This is a big year for Illinois’ Tim Beckman, who shook up his staff after debuting with a 2-10 overall record and going 0-8 in the Big Ten. The schedule is built for a nice start, as six of the first seven contests are home games—including a tilt in Chicago. But it’s November that could make or break the Fighting Illini. Yes, three of the five games are on the road—but three games are winnable: at Indiana; at Purdue; vs. Northwestern. And Illinois needs to cash in if it hopes to play in a bowl.

Is there a harder working writer than Mike Griffith of MLive.com? Of course not. Today, the Spartans writing machine has four talking points on Michigan State. Please read if you wanna impress your friends at the barber shop. Learn this stuff, and you’ll wow and impress your friends. The tips about the quarterbacks are pure gold, Jerry. I’ve also got more Big Ten links in today’s post.

It’s good to be Pat Narduzzi. The Michigan State defensive coordinator has it rolling right now, pushing the buttons on what was the Big Ten’s best defense last season (274.4 ypg) and No. 4 in the nation. In fact, it was the second season in a row the Spartans paced the Big Ten in defense.

The Big Ten is home to one of sports’ top 10 most influential pro athletes. That’s the case, at least, according to the latest surveys from Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research that ranks the most influence among U.S. fans. For the curious parties, the study included each athlete’s N-Score, Nielsen’s measurement for a player’s endorsement potential.