Let's see if we have this straight. Illinois thinks it can defend its Big Ten title. It wouldn't be surprising if traditional powers Ohio State and Michigan played for all the marbles in their annual showdown.

Wisconsin and Penn State, which are rarely out of the hunt, are so eager to atone for last year that they are gnawing through their chin straps. A healthy Michigan State is poised for a breakout year. Purdue has found its next great quarterback. And Iowa and Minnesota think they're ready to take another step. That's nine teams that think they're bowl-bound, including maybe a half-dozen who also have legitimate designs on the conference championship.

	Around The Big Ten
	Illinois Fighting Illini
	Indiana Hoosiers
	Iowa Hawkeyes
	Michigan Wolverines
	Michigan State Spartans
	Minnesota Golden Gophers
	Northwestern Wildcats
	Ohio State Buckeyes
	Penn State Nittany Lions
	Purdue Boilermakers
	Wisconsin Badgers

It's the fuzziest math this side of Enron and Worldcom, and it all adds up to a Big Ten race that looks very wide-open, unless you're a believer in blue-chippers Ohio State and Michigan.

Another strange thing is going on in the Big Ten. A league known for its punishing running games is filled with marquee receivers rather than tailbacks. Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Purdue all have top-notch pass-catching corps, and several others aren't far behind.

The premier running back, Anthony Davis, returns for his sophomore season, and after leading the league in rushing last season, is a dark-horse Heisman candidate. Ohio State also has a tandem of studs in Lydell Ross and Maurice Clarett. At quarterback, Michigan State's Jeff Smoker is poised for a big year, as is Penn State's Zack Mills.

On defense, Illinois and Michigan have the classiest secondaries, but the Wolverines also are strong at linebacker and on the defensive line, which is why the Wolverines could be the team still standing at the end. If that's the case, Michigan linebacker Victor Hobson could wind up as the league's defensive player of the year.

One thing looks certain. The Big Ten once again doesn't seem likely to have a player in the national championship race. For all their confidence, every team in the league has personnel questions to answer. And its top-to-bottom balance makes it unlikely that anyone will get through the conference season unscathed.

Game of the Year
Start spreading the word. The Ohio State-Michigan game, which has regularly decided the Big Ten title, is back. Not only are the teams No. 1 and 1-A in any sensible preseason forecast, the Buckeyes' impressive upset of the Wolverines last fall, which knocked Michigan out of a share of the conference title, set a new tone for the old series. After going 2-9-1 vs. Michigan under John Cooper, Ohio State paid back Michigan in Jim Tressel's introduction to one of college football's greatest rivalries.

Offensive Player of the Year
Other preseason contenders, notably Michigan State quarterback Jeff Smoker and WR Charles Rogers, will get more attention, but Wisconsin's Anthony Davis is the pick. Davis, whose 1,466 yards was the sixth best freshman rushing total in the NCAA record book, seems ready to take another step, particularly if a passing game led by Brooks Bollinger-to-Lee Evans (who could be back by conference play) doesn't let defenses overplay the run.

Defensive Player of the Year
Outside linebacker Victor Hobson is the leader of a Michigan defense that makes it hard to pick against the Wolverines for the Big Ten title. Hobson, a 6-foot-1, 244-pound senior who has 30 career tackles for loss, is poised to succeed Michigan great Larry Foote, last year's winner, as the Big Ten's top defender.

Herb Gould covers the Big Ten for the Chicago Sun-Times.