2009 was a disappointing season for Janet Rayfield's Illinois soccer team.  The Illini were coming off of six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and had the bulk of their team returning.  Expectations were in place for an upper division conference finish, another NCAA Tournament appearance and perhaps a deep run into November.  Instead, the Illini finished under .500 and tied for 8th in the Big Ten.  Here's how the Big Ten finished last season:

Five Big Ten teams made the NCAA Tournament, with Michigan State leapfrogging Minnesota to snag a bid while the Gophers stayed home.  It was not a good postseason for the league, as Wisconsin was the only Big Ten team to advance to the Sweet 16.  Penn State advanced to the second round before getting beaten soundly by Virginia, while Ohio State, Purdue and Michigan State all lost in the first round.

Based on what teams have coming back from last year and the recruiting classes they've assembled, it appears that the conference should be improved overall from where it was a season ago.  Penn State loses more starters (five) than any other team, but the Nittany Lions also have the best 2010 recruiting class and plenty of returning firepower in Danielle Toney and Christine Nairn.

Without any further ado, here are my Big Ten predictions for 2010.  The numbers in parenthesis are the number of starters returning/lost from last year.

1. Penn State (6/5). No, they haven't met expectations in the postseason, but no one in the Big Ten has been able to knock them out of this spot for more than a decade. They also get title contenders Minnesota and Wisconsin at home and have more talent than any other team in the league.

2. Minnesota (11/0). This is the same type of team (defensive minded, full of veterans) that made a Sweet 16 run two years ago for Mikki Denney Wright. Tempted to pick them for the top spot, but the trip to State College is always tough. Do they have enough offensive firepower to put them over the hump against top teams?

3. Wisconsin (10/1). Breakthrough season for Paula Wilkins saw the Badgers finish 3rd in the conference and advance to the Sweet 16 last year. With 10 returning starters, they'll be in contention again in 2010. Road trips to State College and Minneapolis may be enough to keep them in third. One possible question mark...how will they handle being the hunted for the first time in a long time?

4. Michigan State (8/3). Injury to all-everything forward Laura Heyboer really hurt this team down the stretch, as did several other injuries. All indications is that they'll be ready to go at the start of the season, which means headaches for Big Ten defenses.

5. Illinois (8/3). Missed NCAA's for first time since 2002 last year. Eight returning starters plus a nice influx of in-state talent should be enough to prevent a repeat. Can frosh Vanessa DiBernardo fill a big void in the midfield? Answer to that question may go a long way to determining Illini's fate, as most other pieces appear to be in place.

6. Purdue (7/4). Rob Klatte always has his team in contention for an NCAA berth. They'll be in the conversation once again in 2010, but will they have enough up top to keep teams from focusing on sophomore Vanessa Ibewuike?

7. Ohio State (9/2). They should finish higher, but the only thing consistent about the Buckeyes during Lori Walker's tenure has been inconsistency. Will this be the year they turn that around? They lose GK and leader Lauren Robertson.

8. Michigan (9/2). Greg Ryan continues the slow, but sure climb from the Big Ten basement. If they use a soft non-conference schedule to their advantage, they could finish above .500 in 2010.

9. Indiana (8/3). A bit like Ohio State in their inconsistency. Appeared headed for an NCAA berth in 2009 before things fell apart down the stretch. The Hoosiers return most of last season's offense, but lose several key defensive cogs around GK Lindsay Campbell.

10. Northwestern (7/4). Wildcats haven't been able to take that last step and make it to the NCAA Tournament under Stephanie Erickson. Tough to beat at home, but have been vulnerable on the road.

11. Iowa (8/3). Appeared to be headed in the right direction with an 8-4 start last season, but a 1-9 conference record showed they still have a ways to go. Soft non-conference schedule gives them a chance for wins early, but will it translate to Big Ten results? We'll believe it when we see it.

Right now, I see the top six qualifying for an NCAA Tournament berth this season, but non-conference results will be a big determining factor. 

Other Notes

* Former Illini Ella Masar continues her strong play with the Chicago Red Stars of Women's Professional Soccer.  Masar scored her fifth goal of the season in a 2-1 win over Sky Blue FC on Sunday.

* Head coach Janet Rayfield said last week that freshman Janelle Flaws tore her ACL this spring and will miss the entire 2010 season.  Flaws will use her redshirt year and have four years of eligibility starting with the 2011-12 school year.

* The Illini report for the start of fall practice today.  Rayfield says practices will begin tomorow, Wednesday 8/4.

* I listed the Illini's 2010 opponents in this blog a couple of weeks ago, but we now have the official release from the team.  You can find it here.

I plan to watch a few practices over the next couple of weeks.  The first exhibition game against Indiana State is coming up quickly on Monday 8/9 at 1pm.  The Sycamores were 5-10-3 last season, 2-3-1 in the Missouri Valley conference.  Thanks for reading.

bmoline@wdws.com