Coming back at you for another hump-day mailbag. Don't forget that you can tweet your questions (and follow all my brilliant thoughts) on Twitter @BennettESPN.
Let's begin:
@BennettESPN if MSU wins at Oregon, loses against OSU, but somehow wins the #B1G any chance they would get into the playoff?
— Stephen Henninger (@StephenVHenn) August 13, 2014.
Brian Bennett: I think it would be possible, yes. If Oregon went on to win the Pac-12, then the Big Ten would have a powerful argument for inclusion in the Playoff over the Pac-12 given that its champion beat their champion on the road. Yet it's a little hard to see Ohio State being good enough to win in East Lansing but still losing two other Big Ten games. That could also hurt the Big Ten's overall strength-of-schedule case unless the West Division champ had a great season.
A similar scenario could unfold for Wisconsin. Let's say the Badgers beat LSU in the opener but lose a game in the Big Ten before winning the league title. That should still be enough to get Wisconsin in, assuming LSU has a strong season. The selection committee is going to be looking closely at nonconference games to judge schedule and conference strength, so the Oregon and LSU games are important for everyone in the Big Ten.
Corey from East of Huskerland writes: With the autonomy ruling, and barring the former "Mid Majors" don't overrule the change, how do you think it will impact B1G recruiting deficiencies? For example, since I bleed Husker red, it's widely noted that recruiting kids to Lincoln has it's issues, being so far away from fertile recruiting grounds. Can this change allow teams, like my Huskers, to lessen that gap, lets say, with more abilities to help parents come to the games and so forth? Not only for Nebraska, but for the B1G as a whole.
Brian Bennett: That's a good question, and the answer remains to be seen. One of the items power conference leaders have talked about is covering travel expenses for families to travel to postseason games. But I haven't heard much, if any, talk about paying for families to travel to regular-season contests. That could change, though. A major issue for Nebraska, and many Big Ten teams, is allowing earlier official visits for prospects. Yet as Mitch Sherman noted in this morning's links, other leagues don't necessarily see that in their best interests.
There might be autonomy, but the new system still requires the following level of agreement to pass legislation: A) a 60 percent of the 80-member voting panel and three of the five power conferences, or B) a simple majority and four of the five power conferences. Can the Big Ten convince enough other schools and at least two other conferences to make those recruiting changes? Will there be some horse-trading going on, as some conferences barter to pass their pet projects? It will be fascinating to see how this all shakes out.
@ESPN_BigTen @BennettESPN with all the talent, and the quality assistants that UM currently has. Why is everyone writing of Michigan?
— jake latson (@latson_jacob) August 13, 2014.
Brian Bennett: I don't think it's writing off as much as playing wait and see with the Wolverines. No one is going to pick Michigan to finish ahead of Ohio State and Michigan State in the East Division, not after the Maize and Blue have gone 15-11 the past two seasons. There are still major concerns about the offensive line, and the running game -- outside of the quarterbacks -- has been abysmal of late. Still, as you mentioned, there is plenty of talent on hand, and I expect offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier to make a difference. Enough of a difference to be a true Big Ten title contender? I need to see that before I can believe it.
Brian W. from Athens, Ohio, writes: Dontre Wilson was used as a decoy much of last year. with the exit of Philly Brown what do you see as his roll this year?
Brian Bennett: Urban Meyer has said that Dontre Wilson wasn't strong enough last season to block or run between the tackles. "He was a hybrid guy that really wasn't great at anything," Meyer said. So Wilson didn't touch the ball much and was basically a non-factor down the stretch last season for the Buckeyes. And that's OK, because he was a true freshman, after all. Wilson has reportedly put on more than 20 pounds since the end of last season. I think you could see him excel now in that Percy Harvin-type, hybrid-back role where he can do a little bit of everything. Philly Brown is not a great comparison because he developed into a true No. 1 receiver, which Wilson probably never will be. But Wilson could be a very dangerous player if his strength and understanding of the game have now caught up to his elite speed.