The Big Ten takes its turn on center stage Thursday and Friday in Chicago at the league's annual media days and kickoff luncheon. To help get you prepared, we continue our preview of the event with a look at a few of the most important questions each team will face from the assembled writers and broadcasters.
To close, let's look at Wisconsin, the favorite of Big Ten media to win the West Division under first-year coach Paul Chryst. Chryst is a natural fit at his alma mater after spending three seasons in his first head-coaching gig at Pittsburgh.
With Chryst, senior safety Michael Caputo, senior quarterback Joel Stave and junior running back Corey Clement will meet with the media on Thursday.
How does Stave avoid the inconsistency of last year? There's no way to sugarcoat the troubles of last season for Stave, who missed the opening four games while unable to throw because of a mental block. He fought through down periods over the remainder of the season. Some Wisconsin fans may not regain trust in the fifth-year senior, who arrived in Madison during Chryst's six-year stint as offensive coordinator. But he remains the Badgers' best option and a primary key to their West Division title hopes -- with a realistic opportunity to reach 30 career wins as a starter. Media in Chicago and fans who tuned him out last year after the unusual September will be intrigued by his maturity and genuine willingness to use the episode as a tool to grow. He fits well with Chryst, a chemistry that could help soothe concerns about the QB early this fall.
How does Chryst fit on the big stage? The Badgers have always done things their own way. When all of college football shifted into aerial overload on offense, Wisconsin doubled down on the ground game. Since Barry Alvarez's time as coach, this program has taken pride in a recruiting plan that rates as somewhat unconventional among the top schools with which Wisconsin keeps company. So it's not ruffling any feathers back home if Chryst lacks some of the smooth talk and charisma that earn points for peers James Franklin and Urban Meyer. Chryst likely fits in well among the likes of West Division rivals Mike Riley, Jerry Kill and Kirk Ferentz. It will be interesting to gauge the presence he commands in Chicago amid a room of big personalities.
Can Clement avoid the pressure of following Melvin Gordon? Wisconsin's new featured back, who ran for 949 yards and 11 touchdowns as a backup last season to the Heisman Trophy runner-up, surely expects most interviews in Chicago to include the obligatory questions about Gordon. Clement has handled it all with grace so far, praising the example set by Gordon. But Clement has yet to face the type of inquisition on tap for Thursday. At every turn, he'll get to discuss the big shoes left to fill. His patience with the topic may serve as a precursor of Clement's ability to handle his actual assignment in 2015 -- which, of course, revolves around creating his own legacy; not striving to duplicate Gordon's record-breaking final season.