This is a big week for the Big Ten’s top two Heisman contenders, as Ohio State’s Braxton Miller meets Michigan State’s Le’Veon Bell.

With Week 4 behind us, it’s time for my latest Big Ten Player Rankings. Again, I’m doing these a little different this year. Whereas I used to rank the top 10 players – a practice that was tough due to all the talent on both sides of the ball – I’ll rank the top six offensive and defensive players each week.

Most Heisman straw polls were shaken up with USC losing to Stanford, which impacted the candidacy of Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley. He’s still in the race, but Barkley has work to do.

With Week 3 behind us, it’s time for my latest Big Ten Player Rankings. Again, I’m doing these a little different this year. Whereas I used to rank the top 10 players – a practice that was tough due to all the talent on both sides of the ball – I’ll rank the top six offensive and defensive players each week.

Every Saturday night during the college football season, BTN.com web editor Brent Yarina hands out his weekly Big Ten game balls. The series is called “U.S. Marines Corps: Leaders of the Week,” and it’s designed to spotlight the Big Ten’s top individual performances. Who took home the honors from Week 3? Find out in this post.

The Heisman race still has a long way to go, but contenders already are jockeying for position. I have had a Heisman vote for over 10 years, and I am keeping my eye on players like USC quarterback Matt Barkley, West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith and Oregon running back De’Anthony Thomas, among others.

With Week 2 behind us, it’s time for my latest Big Ten Player Rankings. Again, I’m doing these a little different this year. Whereas I used to rank the top 10 players – a practice that was tough due to all the talent on both sides of the ball – I’ll rank the top six offensive and defensive players each week.

Every Saturday night during the college football season, BTN.com web editor Brent Yarina hands out his weekly Big Ten game balls. The series is called “U.S. Marines Corps: Leaders of the Week,” and it’s designed to spotlight the Big Ten’s top individual performances. Who took home the honors from Week 2? Find out in this post.

Who are the top Heisman contenders from the Big Ten? Shockingly after one week, Wisconsin’s Montee Ball, Michigan’s Denard Robinson and Nebraska’s Rex Burkhead aren’t on my list for one reason or another. But, it’s very early, of course. Here are my top three Big Ten candidates after one week of play.

With Week 1 behind us, it’s time for my latest Big Ten Player Rankings. Again, I’m doing these a little different this year. Whereas I used to rank the top 10 players – a practice that was tough due to all the talent on both sides of the ball – I’ll rank the top six offensive and defensive players each week.

Braxton Miller is still a work in progress as a passer. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with his running. Miller showcased his ground skills throughout Saturday’s season opener against Miami (OH), and at no point were they more apparent than on his 65-yard scoring scamper to open the third quarter. Miller ran past defenders, and then used a strong stutter-step to get his way past the last couple of defenders and into the end zone to give Ohio State a 28-3 lead.

In what is fast becoming a BTN tradition, Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller beat the heat and signed the BTN Tour bus on our stop in Columbus on Saturday. Last year, the tradition was to take a picture of the players in front of their likeness on the bus. This year, we’re having them sign it. See a picture of Miller putting his autograph on his likeness in this post.

There’s a good chance the Gator Bowl will be the most talked-about and viewed bowl involving a pair of six-win teams since, well, ever. The Buckeyes (6-6) are still led by Luke Fickell despite Urban Meyer’s hiring, and they’ll play Meyer’s old team, Florida, at 1 p.m. ET Jan. 2. BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart breaks down the game, gives his keys and offers his prediction. See it all in this post and find the entire 2011-12 bowl schedule.

BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart spent the season covering Big Ten football, and now it’s time for his team-by-team season recaps. Every day, Dienhart will post a recap for each Big Ten school, in alphabetical order. Up next: Ohio State. Watch our video from the Buckeyes’ thrilling victory over Leaders Division champ Wisconsin now and read Dienhart’s season recap in this post. Coming up: The rest of the Big Ten in Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin. Read all the one’s we’ve posted so far on our Season in Review page.

Pete Fiutak at FoxSports.com decided to get out in front of the college football crowd and write about his top candidates for the 2012 Heisman Trophy. Oh come on, don’t pretend you haven’t at least thought about it, too. He’s produced a slideshow of 16 names, and three of them are Big Ten players. Can you guess who they are? Scroll down in this post and we’ll tell you, then you can tell us what you think in the comments section, then click over to FoxSports.com for the full reports on all 16 players.