With a little more than two weeks before the games begin, depth charts are taking shape around the Big Ten. But several competitions remain unresolved. We're looking this week at fights for playing time that figure to shape the complexion of Big Ten teams, division races and bids for championships.

Now we turn our attention to the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Minnesota coach Jerry Kill needs a dependable long snapper, and "that always makes you nervous." Leon Halip/Getty Images

Top position battle: Long snapper

Yep, we're going off the board a little bit for this one. Sure, Minnesota has a crowd of youngsters vying for playing time at receiver. But it's likely that many of them will play until one or more establishes himself in a game setting. The Gophers also have competition at middle linebacker, but are pretty set everywhere else on the field.

Head coach Jerry Kill places a huge emphasis on special teams, which is one reason why Minnesota was so good in the kicking game last year. That's a part of the team's winning formula, and every punt, extra point and field goal must start with a clean snap.

Dave Ramlet was the team's snapper on field goals and PATs, and he was so good that you've never heard his name. He graduated. Jared Hartman, who snapped on punts, decided not to use his last year of eligibility because he already had his civil engineering degree. Probably smart to start work in that field instead of getting rammed into after snapping every Saturday.

So the Gophers enter this season without a player who has performed a long snap in a game.

"That always makes you nervous," Kill said.

Redshirt freshman Payton Jordahl is the leading candidate to take the job, as Minnesota recruited him for this specific role. But true freshmen Chase Samuels and Trey Hansen both excelled at the trade in high school and are trying to impress during training camp. Samuels was diagnosed with leukemia as a child.

Believe it or not, there is an actual long snapper position battle, and Minnesota is taking it seriously. Even if it doesn't generate the headlines of, say, Ohio State's quarterback competition.