Each Monday now til the start of the football season I'll blog my list of the top Big Ten football players by position. Feel free to share your thoughts and debate mine. We'll start with quarterbacks, where the conference's top pick is an easy call.

1. Chad Henne, Michigan: A no-brainer with so few returning starters under center, Henne is a four-year starter and potential first-round draft pick. He can be a little inconsistent for all the weapons he has, but there's no one else I'd want leading my team in the Big Ten.

2. Curtis Painter, Purdue: I bought Painter stock last year and was disappointed in the results, especially those 19 interceptions. But he's a dual threat (expect more than 107 net rushing yards this year) and he's only a junior.

3. Kellen Lewis, Indiana: Illinois' Juice Williams got the hype last year among rookie QBs, but Lewis was better. He's a heck of an athlete — he led the Hoosiers with 441 yards rushing — and a more accurate passer (54.9 percent).

4. Anthony Morelli, Penn State: Played well in a 20-10 Outback Bowl win over Tennessee, but was inconsistent overall in 2006. With Tony Hunt gone, maybe Joe Pa will showcase Morelli's rocket arm a little more this year.

5. C.J. Bacher, Northwestern: A little out on a limb here, but I'm not a Williams fan (all legs, no arm) and the rest of the conference's unproven cast hasn't played enough to warrant preseason top-five billing. Bacher led Northwestern to two wins in its final three games and completed 59 percent of his passes for the year. He's no Brett Basanez, and Michigan State's Brian Hoyer may surpass him by Week 6, but Bacher will finish with solid all-around numbers and a legitimate chance to go bowling.