Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, June 5, 2013

The struggles of the Michigan State offense in 2012 are well-documented. Aside from sticking the ball in the gut of running back Le?Veon Bell, nothing else worked with much consistency. In particular, the play of quarterback Andrew Maxwell came under scrutiny. That caused some to wonder if he?d keep his job. Well, repeat after MSU coach Mark Dantonio: There is no quarterback question. Nope. Dantonio says Maxwell is the guy-for now, at least.

"As I said after the spring game, right now Andrew Maxwell is our quarterback," Dantonio said, "and we're moving in that direction, but we've got to play well."

There are some intriguing options behind Maxwell. Remember, sophomore Connor Cook came on to lead MSU to a bowl win over TCU last season. There also are redshirt freshman Tyler O?Connor and incoming freshman Damion Terry, who has everyone in East Lansing jacked up. Interesting.

MORE SPARTANS: MSU A.D. Mark Hollis is open to the idea of playing Michigan at night. Michigan A.D. Dave Brandon? Not so much so.

Why don?t we just play all games at night? It seems that?s what everyone wants, anyway.

BOILERS AT FRIENDLY CONFINES? There?s a chance Purdue?s game at Northwestern in 2015 could be played at Wrigley Field. How cool would that be for Boilermakers? fans? The Wildcats played Illinois in the ?Friendly Confines? in 2010.

NU is slated to play five games in Wrigley. And those games can only be played in November because, well, the Cubs could be playing postseason baseball in October. (Insert your own joke.) In 2015, Northwestern could host Penn State (11/7) in addition to Purdue (11/14). In 2014, the Wildcats host Michigan (11/8) and Illinois (11/29) in the final month.

AUSSIE RULES: Ohio State will have one of the most unique punters in America this fall: 21-year-old former Australian Rules football player Cameron Johnston, who could answer a yawning need for the Buckeyes.

This is gonna be great.

LOOK AT HAWKEYES: Here is a nice look with photos of who is returning for Iowa.

Speaking of Iowa, its $9 million video board is coming along just fine. Saturdays at Kinnick Stadium just got a whole lot better.

TRUST IN CALLAHAN: Nice to see former Nebraska coach Bill Callahan get the chance to call plays for the Dallas Cowboys.

Say what you want about his head coaching skills, but Callahan is a bright offensive mind.

MCGLOIN TURNING HEADS: Amazing story here: First, Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin shocked by having an All-Big Ten senior season in 2012. Now, it looks like the former walk-on may actually have a shot at making the Oakland Raiders.

Someone should make a movie about this guy.

DELANY, THE PITCHER: Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany threw out the first pitch at a recent Yankees game. Here is a nice breakdown of his mechanics.

I?ll tell ya what: His delivery was pretty impressive. Delany was, after all, a hoopster at North Carolina back in the day.

BURKE SLIPPING IN MOCKS: As the NBA draft draws nearer, Trey Burke?s stock continues to drop.

ESPN.com?s Chad Ford updated his mock draft for the fourth time Tuesday, and slid the former Michigan point guard down five spots on his list from No. 2 to No. 7 overall. Soon, all of this silliness will be over and no one will remember where anyone was drafted. Just play.

PURDUE ADDS CARTER: Purdue already has added one fifth-year senior transfer in Cornell wing man Errick Peck. Now, the Boilermakers have added another: shooting guard Sterling Carter from Seattle University. He picked Purdue over Cal State Northridge.

Carter will augment Purdue?s woeful 3-point shooting, while also playing good defense. Hey, Matt Painter is coming off his first losing season since his debut in 2005-06. Additional help is appreciated.

FORDE'S POP QUIZ: Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports has a fun (and often scathing) pop quiz/story on college sport?s ?silly season.? Caution: Big Ten fans may want to sit down while reading.

How many times did you laugh out loud?

ABOUT GORDON GEE: Well, Ohio State president Gordon Gee is going to retire. No one is shocked, considering recent revelations of bizarre comments he made on a variety of subjects. It was really shocking and disappointing to see a revered and highly intelligent president of a major institution speak in such a manner. Unfortunately, the way Gee is going out will be how he?ll be remembered by most outside of academic circles, smudging his resume forever. SI?s Andy Staples has a nice look at the Gee situation.

The great Tom Shatel of the Omaha World-Herald has a good read on how pot shots by the Big Ten at others often backfire.

It is time for everyone to just put their head down, keep quiet and work hard. Enough of the talk.

NHL ICE AT BEAVER STADIUM? Outdoor hockey games are all the rage. It looks like Penn State?s Beaver Stadium could be host of a Flyers-Penguins game.

Michigan Stadium already is slated to play host to the 2014 Winter Classic between the Red Wings and Maple Leafs. Is anyone else worried about the over saturation of these outdoor games? You know, more isn?t always better. They seem to be losing their uniqueness and appeal. Oh, well. Get a good idea, drive it into the ground, right?

So, which Big Ten football stadium will be the next to play host to an NHL game? I say it will be Ohio Stadium: Blue Jackets vs. Penguins. Book it.

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.

And if you want to leave a comment on this post, use the box below. All comments need to be approved by a moderator.