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Gerry DiNardo, the former head football coach at Indiana and LSU, is now the Big Ten Network analyst for the conference in football each fall.  He's in the Detroit News Monday analyzing the Big Ten, which left me shaking my head at some of what he analyzes and forecasts for this fall.

He has Michigan State somewhere in the middle of the first division of the league and that's fine, but in his analysis he makes no mention of Michigan State's running game whatsoever.   He's more concerned about the two quarterbacks and their inexperience being a liability.  Both Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol, I feel, will get experience quickly in wins over Montana State and Central Michigan to begin the season.  But I'm more concerned about the running backs and who replaces Javon Ringer.  And to me it's a major issue.  Not that I don't think the Spartans can't run the ball-- it's just who will do it, how many will be involved and will the Spartans run the ball for better or for worse than a year ago.  If MSU runs the ball well, then the team will have a good season. If MSU struggles to run the ball, then wins will be tougher to come by against good defensive clubs.  DiNardo makes no mention of all this.

He doesn't think the league will have the talent it's had in years past-- to me the league's talent the past two seasons has been as low as I've seen it top to bottom in some time.  Not that there are not some good teams and good players-- but not as good as in past years and for one main reason it's because Michigan was so awful last fall.  Until Michigan improves greatly, the Big Ten's overall image will suffer nationwide-- at least that's my opinion.