Michael Brewer returns as a key member of the Hokies. (Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports)
The Big Ten eulogies have turned into revival meetings. The league has the defending national champion (Ohio State), the unanimous preseason No. 1 (also those Buckeyes) and is ready to launch into 2015 after presiding over college football’s most juicy offseason storylines. The Big Ten, that aging Midwestern league with the leaky roof and the peeling paint, is looking fresh again. The conference is actually looking a bit sexy … well, as sexy as a pair of khakis can be. While Ohio State — which received all 61 first-place votes in the Associated Press’ preseason media poll — does seem to the logical place to start this discussion, it’s That School up North that has provided the rocket booster on this trip to the stars, thanks to the hiring of Jim Harbaugh. Jimmy Football — love him, hate him, bemoan his sideline fashion sense — is the right Michigan man at the right time. His body of work at Stanford and with the San Francisco 49ers suggests he’ll rouse the slumbering Maize and Blue, which has gone a decade without a conference title while the Buckeyes in that span won a national title and played for two more in the BCS era. There has been nothing so wrong with the Big Ten that the right coaches couldn’t fix, and that’s what the league now has with its bellwether franchises. Ohio State’s Urban Meyer and Harbaugh are two of the game’s biggest names, with recruiting reach that extends far beyond the dwindling population bases within the league’s footprint. The SEC is still rightly king. The Pac-12 is surging right behind. Meyer, with his three-year head start on Harbaugh, is the rising tide that will lift all Big Ten boats. While those two coaches provide the most compelling theater — can’t wait until the postgame handshake Nov. 28 — it’s worth noting that Harbaugh’s rebuilding won’t happen overnight, and that Michigan State is already sitting in Michigan’s big-boy chair. The Spartans, with four seasons of double-digit wins in the past five years, remain the biggest threat to Ohio State’s grand plans. Mark Dantonio’s crew features a potential top-10 draft pick in quarterback Connor Cook, one of the nation’s finest pair of Jacks (left tackle Jack Conklin and center Jack Allen) and a top pass-rushing freak (end Shilique Calhoun). Wisconsin, with its endless torrent of running backs, has 98 wins in the past 10 seasons and a coach (Paul Chryst) who looks like he actually wants to be there long term. Penn State, emerging from scandal-induced sanctions, is steady at the helm with coach James Franklin, while junior quarterback Christian Hackenberg gets ready to obliterate the school’s passing records this season. What the Big Ten has lacked — is lacking — is the depth of the SEC and, now, the Pac-12. Nebraska has been right there, but seven consecutive seasons with four losses led the administration to take a bigger swing, so they fired cranky Bo Pelini and hired his figurative grandfather, Mike Riley. Iowa needs to shake its malaise and get back in the business of being Top 25 timber. Minnesota could be sneaky good, and its season-opener — Thursday at home vs. No. 2 TCU — is a potentially big at-bat for the league’s image. Another good sign for the Big Ten: It had a top 10 NFL draft pick this summer (Iowa offensive tackle Brandon Scherff) for the first time since 2008. Momentum, right? The Buckeyes, with Braxton Miller moving to receiver to simplify their unprecedented talent at quarterback, remain the bandleader to this Big Ten pep rally. But now they’re joined by one really loud voice (Harbaugh) and a chorus of teams ready to drown out years of the same old song — that the Big Ten has underachieved. Five key injuries Even before the games begin, some key teams ran into tough luck during camp. Here are five season-long injuries that will affect conference races and the chase for the College Football Playoff. 1. Ed Davis, LB, Michigan State (knee) — The potential All-American was entering his senior season with 16.5 career tackles for loss. Now, the Spartans have a big question at linebacker to pair with concerns at cornerback. 2. Jarron Jones, DT, Notre Dame (knee) — A potentially salty Irish defense will miss his 300-plus pounds next to Sheldon Day in the middle of the line. Jones’ injury accelerates the development of early-enrolled true freshman Jerry Tillery. 3. Jonathan Williams, RB, Arkansas (foot) — The power-built Hogs will miss Williams’ production (1,190 yards and 12 TDs last season) in the hyper-competitive SEC West. Tag-team partner Alex Collins will have carry a bigger load. 4. Marcus Jackson, OG, Tennessee (arm) — No team has been hit harder by injuries than the Vols, seemingly on the verge of a breakthrough under coach Butch Jones. Jackson and backup Austin Sanders are out on the line, while defensive backs Rashaan Gaulden and LaDarrell McNeil are likely to miss the season, too. 5. Noah Brown, WR, Ohio State (broken leg). The sophomore was earning rave reviews during camp at a position that looms as the Buckeyes’ biggest question mark. Five most intriguing players 1. Braxton Miller, WR, Ohio State — Call it the biggest position switch of a generation (or three). We’ll see if the two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year as a quarterback has the hands and wiggle to be a star as a slot receiver. 2. Whoever ends up playing quarterback for the Buckeyes — Urban Meyer says he could end up using both J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones, at least early. Tune in Monday night to see who starts. 3. Vernon Adams, QB, Oregon — The Eastern Washington graduate transfer didn’t get eligible until after camp began but beat out Jeff Lockie in a couple of weeks. Will Adams’ dual-threat skills translate to the FBS? 4. LaQuan McGowan, TE, Baylor — He’s 6-foot-7, 410 pounds, and he caught an 18-yard touchdown pass in the Cotton Bowl. Just needs a chef and a reality show, and he’s good to go. 5. Adoree’ Jackson, CB/WR/RET, USC — The sophomore is the nation’s most exciting player, good enough to be All-American at corner and all-conference at three spots. Five hot-seat coaches Illinois has already relieved Tim Beckman of his hot seat, firing him last week because of off-field issues. Here are five others who need to win now: 1. Mike London, Virginia — He enters the opener at UCLA with a 23-38 record in five seasons, unable to turn recruiting success into scoreboard triumphs. 2. Norm Chow, Hawaii — Chow turns to USC transfer quarterback Max Wittek in hopes of erasing memories of an 8-29 record in his first three seasons. 3. Al Golden, Miami — He inherited a mess and has done reasonably well, but he’ll have to do more than keep treading water in the ACC. Although the Canes sent seven players into the 2015 NFL Draft, they went just 6-7 last season. 4. Willie Taggart, USF — He’s just 6-18 in two seasons and cleaned out his coordinators after last season. The team’s experience level doesn’t suggest a miracle turnaround in 2015. 5. Kevin Wilson, Indiana — Perhaps all he needs is a full season of health out of quarterback Nate Sudfeld. But the security blanket that was running back Tevin Coleman is gone to the NFL. Five best week 1 games 1. Ohio State at Virginia Tech, Monday, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN). The first step back to the College Football Playoff for the Buckeyes has to go through the Hokies’ excellent defensive front in a rockin’ Lane Stadium. It’s a whopper of a topper on the first week of college football, as Tech looks to repeat its 2014 upset of Ohio State. 2. Arizona State vs. Texas A&M, Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN). This won’t settle the “who’s better?” conference debate, but this rare treat between the SEC and Pac-12 will provide ammunition for one group of fans. 3. Texas at Notre Dame, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC). Malik Zaire takes over full time as the Irish quarterback in what could be a special season in South Bend. Meanwhile, the Longhorns will show how much progress — if any — they’ve made in coach Charlie Strong’s second season. 4. Wisconsin at Alabama, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (ABC). While the Crimson Tide fiddles with its quarterback position, its defensive front — a potential holy terror — tries to bottle up Wisconsin’s new front man in the backfield, Corey Clement. 5. Michigan at Utah, Thursday, 8:30 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1). Get your college football week started off right. Come for Jim Harbaugh’s Big Blue debut, stay for the running of Utah’s Devontae Booker.
