Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, July 6, 2015
Ohio State senior quarterback Braxton Miller created a stir last week when he tweeted that he had a good appointment with a doctor and his surgically repaired right shoulder looks good.
Now, the question begs: Will he remain in Columbus and compete with Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett? Urban Meyer expects Miller back.
Miller is expected to make a statement this week. Stay tuned.
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Indiana is moving its national championship banners in Assembly Hall. It's all in the name of facility progress.
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Great read from Jesse Temple of FOXSports.com on how Barry Alvarez transformed Wisconsin football.
It is remarkable. I recall going to a Purdue at Wisconsin came in Madison in 1988 when Don Morton was Badger coach. And, it was a depressing environment and bad Badger team.
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Dan Duggan of NJ.com compares the first Big Ten seasons of newbies Maryland and Rutgers.
Duggan notes that Rutgers had the edge in football, pulling off a historic 25-point comeback to beat the Terrapins, 41-38, in the regular-season finale. Both teams finished the regular season with 7-5 records, but Rutgers won its bowl game over North Carolina while Maryland lost to Stanford.
In almost every other sport, however, Maryland was not only ahead of Rutgers, but among the best in the Big Ten and the nation. Maryland won the national championship in women's lacrosse for the second consecutive year, was the national runner-up in men's lacrosse and reached the Final Four in women's basketball.
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SaturdayBlitz.com wonders if Penn State could post a 10-2 mark this season.
The site says a better passing game should result in a better rushing attack than the one that was ranked No. 120 last year. Some balance should do the linemen wonders too when the opposing defense knows they have to defend the run and the pass and not just blitz like crazy.
The schedule sets up nicely for a big improvement with only four true road games and one neutral site game against Maryland. Road dates at Ohio State and Michigan State are the only games I'd make them an underdog so the Nittany Lions can be looking at a 10-2 regular season record if they run the table at Beaver Stadium.
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Is the Big Ten getting better at recruiting? Perhaps. Lots of good numbers in this piece from SBNation.com.
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A few years ago, Michigan State snagged Jim Bollman, who had taken a job at Purdue. Good move by the Spartans, as Bollman has made the tight end spot a strength in East Lansing.
Rising junior Josiah Price is a first-team preseason All-Big Ten pick entering this season according to Athlon Magazine, junior Jamal Lyles was one of the most improved players of the spring, and senior Paul Lang ranks as the most versatile player on offense.
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Speaking of MSU, tailback Delton Williams is expected to return to the Michigan State team, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation. Williams, a rising junior, could rejoin the team as early as this month in the Spartans' voluntary summer workouts, barring any unforeseen developments. This is good news for a position in flux.
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About Tom Dienhart | BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section. |