Brady Hoke Hired By Michigan: Updated Big Ten Power Rankings for 2011

After going through several different coaching possibilities, the University of Michigan has finally found their man.The same day that Les Miles announced his intention to stay at LSU, Michigan has announced that they will hire Brady Hoke as their next head coach.

Hoke will be officially announced as the next head coach in Ann Arbor on Wednesday in a move that should shake up the newly renovated Big Ten Conference, though perhaps not as much as a Jim Harbaugh or Les Miles hire would have.

So which teams will win each division, and who will win the Big Ten Conference? Here's how I see it.

Leaders 6: Indiana

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COLUMBUS, OH - OCTOBER 9: Quarterback Ben Chappell #4 of the Indiana Hoosiers drops back to pass against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on October 9, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Indiana hasn't been relevant in football for a while, and I don't expect that to change this year. If they want to see progress, they need to win more than one conference game in a season. A 5-7 record is fine, but when they come against Towson and Western Kentucky, it's not that big a deal.

Leaders 5: Purdue

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COLUMBUS, OH - OCTOBER 23: Quarterback Sean Robinson #10 of the Purdue Boilermakers runs with the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on October 23, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Purdue is a better team then they have showed the past couple seasons, but they're losing their best player in Ryan Kerrigan, and they were already a poor defense to begin with. I'm not expecting much from them.

Leaders 4: Illinois

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CHICAGO - NOVEMBER 20: Jason Ford #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini breaks away from Vince Browne #94 of the Northwestern Wildcats during a game played at Wrigley Field on November 20, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. Illinois defeated Northwestern 48-27. (Ph

Illinois is starting to get their act together, and they always seem to find great running backs to plug into their system. Losing Mikel Leshoure will hurt, though, and they were 111th in passing last year; that has to improve.

Leaders 3: Penn State

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TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 1: Wide receiver Derek Moye #6 of the Penn State Nittany Lions lines up for play against the Florida Gators January 1, 2010 in the 25th Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Penn State has a good defense, and Joe Paterno is always able to field competitive teams. But can their defense remain as effective as last year? More importantly, can the offense step up to that same level without Evan Royster?

Leaders 2: Ohio State

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 04: Quarterback Terrelle Pryor #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks to pass against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome on January 4, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Matthe

Their best players will miss the first five games of the season, and they could do as poorly as 3-2 in that stretch. However, once they come back, this is a great team that should be just fine. The only team that could be a problem is the one they faced last year and lost to...

Leaders 1: Wisconsin

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Running back Montee Ball #28 of the Wisconsin Badgers rushes with the ball against the TCU Horned Frogs during the 97th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2011 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Wisconsin is losing some good players, but they will be keeping their core running tandem. Even if John Clay declares, they'll still have James White and Montee Ball, both of whom can rush for 1,000 yards apiece.

Legends 6: Minnesota

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MINNEAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 18: Da'Jon McKnight #6 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates after catching a pass for a touchdown during the game against the USC Trojans on September 18, 2010 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie

The Golden Gophers don't have much of an offense to speak of, as they finished 100th in the country in points scored. That won't work against most of the teams in this conference.

Legends 5: Northwestern

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CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 20: A general view as the Northwestern Wildcats take on the Illinois Fighting Illini during a game played at Wrigley Field on November 20, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. Illinois defeated Northwestern 48-27. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Ge

Northwestern has some good pieces, namely quarterback Dan Persa, but they have problems on defense, and most of their victories in conference were narrow wins this year.

Legends 4: Michigan

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 01: Kevin Koger #86 of the Michigan Wolverines breaks tackles following a reception against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the Gator Bowl at EverBank Field on January 1, 2011 in Jacksonville, Florida (Photo by Rick Dole

The Wolverines have a good quarterback in Denard Robinson, and as of today they have a coach in Brady Hoke. Who knows, though, how the offense will be implemented with Rich Rod gone, and the defense is still very bad. They'll be good again, it'll just take a couple years. Much better offense than Northwestern, though a worse defense.

Legends 3: Iowa

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TEMPE, AZ - DECEMBER 28: Quarterback Ricky Stanzi #12 of the Iowa Hawkeyes prepares to snap the ball during the Insight Bowl against the Missouri Tigers at Sun Devil Stadium on December 28, 2010 in Tempe, Arizona. The Hawkeyes defeated the Tigers 27-24.

Iowa's big weakness coming into this year, besides perhaps having been overrated to start last season, is losing quarterback Ricky Stanzi. They play better when people aren't paying attention, though, so they're probably hoping for an unranked spot, as strange as that sounds. Most of their defense is intact as well, sans Adrian Clayborn, which has been their strength.

Legends 2: Michigan State

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ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 01: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Michigan State Spartans warms up during the Capitol One Bowl against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Florida Citrus Bowl on January 1, 2011 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Last year, the Spartans flew under the radar, and a huge loss to Alabama means they'll be under the radar again this year. They're a well-rounded team that can limit points while scoring enough, and Kirk Cousins is developing into a very good quarterback.

Legends 1: Nebraska

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ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 04: Quarterback Taylor Martinez #3 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers looks for an open receiver against the Oklahoma Sooners at Cowboys Stadium on December 4, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. The Sooners beat the Cornhuskers 23-20. (Photo by

Welcome to the Big Ten, Nebraska (featuring Indiana and Minnesota as the little two I guess).Here's your divisional crown. Taylor Martinez is only going to get better at quarterback, and as long as he has weapons to throw to and Bo Pelini doesn't get in his way, they'll win this division.

Big Ten Champion: Wisconsin Over Nebraska

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Running back John Clay #32 of the Wisconsin Badgers rushes with the ball against the TCU Horned Frogs during the 97th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2011 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Nebraska may win a division, but they are not going to win the whole conference that easily, not with the running game Wisconsin has. While Wisconsin is losing some playmakers, they're getting back 2009's Freshman of the Year Chris Borland, who missed 2010. In the end, the people Wisconsin will get back will make them the toughest team in the conference.