Five Things to Watch For at Big Ten Media Days

Big Ten Football Media Days take place this week on Wednesday, July 26 and Thursday, July 27 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Rutgers will take part on Wednesday, July 26. Along with head coach Greg Schiano, the players representing the Scarlet Knights are Aaron Lewis, Deion Jennings and Johnny Langan. Schiano has his press conference at 11:15 a.m. and will be interviewed live at the BTN studio at 1:45 p.m. Lewis, Jennings and Langan will be interviewed on the Big Ten Network set at 4:15 p.m.

It’s the first major league appearance for new Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti. He has several hot topics to address and it will be fascinating to see how he handles the spotlight.

The Big Ten Network will broadcast both days of the event live on BTN and the FOX Sports app. Below are five topics to watch for across the league as well as the full schedule of coaches press conferences.

Northwestern Scandal

This would be a drama filled topic to begin with as the hazing scandal continues to grow. On Monday, another lawsuit was filed revealing new details and also accusations against current associate head coach Matt MacPherson. Considering Rutgers is set to host Northwestern in less than six weeks, it’s even more relevant for Scarlet Knight fans. Obviously it will be a major story at media days, but expect Rutgers to be asked about it as well. Handling difficult topics and questions is something Greg Schiano is typically very good at doing. He’ll also have the players well prepared on how to answer any sensitive questions in relation to playing Northwestern in the season opener. Overall, Northwestern will dominate the headlines this week at Big Ten Media Days.

Media Rights Deal

There hasn’t actually been any formal announcement by the Big Ten on the new media rights deal that former commissioner Kevin Warren was the architect of. There was some recent reporting by Front Office Sports that the actual deal wasn’t finalized upon Warren’s departure earlier this year to become the President of the Chicago Bears. Expect this to be the second biggest topic discussed this week. Petitti was brought in as Commissioner in large part due to his media rights experience at major networks in the past. He seems like an ideal candidate to clean up any mess left by Warren in finalizing the details of the reportedly multi-billion dollar deal agreed upon last year. With FOX, NBC and CBS involved, this is an opportunity for Petitti to shine early for the league. It will be interesting to hear his perspective and any updates he can provide.

Expansion

There has been speculation that the Big Ten is looking to expand further following the additions of USC and UCLA in 2024. There was a report last month that the league has vetted an additional ten schools for potential membership in the future. It will be interesting to see how Petitti handles questions on this area. It makes sense for the Big Ten to be looking forward and adding more schools makes sense based on the current geographic gap from the West Coast to the Midwest. I wouldn’t expect any specific update given, but it’s possible Petitti will give more concrete perspective on the mindset of the league in regard to potential expansion in the future.

No More Divisions

Getting reactions from all the coaches on the Big Ten after the league announced last month that it was doing away with divisions will be something interesting to watch for. We know the Big Ten East coaches are likely all happy after having to play head to head year after year. However, how will the coaches from the West address the change? Those schools never experienced having to play Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State every year. Now its possible they could in certain seasons. Some less obvious rivalries were not persevered. Also, opinions on the protected rivalries as well as the two team rotation every two years will be intriguing to hear.

Schiano’s Message

We know Schiano will be positive, that’s a given but whether he provides any new information remains to be seen. He could provide injury updates or some insight on players who took a step forward in their development since the spring. Of course, he’ll be asked about Northwestern and what Rutgers needs to do to improve this season. Schiano is very good with the national media but it would sure be nice if he threw the local beat guys and therefore, Rutgers fans, some juicy information in some way to ramp up the excitement level.

Here are the press conference schedules for Big Ten Media Days:

Wednesday, July 26

10:30 – 11:00 am Tony Petitti, Big Ten Commissioner

11:00 – 11:15 am  Bret Bielma, Illinois

11:15 – 11:30 am  Greg Schiano Rutgers

11:30 – 11:45 am Mel Tucker, Michigan State

11:45 – 12:00 pm David Braun, Northwestern

12:00 – 12:15 pm James Franklin, Penn State

12:15 – 12:30 pm Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

12:30 – 12:45 pm Ryan Day, Ohio State

Thursday, July 27

11:00 – 11:15 am  Tom Allen, Indiana

11:15 – 11:30 am  Mike Locksley, Maryland

11:30 – 11:45 am  PJ Fleck, Minnesota

11:45 – 12:00 pm Ryan Walters, Purdue

12:00 – 12:15 pm Matt Rhule, Nebraska

12:15 – 12:30 pm  Luke Fickell, Wisconsin

12:30 – 12:45 pm Jim Harbaugh, Michigan

Stay tuned to The Scarlet Faithful for complete coverage of Big Ten Media Days this week.

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