Big Ten Preview: Part 1 - Contender Tiers, The Big Three, Sweet Lady Schedule

Ty Hildenbrandt 00:18 Dan Rubenstein, it is another episode. It is another conference on today's episode. We are diving into the Big Ten, Part 1. Uno. Eins. I am fired up for this. Welcome back to the show.

Dan Rubenstein 00:32 Thank you very much. Obviously, I'm excited for any sort of conference preview. And look, we get a lot of feedback here on The Solid Verbal, and I always like to respond in as kind and plain a way as possible. Yes, we've done the ACC. Yes, we've done the Big 12. Yes, we've looked at a number of different G6 or mid-major conferences. And I can already see the complaints ahead of time right now. We have to do the Big Ten, and we have to do the SEC.

Dan Rubenstein 01:02 We are completists here. We don't look at them as smaller conferences. We look at them as just other conferences that are worth talking about, Ty. And whatever criticism we get for spending time on the Big Ten and SEC because they're not as relevant, they're not as good as these other conferences, I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it, because this is quality football too, Ty, and everybody deserves their time in the sun. And I'm very excited to talk about conferences like the Big Ten and the SEC afterwards. So I just wanted to get that out there.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:30 Some have even speculated we should have started with the two underprivileged conferences in college football, but we made an editorial decision to maybe push it off a little bit later into August and whatnot.

Dan Rubenstein 01:35 Yes.

Dan Rubenstein 01:40 I think that... I just think they deserve attention, Ty. Call me crazy, but I'm willing to say, okay, nobody's really talking about a conference like the Big Ten or the SEC and any impacts that they may or may not have on the sport. But I guess that's The Solid Verbal difference, right?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:57 This is why people tune into this content, yes.

Dan Rubenstein 01:59 Yeah. So, you know what? I don't want to hear it. Save the emails. Save it. I know a lot of people are paging Ty with their opinions about this, but save it.

Ty Hildenbrandt 02:09 Save it. solidverbal@gmail.com, as always, is where you can email in if you've got any thoughts. Of course, please hit follow or subscribe wherever it is you find this episode, this content. We would greatly appreciate it. Verballers.com. A lot's going to be going on at Verballers.com here in very short order, as we've switched things on now that we've turned the page into August.

Ty Hildenbrandt 02:30 So, if you're interested in helping support the team, Verballers.com is where you can sign up for a bunch of perks. We'll start dissecting those a little bit more as we get deeper into August. And of course, if you have yet to do so, leave a star rating or a review wherever it is you find this content. Now, we didn't do an episode earlier in the week because you were a bit under the weather. It seems as though you have now fully recovered.

Dan Rubenstein 02:56 I'm ready to roll.

Ty Hildenbrandt 02:57 If you are ready to roll, should I play the siren? Should I play the news? Because we do have a little bit of news to dish.

Dan Rubenstein 03:03 Oh, because it's the week of Big Ten Media Days, and you have news from that, or you just have news in general?

Ty Hildenbrandt 03:07 No, I have news about the show.

Dan Rubenstein 03:09 Oh, news about the show. Hit me.

Ty Hildenbrandt 03:15 We have ranking news.

Dan Rubenstein 03:22 Wow, midseason form. What do we have?

Ty Hildenbrandt 03:24 I saved up for that one.

Dan Rubenstein 03:25 I know, you did a great job.

Ty Hildenbrandt 03:27 Dan Rubenstein, I am pleased to announce that The Solid Verbal will be taking part in this year's AP Top 25.

Dan Rubenstein 03:34 Wow.

Ty Hildenbrandt 03:35 Yes, this is not a drill. The fine folks over at the AP, they have gifted us one golden ballot.

Dan Rubenstein 03:43 Not gifted, Ty. Earned.

Ty Hildenbrandt 03:45 Earned.

Dan Rubenstein 03:45 We have earned this ballot.

Ty Hildenbrandt 03:46 We earned it. Yes. This is not a Willy Wonka situation. We have earned one golden ballot. We get exactly one vote, Dan. Lucky for you, it is under my name. So I will be the one, I guess, getting the blowback for anything that people disagree with. I know this is a thing. Very cool.

Ty Hildenbrandt 04:04 We're cool with it. Put our name to it. I should add we read through the entire code of conduct to make sure we are in the clear. You have reluctantly agreed to stop accepting the private plane trips that you were getting from the University of Oregon. I know it was tough to part with all that, but we also have a plan that has been blessed by the AP.

Dan Rubenstein 04:21 Yeah, sure.

Dan Rubenstein 04:28 Oh, okay, which is a good idea.

Ty Hildenbrandt 04:30 The plan is that every Saturday night on the live stream, we're going to end the show by debating how we want to vote on behalf of The Solid Verbal. So I will cast the vote. We will discuss it. It will be a collaborative thing. People a lot of times tune in to hear us kind of do that, a little back-and-forth, because they feel like you bully me and it's funny to watch me get pushed around. I will stand my ground, Dan, I'll have you know, as we launch now into the AP Top 25 era of The Solid Verbal.

Dan Rubenstein 04:58 Yeah, I just know if you see the others receiving votes and then see a Lehigh, one, I have no idea.

Ty Hildenbrandt 05:06 Lehigh's not even going to be on here.

Dan Rubenstein 05:08 I don't believe FCS teams are available, right?

Ty Hildenbrandt 05:10 No, no.

Dan Rubenstein 05:12 How about Harvard, one, right?

Ty Hildenbrandt 05:14 Also FCS.

Dan Rubenstein 05:15 But

Ty Hildenbrandt 05:16 Also FCS.

Dan Rubenstein 05:16 Also FCS. I know. Big Sky team, one. It's not going to be eligible. So, yeah, it'll be cool, man.

Dan Rubenstein 05:24 I'm excited for this. The AP poll has always had a beautiful place in our heart. And I don't know if you are one of those types that, way back when, said, 'Oh man, they shouldn't issue polls until like Week 6.' I've always been pro-poll before the season. Let's be very clear. We can dig up the archives and see where Ty Hildenbrandt stood in 2014. But I've always said preseason polls are terrific. It gets the people talking, and I'm about it.

Ty Hildenbrandt 05:50 It gets the people talking, gets the blood pumping, and look, we're thrilled to be part of it. We appreciate the AP giving us the opportunity. Of course, after we get done talking about our ballots, we will cast that ballot not only in the AP Top 25, but also in our very own Verballer Top 12 poll, which got a huge facelift this year and will be made available shortly to our community out at Verballers.com. So many more details to come on that front. But we're excited to be woven a little bit more deeply into this beautiful college football tapestry going into 2026. It'll be fun.

Dan Rubenstein 06:26 And look, Ty's the one voting, but if any of the coaches who vote in the coaches poll want a shadow voter in Dan Rubenstein, solidverbal@gmail...

Ty Hildenbrandt 06:35 Listen, listen, there is a code of conduct.

Dan Rubenstein 06:37 .com.

Ty Hildenbrandt 06:39 We have agreed to conduct ourselves appropriately.

Dan Rubenstein 06:43 Speak for yourself.

Ty Hildenbrandt 06:44 And it's going to be in my name.

Dan Rubenstein 06:46 I know.

Ty Hildenbrandt 06:46 So you're really throwing me under the bus here by even making any insinuations. But if people are interested and want to know the thought process, we will be as transparent as we can.

Dan Rubenstein 06:50 Sure.

Ty Hildenbrandt 06:56 On Saturday nights when we talk through a vote, I think it'll be fun. I'm excited about it.

Dan Rubenstein 07:00 Get at me, Jeff Lebby. I got you. I don't know.

Ty Hildenbrandt 07:04 All right, go back and listen to the ACC Parts 1, 2, and 3. Go back and listen to the Big 12 Parts 1, 2, and 3. We also did a two-part G6 preview to kick things off. Go all the way the hell back to, like, July the 7th, somewhere in early July, when we did Intro to the 2026 College Football Season, a really high-level, this-is-everything-changing episode, in case you're interested or if you haven't been paying attention this offseason. I'm not judging anybody. On today's episode, this is Big Ten Part 1, Dan.

Dan Rubenstein 07:35 Yes.

Ty Hildenbrandt 07:35 The Big Ten has been on a, is it fair to say, heater over the last three years or so?

Dan Rubenstein 07:41 Three years and three days, I guess, if you've been paying attention to the online back-and-forth between the Big Ten and the SEC. No, the Big Ten has been on a heater. The conference has produced national champions. I'm not big on conference pride in either direction. Root for your team. Hope that you get to watch a bunch of good games no matter which conference you're watching. But obviously, with the notoriety and the attention and the story of Indiana these past couple years, winning the national championship last year, the Jim Harbaugh story at Michigan, you do have to ignore a good amount behind the scenes regarding that path to the national championship for Michigan.

Ty Hildenbrandt 08:16 La la la la la la la. Can't hear you.

Dan Rubenstein 08:18 You do some earmuffs, but as for the games themselves and the size of Michigan's reach, it obviously grabbed a lot of attention. And Ohio State winning with Chip Kelly and Will Howard and Jeremiah Smith in extremely dominant fashion.

Dan Rubenstein 08:34 It was obviously a close national championship game, but, you know, two big brands, and then Indiana sort of ascending to that level in the sport, it seems. It's been a good time for the Big Ten at the end of January recently.

Ty Hildenbrandt 08:47 The last three national champions have been from the Big Ten: Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan, as you just described. The Big Ten's also won 13 playoff games over the last three years. No other conference has won more than five. So everything is coming up Big Ten and Tony Petitti right now. To that end, it very much feels like the Big Ten is kind of the center of gravity for the sport. And I'm sure SEC people might feel differently or want to feel differently, but the obvious thing is the obvious thing. They've won the last three national championships. They've got the biggest conference, just in pure numbers, and, for lack of better terms, they're driving the bus right now.

Ty Hildenbrandt 09:26 And all these conversations that we're hearing about where the playoff might go and everything else in the sport, truly, it feels like the Big Ten is the conference driving the bus, which is a bit of a reversal from where things have been, let's say, in the last 15 years. But the Big Ten right now is definitely feeling itself, I guess, in a good way for them.

Dan Rubenstein 09:42 Yeah, absolutely. And that's not to mention a couple of other teams who have made headlines in the conference. It seems like it has been a good time to be the Big Ten, which also had, what, the men's and women's, I think, basketball national champions, among other sports. So it's been high level. I think it was UCLA won the women's, and the Michigan men's team...

Ty Hildenbrandt 10:03 Correct, correct.

Dan Rubenstein 10:03 Won. So it is high times right now in beautiful Rosemont, Illinois, which is not that beautiful. That's where O'Hare is.

Ty Hildenbrandt 10:11 Is that where...? Okay, I was going to say, where is that?

Dan Rubenstein 10:11 But still, yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 10:13 Fair enough.

Dan Rubenstein 10:13 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 10:15 Four new coaches in the conference. At Penn State, a rather notable one in Matt Campbell taking over for James Franklin. At Michigan, it's going to be Kyle Whittingham taking over for Sherrone Moore. We can get into that, certainly, as we dive into Parts 2 and 3, when we discuss individual team previews. We will, of course, be talking a little bit more about Whitt as we go through contender tiers and whatnot. At UCLA, we've got Bob, excuse me, Robert Edward Chesney taking over as the new head coach. A terrific hairline, one of the best we have in the sport.

Dan Rubenstein 10:44 I was 100 percent... The odds were off the board that, when you were going to talk about Bob Chesney, you were going to mention his hairline.

Ty Hildenbrandt 10:54 After...

Dan Rubenstein 10:54 Again, I was laid up, sick in bed, watching all of these Big Ten coaches talk. And as soon as he came on the screen, I was reminded, because I've seen him a million times, but I was like, oh, Ty is going to... This is like Bob Diaco level, Manny Diaz level, Ty and hair.

Ty Hildenbrandt 11:06 Oh, it is.

Dan Rubenstein 11:10 And Ty's got a great head of hair. Anybody watching this on youtube.com/@solidverbal knows.

Ty Hildenbrandt 11:14 Thank you. Thank you.

Dan Rubenstein 11:14 But yes, I knew this would pop for you.

Ty Hildenbrandt 11:16 No, absolutely. He deserves to be in rarefied air in terms of some of the great college football hairlines we've seen. Robert Edward Chesney also stirring up a lot of optimism in Westwood, which we can get into here as we dive in.

Dan Rubenstein 11:29 Vibes and cash are both high. Levels are high.

Ty Hildenbrandt 11:32 Yes. Oh, absolutely. And Michigan State, Pat Fitzgerald, back in the game now, back in the game, says he doesn't just have a chip on his shoulder. They don't just have a chip on their shoulder. It's actually a bag of chips, Dan. A bag of chips. That's what he said at Media Day.

Dan Rubenstein 11:47 I guess it's technically better than many chips, or arguably worse than saying a tube of chips in a very, like, Pringles-directed statement. But, as am I.

Ty Hildenbrandt 11:55 I am pro-Pringles tube, I will say.

Dan Rubenstein 11:58 Love a Pringle.

Ty Hildenbrandt 12:00 It's not just head coaches. There is really an interesting mix of new coordinators around the Big Ten as well. And it's not just at some of the smaller schools that are trying to, you know, none of these are small schools per se, but smaller brands, just on the football side of things. It's not just limited to Rutgers, Maryland, Illinois. We've got big changes at places like, obviously, Penn State and Michigan, the places that are turning over their head coach. But Arthur Smith, new offensive coordinator at Ohio State. Two new coordinators, internal promotions, out at Oregon, which I'm sure you'll get into.

Ty Hildenbrandt 12:43 USC lost their defensive coordinator to Penn State, D'Anton Lynn going back to his alma mater, and hired Gary Patterson, in effect kind of coming out of retirement to run the defense for Lincoln Riley. We've got a whole host of them here. I could read down the list. There are many more we can dive into, I think, as time permits, but something interesting to watch. This is, I think, going to be one of the prevailing themes, certainly throughout the first month of the college football season in the Big Ten. It's not just head guys, but also, I think, a fair amount that has changed as you go one rung down.

Dan Rubenstein 13:18 Yeah, I mean, look, the Big Ten is not short for storylines. I think that's a really good place to start. I think returning quarterbacks, and at least familiar quarterback names when you have a couple of transfers in here. But the Big Ten, even with the changes either at head coach at big places like Michigan or Penn State or Michigan State, because Michigan State, this is not a joke, has been a College Football Playoff team. They should be spoken of as if they are an exclusive club, which they are. And the best of Michigan State has been quite entertaining. But yes, it's the new coordinators at big places that are, you know, it goes from familiar names to unfamiliar names with Arthur Smith at Ohio State and the guys you mentioned at Oregon, Drew Mehringer and Chris Hampton. But the returning-quarterbacks thing with a bunch of changes at coach, so, you know, Dante Moore, Julian Sayin, Bryce Underwood are headliners, but even the new names in the conference are not new names to college football fans, like Josh Hoover and Rocco Becht.

Dan Rubenstein 14:14 And so, you know, Nico at UCLA. Jayden Maiava, obviously a huge returning name, is possibly a Heisman contender. So that's kind of great for the conference heading into the season.

Ty Hildenbrandt 14:21 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 14:25 That, yes, there are some new names, but the idea of your starting point being a promising quarterback name is terrific, just from a, like, oh yeah, I know that guy when I'm tuning into USC-Wisconsin or something. Another quarterback who college football fans are familiar with, Colton Joseph coming over from ODU, perhaps not as many, but is certainly one that we're tracking heading into the season. So it's a great thing for the Big Ten just in terms of name awareness.

Ty Hildenbrandt 14:55 Yeah, and this is something we talked about as we did previous conference previews, be it the ACC, the Big 12, having some of these names that you can sort of rely on, especially in this day and age with college football, where everything gets thrown into a blender every offseason. Having some names that you know, having some names that you can kind of associate with a good team, or just with a team in a major conference, actually goes a long way in this day and age toward building some comfort with what you're about to see in the coming season. I know that might sound goofy, but we get the emails all the time. People don't know which end is up. In many cases, they're tuning into these previews a week or two before the season gets rolling. Having some of those just, like, bedrocks, for lack of better terms, that you can kind of, you know, set your watch to is actually quite helpful. What I think is going to be the prevailing theme, just from a team standpoint, we've got a bit of an Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana love triangle at the very top, don't we? We oftentimes will use our friend Bill Connelly's SP+ as just a measuring stick to get things started.

Ty Hildenbrandt 16:07 Bill will be the first to admit his SP+ is by no means etched in stone. It's just a number on a spreadsheet, and you can sort of use it to suss out who's good and who isn't good as we go into the year. But it's meant to be predictive.

Dan Rubenstein 16:19 And it's meant to be predictive too, right? Using past data to predict future results.

Ty Hildenbrandt 16:24 Sometimes it's really right, other times it's really wrong.

Dan Rubenstein 16:24 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 16:27 It's hit or miss. We found it to be a pretty good measure for things.

Dan Rubenstein 16:30 Welcome to my marriage, by the way. Am I right? Am I right? Continue.

Ty Hildenbrandt 16:35 Sadly. Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, far and away, if you use Bill's metric, the top three teams in the Big Ten. Now, Ohio State lost the Big Ten title game. Oregon lost to Indiana twice, including that College Football Playoff semifinal.

Dan Rubenstein 16:51 What? Very limited memory.

Ty Hildenbrandt 16:54 Don't mean to dig out any skeletons for you.

Dan Rubenstein 16:56 Continue.

Ty Hildenbrandt 16:58 We do have a situation where Ohio State and Oregon will meet in Columbus as preseason one and two.

Dan Rubenstein 17:07 You want to come out for that, by the way? You want to come out to the Chicagoland suburbs? That day in college football, right, is astronomically huge.

Ty Hildenbrandt 17:16 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 17:19 We could have a little picnic, invite some friends. I don't know.

Ty Hildenbrandt 17:22 We've got Ohio State getting Indiana in a Big Ten championship rematch on another big college football weekend. There is a lot of, like, cross-pollination here between these three teams. And so I think, as just a starting point for anyone out there wondering what's going to be the story in the Big Ten, I think it's going to start with those three teams. There are plenty of... There's 18 teams in this conference, so there's plenty of other storylines that we can unpack here, and I think we will over the course of the next hour or so. But just as a starting point, you're an Oregon fan. I know we have a lot of Indiana people who have found the show, and clearly Ohio State is one of our most represented fan bases among the Verballerhood. But being part of that, I think, narrative going into the season has to be pretty interesting and pretty cool on some level for you as an Oregon grad.

Dan Rubenstein 18:10 Yeah, obviously, my brain goes to the other sport I follow the most closely after college football. And if you go back to the sort of late 2000s, early 2010s, it looked like tennis was going to be all Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal. I'm telling you, that was the thing.

Ty Hildenbrandt 18:26 Leave it to you to bring tennis into a Big Ten preview, but go ahead.

Dan Rubenstein 18:28 Listen to me. Listen to me.

Ty Hildenbrandt 18:29 Go ahead.

Dan Rubenstein 18:30 Those two were like, okay, they're playing legendary Wimbledon after legendary Wimbledon.

Ty Hildenbrandt 18:30 Do your...

Dan Rubenstein 18:35 Looked like Federer was going to be a guy. Now Nadal's coming up, and he's, like, racking up French Open titles. And then Novak Djokovic, Indiana, came into the fold and was like, 'Hey guys, I'm just going to be better than both of you.' Almost immediate, not immediately, but came in when everybody thought it was going to be a big two, which it kind of looked like the new-look Big Ten was going to be with Ohio State and Oregon.

Dan Rubenstein 18:57 And guess what? Novak Djokovic has more majors than either Nadal or Federer. And so you're right that it is a three-headed monster. It appears to be a three-headed monster right now. But things change, man. Things change quickly. And so it looked like a two-headed, now we've got three-headed. Could be five by going five-wide at Talladega by early November. So I'm excited.

Ty Hildenbrandt 19:19 I like that imagery of Kurt Cignetti being a Djoker of some kind. I like that, or Indiana just as a whole being a joker card.

Dan Rubenstein 19:27 There's a lot of overlap, I think, between those two. Like, just sort of ruthless killers. Kind of out of nowhere once they got it figured out, when they were sort of looked at as lesser.

Ty Hildenbrandt 19:40 The Indiana plotline, for them being a joker, has also been the kind of thing that I think has driven many other programs around college football crazy. I know, to an extent, to an extent, that probably had to play into what went down at Penn State. Because, on one hand, you've got a program in Penn State, which we will discuss here on this episode, had the same coach for 12 years, knocking on the door for 12 years, had a lot of success over 12 years. What they were looking for a year ago was to get over that hump. Meanwhile, Indiana storms from behind like the yellow car in R.C. Pro-Am, deep cut for the old heads out there, and just figures out a way to build through the portal, to do it quickly, with this transcendent coach.

Dan Rubenstein 20:18 Great one.

Ty Hildenbrandt 20:25 And it has to drive all these other programs that have been knocking on the door crazy.

Ty Hildenbrandt 20:29 How did they do it so quickly? Indiana, for sure, for sure, has been not just the storyline over the last year or so, but really since Cignetti got there. It has been an incredible turnaround. The fact that they are now part of this triangle at the top of the conference, I think, is really meaningful. And just speaking in terms of how do we vote these teams when it comes time to vote these teams, I don't know. I've already seen people overlooking Indiana because so much is new. New quarterback, new backfield, new pass catchers, some new pass catchers, anyway.

Dan Rubenstein 20:59 Some builds, yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 21:00 Indiana should not be overlooked. Not again.

Ty Hildenbrandt 21:03 We can't do this to ourselves again and just overlook the Hoosiers.

Dan Rubenstein 21:06 No. And by the way, that Penn State team, after they fired their coach, put together a four-quarter performance that was arguably closest to beating the national champion.

Ty Hildenbrandt 21:14 I know, I know.

Dan Rubenstein 21:15 Which, in some ways, is just like, maybe this is just Penn State's lot in life, to come close, but, you know, always come up a little bit short no matter who the coach is. I know Penn State people are very optimistic that Matt Campbell will add some sort of new dimension to the vibes of Penn State and, hopefully, winning games that they weren't before.

Ty Hildenbrandt 21:33 I hate to make this all about the playoff because we know there is much more to talk about in the Big Ten. But we start the conversation with three teams that I think have as good a case as any to make that field of 12 at the end of the year. I think an interesting theme that we're going to need to chart, and that we're going to need to just maybe pin up on the corkboard here as we go through Big Ten Parts 1, 2, and 3: Will there be a fourth playoff team in the Big Ten? It's a fascinating conversation. Not only is there, I think, a fairly well-defined rung of teams that, on the surface, as we do this now in early August, could have a playoff claim, but there is also a grouping of teams that, frankly, could be dark horses. I look at some of these, and we'll get into it. It's a big old shrug for me, Dan. Like, you could see, if a couple things go their way, there could be different teams kind of in that conversation that maybe have a case to be made to be in that playoff.

Ty Hildenbrandt 22:30 Maybe not in the national championship or even the conference championship, but just to be playoff-adjacent, I think, would be a huge step forward for some of these schools.

Dan Rubenstein 22:39 Yeah, I mean, look, this is, look, if you want to go full on theme here, Ty, which appears what we're doing right now, you stop me when you know what I'm talking about, okay? You stop me when I start making sense to you because I think you're a good spokesperson for the listening audience. Okay, you ready? Oh, I guess it would be nice if I could touch your body. I know not everybody has got a body like me.

Ty Hildenbrandt 23:01 This is Limp Bizkit. This is Limp Bizkit's 'Faith.'

Dan Rubenstein 23:03 First of all, how dare you, sir?

Ty Hildenbrandt 23:05 George Michael.

Dan Rubenstein 23:05 It is George Michael.

Ty Hildenbrandt 23:06 George. Okay. Well, I'm...

Dan Rubenstein 23:07 I know your first screen name was Biscuit Boy 38, and you're... that's...

Ty Hildenbrandt 23:10 We're men of a certain age, Dan, okay?

Dan Rubenstein 23:12 B-I-Z-K-I-T, I believe?

Ty Hildenbrandt 23:15 Yes, yes, yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 23:15 That's how you... Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 23:17 Look it up. That was Ty's first screen name.

Ty Hildenbrandt 23:18 I'm going to take heat. Probably more heat for that than I will any of the AP votes this year.

Dan Rubenstein 23:23 You are of a certain age. You're a late-'90s high schooler. I get it.

Ty Hildenbrandt 23:27 We listened to that in the baseball locker room to get fired up, you know. Little Fred Durst, yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 23:30 That was the one? Not 'Break Stuff'?

Ty Hildenbrandt 23:33 No, that was the one.

Dan Rubenstein 23:34 'Faith.'

Ty Hildenbrandt 23:34 That was the one.

Dan Rubenstein 23:35 Okay. Fair enough. Okay. So when you look across this conference, there is no team absent from the idea of faith in one specific element getting this team to where they need to be, or where they'd like to be, from the top all the way down. And it's not a trust thing.

Dan Rubenstein 23:53 I think it's a faith thing. I think trust is just like, I feel this way about A, and therefore B is going to happen because I trust this thing or I don't trust this thing. I think faith is much more of, like, a benefit-of-the-doubt thing. Do you have faith that Oregon's internal hires are going to be as good as previous guys? Do you have faith that Ohio State replacing what they have on defense is going to continue what they've been doing on defense, especially last year with Matt Patricia? Do you have faith that, basically, Kurt Cignetti is an eternal brutal killer to all who come before him, and will just continue to build roster and evaluations accordingly? Do you have faith that, like, yeah, Illinois won, what, 17 games these past couple of years?

Dan Rubenstein 24:37 Do you have faith that they're just a good Big Ten team, and you should have faith that they're going to continue to be so? Like, do you have faith in the thing, like USC has finally figured out defense because of recruiting and Gary Patterson? You can't trust it right now, but if you're a USC fan or if you're a USC believer, a lot of that is faith. And so that, to me, is a huge deal when you look at at least the upper half of the Big Ten. It's a lot of, when you look at the upper half of a lot of conferences, obviously. But today we're talking about the Big Ten. And so, with the size of some of these programs and with the aspirations of some of these programs, I think that's a worthwhile theme, even if Ty feels like he should be giving credit to Fred Durst for the song 'Faith.'

Ty Hildenbrandt 25:22 Listen, that was the first thing that came to me.

Dan Rubenstein 25:23 I know, I'm with you.

Dan Rubenstein 25:25 That's...

Ty Hildenbrandt 25:25 You said to stop you. When I put it all together, and that was the first... I know it's George Michael. Come on.

Dan Rubenstein 25:32 Okay. You know, you did say that quickly.

Ty Hildenbrandt 25:35 I like that you're going with a little bit of a Ted Lasso theme, right? We've got to hang... I have my BELIEVE thing behind me.

Dan Rubenstein 25:40 Oh, nice.

Ty Hildenbrandt 25:41 So maybe we can hang that up.

Dan Rubenstein 25:42 Not a sponsor, but apparently there's a new season starting up.

Ty Hildenbrandt 25:44 Season 4, I believe, is coming out soon. Don't know when, but perhaps we need to hang that BELIEVE sign up when we start talking about some of these teams. Okay, without further ado, should we dive into our contender tiers? I feel like I gave the game away a little bit by saying Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana. Do you disagree with any of those three teams being in Tier 1?

Ty Hildenbrandt 26:10 Should there be any other teams in Tier 1?

Dan Rubenstein 26:13 I do not disagree. I wanted to put an additional team or two into Tier 1. I couldn't fully get across the finish line with USC. That was the team. And I think when you look at the roster, when you look at some of the offseason moves, when you look at the upside of having the quarterback they do, having the offensive line that it looks like they will have, when you look at some of the playmakers up front, you're like, there is potential championship-puzzle arranging on this roster. I can't get past the schedule.

Ty Hildenbrandt 26:52 Schedule's brutal.

Dan Rubenstein 26:52 Now, I will echo our dear, dear friend Rhett Lashlee, never met him, not our friend, open to it, but we think it's a hard schedule. But what do we really know in late July, early August, as we record and publish this?

Dan Rubenstein 27:09 So it appears it's a very difficult schedule for USC. And even if it's only a moderately difficult schedule for USC, that plus defensive questions, especially up the middle, in the linebacker corps and what they look like in the secondary. It's not, for me, I'm out, but it's, for me, I'm not quite in. I'm ready to flirt with the idea of USC in that top tier. But I need to see where I stand on, like, October 11th, something like that, October 23rd. And so I was looking for reasons. And I've got to see something, like I've got to see them stop somebody on the ground, right? I've got to see, you know, Jayden Maiava against a really good team thrive. I've got to see the depth, if they're, you know, beat up somewhere, that...

Dan Rubenstein 27:56 You know, Boobie Feaster or Kayden Dixon-Wyatt or a guy like that is able to step up as a freshman or a second-year player or something like that. Because we can't really say redshirts anymore, right? I wanted to. I was kind of pushing myself to. I'm not there yet.

Ty Hildenbrandt 28:11 So here's the devil's advocate.

Dan Rubenstein 28:13 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 28:14 Devil's advocate take is a team is not its schedule.

Dan Rubenstein 28:17 Agree with that.

Ty Hildenbrandt 28:18 Right? If we can make that, and I've made that case about, you know, I've always said the Boise State argument, we can make that case about Notre Dame if we want to. It should cut both ways: easy schedule, hard schedule. Maybe we'll talk about this a little bit more when we get to the SEC. Who knows? But at least within the framework of today's conversation, what if I just make the case that USC is good enough to kind of transcend that schedule?

Ty Hildenbrandt 28:45 You know, there might be a few more hiccups on it. Yeah, they might take a loss or two, but that shouldn't eliminate them from being in this contender tier, because it is a good team. I agree with you. I was also searching, who else can I put in this tier? The first three are obvious, and I promise I will talk about them here momentarily, but, um, I think that whole angle of who is the fourth playoff team, if there is a fourth playoff team, is just such a good conversation to have about the Big Ten. And USC was the team that came to mind first because I think this roster is really good, and probably the best among the next rung of teams down. I just, I also can't get past the schedule.

Ty Hildenbrandt 29:25 I don't want to make it about that. But the schedule is really hard. Objectively, it's a brutal schedule, you know?

Dan Rubenstein 29:31 And look, USC is better at home, which is where they get, what, Oregon and Ohio State, among some other quality teams.

Ty Hildenbrandt 29:36 Yes. Yes.

Dan Rubenstein 29:38 They've had road issues under Lincoln Riley, but look, even if they go, if they get to 10-2 with this schedule, there's a good chance we're having a conversation about USC in the College Football Playoff.

Ty Hildenbrandt 29:49 And I think we should. To be honest with you, I think we should.

Dan Rubenstein 29:52 So then the question is, okay, and we'll get more about this with USC. We've got a lot of teams to get to, but it's just like USC is avoiding that one Saturday. That's all it is now for USC, because they have the talent outside of those two games. You can make a clear argument outside of the Oregon and Ohio State games, which they have both in the Coliseum. It's new-look Penn State across the country, and it's Indiana a good distance away. But if you're telling me, with this offense, that they get one of Oregon, Ohio State, or Indiana, I'm not going to act terribly surprised. The problem then is, like, if they're winning one of those games, it's, did somebody replace Lincoln Riley? Right?

Dan Rubenstein 30:39 They need one of those three. And Lincoln Riley is an inferior coach right now to all three of those coaches, I believe.

Ty Hildenbrandt 30:49 Okay, so Tier 1, we've got Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana. I don't know if that's the proper ordering or not, but Ohio State is the preseason SP+ No. 1 team. They bring back Julian Sayin. They bring back Jeremiah Smith. They bring back Bo Jackson. They bring back most of their offensive line. That's a good starting point for an Ohio State team.

Dan Rubenstein 31:08 Yes, I agree.

Ty Hildenbrandt 31:09 The question that I think we're going to have to grapple with, and we will in Part 2 when we talk in a little bit more depth about Ohio State. Remember, this is the big picture. In Parts 2 and 3, we go into team previews.

Ty Hildenbrandt 31:20 We've already broken it down into nine and nine. So stay tuned. We'll dive in a little bit more deeply to these teams. The big thing on the Ohio State side is going to be that the defense lost most of its spine. They lost most of their spine. They had an incredible draft class come out of Ohio State, but those guys are not on the team anymore. So what did they do? Well, brought in a pretty good portal class, continued recruiting at an elite level. The Buckeyes will clearly be front and center as part of any kind of national championship conversation, if not for whatever they're going to do in the Big Ten. But certainly, Week 2 is probably going to be...

Ty Hildenbrandt 32:00 Game of the week, of the month of September, if not the year, when they square off against Texas. So we will find out very early what we've got with Ohio State, to what end that defense and some of the attrition there is going to make that big of an impact. But the conversation, I think, in the Big Ten has to start with Ohio State.

Dan Rubenstein 32:13 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 32:16 Is that fair?

Dan Rubenstein 32:17 Yeah. Look, and it's more faith. I think it's all, it's a combination of trust and faith, but yes. Ohio State should be considered to be a national title contender almost basically perennially under Ryan Day, just because of the level of talent that's constantly there. They are the feared one. Whatever their schedule is or isn't, and it does look especially rocky this year, just in terms of the week-in, week-out schedule, they're feared by all. So we'll see on the defensive thing, but I don't even think that's their biggest question.

Ty Hildenbrandt 32:52 No, I mean, to the point on the schedule, I mentioned Texas, but there's Iowa, there's Indiana, there's USC, there's Oregon, there's Michigan, all on this thing. There is a defining stretch of the schedule, at least to my eye, where they're at Indiana, at USC, and then Oregon. I don't know. It's just a tough schedule. Let's put it that way.

Dan Rubenstein 33:11 Oregon, before the Ohio State game, has Northwestern at home. Ohio State has USC on the road before Oregon. So a trickier back-to-back for Ohio State. But once again, everybody fears Ohio State.

Ty Hildenbrandt 33:24 Yeah, where I'm going with this is two long road trips before Oregon comes to town to square off against the Buckeyes. So that will definitely be tricky. Speaking of Oregon, SP+ projected No. 2 team coming into the start of this season. I think you can make the case that Oregon's probably got the most balanced roster of any team in this conference. Projected as the No. 1 SP+ offense, the No. 3 defense, a lot of returning production. The hesitation may not be so much on the roster side, but something we discussed earlier. You've got two new play callers. New offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, both have been familiar with the program, but to what end does it matter?

Ty Hildenbrandt 34:06 To what end can they make changes? To what end can they get over the Indiana hump, which was an issue that they had to deal with last year.

Dan Rubenstein 34:13 Or just the January hump in general, the national-championship-contender hump in general, with all of their recent losses being to, what was it, Washington, Ohio State, and Indiana, teams who went on to play for the national championship. So, like, the summit is very clear for them, that they have not struggled with the Big Ten, to say the least. They won it in their first year. They lost one game last season in the regular season. What's clear is they have built a team to succeed in a big way before January. Now it is, how do they regroup over the holidays and get themselves right? Last year, obviously, they had James Madison and Texas Tech before that moment, but that's the question.

Dan Rubenstein 34:59 And they haven't had to plug a ton of holes via the portal. They were able to retain a ton on both sides of the ball, along the lines, but now it's that question, because they're loaded in so many places. They've recruited so well. That's the lingering thing. And Chris Hampton has been a co-defensive coordinator. I think Drew Mehringer has been a co-offensive coordinator, but not the play caller. And so now that's the question, where it's just like, okay, what are the new twists and turns that these two guys hopefully can present to other teams?

Ty Hildenbrandt 35:28 And I'm curious to see what kind of progression we get out of Dante Moore. You know, he came back. He came back to see what he could win. Notably, if we want to speak to that Indiana situation, obviously Dante Moore had a great season, threw for 30 touchdowns. But in the games against Indiana, he got sacked nine times across two meetings. There were snap issues, as you might recall, especially in that playoff situation. So he's got some growing to do. He's clearly one of the best quarterbacks in college football going into the season. But what kind of step forward do we see out of him?

Ty Hildenbrandt 36:07 Otherwise, this is a really good roster. Look no further than the defensive line, which might be the best in college football.

Dan Rubenstein 36:14 It could be the best roster in the sport, but it's an execution thing now.

Ty Hildenbrandt 36:19 And then there's Indiana, right? At this point, Indiana, I think, has been much discussed, but defending national champion, they still project as a top-five team. Kurt Cignetti brings his offensive and defensive coordinators intact. It was a really strong, like, top-10-caliber portal class. There is no longer a question out there as to whether or not Indiana is legit. I think we got over that, hopefully, after the first year of Cignetti, but certainly they won the national championship last year. It's kind of hard to argue against Indiana at this point. It is a question for me of whether or not what they are building, whether or not the infrastructure they have in place, can maintain after the loss of someone like Fernando Mendoza. And it wasn't just Mendoza who left. There were a bunch of other guys at, frankly, all levels of the offense and defense that are no longer with the team.

Ty Hildenbrandt 37:14 And how do they backfill? What does that look like? I.e., Josh Hoover stepping in for Fernando Mendoza, two different types of quarterbacks. Is there going to be any kind of hiccup? Or is this just going to be a system, like we've seen at other really good programs over the years, where you can plug and play a guy and it almost doesn't matter? That, I think, is the next question for me, as we look at this new roster in Indiana.

Dan Rubenstein 37:35 Are you willing to tell me that D'Angelo Ponds can't hurt me anymore? That I can mark myself safe on Facebook from being affected by D'Angelo Ponds?

Ty Hildenbrandt 37:45 But, like, here, so my question is on Josh Hoover, if we just use that as an example, right?

Dan Rubenstein 37:46 Okay, good.

Ty Hildenbrandt 37:50 And I know like Sonny Dykes had something to say about how many times you turn the ball over and all that.

Dan Rubenstein 37:53 Right.

Ty Hildenbrandt 37:54 Okay, but that completely aside, Josh Hoover does step into this role now at Indiana, where he has turned the ball over a lot. Threw for 9,600 yards in his career, a million touchdowns.

Dan Rubenstein 38:07 Sure.

Ty Hildenbrandt 38:10 Has turned the ball over 42 times in 31 starts. That is not what Kurt Cignetti is after. Can his system get that out of Josh Hoover and not have that even be a factor this season? Can he turn him into a little bit more of a responsible quarterback who is not going to shoot the offense in the foot? I don't know.

Ty Hildenbrandt 38:28 But I think it's a fair question to ask. I think we have a lot of faith built up now over the years in Kurt Cignetti, in a very short period of time. But it's a fair question to ask: Is this going to be a recurring trend that we've got to worry about now as we try to project Indiana going forward? I don't know.

Dan Rubenstein 38:42 Isn't it kind of crazy that a coach has been at Indiana for exactly two years and we're like, I think we just got to trust this guy to be a killer and destroy everybody who comes into his path without questioning it?

Ty Hildenbrandt 38:51 But what are our options?

Dan Rubenstein 38:53 I totally agree.

Ty Hildenbrandt 38:54 What are our options at this point?

Dan Rubenstein 38:54 I'm saying, isn't it crazy that that's the reality in which we live?

Ty Hildenbrandt 38:58 It's crazy. Like at this point, if you are doubting Kurt Cignetti, you're wearing the clown nose. Like the joke's on you.

Dan Rubenstein 39:04 I agree. I mean, look, you can say that he had the James Madison dudes for a couple of years, and there was the carryover with the familiarity with the coordinators and his system, and that he was so good at evaluating dudes and developing dudes. But then you're just like, so now he has more resources and a wider net to cast to find great players and coach those guys up and develop them, and now is when we should start doubting him? That feels like a clown-nose moment too. So, and as he adds transfers who want to play for national championships for major programs, notably, what, Nick Marsh from Michigan State coming in and stepping into one of the receiver spots with Charlie Becker, like, just like, okay, so start doubting him when he has more to play with. So, yeah, this is a good problem to have for Indiana, to be doubted again.

Ty Hildenbrandt 39:55 It is.

Dan Rubenstein 39:56 If there are people out there doing that, I haven't seen it.

Ty Hildenbrandt 39:57 It is. And I don't think I did doubt them last year, right?

Dan Rubenstein 40:02 Yeah, right.

Ty Hildenbrandt 40:02 You and I had a conversation, I remember vividly, the conversation of, are they going to be fourth or fifth in the Big Ten? Well, right.

Dan Rubenstein 40:07 The Illinois game would go a long way to decide fourth place.

Ty Hildenbrandt 40:09 Well, but good for them.

Dan Rubenstein 40:10 63-10 later. Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 40:13 Good for them. So we're interested to see what year three looks like. Let's go down then into Tier 2. We already talked about USC.

Ty Hildenbrandt 40:20 I think you and I both feel similarly. We don't need to dissect that any further. There is a real question, though, about defense. I think you're right to point it out. Gary Patterson. Gary Patterson is a bright defensive mind. If you've ever watched any of those coaches' casts, Gary Patterson sees the field differently than the other people sitting around the table. In fact, the other people sitting around the table want to hear what Gary Patterson has to say. Bigger picture, how do they deal with the schedule?

Ty Hildenbrandt 40:43 How quickly can he bring the defense together? He has been out of the game for a little bit. You know, he hasn't been in this role for a while.

Dan Rubenstein 40:46 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 40:48 So, what does that look like?

Dan Rubenstein 40:49 Promising names up front, edge rushers, you know, Promising Beef, which was Ty's alternative screen name beyond Biscuit Boy 38. Promising Beef. They went to the portal for the secondary, and there's a lot to like about their starting point, roster-wise, on defense. It's pretty impressive. But linebackers, a question, and what Gary Patterson is able to do quickly, obviously, like you mentioned, a question.

Ty Hildenbrandt 41:12 I was going to say, who else do you have in this tier? Because I have, in this particular order, Penn State, Michigan, Washington, and Iowa in Tier 2 of my Big Ten.

Dan Rubenstein 41:26 Okay. I was seduced by Sweet Lady Schedule, Ty. I only have one other team in my second tier.

Ty Hildenbrandt 41:33 One other team?

Dan Rubenstein 41:34 Okay, this is what I have listed as the titles of my tiers.

Ty Hildenbrandt 41:37 Oh, this is spicy. This is spicy. Go ahead, go on.

Dan Rubenstein 41:40 So my contender tier is called 'For Sure.' For sure.

Ty Hildenbrandt 41:44 Sure.

Dan Rubenstein 41:45 My second tier is called 'Squint.' You're just like, I'm not positive, but if I squint hard enough, I can see a path and everything working out. The other team I have in this tier is the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Ty Hildenbrandt 42:02 Oh man. See, Iowa's going to be your Pitt this year, aren't they? You're really in on Iowa.

Dan Rubenstein 42:08 Here's what's not hard to do: trust Phil Parker. It's not hard. It's not difficult to do that. It's difficult to trust the offense, although it's become a little bit easier the past couple seasons. I didn't like where they were at quarterback last year, but regardless, they scored some points in ways that they weren't always able to do before. This year's schedule has seduced me in such a way. They have, you know how many of our Tier 1 teams they play, Ty? Zero. Zero.

Ty Hildenbrandt 42:37 They avoid Oregon.

Dan Rubenstein 42:38 Oh, no, sorry.

Dan Rubenstein 42:39 They play Ohio State. They avoid Oregon and Indiana. But they avoid USC, which is like my tangential Tier 1.

Ty Hildenbrandt 42:45 No Oregon, Indiana, Penn State, or USC on this thing. They do have a three-game run where they're at Michigan, home against Ohio State, and at Washington.

Dan Rubenstein 42:50 Yes.

Ty Hildenbrandt 42:56 But, uh, okay, you're seduced by Lady Schedule. Please continue.

Dan Rubenstein 43:00 They have, I believe, Washington after Washington travels to L.A. to play USC. And they have Michigan, well, it's before Michigan plays Minnesota. It's not terribly difficult. And they have Ohio State between Illinois, obviously after Texas, between Illinois and Maryland, whatever. Those games are both at home. But Iowa, again, if you are trusting Phil Parker to figure out defense with some new defensive-line pieces, but with star power, potential star power on each level, linebacker experience, rotation experience, secondary experience, and, you know, some star power there.

Dan Rubenstein 43:40 Iowa, again, I don't believe them to be a first-tier team because there are too many questions. But if you're telling me that they could threaten double-digit wins with what they have on both sides of the line and just the experience on both sides, and a schedule that's Northern Illinois, new-look Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Michigan on the road, Ohio State, Washington. That is a tough stretch, with Michigan and Washington on the road. At Minnesota, who they, I think, obliterated last year, right? Wisconsin, Northwestern, Purdue, Illinois on the road will be tough, and they finish with, obviously, Nebraska like they do. I'm just telling you, if Iowa is within a standard deviation of, like, the best of what they've been lately, you can take a pill right now and wake up in early December and find, like, 9-3? Okay, 10-2?

Ty Hildenbrandt 44:33 Well, that's a bit, like, if it were any other team, I'd probably be a little bit more bearish. But Iowa's got a pretty high floor, and I think they're accustomed to figuring it out. At least we're used to watching them figure it out. And this year is no different. 44 percent returning production, which is not a big number. They do have losses along the offensive line. They have losses at all three levels of their defense, especially along the defensive line.

Ty Hildenbrandt 44:57 On top of that, we've got an ongoing quarterback battle between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown that, to my eye, appears to go unresolved deep into camp, if not the first couple of weeks of the season.

Dan Rubenstein 45:08 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 45:09 But it is a terrific schedule. It's a terrific home schedule.

Dan Rubenstein 45:15 It's a terrific home schedule.

Ty Hildenbrandt 45:15 Furthermore, if you're an Iowa season-ticket holder, and outside of the stretch that we defined earlier, between late September and mid-October, it's fairly workable. I would also add to your point about trust, right? There is a question about defensive line. Well, you tend to think that Phil Parker is going to figure things out. There's a question along the offensive line, but this is not usually something that we worry too much about on the Iowa side, even if it's not as good as it used to be back in the day.

Ty Hildenbrandt 45:44 It's still pretty good. You'll still take what Iowa's putting out there more often than not. You factor in that they're going to be really solid, I think, at running back and at tight end. And again, we'll go into all of this as we do team previews and whatnot. I could see it. I was not as high on Iowa as you are. I knew you were going to do this because you've been talking up Iowa all season long.

Dan Rubenstein 46:05 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 46:05 So it's not coming as any great surprise to me.

Dan Rubenstein 46:07 Buddy, if I can be just a little bit general before we move on to at least my next tier and/or the other teams on your tier. On Iowa's schedule, so if we agree that Phil Parker concocts and creates defensive realities that make life kind of hellish for quarterbacks who are not perfectly on point, right?

Ty Hildenbrandt 46:27 Right, right.

Dan Rubenstein 46:28 Like, a very aggressive zone defense, usually a good pass rush, and they're just locked in. Okay, their schedule of quarterbacks that they will face, outside of Julian Sayin, who is legitimately very good with a very high ceiling.

Ty Hildenbrandt 46:40 Here we go.

Dan Rubenstein 46:43 If you go through quarterbacks on this schedule, at least the power-conference quarterbacks, it's last year's G6 quarterback, Bryce Underwood, Demond Williams Jr., neither of whom were particularly good against strong defenses. Drake Lindsey, who I think has upside, was not good against good defenses last year.

Dan Rubenstein 47:01 We can all agree, Minnesota fans included, Drake Lindsey's best did not come against good defenses at Minnesota last year. Colton Joseph, G6 quarterback last season, right? Aidan Chiles, benched quarterback last season. Ryan Browne, okay, one of the worst Big Ten quarterbacks last season. Katin Houser, G6 quarterback last season. Anthony Colandrea, G6 quarterback last season. I shrug, if you're not watching, on youtube.com/@solidverbal.

Ty Hildenbrandt 47:32 At. You need the at, yeah, you need the at.

Dan Rubenstein 47:33 Like, that's a pretty good place to be if this defense is anything.

Ty Hildenbrandt 47:34 They changed that.

Ty Hildenbrandt 47:39 All right. All right. Well, that, listen, this is...

Dan Rubenstein 47:42 Sorry, sorry.

Dan Rubenstein 47:43 I'm off of my... I have free drinks pouring in Iowa City for at least the next month or so.

Ty Hildenbrandt 47:49 I'm not as high on Iowa as you are, but I still do have Iowa in Tier 2, my Tier 2.

Dan Rubenstein 47:52 I hear you.

Dan Rubenstein 47:56 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 47:57 So I guess I'll throw this to you, since you know who is in my Tier 2. Again, it's a handful of teams. It's USC, it's Penn State, Michigan, it's Washington, and then it's Iowa.

Dan Rubenstein 48:02 Michigan, Penn State, USC.

Ty Hildenbrandt 48:08 Is that what your next tier down then would look like? Do you have Penn State, Michigan and Washington in there?

Dan Rubenstein 48:15 I have Illinois there too. I don't know what more they need to do. Now, obviously, show that their own G6 quarterback is, you know, worth the expense and the travel and the effort. But, I mean, Illinois is replacing a defensive coordinator. Illinois has definite issues to address.

Ty Hildenbrandt 48:34 I don't know, man.

Dan Rubenstein 48:35 They just keep winning, man. Like, it's faith that, like, they are a winning program, which you don't have yet.

Ty Hildenbrandt 48:41 They won nine games and a bowl last year. They are replacing Luke Altmyer, who was very good for them. It's not just Luke Altmyer. It's four offensive-line starters. It's a good chunk of their front seven. Their defensive coordinator, who went to Notre Dame, and a ton of position coaches. There's a lot new, a lot new with Illinois. And I think Bielema's done a good job, but you layer on Katin Houser.

Ty Hildenbrandt 49:10 It's a lot of hand waving for me to just put Illinois that high up. Now, to that end, you structured yours a little bit differently than mine. But I've got Illinois at the top of my third tier. So I don't think we're that far off.

Dan Rubenstein 49:24 They're in our third tier. We've just structured it differently.

Ty Hildenbrandt 49:27 We structured it differently.

Dan Rubenstein 49:27 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 49:29 So I get it. I think there is a case to be made that Katin Houser actually could be quite good, regardless of where he played last season. I think there's a case to be made that the secondary keeps them in a really good spot. But this version of Illinois, to me, has a lot less continuity than, like, the veteran team we saw a year ago.

Ty Hildenbrandt 49:48 And so I can't get quite as high on the Illinois as I think you are.

Dan Rubenstein 49:52 Okay, here's the counterpoint. Their defense wasn't always that good last year. Their offensive line wasn't especially good at everything they tried to do. They let up a bunch of pressure last year. And so, if they did make changes, some of those changes are not the worst thing ever, potentially. Katin Houser was good for ECU.

Ty Hildenbrandt 50:11 He was really good. Yeah, he was really good. And he's, speaking of veterans, Katin Houser's been around. If you've listened for the last couple of years, you've heard the name Katin Houser. Not a new player by any stretch.

Dan Rubenstein 50:20 Big Ten experience. So there's that, I guess.

Ty Hildenbrandt 50:22 Sort of, yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 50:24 Yeah, Michigan State.

Ty Hildenbrandt 50:25 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 50:25 So, if Illinois, if we can agree that Illinois exists in a plane of the Big Ten where they're clearly not as talented and can't really hang with the best, although the Ohio State game, they were closer than that final score indicated. Ohio State, that was, like, an end-of-game situation, which still, like, you've got to win the games you play. The Wisconsin game was ugly last season. But otherwise, they weren't as good as Washington. They weren't as good as Ohio State.

Dan Rubenstein 50:50 They weren't as good as Indiana. And last year's team was not especially good at anything beyond really stopping big plays. And so they weren't overwhelming on third down on either side of the ball. They were not overwhelming in the red zone. And they win. And so there's something. It was eight games plus the bowl, so it was nine games including the bowl. It was, what, Tennessee is who they beat in the bowl game? They're in the, what, the Southeastern Conference? Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 51:16 So

Dan Rubenstein 51:17 I believe in Illinois having a clearly defined ceiling, but being better built and having a higher floor than a lot of what I see in this conference. And so, for that reason, I'm just... The schedule's pretty good this year. I think we can agree.

Ty Hildenbrandt 51:34 I mean, you're way too high on these guys, but yeah, yeah, yeah, I...

Dan Rubenstein 51:34 Schedule?

Dan Rubenstein 51:37 We both have them in our third tier. We've just structured how many teams are in each tier differently.

Ty Hildenbrandt 51:43 Where do you have them, though, in your third tier? Like, you don't have them above Penn State, above Washington, above Michigan, do you?

Dan Rubenstein 51:52 I think I have them above Washington, but that was sort of interchangeable to me.

Ty Hildenbrandt 51:56 Ugh. See, I don't like that. I don't like that at all. I agree with the schedule. They don't play Indiana. They don't play Michigan, Penn State, USC, or Washington. But they do have Ohio State, Oregon, Iowa and Nebraska on this thing. So there's a late stretch in this thing for Illinois where if they don't get it figured out, they're going to get clobbered.

Dan Rubenstein 52:16 I don't mind their road schedule at all for Illinois. They have Ohio State on the road, and then probably winnable games if their act is together and Katin Houser's pretty good.

Ty Hildenbrandt 52:26 We've been talking about Katin Houser a lot. When we get into the Illinois team preview, we could talk about their defense, because the defense is going to be an interesting thing.

Dan Rubenstein 52:29 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 52:34 Agree.

Ty Hildenbrandt 52:35 They're switching it up to a 3-3-5 and Bobby Hauck. We can go through that a little bit later, what that means and why that would look different than what we've seen over recent years. But again, there's no shortage of interesting storylines in this conference.

Dan Rubenstein 52:49 Yeah, they finished 83rd in points per drive allowed and went 8-4. It's pretty good.

Ty Hildenbrandt 52:56 We've got to talk about Penn State. I'm pretty high on this Penn State team. I've seen it referred to as a blended family in more places than just one. We can call it whatever we want. Matt Campbell brought a bunch of guys with him from Iowa State, including Rocco Becht, Carson Hansen, Benjamin Brahmer, two wide receivers. You get the picture. Bill Connelly's SP+ still sees Penn State as a top-20-caliber team. The schedule, if you want to do the schedule thing, is very appealing. Okay, very appealing. There is no Ohio State, there is no Oregon, there is no Indiana, there is no Iowa.

Ty Hildenbrandt 53:32 These are four teams that we have already talked about on that top rung of the Big Ten.

Dan Rubenstein 53:37 Right.

Ty Hildenbrandt 53:38 There is a pivot point.

Dan Rubenstein 53:38 And, to be clear, there's no Cincinnati and no Colorado, to whom Iowa State and these players lost last season. So that's good.

Ty Hildenbrandt 53:46 That was mean. That's a little mean, I think.

Dan Rubenstein 53:49 Hold on, hold on. Where are the lies told?

Ty Hildenbrandt 53:52 There are no lies told. No lies.

Dan Rubenstein 53:54 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 53:55 There is a pivot point in this season in October: hosting USC. The following week, they go on the road to play Michigan. That's where we're going to find out what Penn State's made out of. Could be other games along the way. Big Ten's a big conference. They're going to talk about a bunch of big games here. They play Washington on the road. Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 54:14 I don't want to omit that, but, in particular, that stretch in October, hosting USC, going on the road to play Michigan, to me, is where we're going to find out what this team is made out of. I like what I've been seeing. I think, weirdly, after years of just sort of assuming Penn State would have an edge rush, there's a question about who are going to be the reliable edge rushers. What's the pass rush going to look like?

Dan Rubenstein 54:38 They've had legit studs, yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 54:42 It's going to be a different feel this year. It's not exactly going to be the same thing that we're accustomed to. I think, in many ways, for the better. But the most important thing to emphasize, and it probably does not bear repeating after we spent so much time at the top of this episode talking about what Indiana did and Kurt Cignetti...

Ty Hildenbrandt 55:02 You can build a program up pretty quickly. You can do it quickly now, especially when you're bringing in guys, as Matt Campbell is, who already have familiarity with the system. I said it almost immediately upon hearing that Rocco Becht was going to Penn State: Rocco Becht could be Penn State's best quarterback in forever. We can go back a pretty good ways. And, you know, he may have a bit of a ceiling, but I like what Rocco Becht is going to bring to State College. It's going to be a more explosive offense. They've got all the pieces that they need for this to be a really, really, really good season in State College. I actually had them right below USC in my next tier down because I think the schedule works in their favor.

Ty Hildenbrandt 55:44 I think the familiarity that a lot of these guys have with the system works in their favor. There's a lot to like with Penn State this year. I've got people around here, like, trying to beat down the door with sticks, trying to get our opinion on the hometown teams, of course. A lot of Lehigh people just knock on the door.

Dan Rubenstein 56:00 A lot of Temple thoughts?

Ty Hildenbrandt 56:00 They want to know my... want to know my thoughts.

Dan Rubenstein 56:02 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 56:04 People want to know about Penn State. I get this more often than not. Is Penn State going to be good this year? My answer is yes, they should be. They should be very good.

Ty Hildenbrandt 56:11 They should be in this conversation. So, if we want to have a conversation about, is there going to be a fourth playoff team in the Big Ten, I don't know how realistic that is for Penn State, but I think Penn State's got as much a case to be made as, I think, any of these other teams that we're talking about in, like, this portion of the episode.

Dan Rubenstein 56:30 It's a great schedule. It is a great schedule. Getting USC to come across the country, a game like that. If Penn State is of second-tier Big Ten, which means they're threatening for a potential fourth spot in the playoff, we'll see. It's a really nice schedule. They travel to Michigan after Michigan gets a bye. I understand that's going to be difficult. But otherwise, no Indiana or Ohio State.

Dan Rubenstein 56:54 Traveling across the country to play Washington is not nothing, but it's not obvious. And so I'm with you on your Penn State optimism for a number of the familiarity factors. You are placing a lot of your Limp Bizkit-Fred Durst faith in Rocco Becht ascending to the upper half of a more difficult conference's group of quarterbacks from the lower half of a worse conference and their group of quarterbacks, of which he was a member last season. He was one of the lower-third-tier quarterbacks, whatever, of the Big 12. He did struggle. I don't know if it was an injury thing. I don't know if it was losing the receivers that he lost after 2024.

Ty Hildenbrandt 57:37 No, he was hurt. He was hurt.

Dan Rubenstein 57:39 Definitely a factor.

Ty Hildenbrandt 57:41 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 57:41 I'm just telling you, you are banking on a launch from Rocco Becht, from wherever he was injured last year to where you're thinking he has a possibility of getting to, with coaching continuity, with teammate continuity. They don't have defensive-coordinator continuity, if you're going to make any sort of Cignetti analogy. It's a new defensive coordinator, new system for Matt Campbell, the returning Penn State players, and the new Penn State players. So that's new in a way that it wasn't for Cignetti and Bryant Haines. But I understand the optimism and the upside. I think it's a Year 2 thing for me, though.

Ty Hildenbrandt 58:18 Well, look, the question about Rocco Becht, I think, is fair. He brings 39 starts to State College. He should bring a command of this offense to State College, but he had shoulder surgery back in December. And so his reps, at least at the time of recording, have been relatively limited with this crew. We'll see. Even though he knows a lot of the guys, we'll see.

Dan Rubenstein 58:39 Hey, look, you're an elite athlete with shoulder-surgery experience. Can you speak to the ins and outs of what's going on with Rocco Becht?

Ty Hildenbrandt 58:46 I think we actually had the same injury. Yeah, it sucks.

Dan Rubenstein 58:48 Oh, there you go. Were you ready to throw into Big Ten defenses a few months after your surgery?

Ty Hildenbrandt 58:53 I'm still not ready, believe it or not.

Dan Rubenstein 58:54 Yeah. Twelve years later.

Ty Hildenbrandt 58:57 Michigan.

Dan Rubenstein 58:59 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 58:59 Is Michigan in this tier for you?

Dan Rubenstein 59:01 Michigan's here. They return enough on both sides of the ball. The upside is there because of what they're going to look like in their backfield, depending on what Bryce Underwood does or doesn't do, both with his arm and his legs. Kind of feels like the entire season, with offensive-line experience, with an improved group of pass catchers, with the guys they bring back on various levels of the defense.

Dan Rubenstein 59:25 With the résumés of the guys calling the offense and defense. I'm just, I'm in on the upside of Michigan. I'm just not positive we're going to see, against a schedule that also includes Oklahoma, albeit at home this season, Bryce Underwood throwing into the defenses of Oklahoma, Iowa, Penn State, Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State.

Ty Hildenbrandt 59:49 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 59:51 It's just, it's a longer list that I'd love to see, if we're hoping that Bryce Underwood takes the next step. Now, it's, like, could be an iron-sharpens-iron situation where maybe he struggles in those first couple games, but they really get into a rhythm with, uh, you know, figuring out where the offense should go after seeing him against a couple of those teams, and they're a different team the second half of the season. I'm open to that. So I'm in on Michigan as a reasonably dangerous team.

Dan Rubenstein 01:00:18 I just have my reservations at the moment.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:20 I'm really curious to see how they use Bryce Underwood. As you said, new regime. Kyle Whittingham basically fell off the back of a truck, right? So they fire Sherrone Moore pretty late in the cycle. Kyle Whittingham had whatever he had with Utah and was available. On the Michigan side, it worked out quite well. They needed an adult. I don't know if you've heard any of what Whitt has said through Big Ten Media Days, but just giving very adult responses.

Dan Rubenstein 01:00:46 Yeah, he continues to be an impressive dude.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:48 It's, like, very refreshingly so. Very impressive.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:53 Another incredible hairline. Given his age, one of the best we've seen.

Dan Rubenstein 01:00:56 Agree. I'm jealous.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:59 But this is a good roster. It should keep them competitive, certainly, with the best teams in the conference that we've discussed here. But, as you alluded, the problem is they basically play all of them. They play all of them. So you could see this being a better team than the final score, or final record, excuse me, would indicate when all is said and done. And on top of it, there's just so much new that, given the schedule, there's just not much wiggle room to kind of grow into the season. And that always kind of skeeves me out a little bit.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:01:30 I am curious, though, to see what they do with Bryce Underwood and what this offense looks like with Jason Beck now at the helm. I think they're going to use him a lot more as a dual-threat guy. They're going to try and use him much more as part of the running game. Bryce, for whatever you make of spring practice and spring scrimmages, Bryce Underwood's spring line was not great when he was out there, but I take that with a grain of salt. I don't know if you can really base anything on that. It's just, let's wait and see what Jason Beck cooks up.

Dan Rubenstein 01:02:00 Agree. Has a really nice track record.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:04 We didn't mention Washington yet. I know we structured this a little bit differently. I'm not trying to confuse the audience at home. You know my top three teams. You and I are both in agreement on who the top three teams are. My second tier down was, in this order, USC, Penn State, Michigan, then Washington, then Iowa. And then, if we go into Tier 3, I had Illinois. So we're not that far off, but the Washington conversation, to me, is pretty interesting. Where are you at with Washington?

Dan Rubenstein 01:02:32 I'd like to know what's improved over last season, a year in which they struggled against the good teams on their schedule. Like, that's the question to me. It's like they have their own summit, and it seems like they've gotten, if nothing else, greener at skill positions, right? Losing both of those running backs, one to the draft, one to transfer. There's promise at receiver, but they're a lot greener there. And so Demond Williams Jr. is back, which is obviously a positive thing for Washington. But then you look at the defense and you say, okay, maybe there's something along the defensive line. Maybe, if some of these transfers work out, there's definitely something there at linebacker, though they did get thinner there. I think they lost one of their better dudes to SC, I think, I want to say.

Dan Rubenstein 01:03:17 And then there are secondary questions. So they look pretty solid, if not really good, at safety, but they're replacing corners. And so now you ask yourself, okay, well, we're in Year 2 of having what I believe to be a definitely good defensive coordinator in Ryan Walters. But defense, to me, is still, against this conference, against some of the quarterbacks that they're going to face, can you out-scheme and get away with it without having top-line talent, especially up front? I just think that there's a set ceiling for Washington. I know that the offensive playmakers are going to emerge. They generally do with Jedd Fisch offenses. But are they going to emerge in a way where now, suddenly, they are competing in the fourth quarter with the best of their schedule?

Dan Rubenstein 01:04:08 We have a limited amount of data on Jedd Fisch at Washington, but they finish with Indiana and Oregon. They host Penn State, which is good. And, you know, they're going to have to score a certain amount of points in, what, the first month or so of the season when they travel to USC. And they're going to have to figure out the Iowa defense a week later. So that, to me, is, like, how quickly do they find those dudes? Do those dudes exist up front on defense? And are they able to stay in those games for four full quarters and give themselves a chance at the end? To me, it's a pretty open question.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:41 I mean, if we're looking only at teams in the top tiers, Washington hosts Iowa. It's actually a good spot for them to host Iowa. It's one week after a run of going to Michigan and then...

Dan Rubenstein 01:04:51 They have good spots everywhere, by the way. They're a really nice sandwich and situational team.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:56 But they've got Iowa, they've got Penn State, as you mentioned, they've got Indiana. It's a week after Indiana hosts USC, so maybe a little bit of a letdown situation. You know, Washington will get a crack at some of these better teams on the schedule. You talk about the defense and how the defense holds up. Let's talk about Demond Williams Jr., right? I agree, Demond Williams Jr., pretty good quarterback. I agree, Demond Williams Jr., in general, the Jedd Fisch offense usually gets it figured out. This year, they come into the year with four offensive-line starters back, a fair amount of returning production from a nine-win team. Guess what?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:32 Washington averaged, points-wise, against the better teams on their schedule a year ago...

Dan Rubenstein 01:05:36 Like eight and a half?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:37 Namely Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, and Wisconsin: 9.3.

Dan Rubenstein 01:05:40 Yeah, how many points? Yeah, and that's with Jonah Coleman, Adam Mohammed, Denzel Boston. I think Dezmen Roebuck is back, obviously. But you're like, okay, so whether it's transfers, whether it's younger guys assuming bigger roles, they have to be clearly better than some of those guys, and the offensive line has to be clearly better. And Demond Williams Jr. has to be clearly better. Which, look, quarterback's a developmental position. He will be better this year. Like, it's a quarterback-friendly coach. It's a quarterback-friendly offense.

Dan Rubenstein 01:06:13 I mean, the other question to me is, are they going to...? He's very athletic. Obviously, there's a reason why teams allegedly wanted him to enter the portal.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:06:21 Did you see Jedd Fisch compare it to a failed trade?

Dan Rubenstein 01:06:23 Oh, like somebody asked for, like, demanded a trade, and they sort of went behind the scenes.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:06:27 Yeah, they asked him about it at Media Day, and he was like, 'Oh, you know, it's like when a player wants to be traded, but then it doesn't work out and he's back with the team.' Okay, that fits. I could go with that.

Dan Rubenstein 01:06:37 I wonder about, like, I mean, we'll get into this more on the Washington-specific preview, like, are they going to utilize his legs? Is that going to be part of this offense? Does he want to utilize his legs? Does Jedd Fisch want to? Like, there are just those open questions to me about what the offense actually looks like, specifically in those games. Because now that's the next step. That's the clear next step for Washington, because we know they can mount an offense and defense to compete with the sort of middle class and lower class of the Big Ten. What's the next step?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:05 Yeah, I mean, I think it's easily a top 25 caliber roster.

Dan Rubenstein 01:07:09 Sure.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:10 I like the roster, despite the fact that there are some key losses. I like that there is some continuity here. My concern is whether there's continuity at the right spots.

Dan Rubenstein 01:07:19 Yeah, by the way, I did look it up. It's Iowa at home, and it's Iowa a week after Ohio State. USC a week after USC plays Oregon, and Indiana a week after they play SC, as you mentioned. So potential advantages are there. Continue.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:34 Here is the grouping of teams that I then list after Illinois on mine.

Dan Rubenstein 01:07:38 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:39 So I kind of feel like we're relatively aligned here. After Illinois, I have Minnesota, in this order: Minnesota, Nebraska, UCLA, and Wisconsin.

Dan Rubenstein 01:07:52 My first four in the next tier are, in order, exactly what you just said.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:59 Really?

Dan Rubenstein 01:07:59 Yes, we are... Our electrons are vibrating at... Do electrons vibrate? I have no idea.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:05 Yeah, I don't know.

Dan Rubenstein 01:08:06 At the same frequency. Minnesota, Nebraska, UCLA, Wisconsin. Though I do include Maryland at the bottom there in my tier.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:13 Interesting. I have Maryland at the, I guess, the next tier down for me, whatever number that is, and I know I'm losing track.

Dan Rubenstein 01:08:19 Play the breaking-news sound, Ty.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:20 You want me to play the breaking news?

Dan Rubenstein 01:08:21 Play it for me when you have it.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:22 Let me find it here.

Dan Rubenstein 01:08:23 Find it.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:23 Okay, here we go.

Dan Rubenstein 01:08:29 Maryland's going to win a game in October or November this fall.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:32 What? Don't get crazy here.

Dan Rubenstein 01:08:37 And for that reason, they are in this tier for me.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:41 The Minnesota thing is always interesting. For those wondering, for those Minnesota fans out there wondering, yes, I will be holding the Minnesota Support Zoom at some point in early December. If you are interested in that, I will give out details when we do the Minnesota-specific preview on one of our next two episodes. I won't do it here. Look, you were fired up. You know, you were laid up as you were healing from whatever malady you had, but you were listening to P.J. Fleck do the whole Tony Robbins thing at Big Ten Media Day.

Dan Rubenstein 01:09:13 He was, like, though, it was like, on TV, like a B12 shot for my health needs.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:18 I mean, the dude, the dude knows how to get the blood pumping.

Dan Rubenstein 01:09:22 I had elite nausea in that moment.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:24 Very much built for center stage.

Dan Rubenstein 01:09:26 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:28 And Minnesota brings back 68 percent of their production this year. They won eight games a year ago. They project to have a top-25 defense. The concern, I think, is an offense that last year was not explosive at all, not in the least bit. They also have an interior defensive line this year that I'll, again, talk more about on the preview, but an interior defensive line that, to me, looks very gettable against the schedule. So, bigger picture, you look at the schedule.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:59 Last year, Minnesota went 7-0 at home, 0-5, or 0-4, excuse me, in true road games.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:07 Not ideal.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:07 And this year, there are some really tough road games. I got questions about this team forever. I am just sort of a little higher on Minnesota than most. I don't know why. That's more of a me thing than a them thing.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:18 It's okay. We all have our kinks, Ty.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:19 That's why I'm doing the Minnesota Zoom call. I need it as much as the Minnesota people who listen.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:22 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:24 But yeah, I'm going to do it again.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:24 That's happening again?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:27 Absolutely.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:27 Sometime in mid-December?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:30 Yeah, yeah, we'll do it again.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:31 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:31 That was a lot of fun, actually.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:32 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:32 I really like that.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:33 I think it's a great call.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:33 And we'll throw, maybe we'll throw NC State people on there as well.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:37 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:37 Just group all together these teams that I have an unhealthy addiction to.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:41 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:42 We're aligned here, it sounds like, on Minnesota. We both agree on where they belong in this conversation.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:47 Yeah, there are pieces with Minnesota. The name of this tier for me is just 'Major Questions.' The last tier, the previous one with Penn State, Michigan, Illinois, Washington, to me, was 'Upside, But Questions.' There are major questions for a lot of these teams, right, and how they're going to essentially get to eight games. How are they going to get to eight wins? That's, to me, the defining question of this tier. There's a lot of ability with Drake Lindsey. Obviously, I think it's, what, Anthony Smith off the edge is a terror, right? There are star-power pieces. There is the forever, eternally questionable Darius Taylor in the backfield for Minnesota.

Dan Rubenstein 01:11:21 But the best of Darius Taylor against decent Big Ten teams can be very, very good. I think Mo Ibrahim is their new running backs coach, if you want to feel ancient.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:30 Good Lord.

Dan Rubenstein 01:11:32 But yeah, a lot of questions with this Minnesota team that allowed too much on defense, that, as you mentioned, was one of, I think, the least explosive offenses in America. So it's easy to see the upside in Drake Lindsey's ability. It's difficult to see it when they don't complete passes downfield all that often. So, yeah, I think Minnesota will go bowling. The road stuff, the close-game stuff, year to year is always a challenge. So I just don't know, week to week, what Minnesota we're getting, which I think is probably the theme of why you're doing Zoom calls. So I can't have them any higher than this, but I think the floor is pretty high.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:08 I think the floor is really high, yeah. And I think, if nothing more, that's something that Fleck has brought with him. You know, Fleck has built that floor, and it's not made out of, like...

Dan Rubenstein 01:12:14 Yep.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:18 Cheap drywall. It's solid. It's wood. It's stone. It's a leaky ceiling.

Dan Rubenstein 01:12:22 Leaky ceiling, but yeah, the foundation's great.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:25 The foundation's good.

Dan Rubenstein 01:12:26 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:28 Nebraska. Nebraska's next up for me, third nationally in returning production. They changed some of their leadership specifically to try and fix the offensive line, try and fix the run defense, try and fix special teams. I think it's an experienced roster. I think they're experienced enough to break through on some level. I worry that there's a little too much volatility, though, especially when Anthony Colandrea, whom I love, I love Anthony Colandrea. I love that pairing of Colandrea with Dana Holgorsen. Speaking of volatility, that's, like...

Dan Rubenstein 01:13:00 Yeah, sure.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:03 The epicenter of volatility.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:06 But tough schedule, I don't know. I'm mixed on Nebraska. There's a decent floor in place.

Dan Rubenstein 01:13:14 Buddy, they just have two schedules. They're, like, a 5-1 team that could finish 5-7. Like, they're just one of those teams where, if we're talking about a strong foundation, they're in a canoe that is, with leaks possible or potentially popping up at any given moment, right? Last year they had, like, a great secondary. They're great against the pass. Couldn't stop anything on the ground.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:38 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 01:13:38 Like, I think Justice Haynes is still running in that game. So, yeah, like, I don't love Anthony Colandrea in a volatile situation with high expectations. I like him in a vacuum. I like Dana Holgorsen in a vacuum.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:52 I like him as the quarterback for any other team, just not mine.

Dan Rubenstein 01:13:58 Just, like, the Matt Rhule vision for offense over the course of a season and the building of an offensive roster, to me, still leaves a lot to desire, to feel good about a Nebraska team under Matt Rhule. This is now, we're also talking about, we didn't fully mention it in any sort of depth, but, like, third defensive coordinator in three years. So Matt Rhule can't figure out quarterback fully. No, last year was an injury situation, and hasn't been able to figure out defense consistently. So what is Matt Rhule there for, exactly?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14:31 Matt Rhule's there because he's got, like, a gazillion-dollar contract at this point.

Dan Rubenstein 01:14:31 Right? And do you know that they again have the number one quarterback in America committed for next season?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14:40 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 01:14:40 This is 100 percent true.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14:41 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 01:14:41 He's local.

Dan Rubenstein 01:14:43 So that makes more sense. I think he's from Omaha. That's looming over this season as well. I think they can be okay. I think they can be decent. But, buddy, am I going to need to see, like, the same Nebraska week to week to week to feel all that good about them?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14:58 They play Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, Washington, and Iowa. They finish out, to your point earlier...

Dan Rubenstein 01:15:02 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:05 With road games at Illinois and Rutgers, Ohio State at home, and then Iowa on the road for the Heroes Game. So, yeah, it just kind of keeps coming at them. And I hear you. I want to be a little bit higher on Nebraska. I like Colandrea as an entertainment product. He will be fun to watch, if nothing more. But I do worry about that volatility.

Dan Rubenstein 01:15:29 Yep.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:29 And a tough schedule, frankly.

Dan Rubenstein 01:15:30 And even, by the way, yes, it's at Illinois and at Rutgers in that back half. Those are not gimmes for a team like where Nebraska has been these past couple of years.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:38 So we've got a bunch of other teams to discuss here. The episode, we knew the episode was going to run a little bit longer.

Dan Rubenstein 01:15:44 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:45 We've come to the point in our conversation today where we get to speak of the virtues of one Robert Edward Chesney. Some of you know him as Bob. He is the new head coach at UCLA. He accepted the gig from James Madison. He is, on some level, attempting a Kurt Cignetti-style rebuild out at UCLA. I think the roster is decent.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:16:10 Clearly, the money has followed. There is a lot of optimism out West right now. It's not just Chesney. It's not just numerous former James Madison players. It is both coordinators. In total, I think it's something like 41 transfers. On top of it, you've got Nico coming back, Nico Iamaleava, 67 percent returning production to boot. I think there's some real upside here, Dan. I think there's real upside.

Dan Rubenstein 01:16:37 I do too.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:16:38 I think I want to be a little bit more optimistic about UCLA because sometimes, in order to just push a program in the right direction, you just need the right personality.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:16:49 We have seen that happen time and again. You also need lines. I'm having trouble trusting the offensive and defensive lines. If I felt a little bit better about the trenches at UCLA, I would be inclined to push them a little bit higher. I can't go higher than this. That said, there is a collection of teams. I put UCLA in there. I put Wisconsin in there.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:17:15 If you gave me a strong enough substance, I might be willing to put Maryland in there as well. Teams that I look at and I say, there's real wild-card potential here that I can't fully put my finger on in early August. So UCLA is interesting on a thousand different fronts. I wish I felt better about the lines. I'd be higher on them if I felt better about the lines.

Dan Rubenstein 01:17:39 Yeah, UCLA has absolute playmakers on both sides of the ball, in totality, but they're thin. They're just thin. Like, it's going to take recruiting. It's going to take a portal class or two. And I think they probably max out this year at feisty, and that's okay. I think, with a couple breaks, they can go six or seven and five, 6-6, right? That they can be feisty, that they can steal a win with good coaching and maybe perfect health, kind of thing. It's a lot to ask. I think Nico has a ceiling, but we've seen the best of him at UCLA is at least interesting.

Dan Rubenstein 01:18:19 They will max out a lot of these players. They have good coaches. They've brought in a number of good players, but, like, 63, 61 new players, whatever the number is. That's too many to feel good about a team. And the schedule's not horrible, right? It's not a horrible Year 1 schedule, but also, if it's Year 1, new coach, thin in terms of line talent and depth or whatever, you've got a Cal team Week 1. You have Maryland across the country, Oregon pretty early on in the first half of the season, and you're hosting teams that should at least have, like... Wisconsin should be of quality sometimes. Minnesota on the road is going to be difficult.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:59 I think they'll be better than that, but okay. Point taken.

Dan Rubenstein 01:19:03 You think they're going to be better than Wisconsin?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:19:05 No, I'm saying Wisconsin, well, we'll talk about Wisconsin next. I think Wisconsin is going to be better than you just described them as, but please continue.

Dan Rubenstein 01:19:08 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 01:19:11 No, I think Wisconsin can be of quality sometimes. You think there can be quality 12 straight games? I don't know.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:19:18 I mean, recent history would suggest otherwise.

Dan Rubenstein 01:19:21 Correct.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:19:22 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 01:19:22 So, you know, at Michigan, at Minnesota, like, obviously, it's a West Coast team and some travel is going to be involved here. They finish with a good team and a rival, and they have Illinois in the middle of that in the back. It's just, they're playing against a roster of teams that have built up those rosters for longer and have more interesting and varied ways to win. Whereas I think UCLA will show absolute proof of concept in Year 1. I just don't know what that means. I'm unreasonably excited for the next two or three years of UCLA football from afar, but...

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:19:58 Sure.

Dan Rubenstein 01:19:58 I'm not there yet.

Dan Rubenstein 01:20:00 Like, I just, when I see that number, it makes me think of Rich Rod at West Virginia.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:20:04 I know.

Dan Rubenstein 01:20:04 We agree, Rich Rod is a good college football coach.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:20:06 Yes.

Dan Rubenstein 01:20:06 We agree that he has won a lot of games wherever he's been, for the most part. They were, what, they beat a good Houston team last year. They beat Pitt last year. They just didn't have the roster to do it week to week to week, and that was a product of, you just can't hit on 80 percent of 60 dudes when you're attacking the portal for so much of your roster. So I'm in on UCLA.

Dan Rubenstein 01:20:31 I think they're going to win an absolute crazy game this year.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:20:34 I think part of the downside for the rest of college football, with the Kurt Cignetti phenomenon, is that there is perhaps an unrealistic expectation that everyone can kind of do that too. Oh, he did it. He took a program that might have been the worst in all of FBS college football, and he turned them into a national powerhouse in a shade under two seasons.

Dan Rubenstein 01:21:01 Well, the issue is Bobby C. came from the same place.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:21:03 Well, Bobby C. came from the same place. And that's my point, right?

Dan Rubenstein 01:21:06 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:21:06 My point is it's not just the Cignetti thing, the phenomenon that we see around college football, where fan bases point to it and say, well, he could do it. Why can't you? It's almost doubly the case for someone like Robert Edward Chesney, our Lord and Savior, because he came from that tree.

Dan Rubenstein 01:21:23 But UCLA is a traditionally more advantaged place than Indiana. Not necessarily because they don't have more money or whatever than Indiana, necessarily, but there is a lot of money at UCLA. It's more that, like, oh, UCLA is a place where people can win some, where that's never been the case in Bloomington.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:21:38 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:21:41 I like the fact that they've got a little bit of a runway. The schedule starts off four teams outside the SP+ top 50, so that gives him a little bit of runway to get things started.

Dan Rubenstein 01:21:52 Cal's Week 1, though, right?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:21:55 Correct.

Dan Rubenstein 01:21:55 They're going to need to win that game. If they're going to win, they're going to beat Cal on the road, right? It's in Berkeley.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:21:59 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 01:22:00 Welcome to 38-35-ville.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:22:03 Wisconsin then. Wisconsin.

Dan Rubenstein 01:22:10 I put myself out there at the bar to be seduced by Sweet Lady Schedule, and she had no interest in me. I acknowledge the beauty and mystique and fragrance of Sweet Lady Schedule in Wisconsin's case because they finally have an advantageous schedule.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:22:27 Finally, I should have trumpets or something here on the soundboard.

Dan Rubenstein 01:22:30 I know.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:22:32 But we'll save those for the Wisconsin team preview. It feels good to finally have a schedule in Madison that is a little bit more favorable, that actually gives them a shot, perceived or in reality, for them to take a step forward in terms of the final record. Now, this is still an offense that ranked 106th in preseason SP+. There's still a climb there in order for them to be functional. But I like the situation where you've got a coach who's fighting to try and save his job. Again, entertainment factor, sure. But I think Luke Fickell understands the assignment.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:23:16 I think he's a smart guy. I love their quarterback acquisition in Colton Joseph, who comes over from Old Dominion, dual-threat quarterback, right? I still like the fact that they've got a defense that projects to be top-25-caliber nationally. So there's a lot here, I think, to like. The fact that the schedule gives them something of a breather, as compared to the last two years, is notable here. Still a long way to go.

Dan Rubenstein 01:23:42 Yeah, I'm okay. So my view of the Colton Joseph thing is, I think he, in a vacuum, is a very good quarterback. We'll see on what level. I don't think he finished the year that strongly last year at ODU. Now, there's a lot at play. I think he lit up Virginia Tech. He had a good game. He threw a couple picks against JMU. So I like that he had some of his better games against opponents like that. Colton Joseph feels like a quarterback that, if he were the missing piece at Wisconsin, if, like, offensive line and receiver was in place...

Dan Rubenstein 01:24:12 Or their front seven was, like, oh man, this group is going to be, like, one of the 15 best defenses in the country because of all these dudes returning, like it's 2018 or something. And now they had Colton Joseph as, like, oh, here's an interesting playmaker who's an improvement over your Alex Hornibrook-type situation, who was totally fine.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:24:29 Alex Hornibrook. Alex Hornibrook. Good Lord.

Dan Rubenstein 01:24:33 He wasn't great at Florida State, but he was totally fine. That would be a great situation in Madison for Colton Joseph. But now you're saying new receivers, new running back, maybe some offensive-line questions, maybe some defense questions, even though there is a decent amount returning. It's a totally, like, rebuilt secondary, I believe, something like that. There's a lot that needs to be decided on this defense. I'm not out on Wisconsin. I think they can be a terror. I've called them, like, the potential to be, like, a bucket of wrenches or something rolling down the track.

Dan Rubenstein 01:25:10 I just don't see how they can be more, with what this roster looks like heading into the season. And I know they've spent more on this year's roster. I know that they've been aggressive. I know that Luke Fickell has more support than ever. But in this conference, even with this schedule, I'm just like, ah, but what is it that you're going to do really well to make it different this year against, like, a gettable schedule? And I don't have the answers at my fingertips at the moment.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:25:40 Can I tell you what scares me?

Dan Rubenstein 01:25:42 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:25:42 What scares me about Wisconsin this year, and I love Colton Joseph. I think Colton Joseph, his ability to run, that adds a completely new dynamic to this offense. What has been something of an Achilles' heel for Wisconsin over these last couple of seasons?

Dan Rubenstein 01:25:59 Almost everything. Health, yeah, yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:26:01 Beyond that, if we want to zoom in a little bit, quarterback health, quarterback health in particular. Colton Joseph has taken a lot of sacks. A lot of sacks. His pressure to sack rate is high. His turnover history is high.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:26:18 And this is a rebuilt offensive line. I don't want to see a repeat of what we have seen at Wisconsin with quarterback health. You'd be remiss to not at least ask the question, given the circumstances here. Yeah, maybe he's a little bit fleeter of foot, and maybe they'll design an offense that takes some of that concern out of the equation.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:26:41 He's taking a lot of hits.

Dan Rubenstein 01:26:41 Well, the math says, the math says... I hear you.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:26:43 He's taking a lot of hits. So I'm just like, and new line, there's, there's just... I think it's fair to wonder, even though this guy brings something new to Madison.

Dan Rubenstein 01:26:52 If every quarterback gets hurt, right, is it a Spinal Tap situation, or is this just, like, mathematically, it just can't happen every year, that they're eventually going to have a healthy quarterback situation? I don't know.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:27:02 I mentioned Maryland a while back, second nationally in terms of returning production. They were able to retain, like, a really young core instead of chasing, like, a really large portal class. They were able to retain their core, which I like. I think they're interesting because there is a lot back. I think they're interesting because they're still trying to turn, you know, like, just catastrophic end-of-season situations into a better story in the Big Ten. Like, they just, they've got to get past that. And I have yet to see overwhelming evidence that they will.

Dan Rubenstein 01:27:38 I'm in on Maryland to be in this tier. They were not in this tier last year. I'm happy to include them with Minnesota, Nebraska, UCLA, Wisconsin, because I don't think the barrier to entry for that tier is especially high. Maryland has a promising young quarterback who's throwing to new receivers. They have a pass rush that could be among the conference's best, and they're adding a five-star edge rusher to Zahir Mathis and Sidney Stewart. Is that his name? It's Zion Elee, is the new five-star.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:28:09 Zion Elee. He's a new dude. Yep. The token five-star recruit that Maryland gets every year.

Dan Rubenstein 01:28:16 I said this in the offseason. Maryland has questions. They made a change on offense. They're returning a bunch. They need to figure out how to run the ball. If a starting point is promising young quarterback, I don't know what Malik Washington's ceiling is, whatever, but he's the established guy. He's faced these teams. They have a really good sense. He has a full offseason now. The idea that he develops into something more interesting is not crazy.

Dan Rubenstein 01:28:42 And teams have to account for either two or three gravitational pass rushers. I imagine Zion Elee is going to be used much more situationally as a true freshman. He's not going to be counted on as, like, a three-down dude, especially with the guys that are there. But I don't know, maybe they have crazy packages. You can cover up for a lot on a defense. I don't love Maryland, but I kind of like them. There kind of has to be one of these teams that you wake up and you're just like, they're 6-3. Interesting. And I don't know what they finish, but Maryland's schedule is no Oregon, no Indiana.

Dan Rubenstein 01:29:20 They do get USC late. But otherwise, yeah, they get James Franklin at home. I guess James Franklin doesn't lose to Maryland, but he's wearing a new polo shirt, so who knows what that means. They get UCLA traveling across the country. They get Rutgers at home this year. They get Illinois at home this year. I don't know what Illinois is. Illinois should be better than Maryland. There is Michael Locksley connective tissue there.

Dan Rubenstein 01:29:45 Purdue on the road.

Dan Rubenstein 01:29:48 I think they can be in bowl vicinity this year. I think they're going to win after September. And I think, I don't know who it is, I think we're going to see Maryland jumping up and biting this year's version of Tom Herman, like they did way back when.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:30:04 Yeah, I mean, I like, I like their defense. Big questions about the run game. They couldn't trick it. New offensive coordinator has to figure out some kind of run game. Can't just all be on the arm of Malik Washington, especially after their top three receivers left. Right.

Dan Rubenstein 01:30:18 By the way, it wasn't a great passing attack last year.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:30:19 So there's... No, no, no. No, I'm not sure if I can do it.

Dan Rubenstein 01:30:23 You can squint and see why Malik Washington can turn into something interesting, but it wasn't effective last year.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:30:29 Yeah, and the other thing is, this was a defense that truly needed some of those havoc plays in order to get by, right? They had, like, 19 picks. I think it was the most in the Big Ten. The players responsible for seven of them left. Curious to see which direction it goes for Maryland. I remain optimistic. Here are my final four teams, then, in the conference, okay? In this order, I've got Northwestern, Rutgers, Michigan State, and Purdue bringing up the rear.

Dan Rubenstein 01:30:59 Yeah, I have Rutgers ahead of Northwestern, but basically because of Northwestern's schedule.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:31:04 It is a tough schedule. Northwestern plays the sixth-hardest projected schedule. Indiana, Oregon, Ohio State, Minnesota, and Illinois all on the road. They've got a closing five of: at Oregon, home against Iowa, at Ohio State, at Minnesota, and at Illinois for the rivalry game.

Dan Rubenstein 01:31:23 Yep.

Dan Rubenstein 01:31:29 No, Illinois, I think, is at home.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:31:30 Or Illinois is at home, excuse me.

Dan Rubenstein 01:31:31 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:31:32 That's a tough schedule for a team like Northwestern.

Dan Rubenstein 01:31:35 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:31:37 New stadium, though.

Dan Rubenstein 01:31:38 Eventually, hopefully, I've seen a lot of the footage. I've driven by a bunch of times.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:31:42 New stadium supposedly opening up on October the 2nd, a Friday night, when they host Penn State.

Dan Rubenstein 01:31:43 Should be great.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:31:49 Northwestern won seven games last season. They had a top-30 defense. They hired Chip Kelly to come in and hopefully repair the offense. You mentioned Aidan Chiles, coming down from Michigan State. He's going to be the new transfer quarterback. I have no reason to not like David Braun. I kind of like David Braun. I'm just waiting for them to take the next step.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:32:10 It seems as though they are trying to do that via Chip Kelly this year, trying to transplant some new talent and some new thought into what they can be on offense. Tough schedule. Despite the optimism around the new stadium, whether or not the experiment's going to work remains to be seen.

Dan Rubenstein 01:32:27 Yeah, and they were also bowl-eligible last season, 6-6, with the bowl win. I would say, in large part, because they performed really well, credit where credit is due, against two teams with fired coaches, right? They get James Franklin fired. So it's, you know, in the shadow of... That was the game that got James Franklin fired. Yes, it was after the Northwestern loss. So against a reeling Penn State and against a UCLA team that obviously fired their coach, what, I think, three or four games into the season. And so I just think those two teams won't be where they were last year.

Dan Rubenstein 01:33:06 Though you could argue Penn State was more talented last year. I think just Northwestern was in a more solid place than those two teams. And with what their schedule looks like this year, I think Chip Kelly is going to be great for this offense. I just think it's, you're not going to be able to know what you're getting out of Aidan Chiles at all times. You're not going to know what you're getting out of, like, who Aidan Chiles is throwing to. So I hope the vibes are good. It's the hometown place, but... it's, man, that's a mountain.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:33:34 So you've got Rutgers ahead of Northwestern. Rutgers has two really nice offensive pieces in Antwan Raymond, KJ Duff, but they are replacing a quarterback. They are rebuilding a defense that, for what it's worth, ranked near the bottom of college football.

Dan Rubenstein 01:33:50 Overhauled that staff, by the way.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:33:52 Overhauled the staff.

Dan Rubenstein 01:33:52 The defensive staff, yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:33:54 If you believe in things like preseason SP+, the SP+ sees a top-40-caliber offense, perhaps the weakest defense in the league. But at least offensively, Bill is seeing this team as being interesting on the offensive side of the ball.

Dan Rubenstein 01:34:11 Yeah, I mean, their schedule's decent in that they get some of the more difficult teams on this schedule. They get USC and Indiana at home. They have UMass and BC, which look like they could be wins if Rutgers is decent. I guess that's a, what, Dylan Lonergan revenge spot, if he is indeed the starter for Rutgers.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:34:26 Yeah, yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 01:34:31 There's nothing crazy challenging after that Indiana game. They have road games against Maryland, Northwestern. Michigan, I guess Michigan at home is a challenge, absolutely. Wisconsin on the road, Nebraska, at Penn State will be a challenge. But I'm not fully sold on teams like Michigan and Penn State being Year 1-ready as being automatic, and Michigan State, which we're going to get to in a second. So, like, I see a universe in which Rutgers can scratch and claw its way to a bowl.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:35:01 Michigan State. Michigan State is Pat Fitzgerald taking over. It was a 4-8 team. They only return 46 percent of their production. I think you throw that number out the window regardless. There's just so much new here. I don't know what to make of this team. Like, I have been told that I'm a little bit too bearish on Pat Fitzgerald, that Pat Fitzgerald is a trusted hand, that Pat Fitzgerald, though he was out of the game for a bit, and those circumstances at Northwestern, the circumstances under which he left Northwestern, were a little bit rocky and all that. People seem to be having more optimism around Pat Fitzgerald than I do.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:35:41 So I am trying to see that side of it. I like Cam Edwards, the running back.

Dan Rubenstein 01:35:45 Yeah, the UConn, yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:35:46 I like Cam Edwards. I like that. I think their quarterback starting point is okay. I think they've got decent leadership.

Dan Rubenstein 01:35:54 I think, is it Milivojevic?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:35:56 Sure, I have no idea.

Dan Rubenstein 01:35:57 I think that's how you pronounce it.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:35:59 I have not gone down the rabbit hole yet before we get to our deep dive of Michigan State. It is incumbent on me to go out there and find the pronunciation guide.

Dan Rubenstein 01:36:04 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:36:08 I didn't even attempt it.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:36:09 Did you notice that? That was strategic.

Dan Rubenstein 01:36:11 I hear you.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:36:13 I think there are things to like about this team. And I understand why people are excited and feel better about bringing Pat Fitzgerald in. I'm not there. I think it's going to be an uphill climb.

Dan Rubenstein 01:36:24 Yeah, people seem... I saw some positive vibes about the coaches Pat Fitzgerald hired. A mixed... Like, from the mind who brought you no rushing attack at Alabama comes the new Michigan State offensive coordinator.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:36:38 That's right. But like a good running back, right? And probably going to be the centerpiece of the offense.

Dan Rubenstein 01:36:41 Right.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:36:43 So I see some back-and-forth between optimism and where I've been all offseason, which is relatively pessimistic.

Dan Rubenstein 01:36:52 Road tilts against Notre Dame, Wisconsin, UCLA, Michigan, and, to finish things out, Rutgers. And then getting home, it's a trap game for Oregon, for sure a trap game. I think it's a Friday night game. If Michigan State is anything, it's between Michigan and Washington, the rivalry game for Oregon, on the road in East Lansing. So I will note that. But otherwise...

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:37:14 Here's what I'd say about Michigan State. If they want to get to a bowl, they're going to have to do it early because the finish on this schedule is really tough.

Dan Rubenstein 01:37:21 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:37:23 Michigan, Washington, and Oregon, three straight weeks in November before they close out against Rutgers.

Dan Rubenstein 01:37:30 Yeah, I mean, the Wisconsin game on the road is an absolute must-win for Michigan State to go bowling.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:37:37 And then that brings us to our final team. 18 teams now we've talked through.

Dan Rubenstein 01:37:42 Woo!

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:37:43 Long episode.

Dan Rubenstein 01:37:43 What an episode. Same, yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:37:44 Long episode, but good episode. I've enjoyed this. Purdue. Here's what I'll say about Purdue, okay? We've obviously got them bottom of the barrel here. I think Purdue should be a little bit more stable in Year 2 under Barry Odom. I think.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:37:59 I think. Ryan Browne is back. Make of that what you will. They are last in the Big Ten, projected SP+, No. 82. Twenty-nine transfers, bit of a staff adjustment, again trying to correct things. I think it should make them better. I don't think a bowl is likely for Purdue, but I think stability will be obvious. More stability will be obvious.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:38:25 In Year 2 under Barry Odom.

Dan Rubenstein 01:38:27 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:38:28 Is that a fair assessment?

Dan Rubenstein 01:38:29 I think so. Look, when you look at where Purdue was last year, Year 1 of Barry Odom, I'm looking at this now, I'm looking at their SP+ page. Sometimes schedules are just not fair for a Year 1 coach. So Purdue, after they played Southern Illinois on September 6th last year, in their final 10 games, of which they won zero of those games, okay, they played, so of those 10 games, nine of the 10 had top-40 SP+ defenses. That's a lot when you're trying to rebuild. It was another situation where he brought in a million new players.

Dan Rubenstein 01:39:10 I think the one was Rutgers, who they nearly beat, if memory serves. You have to judge Purdue based on progress this season, and not necessarily based on results. But if Purdue is indeed making progress, they will play more close games. They might steal a weird one. They almost did it, what was it, two or three years ago against Illinois, the Ryan Browne crazy shootout comeback situation. Like, we're just going to need to see more competitive Purdue. I know the Michigan game was relatively close last year too. But yeah, they've got to be scoring 27 points a lot more often to at least give themselves a fighting chance. And I think that's a fair mark to judge Barry Odom and this team against: how competitive they are. Because if they are getting to that 27-point threshold, they'll win more.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:40:01 It would.

Dan Rubenstein 01:40:01 But there's just not a lot you can point to right now saying, okay, this is the path.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:40:01 It would win more.

Dan Rubenstein 01:40:07 You know, they're going to bomb it downfield more. It's clear that Ryan Browne has a better fit with this offensive coordinator. Or look at all these edge rushers. You can see what they're going for that they brought in from the portal. Or, you know, their entire secondary is 24-and-a-half years old. It's not obvious, but I'm willing to be open to progress.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:40:26 And I think the additions that they did bring in create more of a legitimate competition on the roster at offensive line, at running back, receiver, probably the defensive backfield as well. Year 1 was very much like, let's just plug guys in, let's see what we've got. I'm sure there was more science behind it, but that's kind of how it felt from afar. This year, I feel like, just with more spirit of competition going on, that's not a bad thing. It just is going to take a while. We knew it was going to be a long rebuild. And frankly, with respect to the schedule...

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:41:03 Like, they've got to win Week 2 against Wake Forest because after that it's Notre Dame, Illinois, Minnesota, Washington, Penn State, Iowa, and Indiana, all after that. So it's like the season could be buried by mid-October, the way this thing shakes out. They're going to need to get some early wins against, you know, teams that maybe they have a shot at. I don't know. I'm optimistic that this can be a longer-term rebuild, but I don't think it's going to be the year for Barry Odom either.

Dan Rubenstein 01:41:33 There is a little Gumpiness to their schedule.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:41:35 There is a little bit.

Dan Rubenstein 01:41:35 If you're a believer in such things, that the Big... Yeah, the Big Ten scheduling overlords are like, okay, let's put Purdue square in the middle of this tough stretch for this team. I won't go through it one by one. We can go through a little bit in the team portion of the preview, but the overlords are trying, in Rosemont, Illinois, to help with Purdue on the upswing.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:41:58 solidverbal@gmail.com, as always, is the email address if you've got anything to say. This is Part 1. We've got Part 2 and Part 3 that are soon to follow. As I said at some point throughout the course of this episode, we broke it down into two groups of nine. In Part 2, we're going to cover Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, those three teams that we led off with, as well as Washington, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Rutgers, and Purdue. We'll cover the other nine coming up next week in Part 3.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:42:30 If you have yet to do so, please hit follow or subscribe. Leave us a star rating or review. If you want to help support the team, Verballers.com. And of course, if you want to get our free newsletter, solidverbal.com/newsletter. Again, good episode, a long episode, but we had a lot of ground to cover here as we talked about all things Big Ten. Please come back and listen to Part 2 and Part 3.

Dan Rubenstein 01:42:51 Sure.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:42:54 In the meantime, for that guy over there, my good friend Dan Rubenstein, for myself over here, Ty Hildenbrandt and Eastern PA, thank you for downloading, for listening, for supporting what we do.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:43:02 In the meantime, stay solid.