BTN's DiNardo answers some questions as Big Ten football kicks off

Big Ten football season gets rolling with the annual kickoff luncheon in Chicago and media days beginning Monday.

To help fans get caught up, we talked to Big Ten Network personality Gerry DiNardo, a former head coach at Indiana, about the 2018 season outlook.

DiNardo shared his thoughts on Northwestern's skill-position questions, Lovie Smith's slow start, P.J. Fleck's "Year Zero," picked favorites in each division and wondered what Michigan is going to do with Shea Patterson:

Q: Starting with the local team, Northwestern graduated all-time leading rusher Justin Jackson, while quarterback Clayton Thorson is coming back from knee surgery. Can the Wildcats take a step forward under those circumstances?

A: I don't really see Northwestern as a team that can be defined by taking a step forward. I think the last three, four, five years, they've obviously been a very solid program.

There have been years where I've projected them to compete for the West. Some years I was closer to being right than other years. If that's the next step, do I think they can compete in the West? I think so. Wisconsin has separated themselves in the West.

Northwestern is chasing Wisconsin along with everybody else.

Q: So if Wisconsin is the team to beat in the West Division, is there anything that could derail the Badgers?

A: Obviously, their offense (with nine starters returning) heading into the season is ahead of their defense (four starters back). When you say can something derail them, when the season starts they'll be fine on offense.

Can their offense keep them going long enough for them to maybe be as good as the defense has been in recent years? Trying to put that thing together, I think you say, "Early in the season, we have to be really good on offense to give our defense a chance to develop and get better."

So if you're saying can anything derail them, maybe if their defense doesn't develop. They lose most of their secondary.

Q: Illinois has gone 5-19 in Lovie Smith's two seasons as head coach and will have a young team once again. Can the Illini show some progress this year or will it take more time?

A: I felt like when the conference went East and West, there was an opportunity for all the teams in the West to make a step up and improve. I think Illinois clearly missed that window and now we see Wisconsin, Purdue, Iowa, Northwestern (a step ahead).

The competition is more significant now in the West than it's ever been, which I think slows Illinois' growth down.

I think that (first-year offensive coordinator) Rod Smith and (sophomore QB) Cam Thomas might be the two most important people to any one program in the Big Ten.

I think the world of Rod Smith; I think he was a great hire. I think Cam Thomas has some ability. I think a lot of their season is on their shoulders to make something happen in the spread attack. I think that gives them a chance. Whether they can do that or not, we'll have to wait and see.

Q: What about Kaneland native P.J. Fleck? What can we expect in his second season as head coach at Minnesota?

A: I'm anxious to see in camp how their roster has developed. They just looked like they were a really thin, undeveloped roster last year.

After going to several bowl games in recent years, I was a little surprised at the amount of roster development they had to do. They still don't have a quarterback, although that kid in the spring game, (redshirt freshman) Tanner Morgan, I liked him. I thought he looked good. They lost running back Shannon Brooks to an off-season injury.

This week I want to ask P.J. simply, 'How is your roster development coming?' Until I see that, I don't have a good feel for Minnesota. I heard P.J. refer to last year as 'Year Zero.' That's an interesting concept to have a cushion like that.

What he was saying was he put culture over wins and losses. He definitely has a plan; he just doesn't have a deep enough roster right now.

Q: Who is the favorite in the East Division?

A: I'd say Ohio State is the favorite. They've got a lot of players back.

This pass-first, dual-threat quarterback is the new rage in college football. Dwayne Haskins fits that perfectly. I think in a perfect world, Urban Meyer wants to be a downhill spread team, meaning the run game looks like the I-formation; tailback's shoulders parallel to the line of scrimmage, like when they won the national championships.

Great tailbacks; they've got J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber in the backfield. And they've got a quarterback who can go vertical, which they haven't had since Cardale Jones won a national championship.

Dwayne Haskins can get them vertical with the pass game. Now you're vertical with the pass game and vertical in the tailback game. That's how they won the national championship, and I'm anxious to see if their offense resembles that both scheme-wise and personnel-wise.

I think they're going to be the most explosive offense in the East.

Q: Any other intriguing stories around the league?

A: Obviously, to me the story in the East is what's Michigan's offense going to look like. They have (transfer QB) Shea Patterson, who I watched on tape at Ole Miss. To me, he's a spread quarterback. Their offensive line is OK; one of the strengths of the team is their wide receivers.

Are they really going to line up Shea Patterson underneath the center, have him drop back 5 to 7 yards and in 2.7 seconds throw the ball and take away his ability to scramble and all that kinds of stuff?

So, to me, the intriguing X-and-O story in the East, and probably program story, is Michigan.

They were third the first year, third the second year and fourth the third year of Jim Harbaugh. That's not, I don't think, on schedule.

Obviously, they've done very well on defense. They have four first-team all-defensive players last year and not one on offense. To me, Michigan's a great personnel, coaching and scheme story.

In the West, I love the balance of the West. I'm anxious to see if the gaps close between Wisconsin and the other six. So, to me, those are the intriguing stories."