Something absolutely magical happened this morning when I trudged out onto my front porch to take my dog on a run.  I felt a warm breeze, and short burst of sunlight.

With the capital city in the mid-50s, and even the most stubborn curbside ice forts turned into gentle, meandering sidewalk streams, I'm finally ready to pretend spring just might be beckoning. 

With that in mind, let's begin our a comprehensive spring practice review, in quasi-journalist fashion.  Here are the essential questions confronting the new Big Ten.

In twenty-one days, Michigan will man the great indoors on the practice turf after a winter worthy of a Jack Kerouac novel.  Can Tate Forcier run the system?

In thirty days, Illinois will start light drills.  Will Juice Williams ripen like Troy Smith in his senior season, or struggle to surpass his 2008 57.5 completion percentage?

In twenty-five days, Iowa will get back to basics.  Jewel (Hampton) and Jeff Brinson will take over for departed star running back Shonn Greene.  Can 1+1 = 1?  And, who will replace defensive tackles Matt Kroul and Mitch King?

In twenty-seven days, Michigan State will drill on discipline.  How will the competitions at running back and quarterback shake out?  Will a better defense inspire a smarter offense?

In twenty-eight days, Penn State will sink cleats into the soft, State College grass.  Will an offense line up next to quarterback Daryll Clark and tailback Evan Royster?  The loss of six starters (three receivers, three linemen) makes the fringe play dangerously imbalanced.