A second season of sorts starts this Sunday when the Penn State men's soccer team travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., to kick off a rigorous Big Ten schedule.

When all is said and done, the Nittany Lions (3-3) hope to emerge as the No. 1 seed in their conference, but they know it won't be easy. The Big Ten, one of the premier conferences in all of men's soccer, will provide a host of challenges to a struggling Penn State team.

With only seven teams in the conference, every game, regardless of the opponent, becomes critical as it can have playoff implications.

"In any Big Ten game, the intensity is that much higher," sophomore midfielder Gabe Bernstein said.

In the early going, Penn State has lacked the consistency it needs to be a serious contender. Though it has beaten men's soccer powerhouses such as Virginia, it has also been manhandled by lesser teams such as Richmond and American.

For Penn State to be the leader of the Big Ten, the Lions know they have to jump off of their win-loss-win-loss rollercoaster and gain some momentum heading into their conference matchups.

"Right now, we're too comfortable with losing, and it shouldn't be that way," freshman midfielder David Walters said.

Penn State needs some help offensively from someone other than a player named Chad Severs, who has netted six of the team's 13 goals. No other player has even half as many goals. American University showed that Severs could be contained as their defense smothered him, barely allowing him to get in position to strike.

Another glaring hole that the Lions hope to patch up in time for their conference matches is their defense.

While starting senior co-captain Brent Jacquette has helped in limiting opponents' shots, opponents last weekend were 3-for-9 shooting. If opponents score one out of every three shots, you don't have to be a genius to figure out that something needs to be fixed.

After last Sunday's loss to American, the team acknowledged that it has looked flat at times.

"We just need to get our team chemistry together," Walters said. "Once we have that, we can beat anyone."

Consistent play will likely be the key to Penn State's success as it enters the bulk of its regular-season schedule.

"We need to come out and be able to compete for 90 minutes," Bernstein said.

There's no better time for the Lions to redeem themselves than against their Big Ten rivals. Let's break down a couple of Penn State's most anticipated matchups:

Indiana

Penn State has had Indiana's name circled in red on its calendar ever since last season's 3-1 thrashing at the hands of the Hoosiers.

The team to beat in the Big Ten is, without a doubt, Indiana, which fell just one game short of its sixth national title last season. The Hoosiers steamrolled through the Big Ten, finishing the regular season with a 6-0 conference record.

Indiana is once again the measuring stick of the Big Ten.

"They find a way to get it done. Indiana knows how to win," Penn State assistant coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "Until someone knocks them off, they're the premier team to beat."

The Hoosiers will be led by senior forward Pat Noonan, who was a thorn in the Lions' side last season, scoring two crushing goals against Penn State including the eventual game-winner.

Against Indiana this season, many teams have sat back and packed it in, hoping to catch a break. However, when the Lions go head-to-head with the Hoosiers on Nov. 27 at Jeffrey Field, Penn State looks to be the aggressor.

"With Indiana, we're looking not just to sit back," Bernstein said. "We have the capability to dictate the tempo. We are just as good as them."

Ohio State

Though Ohio State posted a dismal 1-4-1 conference record last season, the Lions can't take their neighbor-state rival lightly when they meet Oct. 13 at Jeffrey Field.

"We've got to go game by game, and not overlook anyone," LeBlanc said.

Penn State has been fortunate enough to have already caught a glimpse of the Buckeyes twice this season before even playing them. This past weekend, at the Penn State Nike Classic, Ohio State was one of four teams participating in the tournament.

Though the Buckeyes earned a split during the weekend, a convincing win against Villanova showed Big Ten rivals that Ohio State might be able to shake things up this season.

"They're a contender for the Big Ten championship," Bernstein said.

Ohio State will give the Penn State defense plenty to worry about as the Lions will have to contend with senior forward Andy Rosenband, who has scored four of the eight Buckeye goals this season. Ohio State certainly has the talent up front to put the ball in the net, LeBlanc said.

"They'll be tough," LeBlanc said. "They're well coached and well disciplined."

Penn State and Ohio State are storied rivals, having a back-and-forth history of giving a game and taking a game. To be victorious, Penn State will have to stick to basics and make sure it does the simple things.

Over the next week, Lion coaches and players will be looking extensively at scouting reports and film to gain the all-important competitive edge.

"We're going to have to be as prepared as we can possibly be," LeBlanc said.