Historical year for the conference as they welcome in Nebraska, split the league into 2 divisions, and have a championship game.
In case you missed it, here are the divisions & crossover games.
Legends: Michigan, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Northwestern, Michigan State
Leaders: Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois, Indiana
Crossover games
Michigan - Ohio State
Nebraska - Penn State
Minnesota - Wisconsin
Iowa - Purdue
Northwestern - Illinois
Michigan State - Indiana
The favorites are pretty standard: Nebraska and Ohio State, with Ohio State likely "national title good" pending the return of Pryor and Co. Nebraska comes in after what had to be a disappointing 10-4 campaign, but in a favorable situation being placed in a division with dying power Michigan, and 4 other schools who aren't annual threats for the Rose Bowl. After browsing through the schedule, I've pegged Illinois and Iowa as my sleeper teams. Both have very manageable schedules to make a run. Iowa misses the Top-3 out of the Leaders division (Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois) whereas Illinois misses the Top-3 out of the Legends division (Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State).
The Big Ten also welcomes aboard 3 new head coaches: Kevin Wilson (Indiana), Brady Hoke (Michigan), and Jerry Kill (Minnesota). Wilson - formally the OC for Oklahoma - brings little HC experience to Bloomington, going 0-12 in the High School ranks. Similar to his predecessor, he will have an offense centered around a shotgun passing attack with a 4-3 base defense. Former IU HC Bill Lynch landed what might be the best recruiting class in 10 years for the Hoosiers, now it's up to Wilson to keep those players verbally committed for another 3-4 weeks.
Minnesota fans have to be excited about what Jerry Kill has to offer: He's won everywhere he's been, is a Midwest guy, and is committed to running the football. He's a no-nonsense kind of guy who got to where he is today with hard work. He brings a mixed-attack on offense, with some pistol, I-formation, and shotgun with a 4-3 base defense. He's committed to moving WR MarQueis Gray back to his former position (QB) and focusing the offense around the most promising recruit Tim Brewster landed during his 4-year tenure in Minneapolis. The staff is committed to sacrificing size for speed, and stopping the run of defense as Kill pointed out in his inaugural presser.
New Michigan AD Dave Brandon has made it clear in his short tenure that he wants to try new things with the program. He has recently added lights to the 84-year old Michigan Stadium with the anticipation of playing more night games and hosting bigger events, such as the recent "Big Chill at the Big House" - an outdoor hockey game featuring the Wolverines and in-state rival Michigan State. However when it came to hiring a Head Coach, he went with someone familiar with the program: Brady Hoke. Hoke brings with him familiarity with the program (DL coach under Moeller and Carr from 1995-2002) and head coaching experience at the FBS level. It wasn't a sexy hire, but he has a winning pedigree. SDSU OC Al Borges will follow him to Ann Arbor, and the staff will adjust to the current personnel at their disposal. The days of a 3-3-5 defense are likely history as SDSU DC Rocky Long accepted the Aztecs HC position, but that's just fine with Michigan fans.
In case you missed it, here are the divisions & crossover games.
Legends: Michigan, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Northwestern, Michigan State
Leaders: Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois, Indiana
Crossover games
Michigan - Ohio State
Nebraska - Penn State
Minnesota - Wisconsin
Iowa - Purdue
Northwestern - Illinois
Michigan State - Indiana
The favorites are pretty standard: Nebraska and Ohio State, with Ohio State likely "national title good" pending the return of Pryor and Co. Nebraska comes in after what had to be a disappointing 10-4 campaign, but in a favorable situation being placed in a division with dying power Michigan, and 4 other schools who aren't annual threats for the Rose Bowl. After browsing through the schedule, I've pegged Illinois and Iowa as my sleeper teams. Both have very manageable schedules to make a run. Iowa misses the Top-3 out of the Leaders division (Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois) whereas Illinois misses the Top-3 out of the Legends division (Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State).
The Big Ten also welcomes aboard 3 new head coaches: Kevin Wilson (Indiana), Brady Hoke (Michigan), and Jerry Kill (Minnesota). Wilson - formally the OC for Oklahoma - brings little HC experience to Bloomington, going 0-12 in the High School ranks. Similar to his predecessor, he will have an offense centered around a shotgun passing attack with a 4-3 base defense. Former IU HC Bill Lynch landed what might be the best recruiting class in 10 years for the Hoosiers, now it's up to Wilson to keep those players verbally committed for another 3-4 weeks.
Minnesota fans have to be excited about what Jerry Kill has to offer: He's won everywhere he's been, is a Midwest guy, and is committed to running the football. He's a no-nonsense kind of guy who got to where he is today with hard work. He brings a mixed-attack on offense, with some pistol, I-formation, and shotgun with a 4-3 base defense. He's committed to moving WR MarQueis Gray back to his former position (QB) and focusing the offense around the most promising recruit Tim Brewster landed during his 4-year tenure in Minneapolis. The staff is committed to sacrificing size for speed, and stopping the run of defense as Kill pointed out in his inaugural presser.
New Michigan AD Dave Brandon has made it clear in his short tenure that he wants to try new things with the program. He has recently added lights to the 84-year old Michigan Stadium with the anticipation of playing more night games and hosting bigger events, such as the recent "Big Chill at the Big House" - an outdoor hockey game featuring the Wolverines and in-state rival Michigan State. However when it came to hiring a Head Coach, he went with someone familiar with the program: Brady Hoke. Hoke brings with him familiarity with the program (DL coach under Moeller and Carr from 1995-2002) and head coaching experience at the FBS level. It wasn't a sexy hire, but he has a winning pedigree. SDSU OC Al Borges will follow him to Ann Arbor, and the staff will adjust to the current personnel at their disposal. The days of a 3-3-5 defense are likely history as SDSU DC Rocky Long accepted the Aztecs HC position, but that's just fine with Michigan fans.