Good morning, and Happy Birthday to Charles Darwin, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Russell and Arsenio Hall. That would be quite a golf foursome.
Did Penn State almost get kicked out of the Big Ten?
That nuclear option, which was rumored in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, might have been seriously discussed by Big Ten leadership. That's according to testimony by NCAA president Mark Emmert in a deposition, which was released in a huge document dump Wednesday as part the legal case against the NCAA brought by Pennsylvania state Sen. Jake Corman.
Emmert said there were talks about removing Penn State from the NCAA and added that "my understanding is the Big Ten talked about whether they would expel them from the Big Ten." Emmert also said that "the range of issues and penalties that were being considered covered the gamut, again because of the extraordinary nature of these circumstances."
Let's not forget the disgust and outrage directed toward the university after the scandal hit and after the Freeh Report was released. Whether the Big Ten ever came close to ousting Penn State might never be known. But that would have been the wrong move then, and given how the NCAA has had to backpedal and defend itself in court proceedings since, it's a good thing the league didn't follow that path.
Proposed rule changes for 2015
In news that sheds a more competent light on the NCAA, the football rules committee supported some changes for next season. The most significant potential rule change would be in how the ineligible man downfield penalty would be called. The proposal calls for blockers to be ineligible if they are one yard past the line of scrimmage instead of the current three, unless they are engaged with a defensive player when a pass is released.
Defensive coordinators hate that spread offenses have been getting away with having linemen downfield on passing plays, and teams like Ohio State, Indiana, and Northwestern might be most affected by the change in how this would be called, if approved.
There also could be testing of new technology systems at bowl games next season, including the use of computers on the sidelines and allowing coaches to communicate through the helmets of one player on offense and defense. The NFL has had this in place for more than two decades, and it's about time college football got on board. I've always been confused about the lack of technology in football despite all the money in the sport -- really, chain gangs are still the best we can do, guys? -- and hopefully this is a step toward the, uh, 20th century.
The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel would have to approve these proposals on March 5.
East Division
This is really interesting: Rutgers is reportedly on the verge of hiring a business mogul who has no football experience as part of its shakeup of the recruiting staff.
There will be two new starting cornerbacks for Michigan State this season, even if one of them has a familiar name.
Indiana tight end Jordan Fuchs is joining the Hoosiers basketball team, and he had mad skills in high school.
Jim Harbaugh is in hot pursuit of quarterbacks for his 2016 class, including one of the top juniors who's coming to the spring game.
The Ohio State championship celebration reached the Ohio statehouse on Wednesday.
West Division
Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Aranda interviewed with the Green Bay Packers. Badgers tickets are about to get a little more expensive.
Can Mike Riley solve Nebraska's recruiting challenges?
A spring preview for Illinois.
How did Iowa do in recruiting offensive linemen?
Recapping Purdue's defensive line signees.
Minnesota announced its spring dates.