Lindy's picks UW for third in the Big Ten
Matt Lowe of Lindy's Sports has written the site's Big Ten preview and thinks Ohio State is the class of the conference, but does say "Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois and the up-and-coming Michigan State Spartans may also have a gripe in the conference race."
In his rundown of the teams, Lowe lists the Badgers third. His analysis:
"The Badgers have a lot of talent at running back, tight end and along the offensive line, but the defense will need to play better than it did a season ago (allowed 30 or points six times last year) for the team to win the conference. P.J. Hill, who ran for 1,212 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2007, is a bruiser at tailback and tight end Travis Beckum most likely would have been a first or second-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft had he left. Guard Kraig Urbik and tackle Gabe Carimi are stalwarts on an offensive line that returns four starters and helped Wisconsin rank 21st nationally in rushing offense. But for all the offensive talent the Badgers possess, it won't matter if the team doesn't get steady quarterback play. Allan Evridge, a lefty, has the inside track on the starting job but junior Dustin Sherer looks to be in the mix as well."
For those wondering, here is Lowe's complete Big Ten list:
1. Ohio State; 2. Penn State; 3. Wisconsin; 4. Illinois; 5. Michigan State; 6. Michigan; 7. Purdue; 8. Indiana; 9. Iowa; 10. Northwestern; 11. Minnesota.
