Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, February 3, 2012

Tired of ex-jocks interviewing ex-jocks about the Super Bowl? So am I. Instead, in this post have a look at what other esteemed scribes are saying about the Big Ten on this glorious Friday in February. And not one of these ink-stained wretches uses hair spray. I guarantee it.

And a reminder: I post my top links each day Monday through Friday so that you can keep up on the various reports across Big Ten country. You can bookmark my Daily Links archive page here and subscribe to the  the Daily Links RSS here. And, as always, you can drop me a note over here.

National
Where did your school finish in Rivals.com ranking of Big Ten classes? Glad you asked.

Illinois
Give it up for Steve Weatherford, says Bob Asmussen of the Champaign News-Gazette. The guy gets paid to punt a football. Think about it.

Iowa
Roy Marble recounts a special season in a book, writes Don Doxsie of the Quad City Times. Man, does this make me feel old.

He?s versatile. He?s a former Hawkeye. He?s Tyler Sash, and he hopes to make Super Bowl smash, writes top scribe Mike Hlas of the Cedar Rapids Gazette. And is New York Giants linebackers coach Jim Herrmann a candidate for the defensive coordinator job? He says he hasn?t talked to anyone, writes Hlas.

Michigan
Who needs Rocky vs. Apollo Creed when we have Michigan vs. Michigan State? The Wolverines are spoiling for a hardwood rumble with Michigan State, writes Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News.

Michigan will need the mettle of Jordan Morgan when it invades the hostile confines of the Breslin Center, writes Terry Foster of the Detroit News.

Infusion of four ?see ball, hit ball?-type linebackers makes that position Michigan?s deepest, says Kyle Meinke of AnnArbor.com. Good thing, because this defense still needs work.

Nick Baumgardner of AnnArbor.com looks at how previous Michigan hoop coaches fared in the rivalry with Michigan State. Your move, John Beilein.

Michigan State
Listen up, Mate: Australian lifer eyes American football, maybe at Michigan State, says David Goricki of the Detroit News.

Devin Thomas punches a Giant ticket to the big game, says Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

Minnesota
Patrick Reussee of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune minces no words in looking at Joel Maturi?s tenure. Ouch.

Next AD needs Midas touch, says Chip Scoggins of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Maturi?s bad decisions led to a tarnished legacy, writes Bob Sansevere of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Who could replace Maturi? Marcus Fuller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press has a look. Fuller also looks at the good, bad and ugly of the Maturi era.

Football proved to be Maturi?s downfall, says Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. And, I agree.

Ohio State
Recruiting of a different era built Ohio State?s 1968 team, says Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch.

Jim Tressel back on campus as an administrator at Akron, writes Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch.

Penn State
One man?s 32 favorite photos of Joe Paterno from 1998-2011, from Joe Hermitt of the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

O?Brien doffs one of two caps to recruits, writes Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

We have an early contender for Understatement of the Year: Sandusky scandal took a toll on Penn State?s recruiting class, says Ron Musselman of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Purdue
Hoosiers and Boilermakers put friendships on hold for rivalry, says Jeff Washburn of the Lafayette Journal-Courier. And, honestly, is there a better hoop rivalry in the Big Ten? I think not.

Wisconsin
Bret Bielema had a beef with the Buckeyes? recruiting tactics, write Tom Mulhern of the Wisconsin State Journal. I say: Why blame Urban Meyer? If he asks a kid if he?s interested in being recruited, why shouldn?t Meyer try? Don?t blame Meyer. Blame the kid.

Dave Heller of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel conducts a nice Q&A with a recruiting analyst on the Badger class.

Tom Dienhart is a senior writer for BTN.com and will post his Daily Links on weekdays. You can subscribe to the Daily Links RSS here, find Dienhart?s work at www.btn.com/tomdienhart, follow him on Twitter at @BTNTomDienhart, send a question to his weekly mailbag here, and click here to subscribe to his overall RSS feed.