This week we continue our series of Conference Conversations by taking a look at the Big Ten football landscape. Today we start with the first of three Big Ten football Q & A sessions by looking at the teams that can challenge Michigan State and Ohio State for the Big Ten title.

Joining us this week to discuss Big Ten football will be Joe Beale of the Ohio State blog Eleven Warriors. We have Kevin McGuire of the Nittany Lions Den, and Andrew Coppens of the Wisconsin blog MadTown Badgers

[box] Question # 1: Las Vegas has installed Michigan State as the favorite to win the Legends Division this year (+200) and Ohio State as the overwhelming favorite to win the Leaders Division (-800). What other team(s) could realistically surprise the oddsmakers and challenge those two teams for the division & conference title? Why?[/box]

Joe Beale – Eleven Warriors:  In the Leaders, I’m not sure how realistic it is but Wisconsin seems to be the best bet to challenge Ohio State. They do have to play at Columbus, but the rest of their schedule is more manageable: they play their toughest games at home and don’t play Michigan, Michigan State, or Nebraska at all.

In the Legends, I have Nebraska, Northwestern, and Michigan all rated higher than Sparty with Minnesota not far behind. The Legends should be a real dogfight this season and I think Bo Pelini’s troops will come out ahead due to the experience and playmaking ability of Taylor Martinez at quarterback.

Kevin McGuire – Nittany Lions Den: I think Ohio State is a fairly safe bet as far as the Leaders Division goes. Penn State is ineligible. Illinois, Indiana and Purdue are in a different league right now. Wisconsin is the biggest threat but I’m not real excited about their chances of putting together more wins than the Buckeyes barring significant injuries in Columbus (ie: Braxton Miller).

But the Legends Division is another story.

I’m surprised Michigan State is the favorite here, as I would be more willing to put money on Nebraska in a three-team race between the Huskers, Spartans and Michigan. You could even throw Northwestern in to the mix as a wildcard contender in the division. Maybe I missed something last season, but the Spartans struggled on offense last season and now they have lost their leading rusher. I think Michigan getting back to a more fundamental offense should lead to some good things, but the Wolverines still have some work to do before living up to any Big Ten championship caliber hype in my book.

I would not bet against Ohio State for the Big Ten championship, but I would think strongly about going with Nebraska in the Legends Division. Nebraska probably has the best value too with a strong running game and experienced quarterback in Taylor Martinez. Though prone to errors, Martinez can make something happen on any play. If the Huskers can get their defense caught up to speed, they could give Ohio State a run on the right day.

Andy Coppens – Madtown Badgers: While I will seriously quibble with Las Vegas for their pick of MSU as the favorite in the Legends division, I will also save that for another day. I think the serious challengers and my personal favorites to win the division are Nebraska and Northwestern.

Northwestern is one of the more experienced teams in the Big Ten and are coming off a ten win season. Nebraska has the most loaded offense in the conference position by position and while the defense is a question mark they will also benefit from a far easier schedule this season than last. That can’t be underestimated in my opinion.

As for the Leaders there is really only one challenger in my mind and that’s the Wisconsin Badgers. That division should come down to their match-up with Ohio State on Sept. 28th and whomever wins it is likely to win the division going away.

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