Ohio State’s quest to replace an incredible 16 starters, Michigan State’s journey back from its blowout playoff loss and Michigan’s search for its next great quarterback highlight a busy spring for the Big Ten. The conference was the king of the college football world following a breakout 2014 postseason, when the Buckeyes won the first-ever College Football Playoff, the Spartans beat the Baylor Bears in one of the best games of the season and the Big Ten went 5-5 overall despite being underdogs in each matchup. The league went 5-5 again in the 2015 postseason, highlighted by Ohio State’s drubbing of Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. But the Big Ten took a hit with Michigan State’s disastrous 38-0 defeat at the hands of Alabama in the playoff. The road back to college football’s biggest stage starts this spring. From new coaches taking over to established ones trying to reload, here are five coaches facing some of the league’s biggest challenges. When Rutgers hired former defensive coordinator Chris Ash away from Ohio State, his first evaluation of the program he inherited didn’t go well. It wasn’t on par with a team that expects to compete in a loaded Big Ten East Division, and he was frank about the ground his new program had to cover, via Steve Politi of NJ.com. Everybody thinks that the facility here is outstanding. I’ll tell you: It’s not. Just look around…
Continue Reading: Big Ten Football Coaches Facing the Toughest Tasks This Spring
