Big Ten Football Talk

The last episode of best case/worst case, we talk about the presumptive division favorites. But should they be? Are both possible playoff teams? Can Michigan conquer Georgia?

Iowa looks to improve from a disappointing year, while Ohio State looks to avenge the losses of their last two games. But are they all hype? Best case/worst case.

We talk Penn State and Illinois. Just how good are the Nittany Lions? Can Illinois repeat their surprising performance from last year? Tune in and find out!

While both Maryland and Minnesota are in the middle of the pack, each team seems to be on different trajectories. With some key players gone, and very different schedules, how will each team fare? What is their worst case scenario? Best case?

I react to the news of Oregon and Washington joining the Big Ten, including how it's a boon for the Ducks and Huskies, and how I'm not really a fan of it. Also, apologies for the low growl at the end of the episode, our dog found her way in my office and growled for my attention just as I was ending the recording!

Nebraska and Michigan state are both teams in a bit of transition. One program feels full of optimism, while another seems like things are a bit on the rocks. What should we expect? What’s the best case? Worst case?

Rutgers and northwestern both have tough hills to climb to get to bowl eligibility, do either of them have realistic shots to get there?

The NCAA suspends Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh for four games, possibly more for misleading or lying about recruiting violations committed in 2021. We spend about 20 minutes discussing three thoughts in regards to the news.

It is time! Episode 1 of Best Case, Worst Case, 2023! First up, we look at the Indiana Hoosiers and the Purdue Boilermakers!

A week late, but we react to the news surrounding the hazing scandal, Fitzgerald’s firing, and where Northwestern goes from here.

We rank all 14 Big Ten Coaches heading into the 2023 season!

The Big Ten team schedules for 2024 and 2025 were revealed this past week, and it has huge implications for the future of the Big Ten, including the future of the Big Ten Championship Game, Playoff Implications, and more.

In 2020, it seemed that Kevin Warren was bound and determined to destroy the Big Ten Conference through poor decisions and leadership through the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet, after his surprising exit, the former commissioner leaves the conference in even better shape than before (despite the rather large bill that the conference owes Fox for yet another misstep). How? All thanks to his predecessor, wh...

The Big Ten had a GREAT draft. How great? 55 Draft Picks. 20 in the first two rounds, which was the most of any conference. We break that down and more on the pod!

The Big Ten Conference is poised to have a GREAT opening night of the 2023 NFL Draft, but it's top star may wait a little longer to hear his name called.

Disclaimer: When I recorded the podcast, I didn't realize the rapid rise of prospects like Lukas Van Ness out of Iowa, so I may sound a bit ignorant when it comes to him.  But the combine is important when it comes to the NFL Draft, and can really help prospects rise earlier in the draft depending on how they workout in different drills.  So we are going to talk about it here, and we end...

We recap the CFP Championship, and why it shouldn't be an indictment for or against playoff expansion (and also why, despite the blowout, TCU deserved to be there.)  Plus, the Big Ten fared very well in bowl season, and the future is bright, especially for Penn State, who looks poised for a potential playoff run.  Also, a couple of housekeeping details for the next few months in regards...

Michigan has a lot of different folks to blame for their loss, (mostly themselves, but the refs didn’t help), CJ Stroud proves a lot of doubters wrong in a loss, and Ryan Day/Jim Knowles continue to make questionable coaching decisions in critical moments. Plus, how do the Big Ten’s losses affect conference perception?

For the first time in the nine year history of the College Football Playoff, two teams from the Big Ten made the field.  Will they both advance?  Will neither advance?  Listen in as we break down each game, and why I think we will see one, but not two, Big Ten teams in the final game of the season.  

With time running out, I decided to put all the January 2nd bowl games together on one episode.  While there isn't much upheaval in the Granddaddy of them all, the same can't be said for the Reliaquest and Citrus Bowls.  Three new head coaches, plenty of opt-outs, and the tragedy of Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach's passing bring a lot of question marks for those two games. &nbsp...

Iowa is down their top two QB's, so they have no shot in this game, right?  Except Kentucky's backfield have all opted out as well, including projected 1st round pick Will Levis, and top running back Chris Rodriguez.  Iowa, in turn, is bringing most of their impact players, and an offense who showed some late season cohesion on the offensive line and Tight End group, led by Sam LaPorta....

Besides the fact that I can't believe that there's actually a bowl game where the winning coach gets mayo dumped on him, this game features two teams who fell short of fairly high expectations.  Who will show up motivated?  Will Taulia Tagovialoa play like the best QB in the game, or will he be erratic?  Will NC State have MJ Morris at QB, or Ben Finley?  We talk a bit about th...

Syracuse took out one Big Ten West opponent earlier this season, as they defeated Purdue in the Carrier Dome.  Can they make it two in a row, or will PJ Fleck row the boat to his third 9 win season in four years?  Catch the breakdown here!

There is no Big Ten program that has had as much positive AND negative turnover this bowl season as Wisconsin has had.  Can the momentum of Luke Fickell's hiring and Braelon Allen's affirmation outweigh Jim Leonhard's impending departure?  And what kind of state will the Cowboys be in, after going 1-4 of their last five games, and without the starting QB?  Join me as I dissect the G...

Lots of odds and ends here, as we look over some of the major coaching changes (so far), nfl declarations, and heisman finalists. Also, a very brief first reaction to the Big Ten Bowl Slate