Big Ten media days, a two-day event in Chicago, kick off Thursday. Until then, we'll be getting you prepared for what to expect by running down some of the biggest questions each program will face at the lectern and as the regular season gets started.

Michigan State is bringing head coach Mark Dantonio to the Windy City, along with quarterback Connor Cook, defensive end Shilique Calhoun and center Jack Allen. Few can match that contingent for star power, as all three players are potential all-Americans. What questions can the group expect this week?

1. Can they catch Ohio State?: Call it disrespect or recency bias or just simply an enormous amount of respect for the Buckeyes, but Michigan State is largely being overlooked in the Big Ten championship picture. All 40 media members who participated in Cleveland.com's preseason poll picked Ohio State to win the East Division and the league title. The defending national champs deserve praise, but let's not forget that Michigan State is coming off two top-5 finishes in a row and did take down Ohio State convincingly in the 2013 Big Ten title game. It will be interesting to see if the Spartans bristle at all the attention being lavished on the Buckeyes (and, even more infuriatingly for Spartans fans, Michigan) this week when they deserve plenty of notice themselves.

2. Will the defense maintain its elite level?: Michigan State lost several star players this winter (Trae Waynes, Tony Lippett, Jeremy Langford, etc.), but the hardest guy to replace might be former defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi, now the head coach at Pitt. People will want to know how the Spartans reload on defense without its fiery ex-leader. Dantonio will no doubt speak highly of new co-coordinators Mike Tressel and Harlon Barnett. A young secondary that must find successors to Waynes at cornerback and Kurtis Drummond at safety will also come under scrutiny, particularly after questions lingered this past spring with Oregon coming to East Lansing in Week 2.

3. Is the Playoff in the cards?: Michigan State could put itself in the playoff discussion with a victory over the Ducks, which is likely the most important early-season Big Ten contest. Even a loss on the road to the Buckeyes, provided that the game was close and that Ohio State and Oregon both went on to win conference titles, wouldn't remove the Spartans from playoff consideration. Competing for a national title is clearly the next (and final) step for Dantonio's program, which has risen into the ranks of the elite. There may be those who continue to push the notion that Michigan State is doomed for a downfall with Jim Harbaugh's arrival into the state, but the Spartans deserve respect for what they've accomplished and what they can still get done.