Let's see.... got my Gopher meat, Badger meat, Wolverine meat, a little cat gut (Lion and Wild), eye of Hawk, eye of Buck......   Oh, hey there.   Come join me, I'm mixin' up a batch of Hogshead Soup, Big Eleven Style.  Let's throw 'em in the pot in the order I see 'em finishing.

IOWA:  Must be frustrating for the Iowa fans. Their team is loaded with talent and experience,and not a lot of "experts" seem to notice.  Don't worry Hawkeye's, I got your love.  Coach Kirk Ferentz has built Iowa into a solid program, and this year's offense will be led by QB Drew Tate.  Troy Smith is getting all the preseason pub, but don't forget Tate threw for 2828 yards and 22 touchdowns last season.  Add RB Albert Young, who rushed for 1334 yards last season, and you can expect a bunch of points by this Iowa squad.

The defense is led by preseason all- American and All-Big 10 lineman Kenny Iwebema. The Hawkeyes must break in new cornerbacks and find a couple of linebackers, but overall should be good enough on defense.  They face a critical early season game at.....

MICHIGAN:  Lloyd Carr is under fire from fans despite his 5 Big-10 tiles and '97 National Championship.  Most Michigan fans' memories don't go back any further than the most recent Ohio State game.  Carr has lost 4 of 5 to Jim Tressell, and the faithful are riled.  A vote of confidence from the school hasn't turned down the heat much. 

Fifteen returning starters give Michigan hope, and this Wolverine team is very athletic, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.  Defensive lineman Lamar Woodley, LB Prescott Burgess and DB's Leon Hall and Willis Barringer highlight one of the strongest groups in the nation.  The biggest problem is the schedule, with road games against Notre Dame, Penn State and Ohio State.  A victory in the home game versus the Hawkeyes could place Michigan squarely in the middle of the National Championship chase.

OHIO STATE:  The Buckeyes are in the middle of two-a-days, and still sounding overconfident.  Offensively, we all know about QB Troy Smith, WR Ted Ginn and freshman hotshot Chris Wells.  Most seem to have forgotten Anthony Pittman, who rushed for 1331 yards last season.  Ohio State truly is loaded on this side of the ball. So why am I not on the bandwagon?

I'm sorry, but losing seven starters on defense doesn't get you a free pass to #1 in the nation.  Coach Tressell should be particularly concerned about the secondary, where six of the top eight players are freshmen and sophomores.  This has led to "great competition," (read that "no one has stepped up") , and the backfield is still not settled.  Don't be surprised if the Buckeyes play an exciting brand of Don't Bend but Break Defense.

WISCONSIN:  Barry Alvarez has stepped down from the reins of one of the nation's top programs in recent years.  New head coach Bret Bielena must rebuild the offense, with only three returning starters.  Underrated QB John Stocco and a strong offensive line will be counted on to carry the offense while RB's and receivers develop.

The defense last year was young, but came on strong at the end of the year.  Senior LB Mark Zalewski is being counted on heavily.  The best thing Alvarez did for Bielena was leave him a schedule that includes non-conference games against Bowling Green, Western Illinois, San Diego State and Buffalo.  If they finish above .500 in conference, the Badgers are looking at a 9 win season and another nice bowl trip.

PENN STATE:  JoPa is back for his 41st season as head coach of the Nittany Lions.  Let's all pause and let that sink in.  Many observers feel he should have stepped down after last year's return to glory.  With Michael Robinson gone and the O-line needing to be rebuilt, the offensive workhorse of this years team should be RB Tony Hunt, returning from a 1,000 yard season in 2005.  (Is it my imagination, or did every Big 10 team have a 1,000 yard rusher last year?)

Defensively is where Penn State will struggle.  All-Everything linebacker Paul Posluszny is the star, but replacing seven starters in the Big 10 is tough. (See Ohio State.)  Paterno seems to be in a recent trend of one good year followed by a couple of rebuilding ones. If he wants to go out on top, Paterno may have to wait 'till 2008.

MICHIGAN STATE:  I love this quote from Coach John L. Smith:  "I believe we're going to be exciting to watch on the offensive side of the ball.  It's going to be a circus.  We're going to put some points on the board."  Smith is right, MSU will light up the scoreboard this year, especially against inexperienced teams.  Their big-play abilities will keep them in most games.

The problem with this circus is that the clowns are on the defensive side of the ball.  Strong safety Nehemia Warrick has been the buzz in camp, and is being counted on to solidify the unit. It should be exciting to watch the Spartans this year.  Look for Smith's crew to pull some major upsets, while stumbling against teams they should beat.

MINNESOTA:  The nations strongest running attack is ready to plug in Amir Pinnix and continue to pound the ball at opponents.  The O-line as usual will be strong, but there is a sense the the Gophers have missed their chance to move significantly up the ladder in the Big 10.  Recruiting has been down, and without enough great athletes winning consistently is tough. 

The defense is experienced, but undersized and a step slow.  Guys like 295 lb DL Neel Allen need to step up if Minnesota is going to return to a bowl game.  A killer stretch of games in late September-early October against Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin is the key to the Gophers season.  Lose all three, and it may be hard to stop the spiral.

PURDUE:  Anyone know what has happened to the Boilermakers?  The days of Drew Brees are a fading memory.  And now Coach Joe Tiller is talking option football. He obviously has a grasp of what it takes to be succesful in an option attack.  Recently Tiller noted "You don't really need a QB who's fast."  Huh?  Coach, we run a lot of option in the SEC, trust me on this one.  You need a QB who's fast.  Tiller should be concentrating on trying to get the ball to outstanding WR Dorien Bryant, with 80 catches a year ago.  Five star recruit Selwyn Lyman is now eligible and presents another inviting target.  Is Tiller trying to fool us ?  Or is Tiller a fool?

It may not matter what they do on offense if Purdue cannot improve a defense that gave up 35 touchdowns a year ago.  In a mid-season six game stretch, the Boilermakers couldn't hold anyone under 30.

NORTHWESTERN:  The death of Coach Randy Walker has left the entire Wildcat program saddened and uncertain.  New coach Pat Fitzgerald must pick up the pieces and rally his troups.  In an ironic twist, Northwestern's first game is against Miami of Ohio, Walker's alma mater.  Walker coached there for nine seasons before moving to Northwestern,  and the media will be out in full force looking for a story.  Nothwestern can look to programs like LSU and Tulane to learn how to draw strength from adversity.

Defensively, Coach Fitzgerald will be fazing in a switch to a 3-4 alignment to try to increase speed  and athleticism.  The defense gave up over 5 yards a run last season, so improvement is essential.

INDIANA:  I did a search on "Indiana Hoosiers" and I had to go through 5 pages of Google to find a football story.  The story was all about how the players are getting Mohawk haircuts.  There was also a story about receiver James Hardy.  His legal troubles are behind him, and Hardy is eligible for the opening game.

On the defensive side, DB Leslie Majors has bulked up to 170 lbs, thanks to IU's radical new training regimen, Ovaltine.  The only reason I didn't pick Coach Terry Hoeppner's squad dead last is....

ILLINOIS:  Ron Zook proved that his record at Florida was no Zook fluke, going winless last season in Big 10 play.  If Zook struggled with the players he had in Gainsville, what made the Illini think he could suddenly coach?  Illinois does return 21 starters, and incoming freshman QB Isiah Williams is a talent.

The Illini defense was horrible last year, giving up 470 yards and almost 40 points per game.  There is decent talent at Illinois, but not enought to overcome the coaching.

***********************************************

OK, had your fill?  Take two Tums and call me in the morning.

Sources:  AP, Columbus Dispatch; Kansas City Star, Michigan Daily, RealFootball365.com, Chicago Tribune, detroit Free Press, Herald Standard, Indianapolis Star, Rockford Register-Star, Minnesota Daily, Washington Post, Journal and Courier, collegefootballnews.com