“They’ve been good in training, too. They raise the standard all the time.”
Penn State and Ohio State tied for the conference title last season, while Wisconsin was just one point behind. The 2011 season could be even tighter.
Wilkins said the league is “the messiest it’s been since I’ve been in the conference.
“Looking at the scores coming off the weekend, Nebraska adds an interesting element and an element that nobody knows about,” she continued. “I think Iowa doing really well and Illinois doing really well makes it challenging.
“There will be a lot of teams giving up a lot of games and I think the championship will be won by fewer points than it ever has.”
With the title up for grabs, Wilkins thinks her squad, which plays at Michigan State and Michigan this weekend, has the right makeup to be a conference title contender.
“I think we’re competitive in the top part,” she said. “Even with all the injuries we’ve had, we have elements that are going to give people some problems because we play differently than a lot of other teams do.
“What I told the team was the effort they had against Penn State is the effort they need to have the whole season in order to be successful.
“I think if they could bring that effort and consistency, especially on the road and dealing with injuries, that’s going to make them challengers for the championship.”
