Spring practice in the Big Ten is already underway for three teams and by this time next week, no fewer than 10 of the conference’s 14 teams will find themselves on the practice field. The 2015 season may have seemed like it just ended, but programs are already getting started on the coming year. That makes today a great day for a Big Ten Q&A, as spring practice across the conference prepares to kickoff. As always, you can send me your questions each week on Twitter @BenAxelrod. This week we’ll tackle—not literally—the state of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, the Big Ten West division race, what Michigan State can expect in 2016 and the Buckeye’ new defensive coordinator. Let’s get started. @BenAxelrod all things considered, why do so many have Michigan rated ahead of Ohio State? — Matt Hafer (@matthafertweets) March 2, 2016 First of all, this isn’t necessarily true. While ESPN.com’s “way-too-early top 25” ranks Michigan third and Ohio State 10th, Sports Illustrated’s places the Buckeyes fourth and the Wolverines seventh. A larger search shows even more of a split opinion, with Ohio State and Michigan each generally being placed somewhere in the top 10 in the completely unscientific and subjective polls. But based on where Ohio State—and Michigan—have been in the past half-decade, it’s easy to understand why even that feels like blasphemy for Buckeyes fans. While the Buckeyes have put together a 50-4 record in the past four years, the Wolverines are celebrating a 10-3 season that would have been viewed as a massive failure in Columbus…
Continue Reading: Will Ohio State or Michigan Be Better in 2016?
