College football is officially right around the corner with Big Ten Media Days wrapping up on Friday. Coaches and players don’t always reveal a ton in these interviews with fall camp not even starting yet. But the coaches had plenty to say and we got some interesting storylines emerge from Indianapolis.
Iowa’s Offense Will Be Much Better
Kirk Ferentz couldn’t say enough about the offensive line improvement. There were many things wrong with the Hawkeye offense last year, but it all started up front with one of the worst line plays in the country.
Ferentz attributed a lot of that to the inexperience. He said that traditionally, Iowa offensive linemen don’t play great until year four or five. With so many first-year starters on the line last year, maybe the offensive struggles should have been expected.
But Ferentz sounds immensely more confident in this year’s group. He said every guy is a better player than last year and specifically mentioned the development of Nick DeJong, Mason Richman, Connor Colby, and Logan Jones. It appears the depth and quality of the Iowa offensive line will be much improved in 2023.
On top of that, new QB Cade McNamara received rave reviews from his coach and teammates. He has been a leader for them on & off the field and brings ample of Big Ten experience with him. McNamara is undoubtedly the most talented quarterback Iowa has had at least since CJ Beathard – with whom Iowa went 20-7 from 2015-16.
Iowa has a three-headed backfield in Kaleb Johnson, Leshon Williams, and Jaziun Patterson. They also return virtually every wideout from last year and have two NFL-caliber tight ends in Luke Lachey and Erick All.
Kirk Ferentz seemed upbeat about the Hawkeye offense at Big Ten Media Days and for good reasons – this unit should take a 180 from last year’s disastrous finish.
Bielema is Building Illinois into Contenders
Entering his 10th season as a Big Ten head coach, Bret Bielema made it clear that this is his last stop of his career. His goal before he retires: win a Big Ten Championship. He built a program into a Big Ten title contender before, and I think he’s ready to do it again at Illinois.
I loved Bielema’s confidence about this Illini team, the way he talked about the young talent and veterans on the team, and the vision he has for this program. Illinois has gained steam on the recruiting trail this summer.
Once divisions are eliminated in 2024, the assumption is that the true contenders will be boiled down to Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, USC, and Wisconsin. But as long as Bret Bielema sticks around (which should be a long time), Illinois is going to be a very difficult team to beat.
Bielema has a legitimate shot to top his surprising 8-win total from last season. Once he starts bringing top-25 level talent into the program, Illinois will be able to truly compete for a Big Ten Championship.
Gavin Wimsatt is Officially Rutgers’ Man
Greg Schiano said he’s known for a while that Wimsatt would be this year’s starter. In fact, he recognized the improvement back in the spring. Schiano accredited new OC Kirk Ciarrocca with getting Wimsatt more comfortable in the offense.
Schiano has described Wimsatt’s career so far as “disjointed.” He skipped his senior year to enroll during the 2021 season, but that led to him learning in “bits and pieces” rather than understanding the basis of the offense. Wimsatt then battled injuries last year. But thanks to his health and the addition of Ciarrocca, Schiano expects Wimsatt to make big strides this season.
Perhaps the most athletic quarterback Rutgers has had in its history, Gavin Wimsatt finally has his chance alone at the top of the depth chart. However, it doesn’t look like he has the longest leash.
“He’s earned it. You earn it at our place. You can unearn it. Those are the facts, people don’t like to hear, but that’s the reality.”
Clarity at the quarterback position is something Rutgers has lacked since Schiano made his return. If Wimsatt meets his potential, Rutgers could surprise a lot of people. They could go bowling this season and lay the foundation for another strong rebuild by Schiano.
But if Wimsatt flounders this opportunity, the Rutgers rebuild will be set back several years. Even though expectation remain low in New Jersey, a lot is riding on how Gavin Wimsatt develops this season.
Ryan Braun is killing it, Northwestern’s Administration isn’t
Ryan Braun was thrust into the national spotlight only six months after joining the school as defensive coordinator. He was forced to face the media and their litany of questions only a few weeks after taking over as interim head coach.
Braun was stoic, delivering a strong message and instilling his faith in Northwestern’s players, culture, and future. He looked every part of the leader that Northwestern needs him to be. That is a whole lot more than anyone else at Northwestern has done.
President Michael Schill and AD Derrick Gragg have yet to address the media. They addressed the team once – on a Zoom meeting where they didn’t take any questions from the team. Schill & Gragg have been hiding behind a curtain for weeks and threw David Braun to the wolves to answer questions that should be falling on their shoulders. But Braun absolutely killed it.
David Braun can’t do much about the talent on this football team. No matter how much inspiration he can muster out of this group, an 0-12 season seems more likely than a 6-6 season. But he can maintain the Wildcats’ developmental culture and keep a mass exodus of talent via the portal from occurring.
Who knows who will take over as the full-time head coach after the season. But one thing is for sure: David Braun is going to do everything possible to keep this program in tact this season. Which is a whole lot more than Northwestern’s cowardly administration can say.
‘The Game’ Could Be Moved to Mid-Season
There has been a scenario in the division-less Big Ten that has crossed my mind plenty in the past year – what happens if Ohio State and Michigan end up having to play in back-to-back weeks? With the Big Ten’s premier programs facing off at the end of every season, it’s a legitimate possibility that they could be forced to rematch the following week in the Big Ten Championship.
That possibility was brought up to Ryan Day at media day, who said it’s “worth a long discussion” to move the game to mid-season. In theory, it makes sense. College football fans should want to preserve the importance of the game’s greatest rivalry.
I’ll raise a scenario: Ohio State and Michigan each clinched their spot in the Big Ten Championship after week 13. They will play each other no matter what. But before they meet in Indianapolis, they have to play a virtually meaningless game at one of their stadiums. What’s the motivation to play? Will the starters stay in the entire game? Will coaches call a more conservative game? The pageantry of ‘The Game’ could all of a sudden be lost.
But Michigan and Ohio State loyalists would likely have a difficult time accepting something like this. Part of what makes ‘The Game’ so special is that it traditionally ends each team’s regular season.
I think the scenario outlined above would have to actually happen before any scheduling change would happen. I don’t think they would make a change as severe as this to avoid an event that hasn’t even happened yet. For all we know, a scenario like that could be decades away. Jim Harbaugh could jump the NFL after this season. Or Ohio State could fire Ryan Day after a disappointing 2023 and whiff on their next hire. The future is impossible to predict.
But this is the first time we’ve had a real conversation around moving ‘The Game’ – and likely not the last. It would be a hard thing for Ohio State or Michigan fans to accept, but it something that will have to be considered if Ohio State and Michigan continue their Big Ten dominance.