Big Ten Football Morning Coffee: The Wolverines Are One Man's Champions

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

Bob Asmussen of IlliniHQ.com released his early Top 10, and sitting atop the list is Michigan. Well, Bob, that's one way to get noticed. Wisconsin also creeps up to No. 6 in his rankings.

Now, the list isn't binding in any way, as the preseason AP ballot doesn't get sent in for another two months or so, but still: high praise in Champaign for the Wolverines.

Cleveland cornerback Joe Haden, who played for Urban Meyer at Florida, talked to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Bill Livingston about what it's like to play in a Meyer regime. It's nothing terribly new—surprise, it's competitive—but the article is worth sharing if only for the revelation that Meyer pitted Cam Newton and Brandon Spikes against one another in a "headcracker" drill.

So don't be shocked when you hear reports of Braxton Miller and Ryan Shazier being placed into a bare-knuckle fisticuffs match over who gets the last red Gatorade; it's just competition, y'all.

Michigan State is reaping the fruits of its recent successes, and the latest report from the Lansing State Journal is that the team is nearly sold out of season tickets already.

Michigan State associate AD John Lewandowski said fewer than 300 season tickets are left, and single-game tickets will probably be limited to a game or two. Makes sense: the Spartans are on a near-historic roll, and this season's home slate is incredible. Good on you if you've got tickets.

Wisconsin will be giving away its old turf bit by bit, says associate athletic director Justin Doherty in a report by the Wisconsin State Journal. Wisconsin recently upgraded to Field Turf, and was faced with the obvious dilemma of what to do with about 50,000 square feet of used turf.

Rather than try to sell it, Doherty says the turf will likely go to people who donate to a new Student Center. So that's cool. Help upgrade UW's infrastructure, and get a low-cost solution to carpeting your master bedroom! Win-win!