Now is the time of year when we’re supposed to overreact to everything we see and treat it as an indicator of what the 2017 season will look like, right?

We’re all guilty of that to a certain extent, whether we want to admit it or not. B1G spring games kick off Saturday, which mean that the hot takes will be flying.

Last year, I made a sweeping proclamation that Trace McSorley was going to be the perfect fit in Joe Moorhead’s offense after watching him dice up the Penn State secondary in the spring game. That prediction proved to be correct.

I also made a sweeping proclamation that Torrance Gibson would be a breakout star after he dominated Ohio State’s spring game. That prediction could not have been more wrong.

So before I go off making a bunch of way-too-early predictions, here are just a few things I want to see in B1G spring games:

1. P.J. Fleck’s impact

Fleck, in case you didn’t notice, operates a little differently than Tracy Claeys. I’ll be curious to see a few things in Fleck’s first live action as Minnesota’s coach. How will Minnesota’s spring game attendance, which is never something to write home about, look in the beginning of the Fleck era? Will he get 20,000 fans to show up? They did have an estimated 1,000 people show up to an open practice.

Also, what will Minnesota’s offense look like under Fleck? It’s no secret that Minnesota’s passing game has been, um, limited over the years. Will we see more downfield throws? We should. Even though it’s a spring game, Fleck still has a quarterback battle to settle.

You can tell in a spring game if there’s a different kind of buzz surrounding a program. That difference should be noticeable with Fleck running the show.

2. Nathan Stanley’s arm

Iowa coaches are still calling it a quarterback battle, but it sounds like it’s Stanley’s job to lose. After he moved up to No. 2 on the depth chart as a true freshman last year, the 6-5, 235-pound signal-caller — he put on roughly 23 pounds since he got to Iowa — is ready to take over for C.J. Beathard.

With a new offensive staff, Stanley should get at least a few chances to show off that big arm. The knock on him as a recruit was that he’d overthrow a few too many guys. In his first live action as Iowa’s potential starter, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Stanley have a little extra mustard on a few throws.

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Can Stanley be poised and dial it back a notch if needed? All reports related to Stanley have been positive, and he’ll have the chance to gain even more supporters if he looks like a polished passer during Iowa’s spring game.

Lord knows Iowa could’ve used an effective passing game last year.

3. Saquon Barkley…in sweats

For the record, this will probably happen. James Franklin repeatedly said that they would be extra careful with Barkley in the spring. As much as Penn State fans might want to see their Heisman Trophy candidate tailback dazzle the Beaver Stadium crowd, that would obviously be a bad idea.

In all likelihood, Franklin will follow the same model he did last year, which was not to play Barkley. I’d take it one step further and get him off the sidelines altogether. Have him take pictures with fans and maybe even join the Big Ten Network crew to provide some color commentary.

It’s been three months since we got to see The Saquon Barkley Show. Surely we can wait another five.

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4. Rashan Gary and Nick Bosa rack up pretend sacks

The most anticlimactic play of a spring game is when a guy has a clear sack and he looks like he’s ready to blindside the quarterback…only to stop short and give him a nice pat on the back. Sure, it happens every day in practice, but it’s still hard for the general public to adjust to that.

Anyway, Gary and Bosa should have plenty of those. The former five-star recruits both lived up to the hype as true freshman, and both are expected to emerge as full-time starters in 2017.

Pro Football Focus has Bosa as the No. 17 returning player in college football after recording an impressive 26 hurries in limited snaps. Gary has been the talk of Michigan’s camp with his incredible workout marks. Chances are, those two won’t get double-covered in a spring game.

In other words, get ready for a whole lot of unofficial sacks and pats on the back.

5. Jon Gruden getting wayyyy too amped up for spring football

The news that Jon Gruden would be in the house for the Indiana spring game was glorious. The fact that America only gets to hear Gruden for four months a year is a travesty. Indiana did us all a favor by bringing him in for the spring game.

There should be no shortage of shots of Gruden in a visor, freaking out on the IU sideline. He’ll probably spend time coaching up the quarterbacks and if we’re so lucky, he’ll be mic’d up for the entire game.

If we’re really lucky, Gruden will join the broadcast booth and make comments like this:

“LOOK AT THIS GUY, TYLER NATEE. I HEAR THEY CALL HIM ‘BIG BACON.’ I CAN SEE WHY AFTER WATCHING HIM PANCAKE THAT BLITZING LINEBACKER. THAT’S GOOD STUFF, MAN.”

OK, NOW I’m fired up for spring games.