohio State
5. Purdue
6. Minnesota
7. Northwestern
8. Penn State
9. Indiana
10. Michigan
11. Iowa