The staid, storied and stoic Big Ten is taking this New Millennium stuff seriously.

Radical change is afoot in the League that Can't Count.

No more is the mantra being preached about defense and a physical running game being the keys to a Big Ten championship. The evidence is everywhere:

• Look at Purdue, where the Boilermakers went to the Rose Bowl with a defense that finished a middling fifth in the league in points allowed and a rushing offense that finished ninth.
• Look at Northwestern, which shared the Big Ten title thanks to a spread offense that allowed the Wildcats to succeed despite a defense that permitted 38.5 points and 409 yards per game.
• Look at Michigan, which also tied for the championship, but only because Lloyd Carr took the wraps off an attack that relied on Drew Henson and David Terrell playing pitch-and-catch so Anthony Thomas could run wild.
• Look at Wisconsin, which has had eight straight seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher, but went to a four-wide receiver attack for the Sun Bowl and plans to use such formations liberally this season.
• Look at Minnesota, which also converted to the spread and gained a second straight bowl bid for only the second time in school history.
• Look at Indiana, which is so thirsty to keep up with the spread converts that it is junking an option offense led by Antwaan Randle El for a more-diversified attack where he plays wide receiver.

That's more than half the league now sold on the same system that helped Oklahoma turn itself from a has-been into a national championship team in just two years.

"Obviously, any time somebody is scoring as many points as Northwestern, you just can't stand pat,'' Indiana coach Cam Cameron said.

The Wildcats, believe it or not, really do rate the favorite's role in this league. When they were winning back-to-back league titles in the mid-1990s, they were never considered a preseason power. But in this well-balanced league, it's difficult to overlook them ... even though they have only one returning starter on the defensive line.

In years past, that would have been a killer for any contender, because presumably the new players wouldn't be experienced enough to handle the rigors of Big Ten running games.

But these Wildcats can just sniff at teams that score against them, figuring they can still outscore foes with quarterback Zak Kustok and tailback Damien Anderson leading the way.

Last year, the Wildcats allowed Wisconsin 44 points, Michigan 51 points ... and won both games. Believe it: Northwestern's tailback is the top Heisman Trophy candidate.

"I think defense is still critical,'' Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "If you can't tackle, if you can't get people to the football, you are going to get beat. But I don't think there is any question there has been a change.

"For the last seven or eight years, with the eight- and nine-man fronts, defensive coaches have had their way. The spread offense has changed that. I think defensive coaches are up against it. And until they come up with some concepts that will slow this offense down, you are going to see more of it.''

Kustok's mobility gives Northwestern essentially a two-back offense from a one-back set.

The other back, Anderson, is so dangerous (2,063 yards last season with the bowl game, 6.6 yards per-carry), he has to command a defense's primary attention. That leaves Kustok free to kill teams on the option (505 yards, nine touchdowns) or shred them with quick slant patterns (.567 percent, 2,389 yards, 19 TDs).

Don't give the Wildcats too much credit, however. They're winning now with the same philosophies that Purdue coach Joe Tiller brought to the Big Ten four years ago, the ones he's used to get the Boilermakers to an unprecedented four straight bowls.

Those who expect Purdue to falter now that Drew Brees has graduated would do well to remember that in 1997, Tiller's first year, unknown quarterback Billy Dicken rang up 3,500 yards total offense running Tiller's "basketball on grass" system.

Wisconsin's Alvarez is so convinced the spread is the way to go he'll employ it this year with a two-quarterback system of passer Jim Sorgi and runner Brooks Bollinger.

Carr was leaning in the same direction until Henson surprised him with a March decision to sign a professional baseball contract. Now the Wolverines must go with sophomore John Navarre at quarterback. But remember, Navarre had eight touchdown passes and only one interception last year in the four games he started before Henson returned from injury.

"I think it's a change in an era," Carr said of the spread. "The last dramatic change like this offensively may have been the wishbone, so we're in a new era. There isn't any question about that."

Lindy's Football Annuals (National, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10, ACC, plus Pro) are available at newsstands regionally, or can be ordered as a set at www.lindyssports.com, or by calling 1-205-871-1182.