The Solid Verbal

We tackle the Big Ten with the first of our three-part conference preview and break all 18 teams into tiers, discuss the biggest storylines and use protein metaphors to capture just how overwhelming this massive conference has become. From Ohio State's run at another national championship to Penn State's lofty expectations and the intriguing battle for fourth place, we unpack what makes this conference both excellent and exhausting. In this college football podcast episode, we debate our contender tier with Penn State, Ohio State, Oregon and... Michigan (?), analyze the fascinating second tier among six quality teams, wonder which "weird little stinkers" might surprise us. Plus, we examine why this might be the most difficult conference to rank from top to bottom. We explore Ty's bold Nebraska optimism versus Dan's skepticism, debate whether USC can finally finish games in the fourth quarter, wonder if Iowa's Mark Gronowski will bring his FCS magic to Iowa City, and talk through what the transfer of Nico Iama