Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez has progressively gotten better each year in Lincoln. It’s no accident. A reason for that improvement has been his offseason work with quarterback guru Steve Calhoun in southern California. Well, Martinez is still working with Calhoun, looking to punctuate his Cornhuskers career in style. And, hopefully, the program’s first league title since 1999.

There used to be a time when the rushing touchdown leaderboard always came down to the elite running backs. These days, the running backs receive stiff competition from dual-threat quarterbacks. More specifically, in the Big Ten, Kain Colter, Taylor Martine and Braxton Miller. Will a signal-caller lead the Big Ten in rushing scores this fall? See Tom Dienhart and Brent Yarina’s picks in this post.

Marc Morehouse of the Cedar Rapids Gazette has a nice look at the alternate uniform craze. As he notes, the zany and garish togs aren’t about fortysomething fans; they are about the kids and recruiting.

Get familiar with your team’s bitter rival, Michigan and Ohio State fans. Athlon Sports picks the Buckeyes and Wolverines to meet in the 2013 Big Ten Football Championship Game, meaning the two powerhouse programs would face off in back-to-back weeks (Nov. 30 at Michigan Stadium; Dec. 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium) for the first and last time.

Everyone at Iowa is ready to turn the page on 2012 and move forward. Why not? Last season saw the Hawkeyes go 4-8, the program’s worst mark since 2000—Kirk Ferentz’s second season in Iowa City. Iowa missed a bowl for the first time since 2007, ending a four-year bowl run.