Big Ten Football Morning Coffee: We Hope Husker Fans Like Baseball Too

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

Nebraska fans who bought tickets to Saturday's rained-out spring game can either use them for a Nebraska baseball/softball game or get advance credit for the 2013 spring game.

Meanwhile, Steven M. Sipple of HuskerExtra.com thinks fans still ought to get their early look at Husker football this year by being allowed to attend an August practice. That's cute how he thinks there's a football program out there somewhere that doesn't turn into the Kremlin in August.

Fullback Zach Boren is about to get more involved as a rusher in the Ohio State lineup under Urban Meyer, according to BuckeyeXtra.com.

More involved, you say? But what about the spread, you ask?

Here's the thing: When there aren't eight or nine guys in the box, giving the ball to the fullback between the tackles a couple of times a game is tactically wise. It's a nearly guaranteed positive-yardage play against a soft defense in the middle, and it keeps linebackers from sprinting away toward your speed guys at the snap.

Brian Cook at MGoBlog watched the spring game, and he liked Will Campbell, hated Devin Gardner and found the whole thing terrifically dull, because the coaches weren't going to open up the playbook for Nick Saban and Alabama five months before the fact.

Tim Beckman is trying to intensify the rivalry between Illinois and Northwestern, and that's starting in the locker room with this sign.

OK, look, I know that geographically, this rivalry makes sense. The Big Ten has protected it, both traditionally and in the new divisional arrangement. They even have a trophy for it (do you know what it is without looking?).

But, like, name one on-field incident between Illinois and Northwestern football that would lead you to believe there's any animosity there whatsoever. Name one thing that one team has taken away from the other. We'll wait.