Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, May 30, 2013

Remember those proposed recruiting changes that would have allowed for unlimited messaging-among other things? Well, Big Ten honchos hated the ideas.

Scott Dochterman of the Cedar Rapids Gazette says email exchanges showed league officials were afraid the adjustments could send recruiting costs skyrocketing and create havoc for football prospects. The information was provided via an open-records request through University of Iowa President Sally Mason, who is the chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors.

What amazes me is the proposed NCAA recruiting changes were approved in the first place. I?m all for streamlining the rule book. But, this went too far.

It?s also amazing that the new recruiting rules seemingly ?did not get vetted on campus during football season or, if they did, minds were other places,? according to Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany. Still, Big Ten presidents apparently were told to rubber stamp the new recruiting rules. That ticked off some folks who sit in ivory towers. Ask the Michigan State president.

?I find it interesting that I was advised by the conference to vote for these rules, being assured that they had been discussed within the conference and we were involved in the committee process,? MSU prez Lou Anna Simon wrote in an email.

Wow.

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SELECTING BARRY: College football took a huge step forward by introducing a four-team playoff that will begin in 2014. Now, the sport has to develop a committee that will select the four teams. Who should be on it? One obvious candidate is Wisconsin A.D. Barry Alvarez. So, would Barry be up for sitting on the committee if asked? ?It wouldn?t be an automatic thing,? he said recently. ?I?d put some thought into it.? Oh, c?mon. He?d be on the committee in a nanosecond. Please, Barry, answer the call if summoned. It?s your duty.

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RUTGERS BACKGROUND: Are you sitting down? Good, because this will amaze you: Rutgers paid $70,000 for a background check on new A.D. Julie Hermann. The firm: Parker Executive Search. #SMH

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LACK OF DEPTH AT LINEBACKER U? Now, to some lighter fare: Does Penn State have a lack of depth at linebacker? Hmmm. Perhaps. Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti are off to the NFL. Into the void steps Glenn Carson, Nyeem Wartman, Mike Hull, Ben Kline, Gary Wooten and Charles Idemudia. Hey, in my book, this is a nice collection of LBs. Penn State will be just fine at the position.

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LINE IT UP VS. LSU: How sweet is this? LSU vs. Wisconsin in Houston?s Reliant Stadium to open 2014. Looks like it?s gonna happen. Thank you, football gods. Oh, and there?s also a chance LSU and Wisconsin could meet in Lambeau Field in the future. It just keeps getting better, doesn?t it? Now, will some other Big Ten schools step up with some fun non-conference clashes to open their seasons?

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BUCKEYES UNDER THE LIGHTS: If you are scoring at home, that?s four primetime kickoffs for Ohio State in 2013. The game at Cal on Sept. 14 was the latest one announced.

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FIVE-STAR ZAK: Zak Irvin will arrive in Michigan with a five-star Rivals.com rating and a Mr. Basketball award from Indiana. But will he be able to crack a logjam of talent on the wing? Let?s see, there is Glenn Robinson III, Nik Stauskas, Caris LeVert, and not a lot more proven guys. I have a feeling Irvin will be just fine and will get his minutes.

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GROCE PAY: Illinois coach John Groce will make a cool $1.2 mil next season. Nice raise. In other news, Illinois trustees signed off on a naming rights deal that will turn venerable Assembly Hall into State Farm Center. The cost: $60 million over 30 years. The only other Big Ten arena to sell its name is Nebraska?s new Pinnacle Bank. What Big Ten venue will be next? Oh, you know it?ll happen.

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HOOSIER MEMORABILIA: Indiana?s undefeated 1975-76 team is selling jerseys and other commemorative items. Act now! Hey, Christmas is just seventh months away. A portion of the proceeds will go to four non-profits, so that?s a good thing. TWEETS THAT MATTER https://twitter.com/Mark__Snyder/status/339800269762215937 My take: Perfect. https://twitter.com/dave_heller/status/339817081828691971 My take: This would be one of the first things I mention. https://twitter.com/GophersNow/status/339772892155899905 My take: Long story short, he isn?t getting drafted. https://twitter.com/ClayTravisBGID/status/339824539137613825 My take: Who can blame the SEC? No ?football commissioner? mandated that conferences have to play nine league games. But, it would be nice if all the "power" leagues had a similar scheduling format.

About Tom Dienhart BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section.

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