Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, October 24, 2014

This is interesting: NFL Big Ten quarterbacks have struggled against Ohio State. Is Penn State?s Christian Hackenberg next? Probably.

Bill Landis of Cleveland.com points out that there are 11 Big Ten alums currently playing quarterback in the NFL. Their combined record against Ohio State? 6-17. Pretty amazing, huh? Meanwhile, QBs like Penn State's Darryl Clark, Illinois' Juice Williams and Wisconsin's John Stocco beat OSU while in college. Go figure. It would be a huge upset if Hackenberg can join the ranks of ?I beat Ohio State.?

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The College Football Hall of Fame ballot is out. Lots of Big Ten names on the list. Could this be the year Ohio State?s Jim Tressel gets in?

As part of a new format, the Hall will announce which candidates have been elected each January as part of the national title game weekend. So the ballot release and voting will be done earlier. Will Tressel be part of the class announced in 2015? It's still likely he'll have to wait.

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Pretty sad story from Ann Arbor, where Michigan QB Devin Gardner has had to deal with racial attacks mostly via social media. Brady Hoke calls the attackers ?cowards.? And, he?s correct. On Thursday, speaking with 97.1-FM's Stoney and Bill Show, Hoke was asked about that topic.

"There's no place for anybody to racially have slurs, this is a kid who is getting two degrees from the University of Michigan and has done everything he can to represent this university in a great way," Hoke said during the interview. "Those people, who are usually faceless, it tells you what cowards they are.

"And what kind of human beings they are."

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If you missed them earlier this week, here are all of the Big Ten coaches on the weekly teleconference with reporters.

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It?s always a good time to talk NFL draft, correct? It looks like Michigan State could have its richest collection of pro talent ever under Mark Dantonio.

CBSsports.com projects two Michigan State players being selected in the first round, and eight Spartans being picked before the draft process is finished. In case you were wondering-and I know you are–the most Spartans selected in the draft since it went to its current seven-round format 22 years ago is seven (2000). The most picked under Dantonio was six in the 2012 NFL draft. Just one player off last season?s Rose Bowl team, first-round pick Darqueze Dennard, was selected in the 2014 NFL draft. That was stunning.

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The great Rick Brown of HawkCentral.com answers five questions about Iowa, whose season may be on the edge. Which direction is this team going to go? The offense has issues to solve. Fans question offensive coordinator Greg Davis. Honestly, it?s not just sometimes predictable play-calling. The line play on both sides of the ball has been slipping.

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Where would Northwestern?s struggling offense be without superback Dan Vitale? Scary, huh? A nice look at what he brings to the NU offense, by InsideNU.com.

Vitale is a big play threat. Of the six Wildcats with double-digit catches on the season, Vitale's 10.8 yards per catch ranks second, behind Cam Dickerson's 15.5 mark. Vitale is especially proficient on first down and is absolutely money on third down.

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Nice feature by Dan Duggan of NJ.com on Rutgers DE Dave Milewski, who not only is a top pass rusher but also is a killer chess player.

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The starters on Nebraska?s defensive line are among the best in the nation. But the backups? They were a question when the season began. But the No. 2 unit is coming on. These guys will need play well if the Huskers want to win the West.

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To say there?s excitement about the coming Wisconsin hoops season would be a massive understatement. This is an uber-talented club with national title dreams coming off a Final Four appearance. And one of the most talented players is Sam Dekker. Heck, even Bo Ryan can?t wait to see what Dekker will do this season.

"In Frank's (Kaminsky?s) junior year, he really showed America his all-around game," Ryan said. "I think this is Sam's time to show that he can play all the phases and play all of them well."

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Amelia Rayno has 10 questions answer by Minnesota hoops players. This looks like another strong Golden Gophers squad coming off a run to the NIT title.

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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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