Big Ten media days -- And so it begins

CHICAGO -- This is the time of year for questions about things that won't have concrete answers for several weeks.

And leadership. The leadership question will be asked countless times this week as Big Ten media days unofficially kick off the 2010 football season.

Everyone wants answers. Maybe not to the leadership question, which is a majorly difficult concept to illustrate without eye witness examples. It's a "when you see" it kind of thing.

What can we reasonably expect answers to the next two days?

Big Ten divisions for the 2011 season could be set. They might be now. Big Ten athletics directors meet Monday morning to discuss the topic. Nebraska AD Tom Osborn is in town to represent the Huskers, who'll join the Big Ten in 2011.

The discussion is scheduled to continue Tuesday, so the issue could also be tabled. They've got an entire calendar year to figure out how to keep a conference with 12 (yeah, 12) trophy games .

Don't expect any hard news on the topic of expansion, but the question will come up.

Wisconsin athletics director Barry Alvarez told the Detroit Free Press on Friday that he feels the conference could look east for its next school. Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany has continually pointed to the 12-to-18 month expansion study. That study is in its eighth month. The conference added Nebraska in June.

“I'm not sure about continued expansion, but it would not surprise me. Our commissioner (Jim Delany) thinks outside the box and is always thinking how to be progressive and proactive,” Alvarez told the Free Press. “We will continue to study expansion throughout this year. It would not surprise me if we continue to expand. We've always talked about and had research done that we haven't taken full advantage of Penn State being in the east and we need someone else in the league from the east to maximize Penn State. It wouldn't surprise me if we went that way.”

The agents question will be asked. It was a hot topic during SEC media days, and so it'll be brought up here, whether it's a worthy topic or not. Remember, the SEC inquiry came in the wake of an alleged party in South Beach. The Big Ten has no equivalent of South Beach.

Who's on the hot seat? Michigan's Rich Rodriguez might have a few thoughts there. And don't go anywhere Minnesota's Tim Brewster and Illinois' Ron Zook.

Tomorrow morning, the Big Ten will reveal how the media covering this event voted on the top three teams and the preseason offensive and defensive players. According to HawkeyeDrive.com, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz told the Golden Harvest I-Club crowd Saturday night that the Hawkeyes were voted No. 2.

Ohio State, which has won five straight Big Ten titles, will likely be No. 1. Wisconsin will be in the mix, too.

Candidates for Big Ten offensive player will be Wisconsin running back John Clay and Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor. On the defensive side, Michigan State linebacker Greg Jones and Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn are the two main contenders.