Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, February 29, 2016

What on god?s green earth is wrong with Iowa? The Hawkeyes are letting a Cinderella season derail from the tracks, losing three in a row and four of five. It?s threatening to torpedo the program?s quest for its first Big Ten title since 1978-79. Jarrod Uthoff addresses the team?s confidence after a gut-punch loss at Ohio State on Sunday in this video.

If Iowa can win its last two games-and Indiana loses both of its game-the Hawkeyes would earn a share of the title. And, it?s possible. IU plays at Iowa on Tuesday. Then, the Hawkeyes finish at Michigan on Saturday, while the Hoosiers play host to Maryland on Sunday.

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Speaking of Iowa, when is the Big Ten gonna rule on if Drew Ott will gets a fifth season?

?It?s been kind of tough,? Sheree Ott told the Des Moines Register. ?A little bit stressful, too, because nobody knows what his future is going to be or where he is going to be next fall, or even this summer.?

Ott?s case is unique, because although he participated in more than the maximum 30 percent of Iowa?s games (six of 14) to qualify for a medical redshirt, he only played two full games. He suffered the serious elbow injury in the first quarter of Iowa?s second game, Sept. 12 against Iowa State. After returning for a full game Oct. 3 against Wisconsin, he tore up his knee the following week against Illinois and had season-ending surgery 12 days later.

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Looks like Michigan has a DB coach, as a report indicates the Eagles Brian Smith is coming aboard. Good hire.

Mlive.com notes that Smith ties with current Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown seem to stand out above the rest. Smith played for Brown (who was a defensive coordinator at the time) as a defensive back at UMass from 1998-99.

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The scrutiny of Michigan State?s Connor Cook continued at the NFL combine.

"He's a very polarizing conversation among all my NFL buddies right now," said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock, summing up the analysis provided on Cook to this point.

And then there is this ? most all of Cook's throws to receivers on Saturday were on target, and his dropback was "impeccable," Sirius XM host Jim Miller told the Detroit Free Press.

"I believe he's a first-rounder," Miller said. "He's a pro style quarterback. To me, he's the most pro-ready of any quarterback in this class."

And this ? "I don't know Connor, I know his coach (Mark Dantonio) very well, and I'm sure they love him there, so I'm certainly not judging," said Meyer, who had 14 Ohio State players at the combine this year. "But I think that (captaincy question) is something you need to ask in that discussion at that position."

So, where will Cook be picked? In the quarterback-starved NFL, he could be a late-first rounder.

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More combine: Looks like Ohio State?s Cardale Jones has changed his throwing style. Where have we seen this before? Yes, it was Tim Tebow!

I guess you can call me a skeptic. It seems hard to think you could radically change how you throw a football at this stage of your career. Jones didn?t used to grip the ball with the laces; now he does. Let?s see how this works out.

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NJ.com has 10 highlights that show Leonte Carroo is special. I don?t need any convincing. I think he was the best wideout in the Big Ten last year.

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The hiring of former Nebraska great John Parrella scored big with those who wish is was still the 1990s in Lincoln, says the great Dirk Chatelain of Omaha.com. No doubt, it?s great to have Big John back. But time marches on. Can he recruit? Can he coach? I guess if you?re Nebraska, you have nothing to lose.

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