Like many of you, I arrived home Wednesday afternoon and had Sports Illustrated's college football preview waiting for me. Not surprisingly, Ohio State is on the regional cover as SI's preseason No. 2 team.

(Side note: Like most Big Ten players, Buckeyes star defensive linemen Cameron Heyward towers over me, but he also looks like a monster next to outside linebacker Brian Rolle on the SI cover. He's one big hombre.)

Four Big Ten squads made SI's preseason Top 25:

• No. 2 Ohio State
• No. 6 Iowa
• No. 11 Wisconsin
• No. 19 Penn State

This is certainly one of the higher preseason ratings I've seen for the Hawkeyes, while Penn State is about where it should be, given the question marks heading into the fall.

Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel picks Ohio State to win a school-record-tying sixth consecutive Big Ten title and go undefeated at 12-0. Alabama and Boise State are also projected to run the table, setting up a potential BCS disaster.

Iowa comes in second at 11-1 (7-1 Big Ten), followed by Wisconsin (10-2, 6-2), Penn State (9-3, 6-2), Michigan State (8-4, 4-4), Northwestern (8-4, 4-4) and Indiana (6-6, 2-6). It's interesting that SI thinks only seven Big Ten teams will qualify for the postseason, as both Purdue and Michigan are pegged to finish 5-7. I think the Big Ten will be a little deeper.

Although I'd be shocked if neither the Boilers nor Wolverines go bowling, both teams have some issues, especially on defense. Mandel forecasts a rough year for hot-seat coaches Rich Rodriguez (Michigan), Ron Zook (Illinois) and Tim Brewster (Minnesota), as all three are projected to have losing records.

SI lists Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor and Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn as the Big Ten's top offensive and defensive players, respectively. Michigan State linebacker William Gholston is the freshman to watch, while Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald is the league's coach on the rise.

Indiana receiver Tandon Doss, Michigan State linebacker Greg Jones, Purdue defensive end Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue receiver Keith Smith and Illinois running back Mikel LeShoure are listed as the league's top performers from unranked teams.