Here she blows.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Date	Opponent	Time	TV	Location	Result	Attendance
8/30	APPALACHIAN STATE	TBD	TBD	Ann Arbor, MI	-	-
9/6	Notre Dame	TBD	TBD	South Bend, IN	-	-
9/13	MIAMI (OH)	TBD	TBD	Ann Arbor, MI	-	-
9/20	UTAH	TBD	TBD	Ann Arbor, MI	-	-
9/27	MINNESOTA	TBD	TBD	Ann Arbor, MI	-	-
10/4	Rutgers	TBD	TBD	Newark, NJ	-	-
10/11	PENN STATE	TBD	TBD	Ann Arbor, MI	-	-
10/25	Michigan State	TBD	TBD	East Lansing, MI	-	-
11/1	INDIANA	TBD	TBD	Ann Arbor, MI	-	-
11/8	Northwestern	TBD	TBD	Evanston, IL	-	-
11/22	MARYLAND	TBD	TBD	Ann Arbor, MI	-	-
11/29	Ohio State	TBD	TBD	Columbus, OH	-	-
12/6	B1G Championship	TBD	TBD	Indianapolis, IN	-	-

Say what you will, but this schedule stinks.

The best games are all away games, which is great for everyone else, but horrible for season ticket holders. Although it's nice to see the Gophers as a crossover game. Protect the jug!

So who do we play at night? Gotta be Penn State, right? I suppose back-to-back trips to East Lansing in 2013-14 was probably unavoidable, otherwise we wouldn't be doing it. But playing all 3 of your biggest rivals on the road in the same year – that tough. Especially since the Irish are chickening out of the series with the finale on their turf without the chance of hosting the rivalry trifecta on our faux grass in 2015.

Previously, Leaders Hot Seat Part 1 and Part 2.

The Leaders division was rather tame this year with so many new/recently new coaches. But things are a little more unsettled in the Legends.

Here's our own custom "hotness" scale, for your reference.
Totally Safe - Can literally lose every game and still be elected governor.
Safe for Now -  Can have an off-year and still be okay.
Needs a Good Year - Needs to improve from 2012.
Needs a Great Year - 2013 could be the end if things don't get better fast.
Dead Man Walking - The end is near.

Let's get it on!

Kirk Ferentz - Iowa

15th Season
2012: 4-8
UI Record: 100-74, 14 years
Career Record: 112-95, 17 years
Salary: $3,900,000

Just How Big is Kirk Ferentz's Buyout? via BHGP on 11/26/12:

We've been getting a lot of questions about Kirk Ferentz's buyout ever since the nation's sixth highest paid coach went 4-8, lost to Central Michigan, hired a guy to coordinate the nation's 114th ranked scoring offense, and finished last in the Legends Division of the worst Big Ten in a generation. In simple math, Kirk Ferentz has a contract through January 31, 2020, that pays him between $1.87M and $2.07M per season in base salary, plus another $1.48M per season in "recurring supplemental payments" which is just a fancy way of saying that Gary Barta has to pay him $370,000 four times a year on top of his salary.

The buyout clause in Kirk Ferentz's contract mandates that Gary Barta pay him 75% of his base salary if he is terminated without cause. That works out to $18,846,249 as of this week, or $219,142 per month until the contract ends in January 2020.

That's a lot of bacon.

After a very successful 11-2 season in 2009, Iowa has struggled to remain at the level they're used to playing at. An 8-5 record in 2010 and 7-6 in 2011 is really turning up the heat on the Big Ten's most tenured coach. Last season alone should be enough to elevate Kirk into the orange, but yet another loss to rival Iowa State, as well as Central Michigan and 6 losses in the Big Ten and you've really got to wonder just how much more the old ball coach has left in the tank.

When you return 6 offensive and 8 defensive starters from a team that won 4 games, that could be considered a negative. And it's not like Iowa has a ton of incoming top-tier talent either. Recruiting rankings since the 2010 class according to Scout dot com: 2010: 45, 2011: 25, 2012: 47, 2013: 51. Not exactly tearing it up on the recruiting trail, at least not what you'd expect from a coach paid as well as Ferentz.

The 2013 schedule starts out with a laughable non-conference slate, as usual. They do get 5 B1G games at Kinnick, which could help. But road trips to Columbus and Lincoln are most certainly pegged as losses.

I'm not sure were wins are on this schedule other than the four non-conference games against Northern Illinois, Missouri State, Iowa State and Western Michigan. Iowa has a long ways to go to get back to relevance among the league's improving teams. The Legends division alone is looking strong with Michigan, Nebraska, Michigan State and Northwestern all realistically vying for the title. With that, I'm NOT putting Ferentz and his huge contract which expires in 2020 on hot seat watch (whatever that is), and here's why (via BHGP):

Needless to say, Kirk Ferentz is not going to be fired, because even if it is warranted (and I'm not starting that conversation here), it's completely beyond our budget.

Translation: They're stuck.

Notable games in 2013:
9/14: @ Iowa State
10/5: Michigan State
10/19: @ Ohio State
11/23: Michigan
11/29: @ Nebraska

MBN Hotness Meter: Needs a Good Year

Brady Hoke - Michigan

3rd Season
2012: 8-5
UM Record: 19-7, 2 years
Career Record: 66-57, 10 years
Salary: $3,200,000

2012 could've gone better for Michigan. Playing one of, if not the toughest schedule in college football took its toll on the Wolverines last year. Their five losses were to teams that finished with a combined record of 56-7, including both teams that played for the BCS national title, one that played for the Big Ten title, and another that finished the season 12-0...all on the road.

The offense sputtered under Denard Robinson at quarterback. While he was certainly a prolific play-maker, his ability as a pure passer left much to be desired. When he went down with a nerve injury against Nebraska, former backup QB turned wide-receiver Devin Gardner stepped in and helped rejuvenate the Michigan offense in the last 4 games of the regular season. He also gave Michigan fans a glimpse of what the offense will look like once he's the full-time starter beginning this season.

Along with Denard Robinson leaving, Michigan losses quite a few starters going into 2013, especially along the offensive line. The interior of the line must be rebuilt, but having both tackles, Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield back does help considerably. DT Will Campbell, LB Kenny Demens, SS Jordan Kovacs and WR Roy Roundtree will also be missed. But the positive impacts of all of the success Hoke has had in the recruiting effort should start to pay off quickly in many of those positions.

Injured backup QB Russell Bellomy will miss most if not all of the 2013 season with a torn ACL, putting pressure on incoming freshman Shane Morris, and also increasing the likelihood of a possible incoming transfer to add depth to that position. Standout SLB Jake Ryan also tore his ACL in spring practice, but might be able to return by mid-October according to Hoke.

The schedule lightens up a bit from the gauntlet of 2012. It helps to not play Alabama. Michigan gets Notre Dame, Nebraska and Ohio State all at home. But road contests at Penn State, Michigan State and Northwestern will be tough.

While 2011 was a special season for Michigan, 2012 was a dose of reality that made Michigan realize that it still has a little ways to go before they are the dominant program that Hoke wants them to be. But they're getting there. And if recruiting alone is any indication, the future is very bright in Ann Arbor.

Notable games in 2013:
9/7: Notre Dame
11/2: @ Michigan State
11/9: Nebraska
11/16: @ Northwestern
11/30: Ohio State

MBN Hotness Meter: Safe for Now

Mark Dantonio - Michigan State

Source

7th Season
2012: 7-6
MSU Record: 51-28, 6 years
Career Record: 69-45, 9 years
Salary: $1,830,000

Last year I said...

There might not be a more perfect coach for Michigan State than Mark Dantonio. After huge whiffs with Bobby Williams and then John L. Smith, Mark has been exactly what the doctor ordered for Sparty. He puts the Michigan game on a level higher than any of his predecessors...maybe higher than even a few at Ohio State – where Mark was defensive coordinator from 2001-03 and a GA back in the 80's. His hatred for Michigan runs deep. And that's what Sparty loves about him – if their black hearts are capable of such a complex emotion.

I stand by that. Mark, despite struggling in 2012, is still the right man for the job in East Lansing. As long as he continues to hate Michigan, he'll remain in good graces among Sparty fans. But he must deliver victories. His 4 year streak was snapped last year by the foot of Brendan Gibbons in a classic defensive battle. Time will tell, though there seems to be a clear separation in recruiting between Michigan and Michigan State, we'll see if that trend continues on the football field.

And that's really the key for Dantonio. He must start recruiting better. He can't offer prospects and then get turned down so they can pursue their almost non-existent rap careers. It's terribly embarrassing for the program.

And with joining the future east division of the Big Ten conference starting next year, it's going to be imperative for Sparty to stay relevant with the upper crust of the league. Over the last few years, it's never been an easier time for Michigan State to shine, and they did, albeit not that much. With Michigan being down, Michigan State won 4 in a row, but failed to walk away with an uncontested Big Ten title, or at least a BCS bowl berth, which would've been huge for a program like Sparty's.

But Mark Dantonio has flourished in East Lansing. And to continue to do so, he's going to need to not only beat Michigan, but rack up wins with the rest of the league. That's about to get a lot tougher.

They bring back most of the offense, 9 starters, but do lose some key contributors on defense, namely CB Johnny Adams and DE William Gholston. But the state of Sparty's defense is still very strong, and will be a big part of any resurgence effort. Most did not expect starting RB LeVeon Bell to leave early for the NFL. He and TE Dion Sims, two of the best players on offense a year ago, are going to be tough to replace quickly.

Notable games in 2013:
9/21: @ Notre Dame
11/2: Michigan
11/16: @ Nebraska
11/23: @ Northwestern

MBN Hotness Meter: Safe for Now


Legends Part 2 will be coming at you shortly.

Source

So, more attrition. This time Mike Jones and Marvin Robinson (and his abs). Bummer.

MGoAnalysis:

They're dropping like not-particularly-likley-to-see-the-field flies up in here. Over the last 12 hours, Scout's Andre Barthwell and Sam Webb broke the news that Michigan has lost Marvin Robinson and Mike Jones from the roster.

As departure impacts go, these are near the bottom of the scale. Both were going to be seniors (Jones was a fifth year) and neither was likely to see much playing time outside of special teams. These exits don't affect the two deep or the projected numbers for the 2014 class. 

So, it's not quite as bad as it may seem. That's good news. Also good news, it opens up two scholarships for this season. The bad news is that it could force the burn of a couple redshirts. We'll see.

Commit #10

Image via here

Meet Lawrence Marshall
Scout: 4-star, #12 DE, #89 OVR
ESPN: 4-star, #12 DE, #107 OVR
247Sports: 4-star, #12 DE, #207 OVR
Rivals: 3-star, #19 DE, NR OVR
MGoHello

Todays news of Team 135's newest commitment came in an...unorthodox way, if you will.  While on campus today, Class of  '14's first commit Michael Ferns broke the news (followed up by the picture above):

Congrats to my new future teammate @espn_lo #GoBlue #Team135
— Michael Ferns (@M_Ferns10) May 11, 2013

Ferns is also enjoying a beautiful day on the golf course with another visitor, LB Chase Winovich (who most figured would be the one to commit on his visit).  On the golf course? Yup:

Image via here

Busy guy. 

But the real credit should be given to WR commit Moe Ways.  Ways and Marshall have developed a close relationship as the two have been AAU teammates for the past few years and most recently participated in the NFTC event in Chicago last weekend.  I've got tweets for days re: how persistent Ways has been in recruiting Marshall, but here's just a few:

Moe Ways said at the NFTC he had been recruiting Lawrence Marshall hard and he thought it was working. Looks like he was right.
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) May 11, 2013

@moeways predicted he'd get @espn_lo to #Michigan: "I’ve known him a long time.I know what to say to him, I know how to push his buttons"
— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) May 11, 2013

@moeways: “If I know ( @espn_lo ) like I know him... when it’s all said & done he ‘ll make the right choice... right choice is going blue"
— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) May 11, 2013

Doin' work in Moe Ways than one! Sorry, I never got to join in on all the fun!

Taking a look at Marshall's ratings, you can see Michigan is getting a talented kid.  He has 4-star status (save Rivals, who will come around), is top 15 position wise, also minus Rivals, and ranks as high as #89 nationally!  Size wise: It's all over the place.  Scout and 247 list 6'3" while ESPN and Rivals say 6'4".  His weight ranges from 205 to 230, so at this point, not sure what to believe until we hear it directly from Marshall.  Let's hope it's toward the higher mark after reading Allen Trieu's evaluation:

Very long frame. Has great athleticism, change of direction and speed in pursuit. Has all of the tools to be an elite pass rusher, just needs continued work on his technique. Plays with hand down in high school, but may be a stand-up rusher in college. Has not been asked to drop into coverage much, but that's something he may be asked to do at the next level. Has to add some weight, but all of the raw tools are there.

Marshall is another undersized DE, as Trieu states, that will need to bulk a little before he will see the field.  He has plenty of room to grow, and with his athleticism and quick first step, could become a very good weakside rush end/rush LB...think Mario Ojemudia.  He had a solid freshman season seeing lots of playing time, and we could have a clone in the makings to help wreak havoc in the opposing team's backfield.

Let's not forget the way Marshall's commitment has gone thus far though.  Back in February he committed to Ohio out of nowhere only to re-open his recruitment back up 3 days later.  Most analysts, heck everyone at 247Sports, have considered him a MSU lean ever since proceeding 7or 8 visits to East Lansing in the last few months.  Michigan was always in the picture, but looked to be outside looking in.  Guess not, after hearing this from Marshall himself:

The best players from Michigan goes to Michigan #Team135
— Lawrence Marshall Jr (@ESPN_Lo) May 11, 2013

And also had this to say:

S/o to all the Michigan fans.....Happy to be apart of team #135 #Michigan
— Lawrence Marshall Jr (@ESPN_Lo) May 11, 2013

Marshall brings the class to 10 members, leaving 7 or 8 spots left for the '14 class, barring any further attrition.

Other Offers
Impressive pile of offers here for Marshall: MSU, Miss. St., Nebraska, Oklahoma, OSU, Ole Miss, Pitt, and Tennessee to name a few.  

Hype Video



Something Scary to Think About
Marshall could end up being the lowest rated defensive lineman in the '14 class once signing day comes around.  Michigan already has Bryan Mone in the mix, is still in on in-stater Malik McDowell and top prosepect DaShawn Hand and the odds are in Michigan's favor at this point.  Let that soak in for a minute or two...however long you need.

So does this mean VT is probably not joining the Big Ten?

UM press release:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan and Virginia Tech University athletic departments jointly announced today (Thursday, May 9) a home-and-home series in football during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

The Wolverines will host the Hokies on Sept. 19, 2020, at Michigan Stadium and will travel to Blacksburg, Va., on Sept. 11, 2021.

Freshman players in this game will have been born in 2002. They're 11 years old right now. Just thought I'd add that. I'll go back to feeling old now.

MSU pregame.

Via UM press release:

Michigan Punter Will Hagerup Reinstated to Team, Will Sit Out 2013 Season
ANN ARBOR, MICH. –University of Michigan football senior punter Will Hagerup (Milwaukee, Wis./Whitefish Bay) has been reinstated as an active member of the team, but will sit out the 2013 season, Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke announced today (Tuesday, May 7).

Hagerup, who was suspended on Dec. 16, 2012, for a violation of team rules, is allowed to return for voluntary summer workouts and team functions.  He will have one season of eligibility remaining in 2014.

"Getting back around his teammates is an important step in this process," said Hoke.  "Will and I have had several discussions over the past five months, none of which have been about football.  Our primary concern has been for him as a person, and that will not change.  Will is a part of our family, and we will continue to offer the resources to help him learn and grow.  I am pleased with his progress to this point, and he knows that must continue every day moving forward."

"The past five months have been an incredible, humbling time for me," said Hagerup.  "I understand my actions represent every person that supports me, as well as any man who has worn a Michigan jersey the past 133 years. My dad always says that character is how you act when no one is watching. In retrospect, I needed to take a big step in the character department, and I’m excited in the progress I’ve made in the last five months.

"This trial also has taught me a great deal about my faith, my family and friends, the athletic administration, the coaches and my teammates. I let down all of the aforementioned people, as well as the best fans in football. Before, I thought I could solve my issues by myself, but I was wrong. I now realize that I must and should rely on the important people in my life for guidance and support.

"I want to thank Coach Hoke, Dave Brandon, Greg Harden and all of my teammates who have supported me and always made time for me in their busy schedules, even when it looked like I may not ever play here again. They have given me a new opportunity to become the Michigan Man I always wanted to be, and I plan on taking advantage of that second chance.  That said, I realize everyone needs to see my actions, not simply hear about them."

Probably the best way this situation could've resulted for Hags. He was on thin ice, so apparently, he's really turned it around with Hoke. We'll see if this ends up being a Darryl Stonum-like situation – who sat out the 2011 season before leaving the team a year later. My gut says no, Hoke won't let that happen.

Ringer death-stare file photo. Source.

As reported earlier today on MGoBlog as speculation based on Twitter posts, then confirmed by MLive's Kyle Meinke...

Kaleb Ringer has left the Michigan football team, program announces.
— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) May 6, 2013

Meinke continues...

Speculation of Ringer's departure surfaced earlier Monday after he changed his Twitter bio to "@Ring_RingFSU," mentioned "FSU football" in his bio and included the Ferris State logo as his background. His brother, Korey, also plays for the Bulldogs.

Ringer has not directly stated he's transferring to Ferris State, though, and did not return requests seeking comment.

Yes, that indeed seems to be the case. The 3-star recruit out of Ohio, Hoke's 3rd commit from the 2012 class, has found himself buried too deep for comfort on the linebacker depth chart going into his 2nd year in the program. That place in depth chart is somewhat due in part to his season-ending knee injury from fall camp last summer which kept him out of the 2012 season.

Long/short-term effects for Michigan? Short-term it means one-less dude on the depth chart. Given the depth already in place and incoming freshmen, I don't see this having much of a negative impact. Long-term it means another precious scholarship becomes available.

Best of luck to Kaleb wherever he ends up.

In part 1 of the Leaders division coaches hot seat, we looked at Illinois, Indiana and Ohio State. Rounding out the division in this post is Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin...who's coaches have a combined 1 year of Big Ten head coaching experience. This could be interesting, although no one is on the hot seat here.

Here's our own custom "hotness" scale, for your reference.
Totally Safe - Can literally lose every game and still be elected governor.
Safe for Now -  Can have an off-year and still be okay.
Needs a Good Year - Needs to improve from 2012.
Needs a Great Year - 2013 could be the end if things don't get better fast.
Dead Man Walking - The end is near.

Bill O'Brien - Penn State

Source

2nd Season
2012: 8-4
PSU Record: 8-4, 1 year
Career Record: 8-4, 1 year
Salary: $2,300,000

Hat's off to Bill O'Brien. Seriously, what a job done in 2012 at Penn State. Last year I said...

No question O'Brien has one of the toughest jobs in the B1G. I can't imagine any way in which he's overly successful this season. But maybe that NFL pedigree will serve him well as he just needs to focus his team on football and the business of getting their minds off of the circus that's going on around the program and school.

Well, he did just that. I did not expect 8-4, especially after the opening loss to Ohio University. But O'Brien has kept his team focused despite the legal mess going on around the program and the university.

However, things are going to get tougher for the Nittany Lions as they manage their way through year two of the NCAA sanctions that are hanging over the program. The post-season/bowl ban and scholarship limitations will eventually take their toll. And while I think BOB is absolutely the right man for the job in Happy Valley, things are going to get worse before they get better.

And that's a shame. But that doesn't seem to be slowing BOB down. He's recruiting well, and even turned down multiple NFL offers this offseason. If he wanted to just prove himself and leave town, he had his shot, and stayed. I think that says a lot about Penn State and even more about O'Brien.

If he's thinking staying long-term at Penn State, he could be a great coach for them. I'm glad to have the Nittany Lions back on the schedule and I'm even more glad to be in their division starting in 2014.

Notable games in 2013:
8/31: vs Syracuse (neutral site)
10/12: Michigan
10/26: @ Ohio State
11/23: Nebraska
11/30: @ Wisconsin

MBN Hotness Meter: Safe for Now

Darrell Hazell - Purdue

Source

1st Season
PU Record: 0-0
Career Record:16-10, 2 years
Salary: $1,500,000

Who the heck is Darrell Hazell? Well, my Boilermaker-hating brethren, he's the next in a very long line of Purdue head coaches...20th to exact. Hazell hails from New Jersey originally. He went to school at Muskingum University in Ohio. Most recently, he was the head coach at Kent State for the last 2 seasons. He held assistant coaching positions previously at Oberlin, E. Illinois, Penn, W. Michigan, Army, W. Virginia and Rutgers. But the most important thing you need to know about Hazell is that he was WR coach at Ohio State from 04-10.

And boom goes the dynamite.

I knew there was something I didn't like about the cut of Hazell's jib.

But seriously folks, let's not kid ourselves, we're very happy to see Danny Hope get the boot. And even if it means getting Hazell in his place, I consider this a step in the right direction.

Hazell is going to have his work cut out for him. Purdue loses 6 offensive starters, including QBs Robert Marve and Caleb TerBush, from a team that went 6-7 and 3-5 in the Big Ten. He does receive 9 defensive starters back, so that's a plus.

Either way, it beats having Danny Hope back for 4th year, so there's that. Purdue probably won't see a bowl game this season given the rebuilding that will likely take place, plus their schedule doesn't do them many favors. It'll be interesting to see how things play out.

Notable games in 2013:
8/31: @ Cincinnati
9/14: Notre Dame
9/21: @ Wisconsin
10/12: Nebraska
11/2: Ohio State

MBN Hotness Meter: Safe for Now

Gary Andersen - Wisconsin

Source

1st Season
UW Record: 0-0
Career Record: 30-31, 5 years
Salary: $2,700,000

Welp Wisconsin, Bret Bielema dumped you for Arkansas, huh? That's rough. Sorry 'bout that. Three straight Big Ten championships. 3 straight Rose Bowls (all losses)...those are some big shoes to fill. Since 1990, Wisconsin has enjoyed relative coaching consistency and success between Alvarez (118-74-4) and Bielema (68-24).

Now Wisconsin turns to an outsider to lead their program into the new and scary world. Gary Andersen hails from Salt Lake City, Utah. He was most recently the head coach at Utah State where he went 26-24 over 4 seasons, but 11-2 in 2012 with a win in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Andersen was responsible for turning Utah State around. Prior to his 3rd season there in 2011, the Aggies endured 11 losing seasons in a row.

One thing that I found very interesting about Andersen, as well as touching, is that once he decided to take the Wisconsin job, Andersen personally called every Utah State player himself to inform them of his decision. That's nice.

Bielema left the cupboards relatively stacked for Andersen with 8 offensive and 7 defensive starters returning from last year's Big Ten championship squad. Star RB Montee Ball is gone, but I think backup James White is more than capable of filling in. White ran for 806 yards last year with 12 touchdowns. He and averaged 6.4 yards per carry. QB's Joel Stave and Danny O'Brien return as well as 3 OL starters.

If Gary Andersen can get this team playing well early, there's no question they could compete for their 4th straight B1G crown and another Rose Bowl. It's not a complete rebuild, which is what he's used to, but it sound like the Wisconsin players like him so far. I'm wondering if they'll like him too much, making Wisconsin a little softer then they were under Bielema.


Notable Games in 2013:
9/14: @ Arizona State
9/28: @ Ohio State
10/12: Northwestern
11/30: @ Penn State

MBN Hotness Meter: Safe for Now

~ Up next, Legends Division Hot Seat Part 1.

The month of May is an arduous time for college football fans. Football is so far away. Spring ball is over, and summer camps don't start up until August. It really is the dead period for college football.

This blog has been doing our annual "coaches hot seat" feature for 6 years now and it's honestly one of the main reason's I look forward to May every year. This is one of the few things we do here that addresses all of the other schools in the B1G, and especially their head coaches. We hope you enjoy!

Here's our own custom "hotness" scale, for your reference.
Totally Safe - Can literally lose every game and still be elected governor.
Safe for Now -  Can have an off-year and still be okay.
Needs a Good Year - Needs to improve from 2012.
Needs a Great Year - 2013 could be the end if things don't get better fast.
Dead Man Walking - The end is near.

Let's get it on!

First up, the Leaders Division, which we'll bring to you in two parts.

Tim Beckman - Illinois

2nd Season
2012: 2-10 
ILL Record: 2-10, 1 year
Career record: 23-26, 4 years
Salary: $1,750,000

Beckman has one job to do at Illinois, make everyone forget about Ron Zook. The only way to do that is to win. Going 2-10 is not going to get it done. But, things can only get better for the Illini, and that begins now. In his first season with the Toledo Rockets in 2009, they went 5-7. The next year, 8-4. With 9 offensive starters returning for year 2 of the Beckman era, that's what Illinois fans are expecting.

QB Nathan Sheelhaase returns (which could be a negative, depending on who you are), along with 3 receivers, 3 offensive linemen and RB Donovonn Young who led the team in rushing and receiving last year. I think at least a hefty portion of the expectations are shared by Sheelhaase, who has struggled at times.

Only 4 defensive starters return, so plenty of rebuilding to be done on that side of the ball. However, Beckman is a defensive style coach, so I expect some improvement here as the season progresses and young guys get further along in the system.

Initial prognostications all point to Illinois remaining a middle-to-bottom team in the Leaders division. I think while it would be nice to suggest otherwise, I just don't see 8 wins on their schedule. The Beckman era will take a few years to really get off the ground, so 2013 could be a bumpy ride...although a bowl is certainly a possibility.

Notable games in 2013:
9/7: Cincinnati
9/14: vs. Washington (neutral site)
10/19: Wisconsin
11/2: @ Penn State
11/16: Ohio State

MBN Hotness Meter: Needs a Good Year

Kevin Wilson - Indiana

3rd Season
2011: 1-11
2012: 4-8
IU Record: 5-19, 2 years
Career Record: 5-19, 2 years
Salary: $1,300,000

When you're the head football coach at Indiana, life is an uphill battle. Indiana is a basketball school, no question about it. Always will be. Football is just something that happens every fall when IU fans are making plans to flock to Assembly Hall.

The only good football being played in Bloomington is usually being played by the visiting team. Seems like it's been that way forever. So when the football squad puts together a 4-8 season like they did in 2012, all you can do is contrast that to two straight 1-win seasons the last two years, and see some improvement.

The beauty of this year's team is that so many guys are back. 10 starters on offense and 9 on defense. The only holes needing to be filled are center on offense and two defensive tackles on defense. That has to be music to Kevin Wilson's ears, I'm sure.

I'm not one to make wild off-the-cuff predictions, but watch out for the Hoosiers this year. A bowl is certainly a possibility. They could impress a few people and shake up the Leaders division. No, they're not going to challenge the Buckeyes for the division crown, but they won't come in last either. Could be a fun year in Bloomington.

Notable games in 2013:
9/21: Missouri
10/5: Penn State
10/19: @ Michigan
11/16: @ Wisconsin
11/23: @ Ohio State
11/30: Purdue

MBN Hotness Meter: Safe for Now

Urban Meyer - Ohio State

I giggle every time.

2nd Season
2012: 12-0
OSU Record: 12-0, 1 year
Career Record: 116-23, 11 years
Salary: $4,300,000

Well, 2012 was about as glorious of a football season as there can be in Columbus. All expect for the fact that the season ended after the Michigan game, before any post-season play began. The undefeated Buckeyes spent the holidays at home thanks to the off-the-field issues of a couple years earlier. 

The huge silver lining of tat-gate was the hire of Urban Meyer. He's a huge fan-favorite in Columbus. And when you step in and take a 6-7 team from the previous year, who has legitimately nothing to play for, and go 12-0...that's special.

I think the 2013 Buckeyes could be a bit overrated, though. Many experts expect Ohio State to waltz through the Big Ten. While they do have a lot of good players coming back on offense, notably QB Braxton Miller, RB Carlos Hyde and WRs Corey Brown and Devin Smith, the defense is another story. Only 4 starters return (3 of which are in the secondary). But at Ohio State, they've gotten used to reloading rather than rebuilding...which is what most teams do when coming off NCAA sanctions.

I digress.

Cameras like Urban, and he likes them. As a face of a program, he's a natural. He recruits very well...some would say a little too well. But ultimately, he rallied his team and in-turn the fanbase with a very quick start to his first season. Personally, I think Urban may be a bit too "SEC-like" for the loyalists in Columbus. And in time, the SEC culture that he has brought to Ohio State and the Big Ten could prove to haunt him in the end. Yes, he's an Ohio boy born and raised, but his success was doing things the SEC way, which is not the way things are done in the Big Ten.

Urban left Florida because the stress of the job was too great. Unfortunately, the pressure is on to deliver once again in Ohio. 12-0 seasons are the expectation now at Ohio State. And in 2013, fans are already booking flights to Pasadena for the BCS National Championship Game. I don't see how that is any less stressful than what he faced in Gainesville.

With a schedule like theirs this year though, who can blame Ohio State fans for expecting a national title. It'll all come down to who wins on November 30th in Ann Arbor...and that's just fine with us.

Notable games game in 2013:
11/30: @ Michigan

MBN Hotness Meter: Safe for Now

~ Up next, Leaders Division Hot Seat Part 2.

Devin Funchess during pregame at Ohio State.

Some universities are taking issue with the way adidas is doing business. ESPN's Kristi Dosh reports.

Lost in the chatter about the new uniforms adidas created for some of its partner schools during March Madness: the fact that 17 schools terminated or suspended their contracts with the apparel giant.

What did adidas do to raise the ire of so many schools?

The issue revolves around the closure of PT Kizone, a factory in Indonesia with which adidas, along with Nike and the Dallas Cowboys, had contracts for the manufacture of goods. According to a report produced by the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), violations at PT Kizone began in September 2010 when it failed to make mandatory terminal compensation payments to employees who left the factory. In December 2010, the factory failed to make regularly scheduled payments to current employees. The owner of the factory then fled Indonesia in January 2011. Thereafter, the buying agent, Green Textile, ran the factory and paid workers through March 2011. In April 2011, PT Kizone was declared bankrupt and closed. 

Dosh also notes in the article that not all of 17 the schools that ended their adidas contracts had supplier deals with the company, some simply had apparel licensing agreements – which is common for many universities.

According to ESPN's Brian Bennett, Michigan could possibly decide to cut ties with the company – prematurely ending their contract which set to which expire until 2017.

The story says Wisconsin has sued adidas and that Penn State has suspended its contract with the apparel giant. Rutgers has already terminated its deal with adidas.

But the big one here is Michigan, which according to the story, has the largest college sports contract with adidas, worth more than $60 million. Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman has been requesting frequent updates from adidas on the Indonesia situation. It would be huge news if the Wolverines, one of the most iconic brands in college sports, suddenly became a free agent for apparel rights. (Of course, some would argue that adidas deserved to be fired for this monstrosity, or this, or this.

Earlier this month, we addressed some of the superficial issues fans have had with adidas since they took over in 2008. We posted a poll for fans to pick either adidas or Nike as their preferred Michigan apparel supplier. It seems most Michigan fans prefer the swoosh.


Nike shot out of the gate fast with 90% of the vote through the first 150 votes, and then Adidas immediately closed the gap (I suspect little Indonesian bots). But as you can see, in the end, the vote clearly favored Nike.

The thing is, Nike hasn't fared much better in the oversees working conditions debate either. The Nike brand has become synonymous with sweatshops and underage workers, although that doesn't seem to bother many Nike-supplied school's fans. Plus, from Michigan's perspective, the adidas deal is way more lucrative than the Nike one it replaced.

So if Michigan cuts ties with adidas, who says they'll return to Nike? Does Nike even want Michigan back? Or vice versa? From what I've heard, there was some bitterness on Nike's end when the split occurred back in 2007. Outside of Under Armor, who I don't think is a realistic possibility, it's pretty slim pickings in the apparel supplier market. Russell Athletic? Reebok? There's really no clear cut answer. It will be interesting to see what happens. But my money is on Michigan sticking with adidas until the contract expires and then let them and Nike duel is out for the next contract.

This could be the scene when Michigan visits on October 12th. Source.

Last year, the Big Ten offered up 14 primetime games among it's 12 member institutions. Michigan played in 3 of them (Alabama, ND and Nebraska). Today, ESPN announced 6 primetime B1G games for the upcoming season...with more surely to come soon.

Sept. 7: Notre Dame at Michigan, 8 p.m. ET, ABC or ESPN or ESPN2

Sept. 14: Notre Dame at Purdue, 8 p.m. ET, ABC or ESPN or ESPN2

Sept. 28: Wisconsin at Ohio State, 8 p.m. ET, ABC or ESPN or ESPN2

Oct. 5: Ohio State at Northwestern, 8 p.m. ET, ABC or ESPN or ESPN2

Oct. 12: Michigan at Penn State, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN or ESPN2

Oct. 26: Penn State at Ohio State, 8 p.m. ET, ABC or ESPN or ESPN2 

We already knew about the Notre Dame primetime game set for September 7th. And we now have confirmation that the matchup in Happy Valley will be a primetime-ish kickoff set for 5PM.

Random thought bullets:
• I'm a big fan of the Penn State 5 o'clock kickoff time. Imagine a 5PM kickoff at the Big House...maybe on November 9th when the Cornhuskers come to town??? @DaveBrandonAD make this happen! Please and thank you.

• Not surprisingly, Ohio State gets 3 games on this list. Although I'm intrigued by the night game in Evanston...not exactly a pushover I think. ESPN's Rittenberg:

Pat Fitzgerald's crew could/should be 4-0 and coming off of a open week when Ohio State comes to town for Northwestern's Big Ten opener. It will be the most anticipated Northwestern home game in recent memory.

• Two road B1G night games for Notre Dame in as many weeks early in the year. I'm a fan. I don't see it as the Big Ten elevating the Irish's stature. They just played for the national championship, plus, they're Notre freaking Dame. Deal with it.

• No Nebraska on this list? They typically rival Ohio State for number of night games per year.

• When more night kickoff times are added, I suspect one of them will be in November. It's been a long-standing agreement among B1G teams not to schedule November kickoff times later than 3:30 local time.

I had a suspicion, and still do, that the Michigan-Michigan State game in East Lansing on November 2nd could be the first game to try and break that unwritten rule. Hollis and Brandon could work it out. It could be a marquee BTN game, I think.

UPDATE: As @cdbarker pointed out to me on Twitter...there is a NASCAR race on ABC on September 7th slated for primetime. This is probably a contract thing between ESPN and NASCAR, thus it's set in stone. Although, you'd suspect the ESPN CFB people would know this and correct their press release.

So it looks like, as in 2011, Michigan and Notre Dame (UTL2) will be bumped to ESPN.

Commit #9

Image via here

Meet Juwann Bushell-Beatty
Scout: 3-star, #45 OT, NR OVR
ESPN: 4-star, #10 OT, #120 OVR
247Sports: 4-star, #17 OT, #215 OVR
Rivals: 3-star, #29 OT, NR OVR
MGoHello 

After being put on commit watch by Scout's Sam Webb, he soon followed with the news of NJ OL Juwann Bushell-Beatty officially committing to Michigan.  Beatty and fellow teammate, top target and 5-star talent Jabril Peppers, took a visit to Ann Arbor earlier this month and both were blown away by the experience.  Beatty described the visit, "Had a lot of fun! ($)"  Enough fun to make a big impression on the massive prospect, wouldn't you say?

Beatty is a big boy out on the gridiron, but just how big?  Scout and Rivals have him listed at 6'5" 295, while ESPN and 247Sports have him much bigger at 6'7" 330 lbs. (holy smokes).  Now if the latter is true, the excitement level will jump up another notch.  2 inches and 35 lbs. makes a big difference, but either way, this kid is a big-time talent with lot's of upside.  He has a nasty, mean streak once he hits the field and it's evident as he blows people off the ball play after play after play.  Rivals Adam Friedman elaborates a bit more on this:

"JBB's upside is huge. He is a nasty lineman with great strength & work ethic. Could a star on the continually improving o-line in Ann Arbor."

Not much scouting out there in the free, no paywall world of recruiting.  So I'll say one last thing...Just watch his film below.  You can see the talent and quick feet Bushell-Beatty posseses.  He moves well for a such a big guy...Hoke and co. continue to recruit size, the one thing you can't coach up. Welcome aboard the Team 135 train, that now has made stop's in NJ, MI, IL and back to MI in the last 15 days!  Cheers  Recruitaholics, to the train continuing it's warpath around the U.S.!


Other Offers
He held 10 total: BC, Florida, FSU, UMass, The U, MSU, Rutgers, Tennessee, and WVU were the others.


Hype Video
More, longer highlights on Hudl

 

Something Scary to Think About
I think the only thing scary here that we need to discuss is the fact that Jabril Peppers is more than likely manning our defensive backfield for years to come.   Our chances of landing arguably the top player in the country just received a little boost and with Peppers being considered a Michigan lean as it is...I like our odds here.  Ok, I'll say one more spooky thing...the two O-line commits for the '14 class, Beatty and Cole, are two big boys who play nasty and aggressive.  My two favorite qualities in trench warfare.  Beware foreign enemy, BEWARE!!