Big Ten preview: Buckeyes are alone at the top

TEAM-BY-TEAM CAPSULES
(In predicted order of finish)

1 OHIO STATE
Coach: Jim Tressel
2007: 11-2 overall (7-1 Big Ten)
Circle it: Sept. 13 at USC
Players to watch: QB Todd Boeckman, RB Chris Wells, LB James Laurinaitis
Key stat: Ohio State is coming off its first back-to-back outright conference championships since 1954-55.
Outlook: Everybody said the Buckeyes had to get faster to compete at the national level. Freshman QB Terrelle Pryor is a good start. We’ll know much of what we need to know about OSU’s national title hopes after the USC game.

2 WISCONSIN
Coach: Bret Bielema
2007: 9-4 (5-3 Big Ten)
Circle it: Ohio State, Oct. 4.
Players to watch: QB Allan Evridge, who beat out two others for the starting job, TE Travis Beckum, RB P.J. Hill.
Key stats: The power-running Badgers return four of five starting offensive linemen.
Outlook: Bielema said he believes his offense — now unique in the spread-out Big Ten, will give his team an advantage. Nine defensive starters return, but the Badgers D has to be more consistent than last year.

3 ILLINOIS
Coach: Ron Zook
2007: 9-4 (6-2 Big Ten)
Circle it: vs. Missouri Aug. 30 in St. Louis
Players to watch: QB Juice Williams, WR Arrelious Benn, CB Vontae Davis.
Key stat: Illinois was one of the surprise teams of last year. But the Illini haven’t had back-to-back winning seasons since 1989-90.
Outlook: The defense will allow the Illini to stay in games. If Williams makes the jump he made last year and Zook’s running back by committee approach works, the Illini could be Big Ten players.

4 PENN STATE
Coach: Joe Paterno
2007: 9-4 (4-4 Big Ten)
Circle it: Sept. 27 vs. Illinois
Players to watch: WRs Derrick Williams, Deon Butler and Jordan Norwood, RB Evan Royster.
Key stat: Eighteen starters are back, including the entire offensive line.
Outlook: The Lions believe they have the athletes to install the spread offense.
JoePa running the spread? What’s next?

5 MICHIGAN STATE
Coach: Mark Dantonio
2007: 7-6 (3-5 Big Ten)
Circle it: Sept. 20 vs. Notre Dame.
Players to watch: RB Javon Ringer, QB Brian Hoyer, LB Greg Jones.
Key stat: Last year’s Spartans scored a school-record 430 points in their first year under Dantonio, and never lost by more than seven points.
Outlook: An up-and-coming team returns only 13 returning starters, but Dantonio has put the Spartans’ underachieving ways behind them. Another bowl is in the picture.

6 MICHIGAN
Coach: Rich Rodriguez
2007: 9-4 (6-2)
Circle it: Aug. 30 vs. Utah.
Players to watch: QB Steven Threet, QB Nick Sheridan, QB Justin Feagin, DE Tim Jamison, DE Brandon Graham.
Key stat: Michigan has 40 consecutive winning seasons and playing in 33 bowl games in a row— both record NCAA streaks.
Outlook: Rodriguez might be an offensive genius, but it looks like a stingy defense will need to stand tall while he figures out who will play quarterback.

7 IOWA
Coach: Kirk Ferentz
2007: 6-6 (4-4 Big Ten)
Circle it: Sept. 20 at Pittsburgh
Players to watch: QB Jack Christensen, TE Tony Moeaki, WR Andy Brodell.
Key stat: Only 19 victories in the past three seasons, after winning 31 in the three previous seasons.
Outlook: There are a lot of experienced players, and Iowa doesn’t play Michigan or Ohio State. Will that be enough to get the Hawkeyes back in a bowl?

8 PURDUE
Coach: Joe Tiller
2007: 8-5 (3-5 Big Ten)
Circle it: Oct. 4 vs. Penn State
Players to watch: QB Curtis Painter, WR Kevin Smith, WR Greg Orton.
Key stat: Purdue has won only 15 of its past 32 Big Ten games.
Outlook: Tiller will be looking to end his final season in a bowl game. But he needs to restock his receiving corps and see improvement on defense.

9 MINNESOTA
Coach: Tim Brewster
2007: 1-11 (0-8 Big Ten)
Circle it: Sept. 6 at Bowling Green
Players to watch: QB Adam Weber, WR Eric Decker, DE Willie VanDeSteeg.
Key stat: The Gophers finished last in Division I-A in total defense last season.
Outlook: A strong recruiting class has upgraded the defense, particularly in the secondary, and a productive offense returns Weber and Decker. If the offense takes care of the ball and the defense slows down opponents, the Gophers could make a big jump.

10 NORTHWESTERN
Coach: Pat Fitzgerald
2007: 6-6 (3-5 Big Ten)
Circle it: Oct. 11 vs. Michigan State
Players to watch: QB C.J. Bacher, RB Tyrell Sutton, WR Eric Peterman.
Key stat: Sutton gained 1,474 yards as a freshman and 1,000 as sophomore, but missed all or parts of six games because of an ankle injury and finished with a career-low 4.8-yard rushing average
Outlook: An extremely soft start to the schedule could give the Wildcats a jump start to a successful season. We might not know until October.

11 INDIANA
Coach: Bill Lynch
2007: 7-6 (3-5 Big Ten)
Circle it: Sept. 27 vs. Michigan State
Players to watch: QB Kellen Lewis (who was suspended during spring practice), RB Marcus Thigpen.
Key stat: The Hoosiers were out-gained by 70.5 yards per game last year. The good news? Three of four starters return from a defensive line that had a school-record 42 sacks last season.
Outlook: The Hoosiers have to move the ball better than last year, and it starts with the run. But Indiana has not ranked better than fifth in the conference in rushing since Antwaan Randle El left seven years ago.