Tuesday Tailgate: Big Week 1 matchups for Big Ten coaches
The annual spinning of college football's coaching carousel is as inevitable as the changing of the seasons. Overall the activity might have been a bit more subdued this offseason than in some recent years, but the Big Ten in particular saw the merry-go-round make stops at several high-profile programs — and that was even before Tim Beckman's removal at Illinois a mere week before the 2015 kickoff.
In addition to Illinois' Bill Cubit, three new head coaches in the B1G will lead their teams on to the field for the first time in the coming days, and none of them will have an easy time of it.
It is undoubtedly new Michigan mentor Jim Harbaugh who arrived on campus with the most fanfare. The former San Francisco 49ers head coach is back at his alma mater. He's already ignited the Wolverines' considerable fan base, but the program now has a lot of ground to make up on the league's current powers. Michigan's Thursday night opener at Utah (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1) won't be an easy win by any means.
The Wisconsin program enters 2015 on stronger footing as Paul Chryst takes the reins. But the 18th-ranked Badgers have an even tougher opening assignment Saturday night against No. 3 Alabama in Arlington, Texas (8 p.m. ET, ABC).
But perhaps the most intriguing hire in the Big Ten this season was Mike Riley, who takes over at Nebraska after a largely successful stint at Oregon State. Like Michigan, the Cornhuskers' faithful are not accustomed to finishing middle-of-the-pack in any league. It will be interesting to see if Riley's easy-going demeanor can win over the fans in Lincoln. The Huskers host a tricky opener against Brigham Young on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Around college football:
LSU coach Les Miles went to the hospital Monday and picked his starting quarterback after being discharged.
Unless you are looking to exercise, don't wear blue to Ohio State coach Urban Meyer's class.
TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin and Georgia running back Nick Chubb enter the 2015 season in the best position to win the Heisman, says Paste BN Sports' Paul Myerberg.
Associated Press national college football reporter Ralph Russo has published his early Playoff, conference championship and Heisman picks.
Everett Golson's dual threat ability won him the job as Florida State's starting quarterback.
The AP Top 25 was re-ranked by fan grammar.
Plus, watch for the Paste BN Sports' preseason All-America teams and the latest Football Four podcast later today at FootballFour.com.