I guess it is a slow time right now. So, I need to speculate. 
As far as Big Ten standing in the 2009-10 is concerned, there is a consensus that MSU and Purdue will make up the first eschelon of the conference. The second one should include MN, Michigan, OSU, and IL with Bucky possibly sneaking into the group. When I speculate, I tend to put more weight on the proven than on the unproven such as the improvement/development of the current roster and the incoming players. Of course, that dose not mean that I ignore the possibility of the improvement/development. Just less weight on the possibilty. Therefore, I put ahead the teams with proven players, which is why I would rank OSU and Michigan ahead of us for the 2009 season.
As to the 2010 and onward, things get much harder to predict. So, what I express regarding the future farther down the road is largely a wish.
Without further ado, here is my expectation:
1. For the 2009-2010, 5th in the conference, one win in the Dance, and a marginal top 25 (ranked between 21 and 25 for majority of the time while dropping out occasionally)
2. For the 2010-2011, either 3rd or 4th in the conference, legit Sweet 16 and ranked accordingly.
3. For the 2011-2012, preseason cofavorite and legit shot at the conference title...
What is yours?
As far as Big Ten standing in the 2009-10 is concerned, there is a consensus that MSU and Purdue will make up the first eschelon of the conference. The second one should include MN, Michigan, OSU, and IL with Bucky possibly sneaking into the group. When I speculate, I tend to put more weight on the proven than on the unproven such as the improvement/development of the current roster and the incoming players. Of course, that dose not mean that I ignore the possibility of the improvement/development. Just less weight on the possibilty. Therefore, I put ahead the teams with proven players, which is why I would rank OSU and Michigan ahead of us for the 2009 season.
As to the 2010 and onward, things get much harder to predict. So, what I express regarding the future farther down the road is largely a wish.
Without further ado, here is my expectation:
1. For the 2009-2010, 5th in the conference, one win in the Dance, and a marginal top 25 (ranked between 21 and 25 for majority of the time while dropping out occasionally)
2. For the 2010-2011, either 3rd or 4th in the conference, legit Sweet 16 and ranked accordingly.
3. For the 2011-2012, preseason cofavorite and legit shot at the conference title...
What is yours?