The Big Ten Network will unveil a unique regional poll of the presidential election on a 90-minute show “Big Ten Battleground: Campaign 2008,” airing today at 3 p.m.

The special show will feature a panel of experts from around the Midwest, led by University of Wisconsin political science professors Ken Goldstein and Charles Franklin.

Partnered with several universities, the experts will debate several polls conducted by Franklin and Goldstein. The experts will look at results from the eight Big Ten states individually and compare them to a national poll.

Franklin said the Midwest region represents a key group of votes to the presidential candidates.

“There are only a fair number of states that are going to determine who wins the Electoral College,” Franklin said. “Anyone who could sweep the Big Ten would most certainly win the presidency.”

Michael Traugott, a professor of communication studies at the University of Michigan who will be participating in the panel, said the poll is unique because it will be comparing the Midwest to the rest of the nation.

“I think it’s a very important project, and the poll will not only provide content but will be useful to faculty research,” Traugott said.

BTN spokesperson Elizabeth Conlisk said this election could be won or lost by either side in the Midwest.

“By airing the results of the poll, it will give people a better sense of how people are voting within the Big Ten,” Conlisk said. “I think it will be both interesting and informative.”

Conlisk said the poll will be groundbreaking for the network and UW, where the show will be filmed.

“This is the first time that all of the universities of the Big Ten have collaborated on one program that will be airing on our network, and you’ll have professors in Wisconsin doing the analysis,” Conlisk said.

While the network refers to the entire Big Ten region as a “battleground,” the state of Illinois, home to Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., favors him significantly over Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

“The fact that there is not a close race in a certain state still means we can learn something,” said Franklin. “The election returns have shown that we’ve been close in so many states. What we want to do is understand what motivates people and what makes them choose another candidate over another.”