What'cha want?

Drew from New York writes: Hey Adam - How about some way too early B10 Heisman predictions? Will anyone start the season off on the Heisman radar? Who do you think is going to be able to earn their way onto that list by season's end? You gotta figure that if John Clay stays healthy and the Badgers go 11-1 or 10-2, or even 12-0 dare I say, that he'll be at the top of the pack. And how do you have OB as #18 in the B10 for 2009? Interested to see which 17 players were better than the first team B10 stud who led the nation in TFLs for several weeks there.

Adam Rittenberg: Drew, from a Big Ten perspective, Clay is certainly on the Heisman radar entering 2010. He has the chance to be a dominant back behind a very good Badgers offensive line, and he's already a known name after winning Offensive Player of the Year honors. Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor also will gain some consideration, especially if he has a huge game against Miami in Week 2. As for O'Brien Schofield at No. 18, the rankings are about future potential as well. While Schofield had a tremendous senior season, his pro prospects aren't super clear, especially after his knee injury. He certainly could go on to have a great pro career, but he'll be facing somewhat of an uphill climb, especially with the transition from end to linebacker.

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Jasen from Chicago writes: Hey AdamNow that we are in the doldrums of the offseason, you should rank the top gameday traditions from each school in the Big Ten. Take the most well-known ritual from each program (ie Ohio State's dotting of the I, Wisconsin's "Jump Around", Iowa's Victory Polka, etc.) and arrange them by how cool you think they are. This will not only spark some debate during a very slow time for college football, but will also provide insight into some lesser-known rituals.

Adam Rittenberg: Great idea, Jasen. And for this, I'd really like input from you folks. During the next few days, tell me what you believe to be your team's best game-day tradition. You guys are the true experts when it comes to these traditions, so educate me and I'll blog about it next week. Obviously, the dotting of the "i" and "Jump Around" will be on there, but I'm looking for more.

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Eroc from The District writes: Hey Adam;Love the blog. One of these days my question will get answered and i think this is the one. Am i the only one in America who thinks there's an equal chance that the B10 doesn't expand? The conference has shown very durable and stable vis-a-vis the rest of the CFB landscape, they have made extraordinary amounts of money through their TV deals, Bowl lineup and BCS bowl berths, and they are loathe to change, doing so incrementally if at all. My personal perspective is that they go after Notre Dame, for obvious reasons, and U.Texas for their 12th member. if they fail to get Notre Dame, which is likely, and TX, which is a toss up, than they announce that they will not expand this round but reexamine the situation at a later date. Just one man's opinion, but i feel that the other candidates identified by the mainstream media, non-mainstream media and their mothers are all smoke and mirrors.

Adam Rittenberg: Today is your lucky day, Eroc. And it's very refreshing to see that you understand the expansion issue. Just because a league is looking at the possibility of expansion doesn't mean it's going to happen. Just because 99 percent of fans want to see the Big Ten expand doesn't mean it'll happen. The Big Ten has gone through this process before and decided to remain at 11. Like you say, the league is extremely healthy in its current state and expansion doesn't automatically equal an upgrade for everything. If the Big Ten fails to land a big fish, it could very well declare no expansion will take place.

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Sean from Michigan: Just watched your video on B10 QBs and not 1 mention of K. Cousins at MSU? Really? Ben Chappel? T. Forcier? Wow. I am assuming that was an oversight.

Adam Rittenberg: Yes, totally an oversight on my part. Kirk Cousins is definitely part of the reason the quarterback position will be better in the Big Ten in 2010. Aside from the weak finish, Cousins had a very solid first season as the Spartans starter and should be even better as a junior. Knowing Kirk, I think he'll be more forgiving of the oversight than some of you folks.

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Al from Port St. Lucie, Fla., writes: When the Big 10 expands, why not make a significant splash and invite Nebraska, Missouri and Connecticut? Over the top thinking offer Pittsburgh and Rutgers an opportunity to get into the conference in 3 years. That would make 16 teams two 8 team divisions. A very well rounded conference. 7 games in conference 2 out of conference and 2 out of league games per year.Crazy thought but 16 team league with two conferences. Some great near by venues to have conference tournaments. Not to mention the TV Markets and fan following.

Adam Rittenberg: Al, while it's possible the Big Ten adds three teams, I see almost no chance of the league adding five. And to be honest, I hate the idea of a 16-team Big Ten. Let's not get greedy here and remember what a conference is all about. As Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said on Friday, "One of the great things about the Big Ten is we play each other a lot. If you play 30 basketball games or 12 football games and your conference gets too large, you don’t play each other a lot. … The larger you get, the less frequently you play each other." I covered DePaul basketball in the 16-team Big East, and the Blue Demons were largely disconnected from a major chunk of the conference. When I think of Big East basketball, I always think of Syracuse, UConn, Georgetown, Nova and Pittsburgh. A 16-team Big Ten would really cut off several programs and could eliminate some of the budding rivalries in the league. I really think adding more than three teams could ruin a lot of the good things about the Big Ten.