Here is the last in my series of major conference championship previews.

For previews of other midwestern championship meets – the Missouri Valley Conference, the Mid-American Conference, the Horizon League and Summit League – check out my blog at www.tracksuperfan.com.

Remember, all references to team rankings, either national or regional, are my own rankings and not those of the USTFCCCA.

The Big Ten Conference Championships will be on Friday and Saturday at Nebraska's Devaney Sports Center.

Championship Central
Schedule
Live results
TV coverage (tape-delayed): Big Ten Network, Saturday, March 10, 1:30pm ET
Flotrack coverage

Men's meet

Nationally-ranked teams: #4 Minnesota, #8 Indiana, #9 Ohio State, #11 Nebraska, #17 Wisconsin, #19 Penn State, #24 Iowa
Regionally-ranked teams: #1 Minnesota, #2 Indiana, #2 (Northeast) Penn State, #3 Ohio State, #4 Nebraska, #5 Wisconsin, #8 Iowa, #9 Illinois, #10 Michigan, #11 Michigan State, #17 Purdue

Analysis: Big Ten track is remarkably like Big Ten football. No one in the conference is going to win a national title this year, but the league is stunningly deep. Any of six teams have a legitimate shot at winning: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, and newcomer Nebraska. Minnesota, the three-time defending champions, appear to be hitting their peak just at the right time, and NCAA Cross Country champions Wisconsin obviously have the distance runners to score big.

This may be the most thrilling meet of the week, partly because the competition will be so close, but also because the Devaney Center's 5,000 seats are reportedly close to selling out.

Events to watch
Distance Medley (7:30 PM Friday). Indiana is the national leader in this event, with one of the fastest times ever run. Penn State is #4 on the NCAA list, but the foursome who ran that time didn't include Cas Loxsom, the 2010 World Junior silver medalist at 800 meters. This could be a throwdown of epic proportions.
Weight Throw (11:10 AM Saturday). The Big Ten is the deepest conference in the nation in this event. Three of the NCAA's top ten are entered in Micah Hegerle (Minnesota) and Matt DeChant and Max Mays (both Ohio State), and seven of the top twenty.
800 meters 2:50 PM Saturday). Three of the NCAA's top ten (by time) are in the Big Ten – Harun Abda and David Pachuta of Minnesota and Cory Leslie of Ohio State – plus Penn State All-American Cas Loxsom. This race will have big implications for the team championship, and the 800 is always a crapshoot, so literally anything can happen here.
5000 meters (4:45 PM Saturday). The penultimate event of the Big Ten Championships always seems to determine the team title. Who is running in this event is yet to be announced, but there is no shortage of athletes in the conference. Indiana has three good runners (Andrew Bayer, Ben Hubers, Andrew Poore), Wisconsin has its national champion squad from cross country including Mo Ahmed, and Minnesota's Hassan Mead appears to have it back together again after a long period of injury problems.

Women's meet
Nationally-ranked teams: # 8 Penn State, #9 Ohio State, #13 Michigan, #15 Nebraska, #19 Michigan State, #22 Wisconsin
Nationally-ranked teams: #1 (Northeast) Penn State, #1 Ohio State, #2 Michigan, #4 Nebraska, #5 Michigan State, #7 Wisconsin, #9 Illinois, #11 Indiana, #14 Minnesota, #16 Purdue, #21 Iowa

Analysis: I see Penn State, Ohio State and Nebraska as the best teams in the conference. The Buckeyes are the defending indoor and outdoor champions, and Penn State won in 2010, but the Huskers have the home advantage and are eager to make a good impression in their first Big Ten Championships. Michigan and Michigan State could also make an impact.

Events to watch
Distance Medley (7:10 PM Friday). This could be a real war between Michigan and Penn State, if they both load it up with their best runners. Both have excellent and deep middle-distance squads, and both need every last point they can get in the team competition.
Triple Jump (2:00 PM Saturday). The conference has two 42-foot jumpers, Michigan State's Tori Franklin and Ohio State's Kelcey McKinney. Franklin, a freshman, narrowly defeated McKinney in their only head-to-head matchup this year.
60 Hurdles (3:10 PM Saturday). Ohio State's Christina Manning was the hurdles runner-up at June's NCAA Outdoor Championships, but will likely be shouldering a heavy load as the Buckeyes seek to retain their championship. If she falters, Penn State's Evonne Britton is among those poised to take advantage.