Big Ten football: Predicting the new coaches
Urban Meyer, Ohio State
As football fans start purchasing preview magazines to digest information gathered long before the opening of August camps, let’s look at the Big Ten Conference in another way.
Occasionally, we’ll conduct polls, where fans – either from their own research or from magazines – can vote on aspects of the 2012 season.
Some of the polls will be Big Ten-specific, while others will directly relate to Iowa.
We’re starting with coaches, considering the Big Ten welcomes three newcomers to their schools in the fall, only one of whom faces the Hawkeyes.
That’s Bill O’Brien at Penn State, whose Nittany Lions play at Iowa City on Oct. 20.
The others new guys on the Big Ten block are Urban Meyer at Ohio State and Tim Beckman at Illinois. The Buckeyes join the Hawkeyes’ schedule for two seasons starting in 2013, while the Illini don’t show up until 2015.
Meyer inherits 14 starters – seven on each side of the ball. The veterans include quarterback Braxton Miller, who seems a perfect fit for new OC Tom Herman’s spread attack. Herman came to the Buckeyes from Iowa State.
The tough part will be player motivation, considering Ohio State isn’t eligible for the postseason, due to NCAA infractions.
Speaking of scandals — that’s the gorilla hanging over O’Brien’s program, too.
The former New England Patriots OC’s biggest on-the-field task will be improving an offense that was horrible last season – at least from Penn State standards. Furthermore, all quarterbacks from 2012 return, and only time will tell if that’s a positive. 
What should be a solid defense will be tested against the likes of Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
Beckman has 14 starters returning at Illinois – seven and seven – and this includes quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, a better runner than passer.
That fits Beckman’s spread philosophy, an offense he used with success while coaching at Toledo.
The defense should be good – just more than half returns from a unit that ranked in the top 10 nationally in yards allowed.
Here’s who the three newcomers face in 2012:
ILLINOIS
Sept. 1 Western Michigan
Sept. 8 at Arizona State
Sept. 15 Charleston Southern
Sept. 22 Louisiana Tech
Sept. 29 Penn State
Oct. 6 at Wisconsin
Oct. 13 at Michigan
Oct. 27 Indiana
Nov. 3 at Ohio State
Nov. 10 Minnesota
Nov. 17 Purdue
Nov. 24 at Northwestern
OHIO STATE
Sept. 1 Miami Ohio
Sept. 8 Central Florida
Sept. 15 California
Sept. 22 Alabama-Birmingham
Sept. 29 at Michigan State
Oct. 6 Nebraska
Oct. 13 at Indiana
Oct. 20 Purdue
Oct. 27 at Penn State
Nov. 3 Illinois
Nov. 17 at Wisconsin
Nov. 24 Michigan
PENN STATE
Sept. 1 Ohio
Sept. 8 at Virginia
Sept. 15 Navy
Sept. 22 Temple
Sept. 29 at Illinois
Oct. 6 Northwestern
Oct. 20 at Iowa
Oct. 27 Ohio State
Nov. 3 at Purdue
Nov. 10 at Nebraska
Nov. 17 Indiana
Nov. 24 Wisconsin
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So now the question:
Category: Iowa Hawkeyes Football
