I may have to stop making fun of Big Ten college basketball. For one season anyway.

No conference in the country brings back as much experience and talent as the Big Ten boasts this season. A stunning 41 of 55 starters from last year's 11 Big Ten teams have come back this year, including a whopping 17 three-year starters. Eleven of 15 all-conference players from 2008 are back in uniform, as are 10 of the top 15 scorers, 11 of the top 15 rebounders and 12 of the top 15 assist men. There is depth, quality and just an overflow of experience in this league. And after getting seven bids to the NCAA Tournament last year (which was completely and patently absurd) the Big Ten should manage at least that number this year.

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So the Big Ten will be a bear this year. And if there is ever going to be a season in which they top the ACC in their annual conference "challenge" (which hasn't been much of a challenge for the dominant ACC) this is it. There is at least a pair of Final Four contenders in the league and their experience should allow these schools to hit the ground running at the start of the year.

But there is one caveat here and, as always, I'll take a contrarian's view. The Big Ten returned so much experience this year because their players weren't good enough to go to the NBA. That makes this league full of guys that are good college players but have a very limited ceiling as far as ability and physical skills. While their players have been together playing longer, schools in the ACC, Big East, and Big 12 will still have better teams because they, quite simply, get better talent. So the Big Ten will have the edge early in the year, but when they matchup with the other Big Boys in March perhaps talent will win out. It's at least something to think about.

Here are my 2009-10 Big Ten Basketball Predictions to help you with your college basketball picks:

The Favorite: Michigan State

The Spartans welcome back three starters from a group that won 31 games, earned the Big Ten regular season title by four games, made it to the National Championship Game and finished a stellar 21-13-1 against the spread. All in all, things couldn't have gone much better for Sparty last year. Big Ten Player of the Year Kalin Lucas is back, as are several role players on this group so big things are expected. Well, except from me. I don't think that Michigan State is the best team in the Big Ten right now even though everyone else does. I also don't think that they will be around long (if at all) in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The three players they lost from last year all were critical to their success even if they weren't studs. And I felt like the stars kind of aligned for State during their run to Detroit last April. I think all signs point to a letdown this season. Hey, they'll be playing meaningful ball in March. But I think this is a team that you may want to think about betting against this year. I know I will be.

The Challenger: Purdue

In my opinion this is the best team in the Big Ten. Purdue's sensational junior class has been building toward this moment their entire careers and I think that, from a talent standpoint, this is the only true Final Four contender (barring one of the others getting hot in March) in the conference. Injuries really slowed this team during the regular season last year. But this group is healthy, wealthy and wise. They have a trio of three-year starters and a fourth player, Keaton Grant, which have started over the last three years. Chris Kramer is the best glue guys in the country, Robbie Hummel is just ice in the clutch, and JaJuan Johnson is the top post player in this league. There is no weakness on this group, with the exception of some inconsistent perimeter shooting. However, they are gritty, they defend, they rebound, they are experienced, they are a little undervalued right now and I think that this group is set for a monster season.

The Dark Horses:

Illinois

After three straight years of pretty ugly, uninspired basketball the Illini had somewhat of a breakout year last season. They finished No. 2 in the league and were a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Good show. And this year the buzz is that they will be even better. However, I'm not 100 percent sold on this group. I absolutely love Bruce Weber's offense. But I still don't know if he has the talent to run it most effectively. They will miss two key senior guards from last year's team and it will be on guys like freshman D.J. Richardson and disappointing transfer Alex Legion to live up to their lofty expectations. I think Illinois is overrated headed into the year. But that doesn't mean that they can't improve and live up to expectations.

Ohio State

Now this is a team that I am excited for. The return of David Lighty from injury gives the Buckeyes one of the most versatile starting lineups in the nation. It all starts with 6-foot-7 point guard Evan Turner, one of the most underrated players in the nation. Besides him the Buckeyes can go with the 6-5 Lighty (9.7 points per game), 6-5 slasher William Buford (11.3 ppg), 6-6 shooter Jon Diebler (11.2 ppg) and 6-8 post Dallas Lauderdale. Besides the hefty Lauderdale, the other four perimeter players can do it all on both ends of the floor: handle, shoot, score, get to the rim, make free throws, defend multiple positions and rebound. This team has zero freshman on the roster but does have some other solid role players to lend a hand. They might be a year away (all five players I mentioned are juniors or sophomores) but don't sleep on this group.

The X-Factor: Michigan

Speaking of showing up a year early, the Wolverines did just that in Year 2 of the Beilein Regime. The precocious Wolverines were a menace last season. And even though they finished just No. 8 in this deep conference they posted a 21-14 mark that included wins over UCLA, Duke, Purdue and Clemson. This team got slapped around as the season wore down - they went just 11-12 after Dec. 30 - but it picked up valuable experience. Guard Manny Harris is a scoring machine and a legit go-to guy. DeShawn Sims finally turned the corner last year en route to 15 points per game. An injury to seven-foot center Ben Cronin was a bit unstated last season and had an impact on their soft front line. Cronin is back, and if some other bigs can step forward to help defend, rebound, and run Beilein's quirky inside-out offense then this team can continue to improve. They are still a young team; there are just two seniors on the roster. So there may be some inconsistency here. But UM is still a tough win for any opponent in the nation and this team will be a great underdog play.

The Surprise Team: Northwestern

This is a tough one. Northwestern was one of my Surprise Teams last year so it's tough to think they will "sneak up" on anyone again this year. But after a ninth-place finish in the league, first-round exits from the Big Ten tourney and NIT, and eight losses by five points or less (including tight losses to Butler and Purdue) I think that this team hasn't nearly reached its potential yet. They have to replace the leading shooter in school history in Craig Moore. But that's all they lost. Versatile Kevin Coble is a strong go-to guy and point guard Mike Thompson is a fellow three-year starter. The key this year is the continued development of three sophomore post players - Kyle Rowley, John Shurna and Luka Mirkovic - that were just thrown into the fire last year. If those three step up and another perimeter threat emerges than I think Northwestern could make a significant jump in the standings.

The Disappointments: Penn State

I was riding shotgun on the bandwagon for the Nittany Lions last year. And I would love to say that they could build on the momentum from their NIT championship last year. They still have the best point guard in the Big Ten in Talor Battle, who is one of a trio of three-year starters. And with some intriguing newcomers, you never know. But the fact is that other than Iowa, Penn State is the only team in the league that lost its heart-and-soul player (Jamelle Cornley). The Lions lost two of their top three scorers from last year. And entering a season where everyone else in the league brought back a majority of its roster I don't see where Penn State can avoid a step backward.

Wisconsin - On one hand, I have faith in Bo Ryan and The System. Much like Pitt, UCLA, and Gonzaga, Wisconsin is a system team. How many times in the past decade have those programs lost just a load of talent only to come back and actually perform better the following season? That could be the case for the Badgers yet again. But I'm not banking on it. Wisconsin has a stellar backcourt with fearless point guard Trevon Hughes and shooter Jason Bohannon. That's a good start. But graduation crippled the frontcourt and they will be starting over underneath. The name will still generate respect from the books and the bettors. But this group stole an undeserved at-large bid last season (based on that name recognition and respect) and I felt they overachieved. I don't think they're as lucky this year and I think they could fall. Hard.

The Rest:

Minnesota - The Gophers are yet another 2009 NCAA Tournament team that welcomes back all of its starters and a top-rated recruiting class. Minnesota was one of the younger teams in the conference last year and was really one of the country's surprise teams. Now they have their top nine scorers back and this group is ready to take the next step. But if they are going to keep building in Tubby Smith's third season they need to shoot the ball better. This group was just No. 237 in the country in three-point shooting and was only No. 200 in scoring. I am interested to see how the oddsmakers treat this group. They start the year No. 25 in the country and they have some name recognition. But they certainly aren't as highly regarded as the other to top teams in the league. Still might be some value here.

Iowa - There are two things I know about Todd Lickliter. First, he is an outstanding basketball coach. Second, kids don't like playing for him. This is the third straight year that Lickliter enters the year after his leading scorer decided to transfer. First it was Tyler Smith heading to Tennessee in 2007. Then it was Tony Freeman heading to SIU before last year. Now Jake Kelly is one of four Hawkeyes that left the program over the summer, leaving this roster just decimated. This team stinks and even though it's going to be tough to be worse than expectations I think this team might pull it off.

Indiana - Well, it can't get worse, right? The Hoosiers dropped from 25 wins in 2007 to just six wins last year in the wake of the Kelvin Sampson debacle. That's six wins and a 1-17 conference mark for this team that was, quite literally, made up of walk-ons and scrubs. Well, they won't be worse in Tom Crean's second year but I don't see them being much better. There is never a good time for a program to endure what IU is going through. But the Hoosiers picked a really, REALLY bad time with the league as deep and competitive as it has been in 15 years.

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Robert Ferringo is a professional handicapper and he has gained nearly +300 Units over the past three college basketball seasons. You can purchase his college basketball picks here.