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In 2001, the Big Ten presented its MVP award to a quarterback whose unique skill set made him somewhat of an athletic wonder at the time.

He had become the first player in FBS (then Division I-A) history to record 40 passing touchdowns and 40 rushing touchdowns in his career. He had recorded the top three single-season rushing performances by a quarterback in Big Ten history. He had recorded three of the top four single-game quarterback rushing performances in league history.

He had set the Big Ten career quarterback rushing record with 3,895 yards, eclipsing the previous mark, set by Michigan's Rich Leach, by 1,719 yards.

The Big Ten hadn't seen anyone quite like Indiana's Antwaan Randle El.

But if Randle El played today, he'd have plenty of company.

A year after Michigan's Denard Robinson set several NCAA records, including single-season rushing yards by a quarterback (1,702), the Big Ten is a league filled with quarterbacks who can scoot.

Three weeks into the 2011 season, here's how the Big Ten's rushing chart looks.

1. Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska: 384 yards (128 ypg)
2. Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan: 352 yards (117.3 ypg)*
3. MarQueis Gray, QB, Minnesota: 328 yards (109.3 ypg)
4. Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin: 272 yards (90.7 ypg)
*-includes stats from opener against Western Michigan

The league's top three rushers are quarterbacks, and all of them rank among the nation's top 25 rushers. In fact, the nation's top three quarterback rushers all come from the Big Ten.

While the season remains very young and the rushing chart likely will change in the coming weeks, the Big Ten has become a haven for dual-threat quarterbacks.

Six of the league's top single-game quarterback rushing performances have taken place in the past four seasons (four by Robinson, one by former Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka and one by former Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis). Robinson set the Big Ten single-season quarterback rushing record in 2010, and Illinois' Nathan Scheelhaase finished fifth -- behind Randle El's three seasons -- with 868 yards.

Gray set a Minnesota single-game quarterback rushing record last Saturday by racking up 171 yards in a win against Miami (Ohio). The junior is the first Gophers quarterback to record consecutive 100-yard rushing performances since Billy Cockerham in 1999.

"We're seeing it week in and week out," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "This is our fourth straight week of playing quarterbacks that have a lot of designed runs. That just seems to be the direction college football is going in right now."

Although the Big Ten has never seen rushing numbers quite like these from its quarterbacks, the league has gone through similar waves.

"Back when I played, it was more option-based," said Nebraska coach Bo Pelini, who played safety at Ohio State from 1987-90. "Now it's a little bit more the spread, zone-read, zone-option type thing. Everybody's a little bit different, but either way, that quarterback can put some pressure on you pretty quick."

Minnesota coach Jerry Kill made it clear he hopes the Big Ten rushing chart looks dramatically different in a few weeks.

His worry is valid. The more quarterbacks carry the football, the more hits they absorb and the greater their injury risk will be.

Martinez wasn't the same player -- nor Nebraska the same team -- after getting banged up midway through last season. Robinson missed time in most of Michigan's games last season after being shaken up.

"You'd rather have your tailback [leading the league in rushing]," Kill said. "... We all worry when a quarterback's running that much [about] the health of that quarterback when it comes to Game 9, 10, 11 and 12. It's a concern."

You've got to explain this planking thing to me. Nebraska players are doing it. Illinois tackle Jeff Allen is doing it.

What am I missing here?

• Bret Bielema discusses Wisconsin's courtship of Russell Wilson here and here. Wisconsin boosted its football brand by landing a big-time transfer, Adam Mertz writes in The Capital Times. Former Badgers quarterback Scott Tolzien weighs in on Wilson, Andy Baggot writes in the Wisconsin State Journal.
• Ohio State quarterback Joe Bauserman knows his time is now, Rob Oller writes in The Columbus Dispatch. No longer the Buckeyes' "interim" coach, Luke Fickell talks Taylor Swift, Terrelle Pryor and UFC, BuckeyeSports.com's Marcus Hartman writes.
• Purdue coach Danny Hope receives a vote of confidence from his boss.
• Nebraska is increasing its recruiting presence in Ohio, Brian Christopherson writes in the Lincoln Journal Star.
• James Vandenberg will become the first native Iowan to start a season at quarterback for the Hawkeyes in a decade, Randy Peterson writes in the Des Moines Register. Several video interviews with Iowa players from The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette's Marc Morehouse.
• Minnesota has cleared its latest academic hurdle, Phil Miller writes in the Star Tribune.
• The Omaha World-Herald checks in with Barry Alvarez.
• Indiana looks for answers entering the 2011 season, Andy Graham writes in The (Bloomington) Herald-Times (subscription required). Former Hoosiers star Antwaan Randle El likes what he sees from new coach Kevin Wilson so far, Josh Weinfuss writes in the Northwest Indiana Times.
• Michigan was a perfect fit for offensive line recruit Blake Bars, Mark Snyder writes in the Detroit Free Press.
• Check out Penn State's new uniforms, which aren't much different from the old ones. Recruit Austin Johnson jumped at the chance to play for Penn State, Kevin Minnick writes in the Courier-Post.

Here's the second half of my interview with new Indiana coach Kevin Wilson. Check out Part I as well.

What do you think it's going to take to turn around the defense at IU?

Kevin Wilson: Well, we'll start with our coordinator and structure, and I'm going to take some time to research and get the right person there, myself being much more offensive-oriented. So we'll take a little time and get the right one there and start with the structure standpoint. From there, I don't know because I've not really had the opportunity with our defense to know if there's physical limitations or concerns with certain position groups that aren't as talented, as strong, as big, as fast as we need.

So we'll start here with our defensive leadership, we'll start with our defensive structure. I've got a couple thoughts, but I'm going to wait until we get our defensive guy on staff and not square-peg or pigeonhole him and give him a chance to get it going. We're going to buy some time from the coaching and scheme standpoint, and I don't know a great deal about our actual personnel as we speak.

Is it a concern for you that the defense has been a problem for more than a decade? Indiana has had the offensive players -- Antwaan Randle El, Ben Chappell and those guys -- but the defense hasn't really caught up.

KW: I don't have a clue what their defensive stats have been. I just know for nine years, 15 spring practices, all preseason, every Tuesday and Wednesday going against coach [Bob] Stoops, with the attitude and the mind-set, I might be known as an offensive guy, but having come from the environment that I just came from, I have a great feel for what it looks like and how to structure, practice, recruit, coordinate, prepare, put a defense in great position.

Because I'm coming from one of the greatest defensive places there is with the coaching and the way that thing has been run with Bob, with Mike [Stoops], with Bo Pelini, with Brent Venables, that's been a pretty strong defensive place. Trust me, the hardest thing at Oklahoma isn't game day. The hardest thing at Oklahoma is Tuesday and Wednesday in practice.

There's a perception that Indiana is a basketball school. How do you deal with that? Was it a concern for you when you started talking about the job?


KW: It really wasn't. Coach [Tom] Crean is a great coach and we do have phenomenal tradition in basketball. He's going to be an extremely positive and avid supporter because this school is such a strong school, I don't think it should take a backseat or not be strong in any department. I don't think our school, the way president [Michael] McRobbie has it set up, he doesn't want to be average in anything.

From an athletic perspective, with our new administration with [athletic director] Fred Glass, with resources and dollars and Big Ten revenue and things we're generating and raising, I don't think we want to be just a member of a conference in any sport. We're pushing ourselves to get ourselves in position to play at an extremely high level, to play at a consistent winning level and start putting our teams in position to play for championships in all sports. It's great we're a basketball school, but what we really are at Indiana is we're a great school. We should be great at all things. We're looking forward to the challenge, and we're looking forward to the opportunity to build this thing and make it into a strong program.

I know you haven't been there too long, but from talking to the players or seeing any tape from last year, how close is Indiana to getting over that hump?

KW: I haven't really studied it. I know we're not playing horseshoes, so I don't want to be close. From what I've gathered, there is a strong nucleus of some talent coming back, sounds like a great recruiting class. I know we've done a very nice job in our scheduling and what we've got nonconference. I know the Big Ten league, I know it's going to be competitive. But I also feel we're going to put a plan in place, a process in place, to win.

We're not trying to win three, five years down the road. In fairness to our seniors, our alumni and our fans, we need to win right now. That's not trying to be arrogant or boastful or making statements that can't come true, but we're going to try and build something. It's a process, it's going to take time, but in fairness to our seniors, we're going to do everything we can to be as good as we can as fast as we can.

When you look at scores and you look at the talent, yeah, they're not far off. But being close is not winning. Being close doesn't excite me. But it does make me feel like there are the resources here where we feel like we have a chance. We tried to start [Tuesday] with a change of mind-set, a change of body language, a change of how we act and carry ourselves to see if we can get this thing going in a positive direction and build something that's going to be special here for our school and these players and for the fans and for the state of Indiana.

Indiana has been down this road before.

The school is no stranger to hiring offensive-minded coaches.

Cam Cameron came to Indiana in 1997 after coaching quarterbacks at Michigan and then with the Washington Redskins. He was succeeded in 2002 by Gerry DiNardo, who won a national title as Colorado's offensive coordinator before becoming a head coach at Vanderbilt and LSU. Indiana broke the mold in 2005 with Terry Hoeppner, a longtime defensive assistant at Miami (Ohio) before taking the top job in Oxford. But when Hoeppner died tragically in 2007, Indiana handed the head-coaching duties to Bill Lynch, the team's offensive coordinator.

After firing Lynch on Sunday, Indiana once again is looking for a coach to lead its football program.

It might be time for the Hoosiers to look to the other side of the ball.

Indiana's defense has dragged down the program for more than a decade. The Hoosiers have scored points and produced offensive standouts like Antwaan Randle El, Kellen Lewis, James Hardy and Ben Chappell, but their repeated inability to field adequate defenses has kept them out of bowl games. It still baffles me how IU couldn't make a single bowl game during Randle El's four years as the starting quarterback.

Defense was a large part of Lynch's downfall. His offenses fared well, but Indiana couldn't stop the opposition on a consistent basis.

Here's where Indiana's defense has ranked nationally in the 11 years:

2010: 89th (410.2 ypg)
2009: 88th (401 ypg)
2008: 107th (432.2 ypg)
2007: 71st (403.4 ypg)
2006: 109th (402.3 ypg)
2005: 93rd (417.7 ypg)
2004: 110th (453.2 ypg)
2003: 94th (429.7 ypg)
2002: 101st (428.4 ypg)
2001: 72nd (393.8 ypg)
2000: 112th (457.3 ypg)

Just dreadful.

I've been told most of the candidates for the Indiana job come from the offensive side, guys like Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, Michigan State offensive coordinator Don Treadwell, Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill and former Minnesota coach Glen Mason.

Not saying these guys wouldn't work well at IU, but given the deficiencies on defense in Bloomington, the Hoosiers might be better off with a defense-oriented head coach.

Here are a few suggestions:

Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Doeren: Doeren has the charisma, the recruiting skills and the track record to succeed as a head coach. His defense ranks in the top four of the Big Ten in all the key categories, including second in takeaways and third in yards allowed, despite losing star linebacker Chris Borland in September. Doeren has helped mold standout players like Borland, defensive end J.J. Watt and defensive end O'Brien Schofield.

San Diego State coach Brady Hoke: I doubt Indiana could lure Hoke away from the West Coast, but he would qualify as a very good hire for the Hoosiers. He knows the area as the former Ball State coach, and he has a background in defense as the former defensive line coach at Michigan, among other spots. Hoke coached three All-American defensive linemen at Michigan.

Toledo coach Tim Beckman: Beckman led Toledo to an 8-4 mark in his second season at the school. He previously served as defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, cornerbacks coach at Ohio State and defensive coordinator at Bowling Green. Beckman coached six All-Big Ten defensive backs in Columbus, including Donte Whitner.

Offense sells these days. I get that. But Indiana might be wise to hire a guy who knows a thing or two about defense.

When a player like Denard Robinson comes along, the natural response is to identify a suitable comparison.

Not surprisingly, the first name mentioned is Pat White, the former West Virginia star who, like Robinson, thrived in Rich Rodriguez's spread offense. Rodriguez has acknowledged some links between White and Robinson, although "Shoelace" has a long way to go to catch up with one of the best players in recent college football history.

Others saw Robinson's quick start for Michigan and likened him to Vince Young, college football's ultimate dual-threat superstar. ESPN's Stats & Info crew produced a chart for last week's notes comparing Robinson's first five games to Young's first five at Texas in 2005. Turns out, Robinson had a better completion percentage (69.8-62.4), more rushing yards (905-355), more rushing touchdowns (9-2) and almost as many pass yards (1,008-1,021), although Young had three more pass touchdowns (10-5).

But Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz might have come up with the best comparison when discussing Robinson last week.

"What he's done is amazing, remarkable," Ferentz said. "The first thought I had was of my early years trying to prepare for guys like [Antwaan] Randle El. ... It brought back some good scar tissue."

Iowa went just 1-3 against Indiana when Randle El quarterbacked the Hoosiers between 1998-2001. The Hawkeyes aim for better results Saturday in their first matchup against Robinson and Michigan at Michigan Stadium.

Randle El preceded the wave of dual-threat quarterbacks in college football and certainly was a novelty in the Big Ten. The Indiana star earned Big Ten MVP honors in 2001 and Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 1998, and he still holds league records for quarterback rushing in a career (3,895 yards) and in a season (1,270 yards in 2000).

Robinson already occupies the top two spots on the Big Ten single-game quarterback rushing chart -- he set the record with 258 yards against Notre Dame and tied Mike Kafka's mark with 217 against Indiana. Randle El's name, meanwhile, appears throughout the top performances. He had five rushing performances of 150 yards or more, including bursts of 210 yards and 209 yards during the 2000 season.

"I just remember any time Iowa played Indiana, there was this guy running around," Iowa safety Tyler Sash recalled. "He could run like a running back and throw the ball like a quarterback. If coach Ferentz is comparing [Robinson] to Antwaan Randle El, who is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks the Big Ten's ever had, that speaks highly of Denard and his abilities."

Both Robinson and Randle El wasted no time making an impact as starting quarterbacks.

Robinson piled up 197 rush yards and 187 pass yards in his first career start Sept. 4 against Connecticut. Randle El passed for 385 yards and three touchdowns and added 82 rush yards and three more scores in his collegiate debut against Western Michigan in 1998, breaking Indiana's single-game total offense record with 467 yards.

"They're a little bit different players," Ferentz said, "but they put the same kind of pressure on you and they're the catalysts of a very explosive, high-powered offense. That was true when Randle El was at Indiana. They were a very tough team to defend, and I think Michigan is the same way."

Rodriguez didn't coach in the Big Ten during Randle El's run, but he admired the Indiana star from afar.

"He was such an explosive player," Rodriguez said. "He'd sure be a lot of fun to have in this offense. Denard has some of those same qualities, not only from an athletic, running and throwing standpoint, but also from what I understand from a leadership and a take-charge standpoint.

"Denard's just a young guy, this is his first year starting, but I think he has a lot of those same qualities."

Here's a look at how Robinson's first six starts compare with Randle El's in 1998 (Randle El sat out the 1997 season as a partial qualifier).

Notes and nuggets from around the Big Ten that will make you smarter heading to the stadium on Saturday.

Thanks to the fine folks at ESPN Stats & Information for several of these ...

• Terrelle Pryor is dangerous on third down because of his ability to tuck the football and run with it. Pryor finished with 366 rushing yards on third down in 2009, second most in the FBS, and had 16 rushes of 10 or more yards, the highest total in the FBS on third down.
• Last season, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson completed only 8 of 18 passes inside the pocket against BCS opponents with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He went 14-for-14 on attempts inside the pocket with a touchdown last week against Connecticut.
• Robinson broke loose for 197 rushing yards and 186 passing yards against Connecticut, marking just the second time in Big Ten history a signal caller surpassed 180 yards in both rushing and passing in a single game. Indiana’s Antwaan Randle El is the only other player to accomplish that feat, compiling 210 rushing yards and 263 passing yards against Minnesota on Oct. 21, 2000.
• Purdue defensive end Ryan Kerrigan forced another fumble at Notre Dame and now has 10 forced fumbles in his career, moving into a tie for fourth place in Big Ten history.
• Wisconsin senior David Gilreath returned two kickoff s for 43 yards at UNLV to boost his Big Ten career record of kickoff returns to 110, while increasing his career yardage total to 2,409, just 167 yards away from passing Michigan State’s Derrick Mason (2,575 yards from 1993-96) for the top spot.
• Iowa State hasn't scored a touchdown against Iowa since the second quarter of their 2006 meeting. That's a span of fourteen quarters over three and a half games. Since that touchdown, the Cyclones have managed eight field goals and one safety against the Hawkeyes –- a total of 26 points.
• The Ford Field game Saturday marks the first time Michigan State has played a football game in downtown Detroit since Oct. 27, 1944, when coach Charlie Bachman led the Spartans to a 32-0 victory over Wayne State in a contest played at University of Detroit Stadium.
• Penn State has not allowed a touchdown in its three previous trips to Tuscaloosa. The Nittany Lions won 9-0 in 1990, 23-3 in 1986 and lost 6-0 in 1984. If you include Penn State's trip to Birmingham in 1988 -- an 8-3 win for the Tide -- Alabama has been held without a touchdown in its last four home games against Penn State. The Nittany Lions have managed only two touchdowns in those four games, both in the 1986 win. The combined scoring of the two teams in PSU’s last four visits to Alabama: 12 FG, 2 TD, 1 safety.
• Before last Thursday's win at Middle Tennessee, Minnesota hadn't held the ball for more than 40 minutes since Sept. 29, 2001, when it recorded 42:46 of possession in a 35-28 loss to Purdue. Minnesota has only had three outings with 40 minutes of possession since 1983. Gophers records prior to 1983 do not include time of possession.
• Penn State quarterback Rob Bolden tries to make history again Saturday night. Since the NCAA restored freshman eligibility in 1972, no true freshman quarterback has beaten a No. 1-ranked team on its home field. In fact, no redshirt freshman has done it either.
• This is the third time in the last four seasons that neither Michigan nor Notre Dame is ranked heading into their showdown. Prior to that, the last time they played and neither team was ranked came in 1909, an era before national polls.
• Illinois is 11-0 all-time against the other public universities in the state. The Illini are 3-0 against Northern Illinois and Illinois State, 2-0 against Eastern Illinois and Southern Illinois and 1-0 against Western Illinois. The combined score of those meetings is 448-165 in favor of the Illini, and all but one of those 11 meetings have come since 1985 (Illinois played ISU in 1944).
• Wisconsin has won 25 consecutive regular-season games against nonconference opponents. Its last loss came at home to UNLV on Sept. 13, 2003.
• Northwestern is 25-7 in its last 32 games decided by seven points or fewer. Northwestern won four road games in 2008, all of them by seven points or less. In 2009, Northwestern went 6-2 in games decided by seven points or fewer. Under current head coach Pat Fitzgerald, the Wildcats are 15-6 in games decided by seven points or fewer.

The decade recap rankings conclude with a look at Big Ten programs from 2000-09. Ohio State dominated the Big Ten for most of the decade, so the Buckeyes are the clear No. 1. Iowa and Michigan are extremely close for No. 2, while Penn State's second-half surge improved its standings. Factors such as Big Ten titles, BCS bowl appearances, bowl record and number of losing seasons played a role in the rankings.

1. Ohio State: There should be no argument here, as the Buckeyes are the team of the decade in the Big Ten. They won six conference titles (outright or shared), including each of the last five, and made three trips to the national title game (1-2). Ohio State also won four BCS bowls this decade, while the rest of the league only won two.

2. Iowa: A very tough call here between Iowa and Michigan for the No. 2 spot. Michigan won more Big Ten titles this decade (3 vs. 2), but Iowa endured only one losing regular season while Michigan had two. The Hawkeyes also went 5-3 in bowls with an Orange Bowl championship, while Michigan went 3-5 in the postseason and 0-3 in the Rose Bowl. Kirk Ferentz has made Iowa a consistent winner in the Big Ten.

3. Michigan: If this list was made following the 2007 season, Michigan would be one spot higher. The last two bowl-less years really hurt the Wolverines, but their accomplishments under Lloyd Carr should be appreciated. Michigan won three league titles and finished first or second in the league in seven of eight years under Carr this decade.

4. Penn State: The Nittany Lions mid-decade turnaround restored their place among the Big Ten's elite, as Joe Paterno's squad has averaged 10.2 wins since 2005. Four losing seasons in the first half of the decade hurt, but Penn State has won as many Big Ten titles as Iowa and owns four bowl victories (three in January games).

5. Wisconsin: An inability to win a Big Ten title is the only reason the Badgers aren't higher in the rankings. Wisconsin averaged 8.6 wins per season during the decade, winning 12 games in 2006 and winning nine or more six times. The Badgers had four top 20 finishes and won five bowl games. Their Big Ten record is good (44-36), though soft nonconference schedules hurt their cause a bit.

6. Purdue: The Boilers opened the decade with a Big Ten championship and a Rose Bowl appearance and reached bowls in seven of the first eight years in the aughts. Several tough losses prevented Purdue from getting over the hump, but Joe Tiller made the Boilers a consistent mid-tier team in the conference.

7. Northwestern: The Wildcats reached three fewer bowl games than Minnesota, but they won a Big Ten co-championship in 2000 and fared better against the Big Ten's upper half. Northwestern went 38-42 in conference play this decade and finished .500 or better in six of the 10 years. Pat Fitzgerald needs to keep making bowl games and start winning some.

8. Minnesota: Eight bowl games in the decade certainly counts for something, as Minnesota had only one terrible season (2007) and averaged 6.2 wins. The Gophers lose points because of a very poor Big Ten record (30-50), the inability to beat rivals (Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa) and because they scheduled their way into bowls with September cupcakes.

9. Michigan State: The future certainly looks brighter after three consecutive bowl appearances, but Michigan State might want to forget about this decade. The Spartans struggled to meet expectations and wasted strong starts in 2000, 2005, 2006 and, to a certain extent, 2003. They reached five bowl games, going 1-4, and made a push for the Big Ten title in 2008.

10. Illinois: What a strange decade for the Fighting Illini. Most teams that won a league championship (2001) and reached two BCS bowls (2001, 2007) could expect to be ranked higher than this. But Illinois' inability to build on success really hurts its cause. The Illini finished with losing records in every season they didn't reach a BCS bowl, enduring two 3-win seasons, two 2-win seasons and a 1-11 clunker in 2003.

11. Indiana: The Hoosiers had fewer disastrous seasons than Illinois -- Indiana won three or more games in nine of 10 years -- but they reached only one bowl game (2007) and went 18-62 in Big Ten play. The Gerry DiNardo years were rough in Bloomington, and Indiana couldn't capitalize when Antwaan Randle El was in town. Still, the program showed flashes of progress in 2006, 2007 and 2009.

Our decade recap continues with a look at the top players in the Big Ten from 2000-09. The league produced just one Heisman Trophy winner, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith in 2006, but many other national award recipients on both sides of the ball.

We saw outstanding one-year performances from players like Brad Banks (2002), Larry Johnson (2002), James Hardy (2007) and Shonn Greene (2008), and impressive four-year career efforts from Paul Posluszny, James Laurinaitis, Mike Hart, Javon Ringer, Taylor Stubblefield and others.

The league produced solid linemen and linebackers the entire decade, while star quarterbacks and running backs were sprinkled throughout.

Believe me, it wasn't easy to get this list down to 10 players, but here goes.

I put more weight on players who had multiple outstanding seasons. Also, players who had most of their production in the 1990s didn't make the cut.

1. Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State: The league's lone Heisman Trophy winner tops the list. Smith took home the Heisman, the Walter Camp and the Big Ten MVP awards in 2006. He also led Ohio State to a Fiesta Bowl championship following the 2005 season.

2. Braylon Edwards, WR, Michigan: The 2004 Biletnikoff Award winner earned consensus All-America honors that year, completing a terrific four-year run in Ann Arbor. Edwards still holds the Big Ten record for career touchdown receptions with 39, two more than fellow Wolverine Anthony Carter.

3. A.J. Hawk, LB, Ohio State: Hawk was the face of a ferocious Buckeyes defense during the mid part of the decade. The two-time All-American (unanimous in 2005) won the Rotary Lombardi Award and helped Ohio State to a Fiesta Bowl victory.

4. Joe Thomas, T, Wisconsin: The Thomas-Jake Long debate is a good one, but I'm giving the edge to Thomas, the 2006 Outland Trophy winner. Thomas anchored several powerful Wisconsin offensive lines, earned consensus All-America honors in 2006 and twice made the All-Big Ten squad.

5. Paul Posluszny, LB, Penn State: Posluszny is one of only two Big Ten players to win the Bednarik Award two times. He also took home the Butkus Award in 2005 and helped restore Penn State after the program had slipped from 2000-04.

6. James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State: Laurinaitis was quite possibly the most decorated Big Ten player of the decade on either side of the ball. He joined select company at Ohio State in earning All-America honors three times (unanimous in 2007). Laurinaitis won the Butkus and Nagurski awards and twice earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors.

7. Greg Eslinger, C, Minnesota: Laurence Maroney and Marion Barber III shared the rushing load, but Eslinger was the mainstay who created rushing lanes no matter who had the ball. The 2005 Rimington Trophy winner was Minnesota's only three-time All-Big Ten selection this decade.

8. Bob Sanders, S, Iowa: No player meant more to Iowa's renaissance this decade than Sanders, the team's only three-time All-Big Ten selection in the aughts. Nicknamed "The Hitman," Sanders epitomized a program that got the most from its players for the majority of the decade.

9. Mike Hart, RB, Michigan: We witnessed lot of great one-year performances from Big Ten running backs, but Hart was one of the league's few mainstays this decade. Despite being plagued by injuries as a sophomore, Hart finished fourth on the Big Ten's all-time rushing list (5,040 yards) and had 28 career 100-yard rushing games.

10. Antwaan Randle El, QB, Indiana: Randle El brought a new brand of football to the Big Ten and had a record-setting career despite never reaching a bowl game. The dual-threat star won Big Ten MVP honors in 2001 and ranks fourth on the league's career total offense list with 11,364 yards.

Also considered: Michigan T Jake Long, Michigan State WR Charles Rogers, Michigan State RB Javon Ringer, Iowa QB Brad Banks, Iowa T Robert Gallery, Purdue WR Taylor Stubblefield, Ohio State WR Ted Ginn Jr., Michigan DE LaMarr Woodley, Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall, Penn State QB Michael Robinson, Penn State RB Larry Johnson, Purdue WR Dorien Bryant, Purdue WR John Standeford, Ohio State S Mike Doss, Wisconsin DE Erasmus James, Iowa RB Shonn Greene, Northwestern QB Brett Basanez, Illinois LB J Leman, Penn State LB Dan Connor.

Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark, Wisconsin running back John Clay and Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham have been named finalists for the Chicago Tribune's Silver Football award, given annually to the Big Ten's top player.

The winner will be announced Tuesday (Big Ten Network, 11 p.m. ET). Big Ten coaches vote on the award, which went to Iowa running back Shonn Greene last season.

Of these three candidates, I'd definitely vote for Graham. Though Clark and Clay both had good seasons, the Big Ten unquestionably was a defense-oriented league this fall. While I'm a bit surprised not to see Michigan State's Greg Jones or Penn State's Jared Odrick -- the Big Ten's co-Defensive Players of the Year -- named as finalists, Graham would be a very deserving recipient after leading the nation with 26 tackles for loss.

Here's a list of Silver Football winners this decade (note: a defensive player hasn't won since Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson, the Heisman Trophy recipient, in 1997).

2008: Iowa RB Shonn Greene
2007: Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall
2006: Ohio State QB Troy Smith
2005: Penn State QB Michael Robinson
2004: Michigan WR Braylon Edwards
2003: Michigan RB Chris Perry
2002: Iowa QB Brad Banks
2001: Indiana QB Antwaan Randle El
2000: Purdue QB Drew Brees

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Kellen Lewis ran out of chances at Indiana, and his dismissal Wednesday marks an unfortunate end to a once promising career. A player Hoosiers fans could justifiably compare to former Big Ten MVP Antwaan Randle El won't suit up in cream and crimson again, as head coach Bill Lynch made the call to oust Lewis, who had participated in practice this spring.

"We are disappointed to have to make this decision," Lynch said in a prepared statement. "When you have expectations of those on your team that are not met, you need to do what is ultimately in the overall best interest of your program."

Lewis did a ton of damage on the field, setting 16 school records as a quarterback.

He still holds marks for career touchdown passes (48) and career completions (565), and ranks third in career passing (6,395 yards). A second-team All-Big Ten honoree in 2007, Lewis joins Randle El as the only players in Indiana history to record 40 passing touchdowns, 6,250 passing yards, 8,000 total yards, 525 completions and 975 attempts in his career.

But Lewis also did damage off the field, and it ended up costing him. He was suspended for spring practice last year for violating team rules but got reinstated before the summer. During preseason camp, the Jacksonville, Fla., native was both candid and remorseful about his transgressions.

"My whole life was out of whack," he told me. "People started focusing on, 'If you're not in there, we don't win half those games.' I just started believing my own pub. 'Well, if that's what everyone else things, there's no way in the world they're going to suspend me because they need me next year.'

"You're talking about in one day, I'm not showing up to practice, don't go to dinner, late for the [weight] lift, don't show up for 7-on-7's, the coaches couldn't get a hold of me for three days."

Though Indiana sputtered last fall, Lewis sounded optimistic about 2009, even after making a more permanent switch to wide receiver. It's not easy to change positions as a senior, but Lewis had a great attitude about the transition.

"I felt like if I was at wide receiver, if I got the ball in my hands it might be a little bit easier to try to dodge 300-pound down linemen and 250-pound linebackers and then get to the secondary," he told me last month. "If you give me a 12-yard head start, I might get to the end zone a little more often. I said, 'I don't have any issue with it. I think it's a great idea.' And again, it wasn't a snappy decision."

Lynch's decision to move his most dynamic player out of the quarterback spot looked questionable at the time, but it has become somewhat of a blessing after Lewis' dismissal. This is Ben Chappell's offense, and the junior spent the spring learning the pistol formation and honing his timing with the backs and receivers.

Chappell should be serviceable, but Indiana lacks playmakers without Lewis on the field. Lynch moved starting wideout Ray Fisher to cornerback with the idea that Lewis could step in and be a potential No. 1 receiver. Indiana was going to get Lewis a ton of touches. Even at wide receiver he remained the team's most dangerous threat.

"He had a great spring," Chappell said of Lewis last week. "He's really natural. He's so fast and he catches the ball well. It's great to have someone out there who's seen it from my perspective as well."

Chappell needs help, and guys like Damarlo Belcher, Terrance Turner and Tandon Doss need to step up. A running game that showed promise in the spring game also must continue to develop.

Athletic director Fred Glass supported Lynch's decision Wednesday, saying, "no individual student-athlete, regardless of talent or popularity, is above the expectations of Indiana University."

It's encouraging to see a team put conduct first, but if Indiana's offense struggles to make plays, will Glass be so supportive come November?

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Kellen Lewis has wrong-footed defenders for 1,677 rush yards and 17 touchdowns in his Indiana career, numbers that seem to reflect an athlete in peak physical condition.

But Lewis is feeling a bit like a couch potato next to the guys in his newest position group.

"I haven't played wide receiver since sophomore year of high school," Lewis said, "so if you want to be honest about it, I haven't ran a full-out sprint in practice for six or seven years now. You can be a fast quarterback, but you get one burst-out sprint, and then you get a rest. At wide receiver, you've got to run back to the ball.

	Scott Boehm/Getty Images
	Kellen Lewis has embraced the switch from quarterback to wideout.

"I've always thought of myself as being in pretty good shape, but I've figured out now that I need to get in great shape."

There isn't a more significant position change in the Big Ten this spring than Lewis' full-time move to wide receiver. The move could result in major gains for Indiana. It also could underscore what the Hoosiers are losing in the backfield.

Lewis isn't some clipboard carrier. He's a senior only one year removed from earning second-team All-Big Ten honors ... as a quarterback. He has thrown for 6,395 yards and 48 touchdowns ... as a quarterback. He owns 16 school records ... as a quarterback, including the following:

• career passing touchdowns (48) and career completions (565)
  
• single-season marks for passing touchdowns (28), total touchdowns (37), passing yards (3,043), total yards (3,779), pass attempts (442), completions (265, completion percentage (60) -- all set during the 2007 campaign
• 300-yard passing games (4)
• 200-yard passing games (17)
• joins former Big Ten MVP Antwaan Randle El as the only Indiana quarterbacks to record at least 40 passing touchdowns, 6,250 passing yards, 8,000 total yards, 525 completions and 975 attempts in a career

And yet, here's how Lewis describes his current role on the team.

"Just a wide receiver," he said.

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

This series isn't designed to beat up on any programs, so I'll put this mildly. Indiana's football history is, well, limited when it comes to winning. Aside from a nice run in the late 1980s, Indiana has consistently finished in the league's bottom half. 

As much fun as it would be to compile a Rushmore for Indiana hoops -- could the candy striped pants get a spot? -- this is a football blog, so I'll stick with football. And despite the Hoosiers' struggles on the gridiron, they have produced several notable players and coaches. 

• Anthony Thompson -- A two-time first-team All-American, Thompson is undoubtedly the greatest player in team history and one of the top running backs in Big Ten history. In 1989, he set NCAA single-season records for rushing and scoring, won the Maxwell Award and finished second for the Heisman Trophy. Thompson led the Big Ten in rushing in each of his last two seasons and is the only player in team history to have his number retired.
  
• Antwaan Randle El -- Indiana never notched a winning season during his career, but the dynamic Randle El left his mark on the program and the Big Ten. One of the most exciting Big Ten players of this decade, Randle El won Big Ten MVP honors in 2001 and rushed for more yards than any quarterback in FBS history (3,895). The College Football Hall of Fame selection finished his career with 86 career touchdowns (44 rushing, 42 passing).
  
• George Taliaferro -- Taliaferro remains the only Indiana player to earn All-America honors in three different seasons. He played on Indiana's Big Ten championship team in 1945 and became the first black player drafted by an NFL team. Taliaferro earned first-team All-America honors as a defensive back in 1948 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981.  
• Bill Mallory -- Mallory's overall record at Indiana might not look overly impressive (69-77-3), but he turned around a neglected program and restored it to respectability during the mid 1980s. In 1986, he coached Indiana to its first bowl game since 1979 and followed with postseason appearances the next two years. Indiana reached six bowl games under Mallory before going through a drought from 1993-2007. Mallory won back-to-back Big Ten Coach of the Year awards in 1986-87. 

Others considered for Indiana's Rushmore included: Pete Pihos, Terry Hoeppner, John Isenbarger, Bo McMillin, Tim Clifford, John Tavener and Vern Huffman.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Indiana desperately needs a spark after three consecutive losses, and it will look to a familiar source to provide one Saturday against Iowa.

No Hoosiers player is happier to see the Hawkeyes coming to town than junior quarterback Kellen Lewis. In his first two seasons, Lewis dominated Iowa with his arm and his legs.

Here's a look at how Lewis fared in Indiana's back-to-back victories in the series.

• 2007 (38-20 Indiana win): 19-for-26 passing, 322 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 20 rush yards, 71-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.
• 2006 (31-28 Indiana win): 19-for-25 passing, career-high 255 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, 13 rush yards, 1 rush TD.

Indiana has moved Lewis around this season, putting him at wide receiver with Ben Chappell at quarterback to increase the offense's big-play potential. Lewis has struggled a bit with turnovers (4 interceptions, 2 lost fumbles), but he can still gash a defense, as Iowa knows all too well.

"It's a little bit like [former Indiana quarterback Antwaan] Randle El," Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said. "He's done pretty well as a receiver. ... He's a better passer, better thrower than Randle El was. Randle El hurt you with his feet a little bit more, but this guy can do it both ways. That's a tough matchup for anybody that plays him."

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Happy Friday to all. Let's see what's on your mind. 

Adam from Phoenix writes: The 2008 Buckeyes look similar to the 2005 Buckeyes. 1.Tressel does not know who to play at quarterback: 2005 - Zwick/Smith & 2008 ? Boeckman/Pryor. 2.The ?pocket? quarterback lost in 2005 (Zwick) and is currently losing in 2008 (Boeckman). 3.A top-tier program won a game against the Buckeyes while Tressel was deciding who to play at quarterback (2005: TX & 2008: USC). 4.The team played much better after Tressel decided to play only one quarterback in 2005 and appears to play much better with Pryor under center in 2008. My picks for the Big Ten: 1. WI 2. PA St 3. OH St

Adam Rittenberg: That's an interesting comparison. I'm sure at this stage, Ohio State would be happy if the mobile quarterback or the pocket quarterback led the team to a BCS bowl win, as Troy Smith did against Notre Dame in 2005. It will be interesting to see how much longer Tressel goes with rotating quarterbacks. My sense is if Terrelle Pryor continues to make progress without making big mistakes, he'll get the keys to the car the rest of the season. Don't count this team out in the Big Ten race by any means, but they have a tough road with trips to Wisconsin, Michigan State and Illinois. 

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Brenton from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, writes: Adam, if Iowa lays it on Pittsburgh, a top 25 team at beginning of the season, will that be enough to make them a legitimate Big 10 conteder?

Adam Rittenberg: I'm still kicking myself for putting Pitt in my preseason Top 25. Someone must have spiked all of our drinks. But this would be a very solid road win for Iowa, which really hasn't been tested much on either side of the ball this season. The Hawkeyes can solidify their quarterback position with a strong road performance, and an already confident defense will gain another boost by containing LeSean McCoy. I wouldn't put Iowa in the Big Ten title mix just yet. If the Hawks beat Michigan State on the road and Wisconsin at home Oct. 18, then we'll talk. 

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Ron from Jacksonville, Fla., writes: Hey grew up with Kellen Lewis down here in the Jacksonville area and just wondering why he doesnt get some of the national pub that some other B10 Qb's get?( ala painter, Juice, Boeckman) He's put up better numbers then Juice and Boeckman. Put up simliar numbers to Painter's, and beat him head to head last season.

Adam Rittenberg: Ron, the easy answer is that he plays for Indiana, which has only become relevant again in recent years. For what it's worth, I ranked Lewis as the league's top quarterback entering the season and think highly of his speed and playmaking ability. Curtis Painter will set a ton of records before he's finished and plays for a team known for passing and big offensive numbers, so he'll probably get more pub than Lewis. But if Indiana starts strong -- a good possibility with the schedule -- and Lewis continues to put up big numbers, people will start to take notice. The Antwaan Randle El comparisons are certainly legitimate.

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Ray from Chicago writes: The Wildcats appear to have trouble scoring touchdowns in the redzone, particularly last week against the Salukis. Northwestern is not a deep-pass team, so one would think that play calling inside the red zone would not be different that their regular game plan. Is Fitz calling the right plays or are the players failing to execute?

Adam Rittenberg: Ray, this has been a problem with Northwestern's spread offense for a number of years. They move the ball great between the 20's but struggle to punch it in the end zone. It's a big-yards, little-points offense. The red-zone issues cost the Wildcats last year against Duke when they couldn't convert four chances inside the 10-yard line. You're right about the short-pass-oriented attack, and it really should work better in the red zone. Wideout Ross Lane has emerged as a big target for C.J. Bacher down there, but the biggest problem historically has been the inability to run the ball in short-yardage situations. Northwestern is a terrible I-formation team and though Tyrell Sutton has good running strength, defenses consistently stop him with the offense lines up in the I. They might want to use backup running back Omar Conteh more in those situations, and the quarterback draw can also help.

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Brett from Minneapolis writes: Adam, As a loyal Gopher fan, I am a little upset we're getting picked on for poor scheduling. The cupcake schedule can be attributed to Glen Mason (who will be an analyst for the Gopher-Buckeye game on Big Ten Network). Brewster is doing a better job of scheduling. This is from Gophersports.com: 2009: Air Force, Cal (Note: We had Syracuse on the schedule for the first game, but it has now been changed to TBA). 2010: Washington State, UNLV (soft, but the Badgers have also played them in the past. Also pulled an upset over Arizona State) 2011: WA State 2012: Colorado 2014 & 2015: Oregon State There are rumors flying around that Brewster is trying to schedule Texas in 2016. The Gophers have had problems scheduling quality basketball opponents as well and are trying to schedule schools to play the Gophers in both sports.

Adam Rittenberg: Agree on all points. The weak scheduling under Mason for all those years still fuels the criticism. Those nonconference slates rarely prepared the Gophers for Big Ten play, and, as a result, they would finish with a watered-down 7-5 or 6-6 record and go to a minor bowl game. Brewster came in with lofty expectations, and part of that comes with beefing up the schedule. Teams like Cal, Washington State, Colorado and Air Force aren't super powers, but they'll test Minnesota much more than Smorgasbord State or whoever they used to play.

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Gary from the ATL (that's Atlanta for the un-hip) writes: Regarding your column on Joe Pa's decision on Evans and Koroma, what is your opinion of an appropriate punishment? Notwithstanding the negative spotlight on PSU, i.e., OTL story, I believe the three game suspension (Oregon State, Cuse and Temple) is more than adequate considering the charge. In fact, you wouldn't see anywhere near a 3 game suspension for similar charges at OSU, UF, Wiscy (DUI on a mo-ped), OU, UT, and other big programs. Just curious of your opinion. Keep up the great blog.

Adam Rittenberg: Thanks, Gary. The hard thing is that the punishments vary so much by school, as you point out. Some see misdemeanor marijuana possession as a slap-on-the-wrist transgression, especially for first-time offenders. Other schools take it a bit more seriously. What can't be ignored here is the timing -- the Tuesday night/Wednesday morning of game week after a year in which the team had a ton of off-field problems. How dumb can you be? The team's punishment could depend on what the university decides to do, but I'd say extending the suspensions another game or two sounds fair.

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Paul from Bloomington, Ind., writes: Adam, thanks for offering your predictions for the Big Ten week 4. Also, thanks for offering a way for us to bombard you with criticism :) . From me, it's only on one game, though. No way in the world is Ball State beating Indiana Saturday. Didn't last year, didn't the year before, and it's not happening this year. You say Ball State will be pumped up. Good. So will IU. They're the real team on the rise. Indiana, at home, will have too much of an advantage. BSU has been the trendy pick recently. But, it stops now.

Adam Rittenberg: Congrats to Paul for writing the nicest critical e-mail I've received this season. This is a tough game to call, and I'll be happy to eat crow on Saturday night if the Hoo
siers hold serve at home. The early season schedule really concerns me, starting with two cupcakes before a bye week. Indiana hasn't faced any adversity on either side of the ball. Expect that to change on Saturday, even if Ball State doesn't win the game. I really like what the Hoosiers have going on the defensive side. They're more than just Greg Middleton up front, and Matt Mayberry has gotten rave reviews at linebacker. But the secondary concerns me against Nate Davis, a legit pro prospect. I think this could be a case where light scheduling comes back to haunt Indiana.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

The box score from the Insight Bowl shows that Kellen Lewis took the final snap of the 2007 season for Indiana, firing a 30-yard touchdown pass to James Bailey with a second left in a 49-33 loss.

Lewis also took the first snap of 2008 for Indiana last Saturday against Western Kentucky, handing off to wideout Ray Fisher. So in a sense, Lewis didn't miss a thing. But after a tumultuous offseason of insubordination, depression and eventually redemption, the gap between snaps felt like forever.

"I felt like I sat out maybe two years," said Lewis, who was suspended for spring practice and had to re-earn his starting job in preseason camp. "I had butterflies in my stomach. It was kind of the same way I felt when I first got the starting job my redshirt freshman year. It was almost like starting over."

Fortunately for Indiana, Lewis looked poised in a 31-13 win, breaking off touchdown runs of 75 and 62 yards and throwing for two more scores. His 43rd career touchdown pass broke the school record set by former Big Ten Player of the Year Antwaan Randle El.

The record wasn't on Lewis' radar entering the game, but the junior sees the obvious parallels between himself and Randle El, whom he met after last year's game against Wisconsin.

"It kind of gave me some hope because I was a little bit taller than him," the 6-foot-1 Lewis said. "He was an athletic guy, I'm more of an athletic guy. He was the same way I was. Drop back and pass, don't try to force too much, you've got the legs, so just scramble around a little bit. He told me when you get a chance to go in and play, just remember when you drop back, you don't have to force anything in there. Just play football and have fun."

Lewis followed orders against Western Kentucky and showcased the skills that helped him earn All-Big Ten honors as a sophomore.

He still felt rusty with his passes, lamenting a 62.9 percent completion rate and an interception thrown in Hoosiers territory. But the long runs were bliss.

"No matter if it's 20 yards, 30 yards, 60 yards, it feels good to have that same strut and that same form that I had before I left," he said. "That's one thing I didn't lose."

Added coach Bill Lynch: "He showed his ability to run in open space and the speed to run away. The first [touchdown run] got us going. The last one kind of put the game away. But he also converted on some third-down situations where he scrambled."

Sound familiar, Hoosiers fans?

Unlike Randle El, who never reached a bowl despite a dominant career, Lewis hopes to lead Indiana back to the postseason this year. He's closing in on Randle El for second place on Indiana's all-time completions list and should eclipse the star in several categories by the time he's through.

"He's probably the most famous person in Indiana history for football, at least recently," Lewis said of Randle El. "And he's got success in the NFL. Looking at him and seeing how hard he worked to get where he's at, I'm hoping if I break some of his records and continue to work hard, I'll have my shot at the next level."