Turns out a Big Ten single-season record 38 touchdowns is enough to garner an invite to New York City for the Heisman Trophy presentation. Wisconsin’s Montee Ball was named one of five finalists for the most prestigious award in college sports Monday night, the announcement coming live on ESPN by former Ohio State star and 1995 Heisman winner Eddie George. Alabama’s Trent Richardson, Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, LSU’s Tyrann Mathieu and Stanford’s Andrew Luck join Ball in NYC.

Nearly a month into the men’s hoops season, it’s clear the future of the Big Ten is in good hands. I say this because of the conference’s loaded sophomore class, one headlined by possible NBA departures Jared Sullinger and Tim Hardaway Jr.

It’s time to release my latest Big Ten men’s hoops power rankings. The rankings are not meant to mimic the Big Ten standings. What fun would that be? They aren’t scientific, either. They’re simply my thoughts on where each Big Ten team stands at that time. Agree? Disagree? Tweet @BTNBrentYarina or leave your comments below.

We already knew Wisconsin was headed to the Rose Bowl this bowl season. That much was decided with Saturday night’s thrilling victory over Michigan State in the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game. The rest of the bowl pairings were announced Sunday night, and when all was said and done, the Big Ten accepted a record 10 invitations. Here’s the list: Illinois (Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl), Michigan (Sugar Bowl), Michigan State (Outback Bowl), Nebraska (Capital One Bowl), Northwestern (Meineke Car Care Bowl), Ohio State (Gator Bowl), Penn State (TicketCity Bowl), Purdue (Little Caesars Pizza Bowl) and Wisconsin (Rose Bowl). See all the pairings in this post.

Big Ten title game champ Wisconsin moved to No. 8 in the latest Coaches’ Poll, released Sunday morning. The Badgers, also the Leaders Division champs, pace the Big Ten and are followed by No. 12 Michigan, No. 13 Michigan State, No. 20 Nebraska and No. 23 Penn State. The Wolverines moving up to No. 12, from No. 16, is the biggest development, because teams seeking a BCS at-large berth must finish inside the top 14. By moving up four spots, it could be enough when the final BCS Standings are released tonight.