Is there a hotter or better program in the Big Ten right now than Wisconsin? The Badgers are coming off back-to-back Big Ten championships and Rose Bowl appearances. And the good times are primed to continue to roll as Bret Bielema enters his sixth season in Madison with lots of mojo.

One of the best things about college football bowl games is the inter-sectional matchups we typically never get to see. Well, it’s only April but the Big Ten features some non-conference games that already have the look and feel of bowl games. So I compiled my top 15 non-conference football games coming our way next fall, the first in a series of occasional off-season “Rank It” posts.

On Tuesday night’s “Big Ten Football Report,” Dave Revsine interviewed first-year Penn State coach Bill O’Brien. O’Brien, the former offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, and the Nittany Lions hold their spring game at 2 p.m. ET Saturday. Find out how to watch the game. Saturday, of course, will mark fans’ first chance to see the new-look Nittany Lions, who are under the guidance of someone other than Joe Paterno for the first time since 1965. How has O’Brien and his staff put their stamp on the program? Watch Revsine’s interview with the head coach now.

Wisconsin never has won three Big Ten titles in a row, but that will change if it can finish on top again this fall. Still, Bret Bielema’s squad has issues to address this spring. The chief one: assimilating six new assistant coaches. Still, this is a program with lots of momentum that presses on without offensive coordinator Paul Chryst, who left to take the head coaching job at Pitt. The year before, defensive coordinator Dave Doeren left to coach Northern Illinois, so Bielema is used to change.

Spring football games broke out across Big Ten territory Saturday afternoon, with Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern and Purdue all in action. Weather played a big role all day, forcing the Hoosiers and Boilermakers inside and resulting in Nebraska canceling its game. Find out what I learned from Saturday’s action in this post. Also, don’t forget to check out our Big Ten spring roundup.

Mother Nature wreaked havoc on Big Ten spring games Saturday, as Indiana, Nebraska and Purdue’s games were canceled. The Hoosiers and Boilermakers both moved inside to scrimmage, but the Huskers didn’t get to take the field and will not make up the game. Illinois, Iowa and Michigan also were in action, and you can catch up on all of it in this post. Also, see what BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart learned Saturday, find out why Michigan wore maize shoelaces and watch all of Saturday’s highlights.