Ten big topics for Big Ten football

For most of the 2006 season, the Big Ten cornered the college football market.

The league boasted the nation's two best teams (Ohio State and Michigan), the best player (Buckeyes quarterback Troy Smith), the best freshman (Wisconsin running back P.J. Hill) and the most anticipated game (Michigan at Ohio State).

But the buzz vanished after two disheartening and borderline embarrassing bowl performances.

Concerns about a speed gap, particularly with the SEC, surfaced after national signing day, prompting Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany to issue a sour-grapes letter in which he knocked the SEC and defended his league.

The Big Ten returns to the main stage today for preseason media sessions, and the league has no shortage of compelling story lines.

Can Michigan challenge for a national title a decade after its last championship? Did Ohio State lose too much on offense to repeat as Big Ten champs? Can Wisconsin usurp the big two? Will the Big Ten Network reach an agreement with Comcast?

On the local front, Illinois could be the league's most intriguing team, with a talented young roster that could silence coach Ron Zook's critics. Northwestern has a favorable schedule and could re-enter the bowl picture under second-year coach Pat Fitzgerald.

As the league's coaches and players swarm downtown Chicago, here are 10 key topics to track this fall:

Making (air)waves

After months of incessant publicity, the Big Ten will launch its new television network on Aug. 30. The round-the-clock network will broadcast about 400 live sporting events as well as classic games and a nightly wrapup show.

But will all the hype matter if the network can't reach an agreement with Comcast, the nation's largest cable provider? The two sides are haggling over subscriber rates, and many Big Ten fans could be left in the dark if a deal isn't cut.

Remembering Hep

Three Big Ten teams have new coaches, and though Michigan State's Mark Dantonio and Minnesota's Tim Brewster soon will be household names, the immediate focus is on Indiana.

Much like Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald a year ago, Bill Lynch faces the unenviable task of leading a Hoosiers team still stunned by the death of coach Terry Hoeppner. Lynch has 14 years of head-coaching experience and a talented offense featuring wide receiver James Hardy, but as Northwestern can attest, moving on after tragedy isn't easy.

Delany's dozen?

With the Big Ten Network as the driving force, the league is again pushing to add a 12th member. A 12-team league would set the stage for a cash-cow championship game and give the network exposure in a new market.

There won't be another run at Notre Dame, leaving schools such as Missouri, Rutgers, Syracuse and Pittsburgh as possible candidates.

"We need to look at it in the next year," Delany recently told The Des Moines Register. "We have eight states. With expansion, you could have nine."

Lloyd's last chance?

With senior stars Chad Henne and Mike Hart in the offensive backfield and an increasingly impatient fan base, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr could be entering his final run at a national title.

Carr is 113-36 in 12 years at Michigan, but his teams have lost four consecutive bowl games, including three Rose Bowls. Carr is just 1-5 against Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.

With Henne, Hart, star wide receiver Mario Manningham and a favorable road schedule, the Wolverines are a popular pick to win the Big Ten.

Boiling point

Joe Tiller's dress-down attire (no tie) and homespun humor make him a media-day favorite, but the Purdue coach has a more subdued look these days. The Boilermakers were rocked by several off-field problems this spring, and Tiller closed practices for the first time because of nosy bloggers.

Tiller's job probably is safe, but his seat could get warm if Purdue's revamped defense doesn't significantly improve.

Quarterback Curtis Painter brings big-number potential, and Dorien Bryant could be the league's steadiest receiver.

The 'Eyes have it

A great schedule, that is. Iowa, which opens the season at sold-out Soldier Field against Northern Illinois, avoids Michigan and Ohio State on its Big Ten slate.

Ninth-year coach Kirk Ferentz no longer holds Teflon status in Iowa City after back-to-back disappointing seasons, and he needs sophomore quarterback Jake Christensen to grow up fast.

The Hawkeyes must travel to Wisconsin and Penn State, but they could make a run if the defensive line improves and running back Albert Young returns to his 2005 form.

Juice is loose

No one doubts Juice Williams as a runner, but his passing accuracy raises red flags for orange-and-blue nation. Williams is the key ingredient for a young but dangerous Illinois team, and he has a prime target in freshman wide receiver Arrelious Benn.

Williams, a sophomore from Chicago, also has help in the backfield with running back Rashard Mendenhall. What Williams can't afford is another jittery season after he completed a league-worst 39.5 percent of his passes in 2006.

Jump around

While Ohio State and Michigan stumbled during bowl season, Wisconsin fortified itself among the nation's elite. Despite a diluted schedule, the Badgers went 12-1, finished No. 7 in the final AP poll and ranked second in scoring defense (12.1 ppg).

Seven starters return on defense, and despite the losses of superstar tackle Joe Thomas and longtime quarterback John Stocco, Wisconsin returns its other four starting linemen and P.J. Hill, who missed spring practice with neck and shoulder injuries.

The Badgers' critical stretch comes Nov. 3 and Nov. 10, when they visit Ohio State before hosting Michigan.

Under the radar

Swaying public opinion isn't easy at Northwestern. After NU spent three years in the Big Ten's midsection, the dark ages have returned to Evanston, at least according to the preseason prognosticators. Coming off a 4-8 season, Northwestern is again a popular pick to finish in the Big Ten basement.

But there's hope in quarterback C.J. Bacher, back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher Tyrell Sutton and a strong core of receivers that includes converted quarterback Andrew Brewer.

The Wildcats might have their strongest defense in the spread-offense era, and with seven home games for the first time, a bowl run is realistic.

Stargazing

Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith is gone, but the Big Ten still boasts a formidable cast of stars.

Mike Hart's steady production should earn him Heisman hype, and Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis will compete for a second consecutive national defensive player of the year award.

Michigan tackle Jake Long might be this year's Joe Thomas, and the league has an exciting group of wide receivers featuring Mario Manningham (Michigan), James Hardy (Indiana) and Dorien Bryant (Purdue).