I wanted to try something new this week. With the B1G season hitting the midway point, I wanted to see what kind of questions fans about what we’ve seen so far, or what to expect moving forward.

Several sent in questions for this project, so I took the time to answer. If this is something you all enjoy, we can certainly do this on a more frequent basis.

Here are some of your questions that were submitted to me via Twitter.

How do you compare Michigan’s upcoming stretch to others with playoff hopes? Also, why are you an idiot?

Adam Biggers

Personally, I believe Michigan’s stretch is the most difficult of any potential College Football Playoff team. Back-to-back games against No. 7 Penn State and No. 8 Notre Dame in the next two weeks. Closing the season with Michigan State, Indiana and No. 4 Ohio State is daunting, to say the least. Really, the only guaranteed win remaining for Jim Harbaugh and company is a Nov. 2 date with Maryland in College Park.

Ohio State and Penn State still have some marquee games coming up, Georgia plays three ranked opponents in consecutive weeks and Alabama has games against No. 2 LSU and No. 11 left. Those teams will have some challenges, as well. But I don’t believe there is a six-game stretch in college football more difficult to navigate than Michigan’s.

The second part of that question is still unknown, but I asked for it by giving the idea of that question on Twitter. I’d guess it has something to do with the ridiculous number of times I’ve watched Dumb & Dumber or the unhealthy amount of pizza I eat.

Relevance of Rutgers in the B1G? The faceplant of the preseason rankings?

John Catrabone

So far, the only real benefit of Rutgers’ addition to the B1G is that other programs in the conference have been able to poach more talent from the New York and New Jersey areas than before. So it actually has helped other B1G teams, just not Rutgers.

The preseason rankings are a joke, and unfairly set the tone for the college football season. It’s the sole reason why Texas A&M is still receiving votes in the Associated Press poll, despite being 3-3 with it’s best win being over an awful Arkansas team.

I thought Jim Leonhard was a prized head coach candidate going to the season despite the 2018 blip. He’s only gotten more valuable, but there just doesn’t look like many P5 jobs will open up. Am I missing something?

Ben Weinberg

This is a great question, one that I’m not sure I have a good answer for right now. My guess is that there’s still plenty of hesitation on Leonhard considering his age and inexperience. This is just his fourth year in coaching, spending all those seasons at Wisconsin (his alma mater). There’s probably some concern on whether or not he’s ready to lead a program, especially at the Power Five level.

Leonhard doesn’t seem like someone who is continually searching for his next job, and appears to be pretty comfortable running the Wisconsin defense. He’ll undoubtedly get some attention as a potential head coach candidate before too long, but I’m guessing it’s the less than five years of experience that’s keeping the suitors from calling.

Thoughts on Illinois giving up a home game vs. Nebraska to play in Ireland?

B1G Kurt

I’ve already been yelled at on the Twitter machine for this, but I’m Dublin down on my comments (yeah, I went there). I’m not a huge fan of a B1G game being played on a neutral site. It doesn’t matter if it’s in Dublin or at Wrigley Field, I prefer games to be played on college campuses.

Having said that, this is a great opportunity for the players, coaches and fans to get a once-in-a-lifetime experience. That’s pretty cool. I just would prefer that, if you’re going to play a game overseas, it be a non-conference contest.

Also, feel free to call me a hypocrite if I’m asked to cover that game and I express how great of an idea this was.

Will College GameDay return to Lincoln for the Nebraska/Indiana game in two weeks?

Realdb2

No.

Will Nebraska make a bowl game?

Several people

This question may come out of panic after a 34-7 loss to Minnesota, but there’s really no reason to be concerned, Nebraska fans. I believe the preseason hype about the Huskers being a legitimate B1G West contender was overblown. To me, Scott Frost’s second season would be a year in which the team would double its win total, if you count the bowl game. I think that’s still on the table.

Aside from a mid-November matchup against Wisconsin, what game scares you? That’s not to say Nebraska is going to have a cakewalk, but Indiana, Purdue, Maryland and Iowa have all shown weaknesses. The Huskers are getting an off week at a good time, and I think Nebraska is more than capable of winning at least two of those remaining five games.

Cinnamon rolls with chili or cheese curds?

Connor O’Gara

Colleague Connor with perhaps the most important question of the week. Nebraskans have piqued my interest with this combination of cinnamon rolls and chili. I’m going to give it a try. In Indiana, where I grew up, it was peanut butter sandwiches with chili, so how much different can it be?

Cheese curds, by default, are the preference for now. And, Nebraskans should know, Connor lived in Nebraska for a bit and has told me the cinnamon roll and chili combination “just kinda works.”

Over/under 0.5 points scored for Illinois vs. Wisconsin on Saturday?

Erik Buchinger

James McCourt is a pretty good field goal kicker. I’ll roll the dice and say the Illini get three points. Or maybe a defensive touchdowns. I do not anticipate the offense sniffing the end zone.

Think this is Mark Dantonio’s last season with Michigan State?

Andrew

It’s getting increasingly more difficult to envision a scenario in which Dantonio returns for the 2020 season. He hasn’t been able to figure out the offense, the off-the-field controversies continue to linger and he’s transitioned from one of the best coaches in college football to a guy hovering around the .500 mark. I’d be stunned if he’s on the sidelines next fall.

Just to add a little intrigue to this question, if Dantonio does call it a career, Michigan State’s first phone call would be to Luke Fickell, just to gauge his interest.

Why isn’t Minnesota getting more credit for being undefeated? If they were an SEC school they’d be top 4.

Shawn

Two reasons: First, Minnesota wasn’t really on anyone’s radar coming into the season, and the preseason rankings, in all their glory, have worked against the Golden Gophers. Second, There really haven’t been noteworthy wins that have captured the attention of the country just yet. If they would’ve posted a few more lopsided scores, it wouldn’t have taken this long for Minnesota to crack the top 25.

I don’t know if Minnesota would be in the top four if they were in the SEC, but I do think they’d likely be somewhere in the top 12.

What time does the Rose Bowl Parade start? Asking for all the Gophers fans.

Greg Flugaur

The 2020 Tournament of Roses Parade will start at 11 p.m. ET, 10 a.m. CT and 8 a.m. PT. Laurie Hernandez, Gina Torres and Rita Moreno are the grand marshals, so there’s that.

By the way, Gopher fans, if your team is in Pasadena, I expect to see some “Row the Float” signs.

Who do you think will be the next head coach of Illinois football? Top three?

Tracey Wilson

I’m going to go with some unconventional names here, assuming Illinois cuts ties with Lovie Smith at the end of the season. Eastern Michigan’s Chris Creighton has really turned that program around and has posted a win over a B1G team in three straight years. Smith has won four conference games in four years, to put that into perspective. I think Matt Canada would be worth a phone call, to see what he could bring to Illinois’ offense.

The last name is the one that may be the surprise: Greg Schiano. I understand his name is tied mostly with Rutgers, but if you’re looking at this from a talent standpoint, Illinois blows Rutgers out of the water in that department. He could win almost instantly in Champaign, at least get this program to bowl eligibility. Why not give it a shot?

What the hell is Maryland’s problem?

Lacrosse Fan Account

Some of you might remember that I was pretty low on Maryland coming into the season. The offensive line and defense had some major issues that concerned me. As you saw in the first two games, they weren’t nearly as bad as I expected, but those concerns have surfaced over the last four weeks.

Right now, Maryland still appears to be attempting to “out-athlete” opponents, which isn’t a great recipe for success in the B1G. When they’ve had the better players on the field, they’ve been pretty good, covering up some of the soft spots. But Penn State, Temple and Purdue exposed the Terps’ weak areas on the field, and it’s been difficult to overcome. It’s also important to remember just how injury-plagued Maryland has been this season. That’s also a factor — particularly in the Purdue game.

Which team deserves the title of “most complete,” Wisconsin or Ohio State?

Steve’s 2Bits

Well, we’ll actually find this out in two weeks when the two teams go head to head in Columbus. But, right now, I’d have to pick Ohio State. The Buckeyes look a step faster at every position and have looked like the best team in the country pretty much every week this season.

Wisconsin’s defense has been unbelievably good and Jonathan Taylor is having another outstanding career. Jack Coan has been solid at quarterback, too. I just don’t think the Badgers have quite the athletes Ohio State does, which is why I lean toward the Bucks. But, again, I could be proven wrong on Oct. 26.