Brady Hoke is a “Michigan Man,” so he knows how to excite and pump up the fan base. The latest proof came Monday in Grand Rapids, Mich., where Hoke, while speaking to a group of Michigan alumni, had some interesting words for a longtime rival. Let’s just say, Hoke isn’t a big fan of the Michigan-Notre Dame series coming to an end after 2014.

Once the college football yearbooks hit the newsstand—and it has to be any day now—I expect to see six Big Ten teams in most Top 25s. And look for them to be in this order: Ohio State; Nebraska; Michigan; Wisconsin; Northwestern; Michigan State.

A quartet of Big Ten softball teams were selected to the NCAA tourney, it was announced late Sunday night. Big Ten regular-season champ Michigan earned the No. 8 national seed and Nebraska the No. 14, while Minnesota and Big Ten tourney champ Wisconsin also made the field.

No. 4 Wisconsin upset No. 1 Michigan, 9-3, and No. 3 Minnesota blanked No. 2 Nebraska, 1-0, in the Big Ten tournament semifinals Saturday in Lincoln. Neb. The Badgers and Gophers meet in the championship game at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on BTN/BTN2Go.

Michigan’s 2013 football slate sets up for a fast start. In fact, it’s not crazy to think Michigan could be 6-1 or maybe even 7-0 as it travels Michigan State to begin a run of five November games that shape up to be as tough as any team’s in the nation. It’s nice to have heavies like Notre Dame, Nebraska and Ohio State all coming to Ann Arbor. The November menu features the Wolverines three toughest Legends competitors in a row: at MSU; Nebraska; at Northwestern.