What to Expect at Big Ten Media Days 2012

The Big Ten media days will be underway before you know it, as they kick off the two-day event on July 26.

Those two days will give the media plenty of opportunities to ask the questions they have been waiting several months to ask. It will also give everyone the chance to make up for lost time and see exactly what each and every team has been up to during the offseason. 

There are plenty of storylines surrounding this conference heading into the 2012 season. Here are some of the main things you should expect during the Big Ten media days, which should be a media frenzy.

Playoffs?

The Big Ten Conference has not produced a national champion since the 2002 season, when the Ohio State Buckeyes knocked off the Miami Hurricanes. Now, many believe they will have a much better chance with a new playoff format taking place in 2014.

If previous media days have shown us anything, it is that every coach will get asked about what they think of the new playoff format. But I am more interested into hearing about their opinions when it comes to where the games are played. Plenty of Big Ten teams wanted home playoff semifinal games, but unfortunately for them, they will be held on current bowl sites instead.

Regardless, expect plenty of playoff talk during the next couple of days.

Pac-12/Big Ten Cancel Potential Schedule

The Big Ten and Pac-12 recently cancelled talks about a possible schedule agreement that would have taken place in 2017. The two conferences would have played a round-robin football schedule that would have included a total of 12 games a year and would have likely added another rivalry to the college football season.

Unfortunately for the fans of this wonderful game, the deal did not fall through, so the coaches will be asked several questions about this breakup.

Would you have liked to see it take place? Why do you believe the deal wasn't able to get done? Are there any alternatives that the Big Ten Conference is looking at now that the deal didn't get finalized?

This should be interesting.

New Coaches Make Big Ten Debut

We all know about Urban Meyer and the amount of attention he is going to create once he steps up to the podium. But he is not the only new coach who will make his Big Ten media debut. Tim Beckman is taking over for Illinois after the Fighting Illini had a horrible season collapse under Ron Zook. And, of course, Bill O'Brien will make his head coaching debut at Penn State.

All three coaches should receive a warm welcome into the Big Ten. But they will also likely receive tons of similar questions on how they plan to improve their programs moving forward.

Penn State to Be Mentioned Hundreds of Times

Penn State has been a popular topic during media days so far, and you expect that to continue, especially in the Big Ten Conference.

Not only will Penn State be represented during these media days, and it will likely receive many questions that have to do with off-the-field issues, but the media will certainly want the opinion of other coaches on these issues within the conference.

If you were sick of hearing about the Penn State issues before, you have not seen anything yet. Expect the Nittany Lions to be an extremely hot issue during the Big Ten media days.

Heisman Trophy Contenders

The Big Ten has not had a Heisman winner since Ohio State's Troy Smith pulled it off back in 2006. Despite the drought, there will be plenty of 2012 candidates in the building representing the conference during media days.

Some of these players include Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, Wisconsin running back Montee Ball and Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead.

Can any of these players step up and bring the hardware back to the Big Ten this season?

You can bet that these players will be asked that question and many more regarding college football’s most prestigious award.