JR and Big Jeff kick off The Big Ten Huddle by recapping Jeff's earlier rant on the Coach of the Year award, where he initially called it the "dumbest" for rewarding media hype over excellence. Jeff admits he was wrong after researching 55 years of winners, sharing a table showing 31% went to blue-blood programs like Michigan and Ohio State with stellar records (e.g., Bo Schembechler won 4 times). Only 13 winners had 4+ losses, often for big turnarounds. They discuss implications for 2025, like if Purdue's Ryan Walters hits a bowl game or Illinois goes 10-2.

Shifting to "Questions to Ponder," they debate the ideal Big Ten team for a retired Nick Saban. Jeff picks Maryland for its recruiting potential in the DMV area and underachievement under Mike Locksley, boosting conference supremacy vs. the SEC. JR counters with Nebraska or USC as blue-bloods not fully realizing potential under Matt Rhule or Lincoln Riley, ensuring quick national titles.

The episode wraps with bold 2025 predictions from Twitter and chat: Russ says Purdue makes a bowl and wins Coach of the Year; Albert predicts Iowa beats Oregon at home; Dustin sees Nebraska's Jahcoy Barney as 1st-team All-Big Ten WR; T-Dub forecasts USC at 9+ wins and playoffs; C predicts Minnesota in playoffs; Cobalt envisions an all-SEC title with Bama/LSU/Texas/Georgia (maybe Notre Dame). JR and Jeff rate boldness, agreeing some like Minnesota's run are wild, while others like USC's wins are realistic. They tease next week's focus on spreads and picks, shifting to Wednesdays for game previews.

More from JR:

Personal Twitter: https://x.com/jrs_rankings

Big Ten Twitter: https://x.com/TheBigTenHuddle

Read JR's Ohio State coverage: https://scarletandgame.com/author/jrhoades1

Read JR's Illinois coverage: https://writingillini.com/author/jrhoades1

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Catch The Big Ten Huddle Football Episodes 3 times a week. Here is when to catch our live or premiere episodes that are about an hour long (eastern time):

• Sunday at 9 PM w/ Zack


• Tuesday at 9 PM w/ Zack


• Thursday at 9 PM w/ Jeff

You can also expect videos by JR throughout the week covering news and interesting topics.

*All times are Eastern time

AUDIO ONLY PLATFORMS

The Big Ten Huddle is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon.

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The Big Ten Huddle is a podcast dedicated to providing honest, humorous, and insightful analysis of Big Ten football and basketball. With a focus on challenging the national bias, especially against the SEC, hosts JR and Zack offer unfiltered discussions that engage fans of all Big Ten teams. Though critical at times, they always aim to defend the conference and give credit where it’s due, bringing humor and deep analysis together for a unique listening experience.

Rooted in values of integrity, passion, and community, The Big Ten Huddle strives to become the go-to voice for Big Ten sports fans.

There is no show out there like The Big Ten Huddle!

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