We’re approaching the middle of June, so preseason Heisman Trophy candidates are being bandied about. Of course, right? One writer, Yahoo! Sports’ Mike Huguenin, has a pair of Big Ten stars ranked in the top 3 of his preseason top 10 list. Any guesses on the players? That’s right, Wisconsin’s Montee Ball and Michigan’s Denard Robinson.

On Friday, BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart and BTN.com web editor Brent Yarina hit email to debate the 2012 Big Ten rushing TDs leader, the fifth in our series of Big Ten statistical predictions. Next up: Receiving yards. Who will lead the Big Ten in 2012? See Tom and Brent’s email thread in this post.

Here’s a safe assumption: Any time “The Victors” is played in Columbus, Ohio, it will be met with a cascade of boos. Chad Smith, the drummer for Red Hot Chili Peppers, realized this in a concert earlier this month at Value City Arena. Smith, wearing a Michigan hat, belted out the Michigan Fight Song and – surprise, surprise – was booed off the stage. Watch the YouTube video in this post.

Feeling blue? Perk up! I’ve linked to all of the best Big Ten football stories. See, life isn’t so bad.

For a change, Tom Izzo and Michigan State entered a season unranked and on the outside of many experts’ list of Big Ten title contenders. Izzo worked his magic, per usual, as the Spartans shared the Big Ten crown, won the Big Ten tournament and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tourney to highlight Michigan State’s 2011-12 athletic year. To make things even better, star forward Draymond Green won Big Ten Player of the Year and earned first-team All-America honors. The Spartans, ultimately, advanced to the Sweet 16, where it lost to Louisville.