“Hello, Matthew Barker? This is Governor Strickland’s office calling. Since you have picked Michigan to win the Big Ten title, the Governor wants to revoke your status as a resident of the state of Ohio.”

I know, I know, here I am born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, and I am picking, gulp, Michigan (TSUN, scUM, etc.) to win the Big Ten Conference.

I am not necessarily saying they will win the title outright, but I think they should at least share the crown.

Michigan, who the majority of the experts think will win the conference, returns a ton of talent on the offensive side of the ball, but has a lot of questions on defense.

The Wolverines’ are stocked on offense, with returning starters in senior quarterback Chad Henne (203-of-328 passing for 2,508 yards with 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions), senior tailback Mike Hart (318 carries, 1,562 yards and 14 TDs), and junior wide receiver Mario Manningham (40 receptions, 544 yards, eight touchdowns).

Not only does Michigan return some key skilled players, but also three offensive linemen with seniors Jake Long and Adam Kraus, along with junior Alex Mitchell.

The big question is on defense, where the Wolverines return only four starters from a unit that allowed 74 points in their final two games last season.

Gone are last year’s starters with defensive tackle Alan Branch, defensive end LaMarr Woodley, linebackers David Harris and Prescott Burgess, and cornerback Leon Hall.

The four starters returning are defensive tackle Terrance Taylor, linebacker Shawn Crable, cornerback Morgan Trent, and safety Jamar Adams.

2. Ohio State

As I stated before, I am not a homer, though I do feel that Ohio State has the best defensive unit in the conference.

Depending on who you read, most state that OSU returns just five starters on defense. But that’s a bit misleading.

Sophomore Anderson Russell started two games last year before going down with a season-ending injury against Texas, and sophomore cornerback Donald Washington, though not a starter, saw extensive action in the nickel package.

Plus there’s loads of talent waiting in the wings with defensive backs Chimdi Chekwa, Eugene Clifford, Aaron Gant, and Kurt Coleman.

In the linebacking corps, two starters return with juniors James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman, and several others with experience in seniors Larry Grant and Curtis Terry, along with sophomores Ross Homan and Austin Spitler.

The biggest holes to fill defensively are at the tackle position, losing last year’s starters Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson. Sophomore Doug Worthington moves from end to tackle, while sophomore Todd Denlinger takes over the other spot.

Juniors Lawrence Wilson and Vernon Gohlston, who led the Buckeyes last year with 8.5 sacks, anchor the line at the ends.

Offensively, it will be “Chris Wells Show” until one of the three quarterbacks emerge from the pack who can lead the unit downfield with their arm.

Redshirt junior Todd Boeckman will get the first crack, but warming up in the bullpen is redshirt sophomore Rob Schoenhoft and redshirt freshman Antonio Henton.

3. Wisconsin

Like Ohio State, the Badgers must replace their starting quarterback, as John Stucco departs after going 29-7 as Wisconsin’s top signal-caller the past three seasons.

Waiting in the wings is fifth-year senior Tyler Donovan and junior Allan Evridge, a transfer from Kansas State.

Also like OSU, Wisconsin will feature a power running attack with running back P.J. Hill, who amassed 1,560 yards in 311 carries for 15 touchdowns in 2006.

Wisconsin’s top returning receiver is junior tight end Travis Beckham, who hauled in 61 passes for 903 yards and five TDs.

The offensive line will give Hill plenty of holes, and allow whoever takes the snaps plenty of time to throw the ball as four starters return, though no one will be as good as left tackle Joe Thomas was last year.

Defensively, seven starters return from a unit that was second-best in the NCAA, allowing just 12.1 points per game.

The Badgers are lead by top-returning tackler junior outside linebacker Jonathan Casilias (83 total, 53 solo), and top sack man, junior outside linebacker DeAndre Levy (six).

Junior cornerback Allen Langford returns after picking off three passes last year.

4. Penn State

Penn State needs to have some sort of a running game to compliment the passing attack, but defensively the Nittany Lions should be solid, if not spectacular.

Senior quarterback Anthony Morelli returns after throwing for 2,424 yards and 11 touchdowns during the 2006 campaign, but he will need to improve on his completion rate (53.9 percent), and cut down the interceptions (eight) from last year.

He will have plenty of downfield options with juniors Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood.

The big question remains on who will tote the rock after Tony Hunt departed.

Senior tailback Austin Scott redshirted last season after suffering an injury during spring practice, and the Nittany Lions top-returning rusher is senior Rodney Kinlaw, who had just 39 carries for 199 yards in 2006.

Defensively, Penn State returns just five starters, but moving to middle linebacker from the outside is senior Dan Connor, who had 113 total and 70 solo tackles last season.

5. Iowa

Iowa returns 15 starters, seven on offense and eight on defense.

One plus for the Hawkeyes is that senior running backs Albert Young and Damian Sims both return. Young rushed for 779 yards and Sims added another 664 yards on the ground for Iowa last season.

Unfortunately, Iowa also has to replace a three-year starter at quarterback, as Drew Tate has used up all of his eligibility. Taking over as the Hawkeyes’ signal-caller will be sophomore Jake Christensen.

With eight starters retuning on defense, the Hawkeyes’ should be better than they were last year when they gave up nearly 21 points per game on average, and over 343 yards per contest.

Iowa’s top-retuning defensive player is senior middle linebacker Mike Klinkenborg, who had 129 total tackles with 61 solos.

6. Purdue

The Boilermakers’ return a grand total of 18 starters, nine on each side of the ball, from a team that went 8-6 last season.

But how much talent is in West Lafayette?

Purdue managed to give up 26.7 points per game in 2006, which was 90th among all Division I-A schools. Even worse, along with all of those points was the large chunks of yardage allowed, just over 432 years per game, which was 114th in the NCAA. (Note: There are only 119 teams that compete on the NCAA D-I level.)

While Purdue’s defense finished dead last in the Big Ten in 2006, the offense was tops in the conference.

The Boilermakers amassed over 415 yards per game, though junior quarterback Curtis Painter is no Drew Brees, or Kyle Orton for that matter. Painter threw for 3,985 yards last year with 22 touchdowns, but was also intercepted a whopping 18 times in 2006.

7. Illinois

Head coach Ron Zook is still in the rebuilding mode for the Illini, but they still might be able to steal six wins this year and become bowl eligible.

The Illini offense is led by sophomore quarterback Juice Williams, who threw for 1,489 yards with nine touchdowns and an equal number of interceptions last season.

Senior linebacker J “No Period Needed” Leman returns to lead the Illini defense after recording 152 total, and 75 solo tackles last year.

8. Northwestern

Sadly, with head coach Randy Walker’s sudden death last June, any hopes of Northwestern being a top-tier team in the Big Ten went with him.

Pat Fitzgerald took over the reigns in Evanston and guided the Wildcats to a 4-8 mark last year in the wake of Walker’s passing.

With junior quarterback C.J. Bacher returning, along with junior tailback Tyrell Sutton, maybe the Cats’ can also steal six wins and be bowl eligible, just like their in-state counterparts to the south.

9. Indiana

Like dilemma Northwestern had to face last year, the untimely death of head coach Terry Hoeppner will be felt very much throughout this season.

As it took as toll on the Wildcats in 2006, those same effects will be felt within the Hoosier football program this season.

Indiana returns a very athletic quarterback/receiver duo in sophomore Kellen Lewis and junior James Hardy, but getting just four wins seems nearly impossible at this stage.

10. Michigan State

After a 3-0 start and leading Notre Dame 37-21 going into the final quarter before a meltdown of massive proportions resulted in losing eight out of MSU’s final nine games to close the season. That losing streak culminated in a coach slapping himself during a press conference, who was then later fired.

Exit John L. Smith and enter Mark Dantonio, who was previously the head coach at Cincinnati, and the defensive coordinator under Jim Tressel at Ohio State.

Junior quarterback Brian Hoyer takes over for Drew Stanton, and tailback Javon Ringer hopes to avoid any more injuries and help get the Spartans to six wins, a feat Michigan State has not been able to do in over three years.

11. Minnesota