It was quite an eventful summer for college football programs across the country, but perhaps especially in the Big Ten conference. One major program found itself in deep trouble, while another major program officially joined the conference. And as we welcomed several new head coaches, we said goodbye to one of its most prestigious (and his sweater vest). Even though Big Ten play does not begin for a few weeks, here’s a rundown of the biggest storylines of this past offseason:
New faces in new places: The Big Ten welcomed in four new head coaches in this past offseason: Kevin Wilson (Indiana), Brady Hoke (Michigan), Jerry Kill (Minnesota) and Luke Fickell (Ohio State). However, they all came in under vastly different circumstances, and they all will have different challenges this season. Wilson and Kill take over at programs that have been around the bottom of the Big Ten in recent years. Meanwhile, Hoke takes over at Michigan after three disastrous seasons of Rich Rodriguez. Fickell steps into the top job at Ohio State after the Jim Tressel era ended with a thud of NCAA violations and missteps. Amidst all the new hires, of course, Joe Paterno will begin his 257th year (approximately) as Penn State head coach.
Ohio State in trouble: Perhaps the most famous tattoos in America currently belong to the Ohio State football team. What once looked like a minor scandal spiraled out of control this offseason, resulting in the departures of Buckeye head coach Jim Tressel and quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Ohio State, which was the favorite to win the Big Ten with Tressel and Pryor, now finds itself losing recruits to rival Michigan and in danger of missing out on a share of the Big Ten title for the first time since 2004.
12 is the new 10: Since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1990, there have actually been 11 teams in the Big Ten conference. As of this summer, there are now 12 teams, with Nebraska bolting from the Big XII (which even more confusingly now has only 10 teams) and joining the Big Ten. With a strong returning core of players, the Huskers could very well be the favorite to win the conference in their inaugural season. So the Big Ten now has 12 teams, and the Big XII now has 10 teams. As far as we know, the Southeastern Conference is still largely in the Southeast, but we can no longer confirm that.
Wisconsin’s new quarterback: One of the big knocks on Wisconsin’s chances to repeat as Big Ten champions in 2011 was its lack of a proven quarterback. Notice the past tense, because this summer the Badgers got a major upgrade at the position. Russell Wilson, who played at North Carolina State for the first three years of his college career, transferred this offseason to Wisconsin. Wilson tossed 74 touchdowns and only 26 interceptions in his three-year stint as the quarterback of the Wolfpack — much better statistics than Scott Tolzien, who led the Badgers last season. Wilson can run the football as well, scrambling for 435 yards and nine touchdowns last season. His arrival in Madison makes the Badgers an early favorite in the Big Ten Leaders Division.