ESPN College Football

1. Commissioner John Marinatto paid for his inability to keep the two constituencies of the Big East Conference on one path Monday when he submitted his resignation. Whether anyone could have kept the conference’s original basketball-oriented members and its football-playing newbies happy is a fair question. It’s no knock on Marinatto, a back-of-the-house guy, that he failed. The conference presidents made a poor decision when they promoted him, as Dana O’Neil wrote Monday, and it may be too late to fix.

2. Alabama and LSU, the teams that played for the BCS Championship -- can we say playoff finalists yet? -- had a combined 10 freshmen enroll in January in time to participate in spring ball. At Oregon, which is on the quarter system, coach Chip Kelly chose not to begin spring ball until April, when spring quarter began. Three Duck signees who didn’t finish high school in December completed their studies in time to enroll for spring quarter. It’s a wonder more coaches don’t advocate for the quarter system.

3. Nebraska assistant coach Ron Brown wrote an open letter, published by the Lincoln Journal-Star over the weekend, saying he would never punish a gay athlete in his charge. As proof, he cited the Huskers who have played for him without repercussion even as they had heterosexual sex outside of marriage. That, too, is a sin, Brown wrote. If you’re scoring at home, Brown is using fornication to defend his ability to coach. Can’t wait to see what happens next.

"College Football Live's" panel of experts previews Nebraska's upcoming season.

The Big Ten has released its complete prime-time schedule for the 2012 season, with 14 total games under the lights this fall. That includes six games on the ABC/ESPN family of networks and eight on the Big Ten Network.

Here you go, night owls (all kickoffs listed in ET):

Aug. 31

Boise State at Michigan State, 8 p.m., ESPN

Sept. 1

Indiana State at Indiana, 8 p.m., Big Ten Network

Sept. 8

Vanderbilt at Northwestern, 8 p.m., BTN

Sept. 15

Notre Dame at Michigan State, 8 p.m., ABC
Utah State at Wisconsin, 8 p.m., BTN
Ball State at Indiana, 8 p.m., BTN

Sept. 22

Syracuse at Minnesota, 8 p.m., BTN
Louisiana Tech at Illinois, 8 p.m., BTN

Sept. 29

Wisconsin at Nebraska, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2

Oct. 6

Nebraska at Ohio State, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2

Oct. 13


Ohio State at Indiana, 8 p.m., BTN

Oct. 20
Penn State at Iowa, 8 p.m., BTN

Oct. 27

Ohio State at Penn State, 6 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
Michigan at Nebraska, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2

Thoughts:

• Every Big Ten team except Purdue will have at least one night game this season. The Boilermakers have to be a little disappointed after getting to a bowl game last year and bringing back a talented roster. Nebraska and Ohio State will each play three league games under the lights.
• If you were planning on going to a Halloween party on Oct. 27, better make sure you have access to a TV -- or TVs. Not only will the Ohio State-Penn State and Michigan-Nebraska games be on in prime time, that's also the same day Wisconsin and Michigan State meet up at Camp Randall Stadium. It's a little hard to believe that game, which is a rematch of two epic duels from last season, won't be in prime time. But the two chosen for night slots are also big and feature four enormous fan bases. Wisconsin-Michigan State likely will get the 3:30 p.m. ET time slot in what is shaping up to be the biggest day of the season in the Big Ten.
• Ohio State will play three of its four October games at night, including Nebraska's visit to the Horseshoe. It's no surprise, given the Buckeyes' following and the presence of Urban Meyer. Even without the ability to play in the postseason, the Buckeyes figure to be an attractive team for TV ratings purposes this year. The atmosphere in Columbus when Big Red comes to town should be absolutely electric.
• Speaking of Nebraska, three of the Huskers' biggest games of the season will all be in prime time. Bo Pelini's team will get a chance to atone for blowout losses to Wisconsin and Michigan under the lights at Memorial Stadium. That place got crazy for last year's huge comeback win against Ohio State at night and should be similarly fired up for the Badgers and Wolverines.
• Penn State will have back-to-back prime-time games, and neither will be easy. The Nittany Lions must travel to Kinnick Stadium, which is usually a great atmosphere at night. It's the third time in four years those two teams have played at night. Penn State will also play the following week after dark versus Ohio State, which should provide an advantage for the Nittany Lions. There was no night game at Beaver Stadium last year, which didn't sit too well with the Penn State faithful. They've got a perfect white-out opportunity with Meyer and the Buckeyes coming to State College.
• Adam and I had Michigan State No. 1 in our pre-spring power rankings and may very well keep the Spartans there through the summer. But Michigan State will not get any prime-time exposure during conference season. The night games against Boise State (on a Friday) and Notre Dame were no-brainers, and with both at home the Spartans will need good showings to impress the rest of the country.
• Northwestern had three straight night games last season but gets only one all season this year, in the academic bowl against Vanderbilt. Assuming both student bodies aren't studying, that could be a fun game.
• Wisconsin won't get the benefit of playing at Camp Randall at night this year, except against Utah State. And the Badgers didn't figure to need much help in that game.
• The night kickoff could also help Minnesota in an interesting nonconference game against Syracuse. The Gophers had only one night game a year ago and lost in embarrassing fashion to North Dakota State.
• Indiana gets three prime-time exposure opportunities, all of them at home. Perhaps that can improve the game-day environment in Bloomington, though Ohio State often has almost as many fans as the Hoosiers when it comes to Memorial Stadium.
• Michigan's first-ever night game last season against Notre Dame was a smashing success, but the Wolverines will not go under the lights again this year in the Big House, as had been reported. But they will get their share of high-profile prime-time matchups, having to play Notre Dame and Nebraska on the road at night. The opener against Alabama in Arlington, Texas, is also expected to be a night kickoff. The schedule offers few breaks for Brady Hoke's team in 2012.
• Overall, I think it's a very strong prime-time schedule. I count five weeks with at least one really appetizing matchup, with the potential for much more. I'm already planning on not sleeping the night of Oct. 27.

What are your thoughts on the prime-time schedule?

We've been having some fun this month with the Big Ten Champions Tournament while dreaming of what a March Madness for college football might look like.

Well, a playoff sure seems to be coming, folks, even if it's not the full-fledged one some people prefer. Conference commissioners met Monday in Dallas to discuss the future of the sport's postseason. While any decisions are still far away, the group put out a statement Monday evening saying it has gotten down to "brass tacks" in talking about a four-team playoff.

That's significant because it shows the commissioners no longer are debating whether such a system should be implemented but instead now are talking about how it should be structured. Everything from neutral vs. campus sites, whether to use a BCS-style rankings system or a selection committee and when to play the games is still up in the air.

But the fact that they're discussing those things signifies that a four-team playoff is now more likely to happen by 2014. I wasn't sure that would ever arrive in my lifetime.

I'm in favor of using campus sites for the semifinals and having a selection committee choose the teams. Yet any new system they come up with will be better than what we have now.

I live in Louisville, where everybody is going crazy about the Kentucky-Louisville showdown in the Final Four this weekend in New Orleans. Can you imagine a similar scenario for the Big Ten in a football Final Four? What if Michigan and Ohio State were to meet in a semifinal or championship game? Would either fan base be able to control itself or concentrate on work in the weeks and days leading to that game?

Such postseason rivalries are more difficult to pull off in football. An Ohio State-Michigan playoff game would have to follow the teams' meeting in the regular-season finale and a possible rematch in the Big Ten title game. It's hard to imagine how both teams would get in given that setup. It may be more likely with two teams in the same division, just as Alabama and LSU ended up in the BCS title game this year. How about a Michigan-Michigan State national semifinal? Or Iowa-Nebraska?

Those possibilities are fun to think about, and a football playoff opens up all sorts of fascinating scenarios. The Big Ten just needs to make sure it can get one of its teams to finish in the top four in as many seasons as possible, something that hasn't happened the past two years. And the league should continue to lobby for campus sites, which benefits the conference much more than neutral sites.

But the playoff day sure seems to be coming soon. Thank goodness for that.

Terry Joseph, who coached the Tennessee defensive backs and also served as the Vols' recruiting coordinator the last two seasons, has taken a job on the Nebraska staff.

Joseph informed Tennessee coach Derek Dooley of his decision on Friday. Joseph had coached with Dooley at Louisiana Tech and came with him to Tennessee.

With Joseph leaving, that means the Vols will have an entirely new defensive staff next season. He's also the seventh assistant coach to leave Tennessee's staff since the end of the 2011 season.

Sal Sunseri is the Vols' new defensive coordinator after coming over from Alabama. Derrick Ansley, who was a graduate assistant at Alabama and worked with the Crimson Tide's secondary, was hired in February to coach the Vols' cornerbacks. John Palermo is the Vols' new defensive line coach after spending the last two seasons at Middle Tennessee. Palermo also coached on the Washington Redskins' staff and spent 15 years coaching at Wisconsin.

Dooley said last month that he felt the program had been energized by all the new coaching blood. The only two coaches remaining from his original staff are offensive coordinator Jim Chaney and receivers coach Darin Hinshaw, who's moving over to receivers after coaching the Vols' quarterbacks the past two seasons.

Tennessee could be on the verge of losing its seventh assistant coach since the end of last season.

Defensive backs coach Terry Joseph was mulling an offer from Nebraska on Thursday to coach the Huskers' secondary. Joseph was scheduled to meet with Tennessee coach Derek Dooley on Thursday night and is expected to finalize his decision on Friday.

The Huskers' secondary job came open after Corey Raymond left earlier in the week to take the LSU secondary job. Ironically enough, Joseph's name had also been mentioned in connection with the LSU job. Joseph is from the New Orleans area and was a graduate assistant at LSU in 2006 when he worked under Bo Pelini, who was the LSU defensive coordinator at the time before being hired as Nebraska's head coach following the 2007 season.

Joseph came to Tennessee with Dooley from Louisiana Tech and has also served as the Vols' recruiting coordinator. Joseph and new Tennessee assistant coach Derrick Ansley were scheduled to divide the secondary coaching duties next season. Joseph was going to coach the safeties and Ansley the cornerbacks.

Already, Dooley has had to replace six assistant coaches since the Vols' 10-7 loss to Kentucky to end the 2011 season. If Joseph bolts for Nebraska, that would mean Tennessee would have an entirely new defensive staff next season and only offensive coordinator Jim Chaney and receivers coach Darin Hinshaw would remain from Dooley's original staff when he took the job in 2010. Chaney was a holdover from Lane Kiffin's staff.

Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead has won a national award for his work with a young fan battling brain cancer.

Burkhead was named the 2012 Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion on Wednesday. He was one of four finalists and won an online voting contest that received more than 76,000 votes (and the rabid Big Red fan base surely didn't hurt his cause).

Last fall, Burkhead struck up a friendship with Jack Hoffman, a 6-year-old from Atkinson, Neb., who had been diagnosed with a rare pediatric brain tumor. Jack's dream was to meet his hero, Burkhead.

Burkhead and his teammates started wearing wristbands last season to honor Jack, and Burkhead kept in touch through phone calls and personal visits.

"Rex is a shining example of a college football player who realizes the position he's in to make a difference," Uplifting Athletes founder and executive director Scott Shirley said in announcing the honor. "The friendship he's forged with Jack Hoffman has inspired Jack and his family with hope. Rex has also brought much-needed attention to a rare disease cause."

Congrats to Burkhead on this honor.

We continue our postseason position rankings today as we move on to the linebackers.

Not surprisingly, Linebacker U takes the top spot, though it was a very close call. Depth helped the top two teams on this list, while star power marked spots Nos. 3 through 5. After that, it's a bit of a dropoff.

Away we go ...

1. Penn State: We thought this group could be the deepest linebacking corps in the league this past season, and that depth proved both true and invaluable when starter Michael Mauti went out in the fourth game of the season. Even without him, the Nittany Lions' linebackers played great, led by first team All-Big Ten performer Gerald Hodges, who had a breakout campaign. Nate Stupar filled in nicely for Mauti, and Glenn Carson was solid in his first year as a starter in the middle.

2. Michigan State: We wondered in the preseason how the Spartans would replace stars Greg Jones and Eric Gordon. The answer: very nicely, thank you. Sophomores Denicos Allen and Max Bullough emerged as fierce playmakers, especially on the blitz, and Chris Norman provided steady play on the weak side. All three return in 2012 to give Penn State a run for its money as the best group in the league.

3. Wisconsin: Mike Taylor and Chris Borland were finally healthy in the same season, and what a difference that made. They were a terrific pair, combining for 293 tackles and becoming the only Big Ten duo to average more than 10 tackles per game each. Taylor in particular made great strides. Kevin Claxton was overshadowed a bit as the third Badgers linebacker, but that's understandable given the amount of plays Borland and Taylor made.

4. Illinois: The emergence of Jonathan Brown (108 tackles, 19.5 for loss) as fire-breathing pass-rusher made this unit better than we projected in the preseason. Ian Thomas also had a good season at the position with 85 tackles, and Trulon Henry rounded out a strong crew before he missed time late following a shooting incident. The Illini defense stayed consistent throughout the team's struggles.

5. Nebraska: Depth was not a strong suit for the Huskers by any means, but there was no better linebacker in the league and few better in the nation than All-American Lavonte David. He had 133 tackles and countless big plays. Will Compton came on as the season wore along to provide a good complement to David. Finding consistent play elsewhere at the position was a challenge for Nebraska.

6. Ohio State: We pegged the Buckeyes at No. 3 in our preseason linebacker rankings, but it wasn't a vintage year for a group that struggled down the stretch drive. Andrew Sweat led the way with 72 tackles despite missing two games because of injury, and Etienne Sabino had a decent season (62 tackles, 6.5 for loss) if not the breakout season many had predicted. Freshman Ryan Shazier announced himself late in the year as a potential star in the making.

7. Michigan: The Wolverines' defense surprised everyone in 2011, though the defensive line was clearly the vanguard on that side of the ball. Kenny Demens led the team with 94 tackles, while freshmen Desmond Morgan and Jake Ryan made an immediate impact as starters. This wasn't an overwhelming group, but it was one that mostly did its job.

8. Iowa: The Hawkeyes had a hard time keeping everybody healthy and consistent, but this spot might have been the best part of their defense. James Morris and Christian Kirksey tied for the team lead with 110 tackles each, while Tyler Nielsen added 73 stops while battling some nagging injuries. The Iowa defense overall was disappointing, however.

9. Purdue: Danny Hope usually knew what to expect from week to week out of his linebackers: solid, consistent play. Joe Holland, Dwayne Beckford and Will Lucas each had between 82 and 94 stops as the top three tacklers on the team. Lucas and Holland also recorded double-digit tackles for loss. The chief complaint here is that the Boilermakers gave up some big point totals during the season.

10. Minnesota: The Gophers struggled up front and in the secondary, but linebacker was their most experienced and reliable defensive position, as expected. Veterans Gary Tinsley, Mike Rallis and Keanon Cooper played in every game, and were among the most consistent players on the team. Tinsley led the way with four sacks. Florida transfer Brendan Beal was expected to make an impact, but missed the season with a knee injury.

11. Northwestern: It wasn't a very good year overall for the Wildcats' defense, and linebacker was no exception. David Nwabuisi ranked third on the team with 84 tackles, while Bryce McNaul was right behind with 76. But Northwestern's starting trio combined for just 2.5 sacks and didn't come up with enough difference-making plays throughout the season.

12. Indiana: The good news for the Hoosiers was that Jeff Thomas was the best player on defense in 2011, finishing with 80 tackles, including 10.5 for loss. The bad news is that he was a senior. Besides Thomas, Indiana was forced to go young at the position, playing freshmen Chase Hoobler, Mike Replogle and Mark Murphy, a safety/linebacker hybrid, at times during the season. Kevin Wilson hopes the experience makes them better in '12, but this is yet another position that needs vast improvement going forward.

When the Big Ten football coaches gathered in Chicago for a meeting earlier this month, Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald looked over to Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and joked, "Which one of us is the old man now?"

Fitzgerald was struck by the notion that at age 37, heading into his seventh year as the Wildcats' head man, he is now the second-longest-tenured coach in the league. That shows how much change the conference has experienced the past two years -- and illustrates why this spring looms as an important time for many of its teams.

Three schools -- Ohio State, Penn State and Illinois -- hired new permanent head coaches this offseason, following the three that did so last year (Michigan, Indiana and Minnesota). Add in Nebraska, and seven of the 12 Big Ten teams have coaches either in their first or second year of competing in the conference.

"That's unprecedented," said Big Ten associate commissioner Mark Rudner, who has worked for the league since 1979 and currently serves as the football coaches' liaison to the conference. "It's a whole new world."

The Big Ten used to be known as a collection of icons, the league of Woody and Bo and larger-than-life coaches. No school is less familiar with change than Penn State, which will begin a season without Joe Paterno as head coach for the first time since 1966.

All the new personalities lead some to wonder if the Big Ten will maintain its identity and culture. Already, new Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has made waves with some aggressive recruiting tactics, leading Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema to criticize Meyer and caution that the Big Ten does not want to become a northern version of the SEC.

Meyer and Bielema met to hash out their differences in that coaches' meeting earlier this month. Rudner took it as a positive sign that 11 of the 12 coaches attended what was a voluntary gathering just two days after signing day. The only coach who didn't attend, Penn State's Bill O'Brien, was preparing to coach in the Super Bowl.

"Everybody seems willing to throw in with everybody else, so hopefully that will make for a lot smoother transition," Rudner said.

Transition will be the main buzzword thrown around most campuses when spring practice begins in early March.

Meyer will install the offensive system that helped the Florida Gators win two national titles as the Buckeyes begin their quest to regain Big Ten supremacy -- after the 2012 bowl ban expires, of course. Illinois is switching to a full-fledged spread attack under new coach Tim Beckman, himself a former Meyer assistant.

Jerry Kill at Minnesota and Kevin Wilson at Indiana will seek better things after disappointing first seasons, and each has brought in some junior college players to try to fill holes on the roster. Michigan won the Sugar Bowl in Brady Hoke's first year but still wants to move toward more of a pro-style offense, as long as it doesn't restrict the talents of QB Denard Robinson. Nebraska had its share of successes and setbacks in its first season of Big Ten play and now has a better idea of what it takes to compete in the league. The Huskers need to get stronger on defense but will have to do so without departed stars Lavonte David, Alfonzo Dennard and Jared Crick.

Even some of the most stable programs weren't immune to change. Wisconsin, which has gone to back-to-back Rose Bowls, lost most of its offensive staff when coordinator Paul Chryst went to Pitt and took several assistants with him. Purdue coach Danny Hope wasn't satisfied with making the program's first bowl since 2007 and reorganized his defensive staff. And as Big Ten dean Ferentz enters his 14th season at Iowa, he'll do so for the first time without defensive coordinator Norm Parker (who retired) or offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe (who left for the Miami Dolphins).

"We probably cheated time here a little bit," Ferentz said.

Some veteran staffs stayed intact, such as Northwestern and Michigan State. The Spartans figure to make another run at a Legends Division title if they can adequately replace QB Kirk Cousins, All-American defensive tackle Jerel Worthy and their top three receivers.

"Players just want to have consistency in vision and consistency in expectations," Fitzgerald said. "When you've had a position coach for four straight years, you know what to expect, and there's something to be said for that.

"At the same time, when there's change, there's a newfound sense of urgency. Our big challenge is making sure our guys don't feel like we're Charlie Brown's teacher going, 'Wah-wah-wah-wah,' and start getting bored."

There's nothing boring about the transition at Penn State. Paterno's reign came crashing down in shocking, controversial fashion before he passed away in January. For the first time in decades, the Nittany Lions will have several new assistant coaches, not to mention a new style of offense and leadership under O'Brien. Players can already see the differences in winter conditioning.

"There's a lot of excitement around here right now," linebacker Michael Mauti said. "It's just a whole new way of doing things."

They'll be saying that on a lot of Big Ten campuses this spring.

Urban Meyer has been receiving a lot of accolades for his recruiting work at Ohio State. But don't forget the hard work his assistants did in compiling one of the best classes in the country.

ESPN.com has named Buckeyes assistant Mike Vrabel as its 2012 Big Ten recruiter of the year.

"Vrabel moved from linebackers coach to defensive line coach with the hire of Urban Meyer. And in the process the two-year assistant helped secure one of the nation's best defensive line classes. Five-star prospect Noah Spence was the biggest signing in the class, but four-star prospects Adolphus Washington, Se'Von Pittman and Jamal Marcus give the Buckeyes four of the nation's top 16 players at the defensive end position. Vrabel deserves much of the credit for that."

It's an impressive achievement for the former New England Patriots star linebacker, who only became a college coach last summer following his retirement from the NFL. Vrabel should have a lot of fun coaching up the talent on that Ohio State defensive line.

Other recruiters who earned honorable mention in the ESPN.com evaluation were Nebraska's John Garrison, Northwestern's Randy Bates, Michigan's Jeff Hecklinski and Michigan State's Mark Staten.

Before the season began, we ranked every Big Ten position group from No. 1 through 12. That was based on projections and assumptions, but now we have a full season's worth of data.

So it's time to go back and assign a final 2011 ranking to each position in the league. We'll start, as usual, with the quarterbacks. You can take a look back and see how we ranked this group in the preseason here. Depth will matter more at other positions, but for this one, we're mostly concerned how the main guy fared this past season.

Let's kick it:

1. Wisconsin: When we did this list in June, we didn't know yet if Russell Wilson would transfer to the Badgers. That's why we ranked Wisconsin No. 11 at the time. That seems ludicrous now. Wilson broke the NCAA single-season record for pass efficiency (191.8), finishing ahead of Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III. He completed 72.8 percent of his passes for 3,175 yards and had 33 touchdowns and only four interceptions. If that's not enough to qualify for the top spot, I don't know what is.

2. Michigan State: I'm not sure if Kirk Cousins' 2011 season was properly appreciated nationally. Cousins led the Big Ten in passing yards with 3,316 while completing 63.7 percent of his passes and throwing 25 touchdowns. He was especially good down the stretch as the Spartans' offense took off and remained one of the best leaders in college football. And Cousins didn't get nearly the same amount of support from the running game that Wilson did.

3. Michigan: Denard Robinson's numbers declined in several key areas from 2010, including his rushing yardage, passing yardage and completion percentage. Meanwhile, his interceptions went up and there was little doubt he struggled at times. Yet Robinson also had two of the most spectacular individual efforts of the season in wins against Notre Dame and Ohio State, and he still led the Big Ten in total offense per game. And in the end, it's pretty hard to argue against an 11-2 record and Sugar Bowl title.

4. Northwestern: A lingering Achilles' tendon injury and an awful defense helped obscure the fact that Dan Persa had another outstanding year when healthy. He completed 73.4 percent of his throws and actually averaged more passing yards per game (237.6) than any other Big Ten quarterback. Persa's mobility, however, was limited and that made him much less of a running threat. Kain Colter fulfilled that role and did a nice job stepping in for Persa, including his heroics in an upset win at Nebraska.

5. Nebraska: Taylor Martinez's improvement wasn't easy to measure in statistics. His completion percentage dipped to 56.3 in 2011, and he had far less of an impact running the ball over the last half of the season — he failed to run for more than 56 yards and did not have a rushing touchdown in the final seven games. But Martinez got better as a game manager and leader and remained a dual threat defenses had to account for. And he learned to protect the ball better, throwing just three interceptions in his final eight games.

6. Iowa: James Vandenberg put up some good numbers in his first year as a full-time starter, throwing for 3,022 yards and 25 touchdowns. But he compiled a lot of his stats against bad defenses like Pitt, Louisiana-Monroe, Indiana and Northwestern. He wasn't nearly as good in losses to Nebraska, Michigan State and Penn State. Vandenberg has the potential to be the best pure passer in the Big Ten, but he needs to become more consistent.

7. Ohio State: The Buckeyes would have ranked at or near the bottom of this list after the first half of the season, after initial starter Joe Bauserman was benched and freshman Braxton Miller went through some early growing pains. While Miller's passing was often reigned in, he was extremely effective as a runner, rushing for for at least 90 yards five times. Miller showed the whole package in an impressive performance against Michigan to end the regular season. With Urban Meyer's tutelage, Miller could put the Buckeyes at the top of this list in the near future.

8. Purdue: The Boilermakers' quarterback situation looked bleak to start the year, as projected starter Rob Henry went down with an ACL injury and backup Robert Marve was slow to recover from his own knee problems. But while Purdue wasn't flashy at the position, it got decent production from Caleb TerBush and from Marve later in the year. Combined, they passed for over 2,500 yards and 17 touchdowns, and TerBush was the team's fourth leading rusher.

9. Illinois: Nathan Scheelhaase looked like he'd claim a spot as one of the Big Ten's best quarterbacks with a solid start to the season, including a 426-yard, four-touchdown showing in a win over Northwestern. But like the rest of the Illini offense, his production fell off a cliff in the second half of the season, and the sophomore appeared to lose his confidence along the way. Freshman Reilly O'Toole came in for certain situations and looked close to usurping the starting job. Scheelhaase bounced back with a nice second half in the bowl win against UCLA. Now he'll have to adjust to new coach Tim Beckman's spread offense.

10. Minnesota: Early in the season, it was hard to tell if MarQueis Gray or freshman Max Shortell would win coach Jerry Kill's favor and seize control of the offense. Neither was particularly effective. But Gray, who made the transition from wide receiver, started to find a groove late in the year. He led the upset against Iowa and ran for 327 yards in the final two games. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder is hard to stop when he takes off running, but he must improve on his 50-percent completion rate.

11. Indiana: The Hoosiers played quarterback roulette for the first half of the season, rotating between Ed Wright-Baker and Dusty Kiel. But when they finally settled on freshman Tre Roberson, they found their signal-caller of the present and future. Roberson is still a bit raw but has tremendous athleticism and instincts. He ran for 121 yards and threw for 169 against Northwestern, showing that he could be yet another dangerous dual threat quarterback in this league going forward.

12. Penn State: The Nittany Lions' handling of the quarterback situation was baffling and counterproductive in 2011. Penn State continued to trot out Rob Bolden as the starter for much of the year even though Matt McGloin was clearly the better option. McGloin did the heavy lifting off the bench, but he was not exactly a world-beater either, completing just 54 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. The Nittany Lions beat Ohio State mostly because they put a couple of receivers in the Wildcat formation, and when McGloin couldn't play in the TicketCity Bowl, Bolden struggled. New coach Bill O'Brien will quickly learn that Tom Brady isn't walking through that door in 2012.

It's going to be a while before we see some Big Ten football again. So now's a good time to reflect on the 2011 season and reminisce about the best game atmospheres we experienced.

The addition of Nebraska and the Sea of Red added another great game-day experience to the league, making it even tougher to narrow this list down to five. We are only going to include games that one of us actually attended.

Here are our picks for the best atmospheres:

Notre Dame at Michigan, Michigan Stadium, Sept. 10: This one had it all. The first night game at the Big House created a carnival-like atmosphere all around Ann Arbor. Though Michigan Stadium had a reputation in the past as being too quiet for its size, the place was loud from start to finish on this night, with an NCAA-record 114,804 fans on hand to celebrate. And they had a lot to cheer about in the second half, as their Wolverines rallied for an improbable 35-31 victory in a thrilling and wild final few minutes. For this night, at least, the Big House was the center of the football universe.

Ohio State at Nebraska, Memorial Stadium, Oct. 8: It took a while for the Sea of Red to start rocking, but Ohio State found out in the final 26 minutes just how difficult it will be to win games at Nebraska. As the Huskers mounted the biggest comeback in team history, the crowd went nuts, undeterred by rain falling for most of the game. No one left despite Nebraska' 27-6 third-quarter deficit, and as a result, they got to witness a bit of history in Nebraska's first Big Ten home game.

Wisconsin-Michigan State I at Spartan Stadium, Oct. 22: This was an all-day, all-night event as Spartan Nation came out in force for ESPN "College GameDay" in the morning and created an electric atmosphere at kickoff as the undefeated Wisconsin Badgers took on their beloved Green and White. Everyone knew this could be a springboard-type game for Michigan State, and the ebbs and flows of the contest created an incredible vibe inside Spartan Stadium. It culminated with the most exciting ending of the college football season, as Keith Nichol hauled in a Hail Mary touchdown pass as time expired to lift Michigan State to victory and spark a party.

Wisconsin at Ohio State, Ohio Stadium, Oct. 29: It wasn't a typical season for Ohio State, but The Shoe still can rock and it did on this night. Buckeyes fans packed the place and created a hostile environment for Wisconsin, which struggled for most of the game before mounting a late charge. After the Badgers reclaimed the lead in the closing seconds, Ohio State's Braxton Miller sent the crowd home happy with the game-winning touchdown pass to Devin Smith. Miller's heroics sparked an ear-splitting roar as Ohio Stadium quaked.

Wisconsin vs. Oregon at Rose Bowl Stadium, Jan. 2: No scene in college football is better than the Rose Bowl, and this year proved that yet again. Badgers and Ducks fans showed up in full force, and temperatures hovered near 80 degrees at kickoff for one of the warmest Rose Bowls in history. With big plays coming at a fast and furious pace, both sides had plenty of reasons to keep the place loud. With yet another picture-perfect sunset over the San Gabriel Mountains and one of the best games of bowl season unfolding, there was no better place to be in early January.

Strangest atmosphere: Nebraska at Penn State, Beaver Stadium, Nov. 12: This game gets its own special category. We doubt there has ever been much of an atmosphere anywhere quite like the first game after the Jerry Sandusky scandal broke and legendary coach Joe Paterno was fired. After student-led riots in the streets of State College, security was on high alert, including mounted police outside the stadium. There were protesters of Penn State and those holding signs in support of Paterno, and Nebraska coach Bo Pelini later said he didn't think the game should be played. Dozens of former Penn State players attended and stood on the field, and the two teams met at midfield before the game for a goose-bump inducing prayer. Once the game got started, it wasn't terribly different than any other. But everything around the stadium that week was wildly abnormal.

Let's put a final bow on bowl season with our choices for the 2011 Big Ten All-Bowl team. As usual, some positions had more than enough worthy selections, such as defensive line, while other positions -- safety, offensive line -- left us scrambling a bit.

Despite a 4-6 bowl performance by the Big Ten, the league had some nice individual performances.

Here's the bowl squad ...

OFFENSE

QB: Russell Wilson, Wisconsin: Though he threw a costly interception late, Wilson completed 19 of 25 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns in the Rose Bowl loss to Oregon. That performance was good enough for him to finish the season with the NCAA record for pass efficiency.

RB: Akeem Shavers, Purdue: With leading rusher Ralph Bolden injured, the Boilermakers needed another back to step up. Shavers responded with a career high 149 yards on 22 carries in the Boilermakers' 37-32 Little Caesars Bowl victory over Western Michigan.

RB: Montee Ball, Wisconsin: Ball carried 32 times for 164 yards against Oregon, and his touchdown gave him 39 on the season, tying Barry Sanders' Football Bowl Subdivision record. Ball was quieted late as the Ducks' defense made adjustments against the running game.

WR: Jared Abbrederis, Wisconsin: Like Wilson, Abbrederis had a costly second-half turnover, but his overall performance stood out in the Rose Bowl. The sophomore had four receptions for a team-high 119 yards and a touchdown and also had 227 return yards in the game, including a 60-yard kickoff runback.

WR: Junior Hemingway, Michigan: He only had two catches in the Allstate Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech, but both went for touchdowns. He caught the first one in traffic then juked his way toward a 45-yard score. He made a leaping grab near the back of the end zone for the second one.

TE: Brian Linthicum, Michigan State: The senior picked a good time to have a career day, coming up with seven catches for 115 yards against Georgia plus a catch on a two-point conversion. He took a tight end screen pass 50 yards during the fourth quarter for the longest play of his career.

OL: Peter Konz, Wisconsin: Konz made his first appearance since Nov. 13 and didn't look rusty after rehabbing a dislocated ankle. The All-Big Ten selection keyed a Badgers offense that racked up 212 rush yards, 23 first downs and 508 total yards against Oregon. Konz performed well in what turned out to be his final game as a Badger.

OL: Dennis Kelly, Purdue: The Boilers' offensive line overpowered Western Michigan in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, and Kelly, a mainstay at left tackle during his career, helped lead the charge. Purdue racked up 265 rush yards on 56 attempts and steamrolled the Broncos despite not having top running back Bolden (knee).

OL: David Molk, Michigan: A foot injury in warmups wasn't going to keep Molk from playing his final game with the Wolverines. The Rimington Trophy winner, who some thought wouldn't return to the field, missed only one series and did his part for the Michigan offense in its win against Virginia Tech.

OL: Jeff Allen, Illinois: Allen keyed an Illinois offense that showed some life in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl after fading down the stretch of the regular season. He helped the Illini rush for 178 yards, while UCLA had only one sack in the game.

OL: Kevin Zeitler, Wisconsin: Like Konz, Zeitler delivered a typical performance in Pasadena and helped Ball and the ground game get going. Wisconsin's physical play along the offensive line gave Oregon problems for most of the game.

DEFENSE

DL: William Gholston, Michigan State: The sophomore announced himself as a likely breakout star in 2012 with a huge performance against Georgia in the Outback Bowl. Gholston had five tackles for loss, including two sacks, plus a fumble recovery in the Spartans' victory.

DL: Whitney Mercilus, Illinois: The nation's sacks leader went out with a bang before declaring for the NFL draft. Mercilus registered 1.5 sacks in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl win over UCLA, tying him with Simeon Rice for the school single-season record of 16. He finished with three tackles for loss and gave the Bruins offense fits.

DL: Mike Martin, Michigan: The Wolverines repeatedly stuffed Virginia Tech in the red zone, and Martin was a big reason why. The senior had 10 tackles and 0.5 sacks while helping control the interior of the defensive line.

DL Mike Daniels, Iowa: The Hawkeyes defense showed up in the Insight Bowl, and Daniels led the way with five tackles, including three tackles for loss and two sacks. Oklahoma came into the game having allowed just nine sacks all season, but Daniels had two in the first half.

LB: Lavonte David, Nebraska: Though the Huskers lost to South Carolina, David had his usual brilliant game. He finished with 11 tackles and two sacks in the losing effort to cap a terrific career.

LB: Joe Holland, Purdue: The senior delivered in his final game as a Boiler, recording team highs for tackles (9), tackles for loss (2) and pass breakups (3) against Western Michigan. Holland was always around the ball and spurred a play-making Purdue defense in Detroit.

LB: Ian Thomas, Illinois: Like Holland, Thomas had a big performance in his final collegiate game as Illinois held UCLA to seven points through the first 59 minutes. Thomas finished with seven tackles, including two for loss and a sack, as well as a pass breakup against the Bruins.

CB: Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State: He got burned on a long pass in the first half but made up for it with two second-half interceptions, including one he returned 38 yards for a touchdown, in the win against Georgia. Dennard tied the Michigan State bowl record with the two picks.

CB: Terry Hawthorne, Illinois: Hawthorne's 39-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter gave Illinois its first lead against UCLA. It marked the second pick-six of Hawthorne's career and the first since 2009. He also had five tackles, including 1.5 for loss.

S: Jordan Kovacs, Michigan: Kovacs capped a breakthrough season in the Allstate Sugar Bowl with a a team-high 11 tackles in the win against Virginia Tech. He helped limit the Hokies to just one touchdown on six red zone possessions and finished the season with 75 total tackles.

S: Brian Peters, Northwestern: Peters made a nifty interception against Texas A&M, his Big Ten-leading fifth pick of the season, and added seven tackles against the Aggies. He finished his career with 12 interceptions, the third-highest total in team history.

SPECIAL TEAMS

K: Brendan Gibbons, Michigan: Gibbons nailed all three of his field goal attempts, including the 37-yarder in overtime to win the game for the Wolverines.

P: Mike Sadler, Michigan State: Sadler was big in the field position battle against Georgia. He averaged 50.1 yards on eight punts, placing four of them inside the 20-yard line.

KR: Raheem Mostert, Purdue: Mostert returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in the win over Western Michigan. It marked the longest kick return in Purdue bowl history and helped Mostert finish the season as the nation's leading return man (33.5 ypr).

PR: Venric Mark, Northwestern: Not too many choices around the Big Ten, but Mark broke off a 47-yard return in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas. He also had a two-yard rushing touchdown in the game.

Now that the season is over, it's time to take a look back at our Top 10 moments of the year in Big Ten football, on and off the field:

No. 1

"Rocket" men (Oct. 22)


Michigan State's 44-yard Hail Mary pass from Kirk Cousins to Keith Nichol (via B.J. Cunningham's facemask) stands as the most memorable play of the Big Ten season and, we would argue, the top play of the college football year. The Spartans' 37-31 win over Wisconsin derailed the Badgers' national title hopes and helped propel Michigan State to a Legends Division title. And that set up another fantastic moment ...

No. 2

Badgers get revenge (Dec. 3)

The first Big Ten championship game couldn't have asked for much more drama, as Wisconsin and Michigan State staged a highly-anticipated rematch of their earlier classic. This one played out in almost the same fashion, with each team trading huge plays in a thrilling game. This time, the Badgers completed a desperation heave, as Russell Wilson found Jeff Duckworth on a long pass in the fourth quarter to set up the go-ahead touchdown. A running-into-the-punter penalty ended the Spartans' chances of winning in the final minute again. Wisconsin clinched a second straight Rose Bowl appearance with its 42-39 victory, and another Spartans-Badgers epic duel made the inaugural title game a smashing success.

No. 3

Michigan's miracle (Sept. 10)

If not for those Michigan State-Wisconsin games, Michigan's 35-31 win over Notre Dame would likely be remembered as the most exciting game of the Big Ten season. The Wolverines trailed 24-7 after three quarters and couldn't get much going offensively. But then Denard Robinson took over. The two teams scored three touchdowns in the final 1:12, until Robinson ended matters with a 16-yard scoring strike to Roy Roundtree with two seconds left. That kind of magic would stay with Michigan all season long, right through its equally improbable Allstate Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech.

No. 4

Braxton's bomb (Oct. 29)

A week after losing on that Hail Mary in East Lansing, Wisconsin had its guts ripped out all over again in Columbus. Precocious Ohio State freshman quarterback Braxton Miller scrambled and nearly crossed the line of scrimmage before firing a 40-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Devin Smith with 20 seconds left as the Buckeyes won 33-29. Little did we know then that it would be Ohio State's last great moment of the season, or that the Badgers would somehow regroup to still win the league championship.

No. 5

The fall of an icon (Nov. 9)

No story in the Big Ten, or in all of sports, was bigger than the child sex abuse scandal that erupted at Penn State in November. The rape allegations against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, as well as charges that school administrators failed to stop him and/or lied under oath, became international news. And on Nov. 9, that scandal led to the firing of legendary head coach Joe Paterno, who won 409 games while leading the program since 1966. Everything about that week in State College, from students rallying on Paterno's front lawn to the bizarre, circus-like atmosphere at the Board of Trustees news conference announcing his dismissal, was and remains surreal.

No. 6

A time for healing (Nov. 12)

After all the events and controversy leading up to Penn State's home game against Nebraska, which included student riots in the streets of downtown a few days earlier, there was serious concern about what would happen at Beaver Stadium that Saturday. Security was on high alert. But the Nittany Lions and Huskers players helped diffuse the tension by meeting at midfield just before kickoff for a moving prayer. Nebraska won the game and won some admirers for how it handled the difficult situation.

No. 7

Urban renewal (Nov. 28)

Most of Ohio State's season, which featured a 6-7 record and a 2012 NCAA bowl ban handed down in December, was something its fans would like to forget. But Buckeyes fans can't wait for the future after the school hired Ohio native Urban Meyer as its next head coach. Meyer's first season will be hampered by the postseason ban. Still, for Ohio State to go through the mess it faced during 2011 and still end up with a coach of Meyer's stature and pedigree has to be considered a victory.

No. 8

Gophers go hog wild (Oct. 29)

Minnesota barely looked like an FBS team, much less a Big Ten one, during its 1-6 start. The Gophers had lost to North Dakota State and were outscored 144-31 in their first three league contests. But the rivalry game against Iowa brought out the best in them. Minnesota scored two touchdowns in the final 8:22 and pulled off a daring onside kick to stun the Hawkeyes 22-21 in the upset of the Big Ten season. The Gophers kept the Floyd of Rosedale trophy in Minneapolis for a second straight season.

No. 9



Huskers' historic comeback (Oct. 8)

Nebraska's first Big Ten home game was one to remember. The Huskers trailed Ohio State by 21 points in the second half before rallying for the biggest comeback victory in program history. Taylor Martinez, Rex Burkhead and Lavonte David all had huge nights as the team scored 28 straight points for a 34-27 victory. And by beating the league's reigning blue-chip program, Nebraska proved it belonged in the Big Ten.

No. 10

The Streak ends (Nov. 26)

Brady Hoke promised to "Beat Ohio" when he took the Michigan job. And he delivered with an exciting 40-34 victory that snapped an infuriating seven-game losing streak to the hated Buckeyes. Robinson accounted for five touchdowns as the Wolverines held off a big performance from Ohio State's Miller. With Hoke and Meyer now battling it out every year, The Game could resume its place as college football's top rivalry.

It's time to look back and recognize some of the highlights and lowlights from the Big Ten bowl season:

Best performance: Michigan State. After falling behind 16-0 to Georgia, the Spartans rallied back to take the lead in the second half. When they needed to drive the field for a tying touchdown with only 1:55 left, they did just that. When Kirk Cousins threw an interception on the first overtime possession, they responded by holding tough on defense. Michigan State had 17 tackles for loss against the Bulldogs, including five by defensive end William Gholston. Darqueze Dennard grabbed two interceptions, and the special teams came up with a blocked kick to win the game. The 33-30 triple-overtime victory was yet another milestone for the program under Mark Dantonio.

Worst performance: Penn State clearly didn't want to go to the TicketCity Bowl, and it showed right away. Houston quarterback Case Keenum made a mockery of the Nittany Lions' defense, throwing for 227 yards in the first quarter alone. Penn State had allowed that many yards passing in an entire game only once all season. He'd finish with 532 yards passing as the Cougars breezed to a 30-14 victory.

Best new mascot: Northwestern brought a stuffed monkey with a No. 63 jersey to its Meineke Car Care Bowl game against Texas A&M, symbolizing its quest to end a 63-year bowl victory drought. Alas, the Wildcats will have to order a No. 64 uniform after losing 33-22. Better make it a big jersey, because this postseason curse is more like an 800-pound gorilla at this point.

Worst near-death experience: Near the end of Iowa's Insight Bowl loss to Oklahoma, star Hawkeyes receiver Marvin McNutt was nearly taken out by ESPN's skycam, which fell to the field from its cables. The heavy camera almost hit McNutt off the bounce, and he got caught up in its wiring as he left the Iowa huddle. The skycam was unceremoniously escorted off the field, kind of like how Iowa's season ended in a 31-14 loss.

Worst ball security: Purdue and Western Michigan combined for 11 turnovers in a wild Little Caesars Bowl. On two separate occasions, the Boilermakers forced a turnover only to give the ball right back to the Broncos as defenders coughed it up trying to go the other way. Ultimately, Purdue got the upper hand by creating seven takeaways and holding on for a 37-32 victory.

Best clock management: Michigan State trailed Georgia 27-20 late in the fourth quarter of the Outback Bowl when the Spartans were called for pass interference on third-and-3 from the Bulldogs' 37. The officials ruled that Georgia had completed the pass on the play even though receiver Malcolm Mitchell clearly dropped the ball. Dantonio challenged the ruling, despite the fact that Georgia was going to get a first down either way. Dantonio's successful challenge meant that instead of the clock running down toward three minutes, the clock was stopped and reset to 3:43. That extra time proved enormous, as the Spartans tied the game with 14 seconds left in regulation.

Worst clock management: Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema was unsure if he could challenge the ruling when Oregon's De'Anthony Thomas hesitated and nearly left the end zone before kneeling down for kick-return touchback. As Bielema asked the sideline official for a clarification, he was charged with a timeout. That was the second timeout burned by the Badgers early in the second half. They dearly could have used the stoppages when the offense ended the game at the Oregon 25-yard line. Russell Wilson hurried to the line and was instructed to spike the ball with two seconds left, but officials ruled there was no time left.

Best impersonation of a wide receiver: Michigan's fake field goal attempt late in the first half of the Allstate Sugar Bowl went awry when holder Drew Dileo's intended receiving target, tight end Kevin Koger, didn't know the fake was on. So Dileo threw the ball into a crowd, and Virginia Tech deflected it. But long snapper Jareth Glanda saved the day by hauling it in for an 11-yard gain. The Wolverines ended up with a field goal on the play, and they needed every point in an overtime victory.

Best use of the kicking game: Purdue coach Danny Hope turned into a riverboat gambler in the Little Caesars Bowl, calling for two consecutive onside kicks in the first half. Both worked and led to points. Raheem Mostert also returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score.

Worst use of the kicking game: Ohio State had a punt blocked for a touchdown and allowed a 99-yard kickoff return by Florida. The Buckeyes lost by seven points in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl.

Worst loss of composure: Nebraska star cornerback Alfonzo Dennard and South Carolina receiver Alshon Jeffery let their emotions get the best of them in the third quarter of the Capital One Bowl. Dennard took a coupLe of swings at Jeffery, who pushed Dennard's helmet back. Both players were rightly ejected. Amazingly, Jeffery was still named MVP of South Carolina's 30-13 win.

Best crisis management: We saw what happened to Penn State and Ohio State as they played for lame-duck head coaches. Illinois not only had to deal with that but also a six-game losing streak and a group of assistants threatening to boycott the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl hours before the game. Somehow, interim head coach Vic Koenning managed to hold things together to help the Illini win 20-14 over UCLA.

Best inspiration: As Michigan's Brendan Gibbons lined up for the 37-yard kick to win the game in overtime, he had one thing on his mind. "Brunette girls,” Gibbons said. “Every time we were like struggling in kicking, coach tells me to think about girls on a beach or brunette girls," Gibbons told reporters. "So that's what we did. Made the kick." And they say blondes have more fun.