Five straight days. Four of the top five teams in the country. Three different time zones. Two visits from the College Gameday crew. All in one week of Big Ten football.
The first weekend of college football in 2015 will be blanketed with Big Ten storylines. Fans will be able to watch a team from the league play every day from Thursday to Monday on some of the nation’s biggest stages in venues that stretch nearly coast to coast. Ohio State ended last season on a high note, and the rest of the conference is doing its best to keep that rolling after a long offseason.
To get prepared for a busy week ahead, here’s a handful of items worth paying attention to between now and Labor Day.
Coaching Debuts
Michigan, Wisconsin and Nebraska all get fresh starts this weekend with the debuts of new coaching staffs. None of them gets to ease into the year either. The Cornhuskers play BYU and star quarterback Taysom Hill at home to kick off the Mike Riley era Saturday. Jim Harbaugh makes his much anticipated debut at Michigan on the road against a tough Utah team on Thursday night. Paul Chryst’s first game with the Badgers is a neutral site match-up with No. 3 Alabama.
Badgers head to Jerry World
Speaking of Wisconsin, College Gameday’s first stop of the 2015 season will be in Dallas for one of the better nonconference tilts of Week 1 at AT&T Stadium. The Crimson Tide present a difficult match-up for the run-heavy offense the Badgers are expected to put on the field again this fall. An upset on Saturday night, though, would be a huge step in helping the Big Ten continue its reputation repair.
Illini Turmoil
Many folks predicted Tim Beckman wouldn’t survive the year as the head coach in Illinois, but no one expected him to be ousted before the season even started. The Illini dumped Beckman last Friday, naming offensive coordinator Bill Cubit as the interim coach. The story is far from over, but the intrigue this week will center on how the team prepares for its first game in a unique situation. They host Kent State Friday night. But the Michigan State-Western Michigan game that night probably will produce the more entertaining on-field product.
Minnesota takes another swing at TCU
The Gophers will start their season in the spotlight as well, hosting No. 2 TCU on Thursday night. The Horned Frogs are a popular pick to land in the playoffs at the end of the season, but Minnesota is their stiffest nonconference challenge. Preseason all-Big Ten cornerbacks Eric Murray and Briean Boddy-Calhoun will have their hands full against Heisman candidate Trevone Boykin and one of the country’s most potent passing attacks.
Ohio State starts its title defense
Ohio State, the first unanimous No. 1 in an AP preseason poll, is a runaway favorite to return to the College Football Playoff. The road there starts next Monday night in Blacksburg against the only team to beat the Buckeyes last year -- Virginia Tech. That game also will bring some closure to the most interesting quarterback battle in recent memory. Will it be J.T. Barrett or Cardale Jones?