The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-09-01
HERMAN LEFT
 SOLID SYSTEM
 TO SUCCESSOR
Michigan, Coached By Crisler, Will Be in Thick
 of Contention
By TOMMY DEvINE Limited Press staff COrrespOndent)

United Press StaR COFrespOndent)
 Chicago, Sept. 1. - (UP) - Use whatever measuring stick you please, and you'll come up with the same answer: Minnesota rates as the preseason favorite to win a1- other Big Ten football champion ship.
 As the Big Ten training season opened today, the earliest in years, the experts agreed on "the Gophers against the field" It is a tribute to the soundness of the system that Lieut.. Col. Bernie Herman left be- hind when he reported for active duty the Marines, and to the ability of his successor, pr. George Hauser.
 Rating the teams back of Minne- sota is complicated task, but the No. 2 spot probably belongs to Michigan. Ohio State and North western are coupled in third posi- tion, with Indiana next, and mad scramble among Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa for the other berths.
 What effect the war will have on the Big Ten campaign is a question only time can answer. Player losses to the services have been relatively light so far. Heavy cuts in person. nel, once the season gets under way, appear unlikely because the major- ity of football players are enrolled in some reserve branch and prob- ably will be permitted to complete their courses.
 More Offense?
 Fritz Crisler, Michigan coach, has forecast that all teams will be more offensive minded this season, but there's nothing in the preseason indications to support that theory. Some coaches have revised their systems to gain more power but on the whole the changes aren't on the radical side
 Minnesota's Golden Gophers are favored to repeat largely because they have 20 lettermen returning from the team that rolled through an eight-game schedule last year unbeaten and united to win the Big Ten crown and a strong claim on the mythical national champion ship. Some outstanding performers are gone-Bruce Smith, Bob Fitch, Judd Ringer Urban Odson, Len Levy. Helge Pukema, Gene Flick and Bob Sweiger. But, for every absentee there appears capable replacement. Bill Daley probably will be chief ball carrier, shifting from last seasons fullback post to left half. Bill Garnaas ard Her man Frickey will be in the back field, and probably Vic Kublitski. On Oct. 3, the Gophers will tangle with the Iowa City pre-fight cadets who are coached by Bierman.
 Michigan tied for second place in the Big Ten last year, and Cris- Ter seems to have enough talent on hand to keep the Wolverines well up in the race. Six regulars from the 1941 outfit top a group of l2 returning lettermen. Also returning is Cliff Wise, understudy to Tommy Harmon in 194o, who was not in school last year.
 Northwestern had a strong but unlucky team in Al. losing by hair line margins to Minnesota, Notre Dame and Michigan. Despite heavy losses in that outfit, Coach Lynn Waldorf has IT lettermen returning providing & nucleus for machine that may go places, sparked by Otto Graham, last seasons sophomore hack.
 Book Trouble
 At Ohio State, Paul Brown has lost IS lettermen from his 194l ag~ gregation and scholastic difficulties has shunted out certain standout freshmen performers. Ohio State seems to have less talent than some schools ranked below it, but Brown s coaching ability breeds optimism.
 Indians hopes depend upon how much support coach Bo McMillin can muster for brilliant Billy Hil- lenbrand from l3 other lettermen and an excellent crop of sophs. At Wisconsin, Coach Harry Stuhldreher has g lettermen returning. and the Badgers may cause trouble if Stuhl- dreher can build defense to match his outfits potent offense of S4l. H. linois, which failed to win confer ence game last season has a new coach in Ray Eliot. He has i6 let termen returning, but there's not much hope for the Illini, Purdue also has a new coach, Elmer Burn ham, who is replacing the coryen- tiona! Rockne offense with the short punt and modified box maneuvers, i At Iowa, Dr. Eddie Anderson has only II lettermen returning, and the Hawks seem destined to spend an- ! other season in the depths.