Editor's note: Part 1 of a series previewing each Big Ten Conference football team.

If University of Minnesota wide receiver Eric Decker were a home plate umpire, he could be accused of having a low strike zone. Just ask Jack Ikegwuonu, the former Badger turned Eagle turned Soprano. "That was kind of bogus, being called out for punching him in the privates," Decker pleaded, "which I didn't do on purpose. I felt bad."

You can imagine how Ikegwuonu felt, especially after Decker torched the UW secondary with six catches for 125 yards and two scores in last season's renewal of the Border Battle between Minnesota and Wisconsin. "It's so much more than a game," Decker opined. "It's crazy. It's bragging rights. It's state versus state."

We'll have more later on Decker's state of mind during his skirmish with Ikegwuonu, who has since moved on to the Philadelphia Eagles' inactive list. For now, the 21-year-old Decker is of the mindset that he might be able to eventually carve out a professional career in one of two forums: the National Football League or Major League Baseball.

The numbers back him.

Last fall, Decker started all 12 games for the Gopher football team and set a single-season school record with 67 receptions for 909 yards and nine touchdowns. He had a career-high 14 grabs against Florida Atlantic and now has at least two catches in 14 consecutive games.

This past spring, Decker started 42 of 54 games in left field for the Gopher baseball team and batted .329 with a .439 on-base percentage and a .478 slugging percentage. He led the team in walks and wound up being picked in the 39th round of the major league draft by the Milwaukee Brewers.

His selection was surprising on two fronts: Decker had not played baseball since 2005 -- his senior year of high school -- and he informed the scouts before the draft that he had no intention of signing. By rule, a club retains the rights to a drafted player until Aug. 15. Or, until he returns to a four-year college.

"I kept telling people, 'I'm not going to sign and I'm not close to being ready,' " Decker related. "It was still an honor and privilege to be drafted by the Brewers. But I want to go through another year of college football and baseball to see where I could go, and where I have the most potential."

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Decker has two seasons of eligibility left in both sports. "So I'm taking this one day at a time," he added. "My hope is to play one or the other professionally. It doesn't matter what it is. Once I see where I stand, then I'll make the decision on which way I'll go."

Minnesota coach and cheerleader Tim Brewster figures that Decker can't go wrong by sticking with football. Brewster has compared Decker to Ed McCaffrey, a former Pro Bowl receiver with the Giants, 49ers and Broncos. "I truly believe Eric Decker is going to be one of the top wide receivers in America this coming season," Brewster predicted.

Even though he's an outfielder, not a pitcher, Decker might see himself in the same light with a Jeff Samardzija, the former All-American wideout from Notre Dame, who's toiling out of the bullpen for the Chicago Cubs. Samardzija was a fifth-round selection in the 2006 baseball draft.