Brady Hoke is entering his third season as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. Fans have witnessed both sides of the fence his first two seasons, as a BCS bowl game was clinched in 2011 and a subpar 8-5 record was reached last season.

What is in store this time?

Michigan does return the fewest starters in the Big Ten with 12, but there are plenty of backups that picked up valuable experience. And while expectations are never low for Wolverines fans, there comes a point during the offseason where everybody has to put together a list of reasonable goals.

The Wolverines have a few.

A More Balanced Offense

Last season, Michigan was a running machine but lacked in the passing game. Michigan struggled at times to move the football and put points on the board, as it finished ranked 41st in rushing yards and 97th in passing yardage.

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And you thought the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry couldn't get any feistier than it is already.

We already know these two schools hate each other and absolutely refuse to refer to the other by name. Well, there are names that they refer to each other as, but they likely aren't appropriate for family time.

Nonetheless, Michigan has now decided to label its footballs as "made in the USA, not in Ohio." Wolverines wide receiver Bo Dever posted the picture on his Instagram for the world to see (h/t Yahoo Sports).

Oh, shots fired.

As if this rivalry needed any more hatred and reason for these schools to dislike one another, here you are. Any opportunity for one of these schools to poke fun at the other or a chance to remind people that the bad blood is still there, you can bet your bottom dollar it will be put into motion.

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It may hard to believe with today's Big Ten style of play, but this conference has produced some quality NFL starting quarterbacks. This is somewhat surprising when you consider that the Big Ten has earned the reputation of being an old school conference that prefers to run the ball and wear the opposing defense down.

Some of the best quarterbacks to ever play have come from Big Ten schools. There are a couple of Hall of Famers on this list, as well as two guys who will be giving a Hall of Fame speech once they retire. There are also a few guys who were slightly underrated during their NFL playing days.

The list of successful quarterbacks from this conference is much better than the running back position has provided.

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Despite what you may hear, elite recruits do decide to take their talents to the Big Ten. Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer made it known that he wasn't impressed with the conference's recruiting efforts, but top recruits have turned down offers from the SEC to play in the Big Ten.

A lot of these guys are from the 2013 recruiting class and will have a chance to make an impact as early as this season. Whether it is a star running back, hard-nosed defensive player or a future star quarterback, the Big Ten is a conference whose freshmen you probably should pay attention to this fall.

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It's almost a forgone conclusion that Ohio State and Michigan will boast two of the best recruiting classes in the 2014 cycle, but arguing about which program will come away with the better class is the topic that both fanbases want to discuss. 

The two major Big Ten programs usually compete for many of the same recruits, and determining which program has the better class normally comes down to which one wins these head-to-head recruiting battles.

Everything in this rivalry is a competition, and that includes recruiting.

With that in mind, here are three recruits who Michigan and Ohio State will be fighting for in this recruiting cycle:

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The middle of the offseason has reached a midpoint, and that means summer college football previews are right around the corner. Phil Steele and many others will be hitting local bookshelves in stores within the next month, which feels like the unofficial kickoff to football season.

Before those other experts give us their opinions, let's get things started with the Bleacher Report Big Ten Football 2013 Preseason All-Conference teams.

Following a spring filled with story lines off the field, including the notable lack of Big Ten players taken in high rounds in the NFL draft, it is nice to begin focusing on those who will shine on the field in the fall. Thankfully there is not a massive power loss at the top of the conference in talented players.

Will your favorite player make the cut? Let's take a look!

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A recent Sports Illustrated report has questioned the alleged decision by Penn State athletic director David Joyner to relieve Wayne Sebastianelli of his duties. Sebastianelli was the team's director of athletic medicine and orthopedic surgeon-head physician. 

Is this a big deal?

The report indicates that both former and current players are concerned about the school's health care program.

Coach Bill O'Brien called the report a "character assassination," according to the The Philadelphia Inquirer:

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It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine, especially if you've scoped out the latest class recruiting rankings released by ESPN.

At least for now, the Wolverines are indeed "the leaders and the best" in the world of college football recruiting—according to ESPN.

Tom VanHaaren of ESPN tweeted out the link to the newest rankings, with Michigan all alone on top:

Eight of Michigan's nine commitments are ESPN 150 recruits. 

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