Big Ten Media Linkmania

Latest on Johnson: commenter Withnail (a Canadian, even) says this:

FWIW, TSN's Pierre McGuire just said (on the radio, in a phone interview): "I'll be shocked if Jack Johnson goes to UM." He's been talking to Carolina Hurricane execs who claim they are going to try to sign him and get him in their system this year.

McGuire has a rep as kind of a clown but now I'm firmly on the nervous, fingernail-chewing fence as regards Johnson. Rest assured that mgoblog will keep you up to date on all the frantic useless speculation on him until a decision is made.

It's Big Ten Media Day in Chicago. This means news:

• FB Roger Allison's career is over. Defensive lineman (and former high school tight end) Will Paul, a redshirt sophomore, has moved to FB to fill the void.
• The freshmen were given numbers. Prepare to be confused when Marlin Jackson takes the field on third and short (Kevin Grady is now number 3). Mario Manningham was given the decidedly unsexy 86. Antonio Bass got 18, which seems like it should go to someone shorter. I have no idea why I think that. I just think someone wearing 18 should be about 5'9". Someone help me.
• Michigan is picked to win the conference again. Ohio State and Iowa are next. Purdue is not in the top three.

You can catch Lloyd Carr on ESPN News at 2:45 PM. He'll probably say "tremendous" if you're into that.

Indiana safety Steve Brown will be announcing his college choice today at 4 PM. It's expected to be Michigan, as discussed previously.

Bruce Feldman (no pooftahs) pointed out this Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article on Badger head coach heir apparent Bret Bielema. Interesting: Bielema's only 35.

If you like gratutious fat-coach bashing (and let's be serious: you do) EDSBS has you covered. The following paragraph in the comments from Orson forced me to choke back laughter:

The fifth rank to Fulmer, who is very, very fat, is very, very unfair. Yeah, he’s not impressive on gameday. He’s not sophisticated. He’s a snitch, and he may or may not throw sacks of live kittens into the Tennessee River for his own amusement. (He wouldn’t do that, of course–too tasty!)

EDSBS is also on the "Ed Orgeron: Viking Warrior" beat, something which I dearly hope is covered around the clock with the intensity of Pac-10 nutballs knocking the SEC's scheduling.

Time for a return trip to Sexy Results and Ian's ever-expanding list of D-IA football rapper equivalents, which has now mushroomed into a thing beyond the control of mortal man. Only 3 BCS teams remain. Gotta collect 'em all!

Requisite Michi-blog-spotting: IBFC on the best programs of all time. Blah Me To Death with preseason-hype-up Ufer linkage. Yost Built remembers the hilariously hotheaded side of Al Montoya.