Penn State in '08

Considering that their previous QB was Morelli, I would say that starting a new QB is actually a positive, and should give them a better shot at doing well.

New qb, new RB, not sure how their O-line is looking, decent D, and a solid receiving core = hype? They had a subpar recruiting class (again), and unless they catch lightining in a bottle in the form of a qb preformance not seen in happy valley since Mike Robinson (and to be honest he is the only game changing PSU qb that I can think of since Kerry Collins)they are going to have about 8-9 wins and finish 3-5 in the big ten. Oh and on a side note I don't understand the Wisconsin hype, trust me they will not be as good as advertised. Allan Evridge couldn't cut it at KSU - he is going to be a flop.

I've been asked to relay a message from Jay Pa: Vote for Barackal, you twinkle toed cream puffs.

When I wrote my PSU preview, I was surprised at how many people they had coming back, especially at all the right positions (except quarterback, though I don't think Anthony Morelli was too much of a loss).

I hear what you’re saying and I agree, especially PSU, but this just reflects how bad the Big Ten is and media laziness. OSU is clearly the class of the Big Ten (I do not think they are an elite team.) With Michigan down, you’ve got a cluster of second tier teams that will get press. In my mind, Michigan’s demise is greatly over stated due to the ND effect. ND demonstrated that even the biggest of the big boys are not safe from horrible seasons in down years. However, I think the similarities between ND and Michigan are superficial and overblown. People like Penn St. because they return most of their O-line and their defense looks good. A recent injury to a LB hurts the D. It is assumed that the D will be good because the D is always good (the same is true for Wisconsin.) A good O-line and stout D gives you a chance to run and have a conservative passing offense based on play action. While that should be good enough for the Big Ten, I question the coaching too much to have much faith in PSU. Wisconsin has the aforementioned D and returns PJ Hill and Travis Beckham on offense. MSU is in the same mold and viewed as an up and comer (similar to Penn St.!!!) by media group think. The good news for Michigan is all of these teams are beatable if they can do a decent job stopping a standard rushing attack and find some way to put some points on the board—combination of short fields, lucky or trick plays, and one or two real drives—whatever it takes. In order to be “playing for a championship” all you have to do is be undefeated in conference or have one loss and still have OSU in the future. That’s not so tough. If OSU stumbles, say against Illinois, then it’s wide open. For me Illinois is the wild card due to their dynamic offense and unfortunate tendency to be coached by Ron Zook.