Big Ten Daily (Aug. 23): Why Greg Schiano Believes Big Ten is 'Ultimate Conference'
We've reached a point in the evolution of college athletics where two major conferences run the show: the Big Ten and SEC. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano might be a little biased, but he believes it's the Big Ten that is setting the pace in college athletics.
Schiano has coached in two different leagues in his two stints with Rutgers — the (now defunct) Big East and Big Ten. Although playing in the Big Ten is difficult, Schiano loves the challenge.
"We're playing in the Big Ten Conference, what I believe is the ultimate conference in college athletics," Schiano said in an interview with NBC. "In football, it's the sweet spot between elite football and elite academics. No matter how much — there's NIL, transfer portal, all those things — it's still college football.
"To have the academic institutions we have in this league, yet still play at the level we do, that to me is what it's all about."
Life gets even more difficult in the Big Ten beginning this year. The league added Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington, four institutions that fit the conference's mold of high academic standard and athletic success.
The conference now includes 18 teams and reaches from coast to coast. Some might hate the new look, but Schiano is embracing it with open arms.
"The biggest challenge is four really good programs. So, we just upped the level again — which I love," Schiano said. "Then there's the travel, you're talking about tip-to-tip, New York to (Los Angeles). So, you're talking about spanning the whole country.
"But I think it's great. To have Big Ten football on all day, all night, that's awesome."
McNamara (currently) Iowa's QB1
It sounds like Cade McNamara will be Iowa's starting quarterback for its Week 1 game against Illinois State. Coach Kirk Ferentz provided an update on the current situation with a week until the opener.
"If we had a game tomorrow, Cade would be one, Brendan (Sullivan) would be two and Marco (Lainez) would be three," Ferentz said on Thursday.
McNamara suffered a season-ending injury after playing in just five games for the Hawkeyes a season ago. He threw for 505 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 51.1% of his passes.
There's still a week left until the Hawkeyes take the field against Illinois State at Kinnick Stadium. So, something could change. But, for now, McNamara will be the guy under center to start the 2024 campaign.
Ryan Day's replacement?
We haven't even kicked off Week 0 yet and already ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard is making wild assumptions about Ryan Day's job status. In an appearance on Get Up, the former Michigan star suggested that Ohio State new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly could be the team's new head coach if things go wrong in 2024.
"I think the people at Ohio State just pushed all of their chips to the center of the table, they went and spent about $13 million on college football's version of free agents, with the portal and NIL," Howard said. "Not only that, but some fans would say, 'If we got rid of Ryan Day, who would we hire?'
"They went out and hired Chip Kelly as the offensive coordinator. So, if things awry, I think they have somebody who's behind Ryan Day (with Chip Kelly). I think Ryan Day is on the hot seat right now."
Reminder, Ohio State is 56-8 with Day as the coach, winning two BIg Ten titles and making three College Football Playoff appearances.
The greatest knock against Day is that he's lost to Michigan each of the last three years — a huge disappointment in Columbus. There's certainly pressure to win that game, put would it really put him on the hot seat?
It seems a little early to make that kind of prediction.
Related Big Ten stories
FERENTZ SUSPENDED 1 GAME: Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has been suspended one game for an alleged violation regarding Cade McNamara's recruitment from the transfer portal in 2022. CLICK HERE
RUTGERS LB SUFFERS ACL INJURY: Veteran Rutgers linebacker Mohamed Toure suffered a torn ACL and will miss the 2024 season. He had 93 tackles, 3.5 sacks and an interception in 2023. CLICK HERE
BIG TEN PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: A total of 19 Big Ten football players were named to the Associated Press' 2024 preseason All-America teams. CLICK HERE
DUSTIN SCHUTTE