Big Ten Football Morning Coffee: Nebraska Will Be Running the Ball This Year

Rise and shine, friends. Here's what's going down in the Big Ten today.

Nebraska is loaded at running back, returning Rex Burkhead, top reserves Ameer Abdullah and Aaron Green and adding true freshman Imani Cross and 250-pound big back Mike Marrow of Eastern Michigan. Marrow's also in the mix at fullback, but coaches have praised his ability to rush as a tailback.

Meanwhile, Iowa looks at that running back depth and wonders why it can't have nice things. And then a piano falls on the Hawkeyes top backup.

Ohio State had a productive weekend, securing two commitments in running back Ezekiel Elliott and safety Jayme Thompson. Both are four-star recruits (and Thompson a former West Virginia commit), so really they're big-time recruits for most schools and pretty much par for the course for Ohio State. The Buckeyes are now up to seven commitments on the season, second only to Michigan's 16.

Former Penn State defensive end Jack Crawford's agent issued a statement over the weekend saying the player had not lived in his apartment (you know, the one that got raided for drugs and paraphernalia) since December. That's good news for Crawford's reputation, but the statement might also mean good news for WR Devon Smith—more on that later today.

In more positive news for Penn State, the late Joe Paterno's family announced that they were setting up the Paterno Foundation, a non-profit group intended to, in their (and JoePa's) words, "make an impact." The foundation has already begun selling DVDs of Joe Paterno's memorial service for $19.95 with proceeds benefiting the Special Olympics.

Bret Bielema says he's not worried about how the transfer acquisitions of Danny O'Brien and Russell Wilson affect the Badgers reputation. Aren't outgoing transfers supposed to be what harms a team's image? Also, four-star QB Bart Houston is still a redshirt freshman this year. Wisconsin won't be in the market for another graduate transfer until at least 2016.