Big Ten Football Q&A: Is Everyone Going No-Huddle?

On Thursdays on The Big Ten Blog, we will feature questions from the B/R inbox, Twitter and e-mail. Do you have a question for next week's Q&A? Send them to Big Ten lead blogger Adam Jacobi via the B/R inbox, on Twitter @Adam_Jacobi or at [e-mail].

Aaron Ries (@awries): "With rumors of PSU, tOSU and Iowa implementing no huddle offenses during this off season, is this a trend likely to continue?"

I'm glad you asked. The no-huddle, like basically every innovation or adaptation of an offense, is designed to exploit a weakness of the opposing defense. Here, the weakness is almost always an aspect of either personnel or alignment; if the defense can't get an inferior set of players off the field in time, an offense can repeatedly create and exploit favorable matchups (think a 250-pound linebacker forced to cover a slot receiver).

Similarly, if a defense struggles enough with deciding its own matchups and implementing its plays quickly pre-snap, then that can be just as devastating to that defense as a player out of position or in a bad matchup. It takes a good working knowledge of the opposing defense, but that's sort of exactly what they pay coaches for.

So...can this be an advantage? Yes, and that is why the trend is spreading and will continue to spread—so long as it stays an advantage. The tipping point in the other direction will be when base defenses have the same amount of versatility as offenses do and can easily adjust to quick looks and unconventional packages.

You can see a bit of that in Michigan State's defense already, for example. Denicos Allen is a "linebacker," but he's about 5'11" and 230; he can play in space as well as anybody in the Big Ten. Similarly, even William Gholston has the versatility to play linebacker and has done so in certain packages during practice, so all of a sudden, going quick and just trying to throw a hot slant over Gholston's head isn't really an option anymore—not with the risk of him sitting on that route instead.

So to answer your question: The no-huddle, like all offensive trends, will continue until there's no reason for it. We're not there yet, so expect more and more in the coming weeks.

Brandon Folsom (@brandon_folsom): "Which B1G body bag game is most likely to turn in to an upset?"

I'm glad you asked. Obviously, "body bag game," is pretty subjective, so let's agree to set some sort of baseline for a definition (even though we can agree it's flawed, we need something), like perhaps the betting line projections from Beyond the Bets discussed earlier today. Let's say a body bag game is one with a projected line of over 14 points. That, in the Big Ten, is a pretty significant number—especially when the highest in that list is 23 points. (NOTE: there will certainly be actual lines higher than 23 in the Big Ten this year.)

Of those games, I'm looking hard at Northwestern at Michigan State, with a projected line of 16.5 points. Northwestern is an outright menace in November under Pat Fitzgerald, and I really like the Wildcats' improved front seven this year. Granted, Andrew Maxwell should be settled in enough as a passer that Michigan State's offense will be sufficiently two-dimensional, and I still obviously think Michigan State wins this one, but the inexplicable November loss to Northwestern is something a lot of Big Ten teams know about all too well.

Dave Fitzgerald (@buckeyefitzy): "When did Northern Illinois join the Big Ten? They are on BTN all the time..."

That's funny, and I'm glad you asked. The funny thing is, though, last year's NIU-Wisconsin game wasn't televised at all, and today, ESPN announced that this year's NIU-Iowa game will be on ESPNU, which is sort of like the Big Ten Network, but with more people only watching for gambling purposes. Don't gamble by the way, folks. Really, don't. Look at the lines but don't gamble. Anyway.

But this is good. I like jokes. Anyone got some jokes?

Kevin Bartner (@heshsson): "What if The Big Ten was called The Big Ditka?"

Then Illinois might finally be decent! I'm glad you asked.

Anyone else?

Christian S. (@C_J_Stick): "If Denard Robinson directed a film adaptation of the SNES game 'Battletoads', how much nudity would be in it?"

I'm...glad you asked?

Man. I, uh... there's a lot to unpack in this one. So we brought in Special Guest Star Nathan Fillion from the hit television show Castle come in to help. He's right there on the right.

Yeah, Nathan. Yeah.

The correct answer is, of course, "copious amounts." Denard Robinson does everything con gusto, and if that means toad boobs and toad butts and maybe even toad ding-dongs aplenty for his cinematic oeuvre, by God, that's what he'll do. Toad butts.