Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor, July 30, 2012
We're one week closer to the college football season, folks. If you're counting at home, it's five weeks away. This past week, the Big Ten held its annual Big Ten Media Days and there was plenty of news emerging from Chicago. Check out BTN.com's top 10 stories from the week that was in this post.
10. FAQ: Penn State football players' options
The NCAA?s sanctions against Penn State rocked the program. And the effects will be felt for years. Scholarship cuts, postseason bans ? the list went on. Another aspect of the penalties will allow any player on the Penn State roster to transfer to another school and be immediately eligible. Typically when a player transfers from one FBS school to another, he has to sit out a season. Not so for Nittany Lion players.
9. Michigan State: 10 reasons to be excited in 2012
These are high times in East Lansing, as Michigan State has gone an aggregate 22-5 the past two seasons (14-2 in the Big Ten) under Mark Dantonio with a share of the 2010 league crown and the 2011 Legends Division pennant. And Dantonio has taken the Spartans to a bowl in each of his five seasons, as he has the program playing as well as it has since the glory days of the 1960s.
8. Preseason Big Ten player rankings: Ball, Short on top
Big Ten media days kick off Thursday in Chicago, so I thought I?d release my preseason Big Ten player rankings. I?m going to do these a little different this year. In previous years, I?d rank the top 10 players, which often became a tough task with all the talent on both sides of the ball. To account for both sides, I?ll rank the top six offensive and defensive players each week.
7. Wildcats release new Under Armour uniforms
After months of hype and anticipation, Northwestern football finally unveiled its new Under Armour uniforms Thursday morning. The team that calls itself Chicago?s Big Ten Team made a Chicago-style statement with its new threads. What makes the new look so bold is something the school calls the ?Northwestern Stripe,? a thick horizontal stripe that runs across the front and back of the jersey.
6. Big Ten rewind: Relive Big Ten media day
BTN/BTN2Go aired five hours of live televised coverage of the 2012 Big Ten Media Day, including press conferences of all 12 head football coaches. Watch those conversations now and track all of the news in BTN.com?s special Big Ten Media Day section.
5. Michigan unveils alternate uniform for Alabama game
Michigan opens the 2012 football season in grand fashion, playing reigning national champ Alabama at Jerry World in Dallas. To commemorate the highly anticipated game, the Wolverines will don a new alternate uniform, designed by adidas, which the school released Monday night. According to MGoBlue.com, the uniform is a one-time thing, meaning Michigan will wear its traditional home and away uniforms the rest of the regular season.
4. Big Ten's top 2012-13 football & hoops programs
During my time at BTN.com, I?ve done countless football and men?s basketball power rankings. But I?ve never combined the two as a way to rank the Big Ten?s football-basketball programs. Until now. What criteria did I consider while ranking the Big Ten schools? I took into account how the schools fared in football and basketball during the 2011-12 season, how they will fare in 2012-13, all while putting an equal value on football and basketball success or failure.
3. BTN announces on-air talent for 2012 season
BTN today revealed its game broadcast teams and studio talent for the 2012 football season. The network?s football schedule will feature more than 40 games, extensive pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage on Saturdays and football-themed studio shows every weeknight.
2. Video roundup: Big Ten media day
We?re clipping video from all four hours of our BTN coverage of the Big Ten Media Day and posting it below, as well as in other posts. We posted all available video throughout Thursday and now present the entire collection to in this post. Don?t forget: Also Friday, BTN airs a 90-minute Big Ten Football Kickoff Luncheon Special at 8 p.m. ET, hosted by Dave Revsine, with analysis from BTN?s Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith.
1. Clothes Call: Big Ten media days edition
There will be a bunch of different uniform and helmet changes across the Big Ten in the 2012 season. Get a look at all of the changes in this Clothes Call roundup.