Three B1G Things: Tom Allen keeping it local, Ohio State’s marching band practices social distancing & B1G football vs. The Masters

Three B1G Things is a daily weekday update on some of the most unique and interesting stories from across the B1G. It ranges from recruiting to coach press conferences, funny anecdotes to serious situations. We provide our commentary, analysis and opinions on a few topics every day.

So far, it’s an all-Indiana class for the Hoosiers

With so many restrictions currently in place on the recruiting front for college football coaches, a lot of programs are relying on in-state players for commitments early in the cycle. So far, that’s worked out for Tom Allen and IU.

The Hoosiers have received four verbal commitments in the 2021 recruiting class, all four are in-state products. Three of those pledges have come within the last week. Here’s a look at who the Hoosiers have received commitments from:

• Cooper Jones, SDE (No. 379 overall) — Valparaiso, IN
• Rodney McGraw, WDE (No. 438 overall) — Elkhart, IN
• Aaron Steinfeldt, TE (No. 718 overall) — Bloomington, IN
• Vinny Fiacable, OG (Unranked) — Fort Wayne, IN

Indiana’s class isn’t ranked that high right now, sitting at No. 11 in the B1G currently. But it’s always a good sign when you can receive interest from in-state players. So far, Allen has done a good job at collecting commitments from some really good in-state players, despite the restrictions.

The virtual Buckeye Battle Cry

There’s nothing more sports fans would like to be doing than sitting inside their favorite stadiums and cheering on their teams. Heck, even rooting from home would satisfy us, but it’s just not a possibility right now.

So how did the Ohio State March Band help with that? By bringing a piece of Ohio Stadium into the homes of Buckeye fans across the country.

Thanks to technology, members of The Best Damn Band in the Land were able to orchestrate the Buckeye Battle Cry virtually. Several members were able to join in and provide at least a feel of Ohio Stadium to fans missing the action. To play the song in perfect harmony was pretty spectacular, too.

Well done, Ohio State.

https://twitter.com/TBDBITL/status/1246804997838430210?s=20

B1G football vs. The Masters

I’m not going to lie, I was a little disappointed when I saw the target dates for The Masters. For someone who enjoys golf — especially that tournament — almost as much as college football, I was hoping the reschedule date would be sometime in August and wouldn’t conflict with the college football season. The dates, by the way, are Nov. 12-15.

Yes, The Masters in November is better than no tournament at all, but for someone who watches every B1G football game, I’ll be a little disappointed that I miss “Moving Day,” but I suppose I could set up an extra television or record Day 3 from Augusta and watch it with an extra cup of coffee.

On that specific Saturday, 13 B1G teams will be in action, with Minnesota being the lone team with a week off. Congrats, Gopher fans! You get to watch The Masters without the worry of what’s happening with your team.

Below is the lineup of games for Saturday, Nov. 14 in the B1G. Will you be watching B1G football, The Masters, or will you be doing what I do and set up that third television screen that weekend?

• Wisconsin vs. Purdue
• Illinois vs. Indiana
• Nebraska vs. Iowa
• Ohio State vs. Maryland
• Michigan State vs. Penn State
• Michigan vs. Rutgers
• Morgan State vs. Northwestern
• OFF: Minnesota

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB