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Now that spring practice is over, we're examining the most indispensable players on each Big Ten team for the 2013 season. By indispensable, we don't necessarily mean best. We mean the players who would be hardest to replace between now and the st...

A few days ago, we noted that Erin Henderson has been preparing to be the Minnesota Vikings' middle linebacker in 2013, presumably at the suggestion of coaches. Friday, coach Leslie Frazier said Henderson was one of several options. The other candida...

Spring, is that really you? Nah, just teasin'. An excellent statistical breakdown of the new Big Ten divisions. The Big Ten is gradually phasing out games against FCS teams. BTN's Gerry DiNardo isn't a huge fan of the new division setup. Tom Dien...

The gap between the Big Ten and the SEC not only is widening on the field, but on the NFL draft boards. While the SEC produced a record 63 picks in the 2013 NFL draft -- eight more than any conference in any draft in the modern era and 32 more tha...

Reading Mel Kiper Jr.'s grades the morning after the draft is like a holiday tradition. No matter how much we all understand intuitively that it's impossible to project future success, we still want to know what the man who has spent three decades e...

Happy draft weekend to you. We'll have a full Big Ten recap on Monday. Dan from Dallas writes: Hi, Adam. A couple of years ago, you referenced a very good article about demographics and college football fan bases. The basic argument in that articl...

The spectacle known as the NFL draft kicks off tonight in New York with the first round. As Brian pointed out late last week, the Big Ten is in danger of going without a first-round selection for the first time since the NFL-AFL merger. Mel Kiper ...

In honor of "College Football Playoff," I'm calling this intro line "Lunchtime Links Intro Line." Two Iowa defensive backs left the team. Kirk Ferentz says the proposed Big Ten realignment "makes perfect sense." Iowa approved a conflict-of-intere...

We're taking a page from our friends at the ACC blog and examining whether certain Big Ten teams will be contenders or pretenders in the 2013 season. The series does not include Ohio State, Michigan or Nebraska -- three teams that, in our view, have ...

Unless you've been living in a world without ESPN, the Internet or sports talk radio, you're well aware that the NFL draft begins Thursday night. What will the weekend hold for Big Ten products? Who will be the top pick from the league? Which play...

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Welcome to Year 2 of the Bill O'Brien era. Fans saw the first glimpse of what's in store for the Nittany Lions this season during Saturday's annual Blue-White Game. And while many starters saw limited time and others were hel...

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Saturday's annual scrimmage, known as the Blue-White Game, will offer fans a nice reprieve as they wait more than 20 weeks for the college season to kick off. Saturday will be the first time most of last season's freshmen wil...

Most prospects won't spend the draft day with the commish. So for the sixth straight year, ESPN The Magazine took five less-appreciated future pros -- Kenny Stills, Zeke Motta, Robert Lester, Michael Mauti and Chase Thomas -- to NYC.

Happy tax day. Not surprisingly, former Michigan State commit Drake Harris gave his pledge to Michigan. The Wolverines figure to be more athletic with its defensive front four. Defensive end Frank Clark said his arrest last year was a turning poi...

On paper, Penn State returns only one starter at linebacker (Glenn Carson) and loses two All-Big Ten players (Michael Mauti and Gerald Hodges) at the position. But anyone who watched the Nittany Lions' defense in 2012 knows junior Mike Hull isn't ...

When the NCAA leveled severe sanctions against Penn State last summer and made it easy for players to transfer, roster depth became an immediate short-term concern. It almost certainly looked to be a long-term problem. How would Penn State fare wi...