2020 Big Ten Football spring schedule, storylines and burning questions

Can Ohio State win it all? Can Michigan finally beat Ohio State? Is Nebraska back? Big Ten football storylines as spring practices get underway.

This is March, but I’m not here to write about March Madness and the NCAA Tournament. I’m here to get you pumped for Big Ten football spring practice and what you should be keeping an eye as practices get underway.

Northwestern and Purdue got an early start on spring practice as they got started in late February. Jokers will say they needed the extra time to get ready for the season after disappointing seasons last year. Ohio State is the only other program practicing with the rest of the Big Ten getting started later in March.

These are some of the pressing storylines and questions we should get answers to later this spring.

What can Ryan Day do for an encore at Ohio State?

It was as seamless of a coaching transition as you could imagine for Ohio State with Ryan Day picking up where Urban Meyer left off. Day led the Buckeyes to another Big Ten championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff. They didn’t win it all after losing to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl — one of the best bowl games — in years.

Heisman finalist Justin Fields returns to guide the offense that has been one of the best in the nation in the last two years. Fields should put up video-game numbers and return to the Heisman ceremony as long as he’s healthy. But the Buckeyes will have to figure out how they replace J.K. Dobbins at running back and who the next All-American defensive end will be with Chase Young off to the NFL.

Can Minnesota take the next step?

P.J. Fleck led Minnesota to their best season in decades with an 11-2 record and a tie for first in the Big Ten West. The Gophers didn’t get to play in the Big Ten Championship Game after losing to Wisconsin in their annual rivalry game. But they did win the Outback Bowl and finished as the No. 10 team in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.

Minnesota got a taste of winning and they’re going to want a bigger bite this season but can the Gophers take the next step to knock off Wisconsin and win the West? Minnesota loses wide receiver Tyler Johnson, running back Rodney Smith and All-Big Ten safety Antoine Winfield, Jr. who led the team in tackles and had seven interceptions. How they replace that production will be vital toward replicating last year’s success. The return of second-team All-Big Ten quarterback Tanner Morgan and wide receiver Rashod Bateman will help in making the leap.

How much better will Nebraska be in Year 3 under Scott Frost?

There’s no way around it. Scott Frost has been a disappointment the first two years he’s been back in Lincoln. Nebraska has won only nine games in his first two seasons combined as the rebuilding effort was much more elaborate than some may have thought. It wasn’t a quick-fix, but in Year 3, is the time now for the Huskers to make a run and win nine games? How about having a winning record and returning to a bowl game for the first time since 2016?

That’ll be a start for Nebraska and if they’re going to get there it’s on quarterback Adrian Martinez. Like Frost, Martinez came to Lincoln with high expectations but for myriad reasons hasn’t been able to deliver on the hype. Luke McCaffrey has looked promising in his limited time under center and a competition for the starting job could linger into the summer. The job belongs to Martinez but don’t be surprised if McCaffrey takes it from him.

How will Mel Tucker fare at Michigan State, Greg Schiano at Rutgers?

The coaching carousel lasted into February this year after the sudden retirement from Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio. After a few of their top candidates rebuffed their interest, the Spartans eventually convinced Mel Tucker to say yes after he initially rejected their overtures. Tucker left Colorado after one season where he went 5-7. Tucker is a defensive-minded coach who played at Wisconsin before getting into coaching. He worked under Nick Saban at Michigan State as a grad assistant, later at LSU as his defensive backs coach and lastly at Alabama where he was an assistant head coach and coached defensive backs. Spartans are hoping the Saban effect will rub off on Tucker.

Greg Schiano is back at Rutgers for his second stint as the head coach of the Scarlet Knights. Schiano went 68-67 in 11 seasons from 2001-2011 that produced winning seasons in six of his last seven seasons, including an 11-2 season in 2006 where they finished as the No. 12 team in the nation. In many ways, Schiano’s success was largely responsible for making Rutgers an attractive enough candidate to join the Big Ten. But can Schiano win at Rutgers in the Big Ten like he did when they were in the Big East? It’s highly unlikely but will be interesting to see play out.

Can Penn State or Michigan close the gap on Ohio State?

Ohio State runs the Big Ten. That’s not breaking news. But can Penn State or Michigan close the gap and pull off an upset? For Michigan, they were the media pick to win the Big Ten last year because of the return of Shea Patterson and, really, because of the uncertainty at Ohio State with Day taking over for the retired Meyer. The media were wrong. Shocker. Patterson was up-and-down and the running game wasn’t consistent enough to take the pressure off his right shoulder. Nevertheless, the expectations every year in Ann Arbor are to beat Ohio State and win the Big Ten. If that’s going to happen, it’ll hinge on who wins the quarterback competition between Dylan McCaffrey and Joe Milton.

Penn State has played Ohio State tougher than anyone in the Big Ten the last few years but has still been unable to make a playoff appearance. The Nittany Lions went 11-2 last year but had questions on offense. Can new offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarocca bring the same level of success he had last year at Minnesota?

Big Ten football spring practice starts, spring game

• Illinois – March 23, April 18
• Indiana – TBA, April 17
• Iowa – TBA, TBA
• Maryland – March 24, April 25
• Michigan – March 17, April 18
• Michigan State – March 17, April 18
• Minnesota – TBA, TBA
• Nebraska – TBA, TBA
• Northwestern – Feb. 25, TBA
• Ohio State – March 2, April 11
• Penn State – March 18, April 18
• Purdue – Feb. 24, April 4
• Rutgers – TBA, April 25
• Wisconsin – March 10, April 18

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