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88 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED with that defense." The good thing for Wolverines' fans is Harbaugh knows a thing or two about building offenses. At Nebraska, the kinder, gentler Riley, who is as well respected by his peers as any coach, walks right into high expectations. "I think for the first time Riley is in a situation with all of the bells and whistles," Dienhart said. "He won a lot at Oregon State, a program kind of like Purdue. He brought a lot of staff with him that gives them the chance to hit the ground running and maybe win that division. If he can work his style in with quarterback Tommy Arm- strong's skill set, things could go well early, but they have their warts as a team, so how good the Huskers will be right off the bat is to be determined." Chryst, who was being considered for the Purdue job when Danny Hope was hired in 2008, is expected to bring stability to Wisconsin. The surprising departures of Bret Bielema and Ander- sen over the past three seasons has left athletic director Barry Alvarez in a tough spot. Yet, Chryst promises to bring stability to the program, which expects to remain at a high level. "Paul has to make some changes back to the way Bret was doing things," DiNardo said. "Offseason training has changed, practice has changed and that bodes well for Wisconsin. Paul's style as a coach being there makes (quarterback) Joel Stave much better. I think that's a great fit for those guys." COMPETITIVE BALANCE The Big Ten may be back with its powerhouse teams, but is there a low- er-rung team ready to emerge or is it becoming a league of the haves vs. the have-nots? The six teams generally expected to be picked at the bottom of both divisions hope they can be the surprise team in 2015. In the East, Maryland and Rutgers were "A-plus" in their first year in the league, according toDiNardo, but the adjustment is ongoing. "If you rank these teams 1-14 in the Big Ten, Rutgers and Maryland might be in the middle," DiNardo said. "But if you rank them 1-7 in the East, it's different. To be competitive in the East, you have to be competitive at the line of scrimmage, and you have to have good quarterback play." Dienhart likes Indiana as a possible fifth-place finisher in the East. In the West, Purdue, Illinois and Northwest- ern all figure to be battling in the final three spots. "I see Purdue as improved," DiNar- do said. "I thought they made the most improvement out of any team from Darrell's first spring to his second spring. How could they not? They re- ally struggled that first year. They have also made improvements his second spring to his third spring. Their of- fensive line is a good offensive line. I think that if you have a good offensive line and enough talent at running back, it gives you a chance. "Purdue has a chance." Still, through it all, one thing is seems clear: The Big Ten is back as a power and a player at the elite level in college football. And that is a position not many predicted for the conference just a few short years ago. j Wisconsin Michael Caputo leads a Wisconsin secondary that might be among the best in the conference.