Looking Forward

The 06-07 school year is over, so that means it is time to start looking at the 07 college football season.

Is Wisconsin the best team in the Big Ten? It seems strange to see that question on ESPN's homepage, but many are saying yes.
From Mark Schlabach at ESPN:

Wisconsin was very, very good under former coach Barry Alvarez. In his 16 seasons, the Badgers claimed three Big Ten titles and won three Rose Bowls. But under Alvarez's watch, Wisconsin never seemed to be a true national championship contender. Thanks to Alvarez and many of the players he recruited, the Badgers are on the cusp of becoming one of the country's truly elite teams in coach Bret Bielema's second season. The Badgers return nine starters on offense and seven on defense from a team that finished 12-1 and beat Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl. How good were the Badgers last season? Since they didn't have to play Ohio State and won only one game against a team that won its bowl game, no one exactly knows. With home games against Washington State and Michigan and road games at Penn State and Ohio State, the Badgers will earn their ranking in 2007.

An Overview of all Big Ten teams on ESPN shows why the Badgers are being picked as "the team to beat".

Stewart Mandel's spring power rankings for SI have Wisconsin at #10 in the nation. The best part of these rankings: Notre Dame is nowhere to be found.