The Big Ten took in more than $315 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012. (Robin Alam/Icon SMI)

By Zac Ellis

The Big Ten reported record revenue in the league’s latest federal tax returns, upstaging even the SEC in profitability.

According to a report by Steve Berkowitz of USA Today, the Big Ten brought in more than $315 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012. That was $42 million more than the SEC reported for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2012.

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By Zac Ellis

The biggest star of college football’s spring practice was Jack Hoffman, the seven-year-old Nebraska fan battling pediatric brain cancer. The Cornhuskers inserted Hoffman into their spring game on April 6, engineering a play for the youngster to run in a 69-yard touchdown. The video of Hoffman’s play (above) currently has more than seven million views on YouTube.

But the ride isn’t over for Hoffman just yet. HuskerInsider.com reports that Hoffman and his parents, Andy and Brianna Hoffman, accepted an invitation to visit the White House and meet President Barack Obama. The family was set to visit with the president on Monday.

Hoffman befriended former Husker running back Rex Burkhead last year while battling brain cancer, and the Nebraska player helped spearhead the “Team Jack” program, which raised awareness of the disease to help find a cure. Burkhead was drafted by the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals over the weekend.

Have these Wisconsin players just learned that Leaders & Legends will soon be naught but an unfortunate memory? (AP)

By Holly Anderson

As expected, the Big Ten has officially announced its plans to shift from the constantly-maligned Leaders & Legends divisions to geographical halves. The league has also decided to move to a nine-game conference schedule. First, the business, and lordamercy have they ever mathed this thing out:

The Big Ten Conference office announced football division alignments set to begin in 2014 and nine-game conference schedules set to start in 2016. [...] The new division alignments will feature Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers in the East Division and Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin in the West Division. [...] Each school will play the other six schools in its division plus two teams from the other division in 2014 and 2015, which will serve as transitional years in which the schools will still be playing eight-game schedules. Beginning in 2016, each school will play three teams from the other division as part of its nine-game schedule. [...] With the start of the nine-game conference schedule in 2016, teams from the East Division will host five conference home games during even-numbered years, while teams from the West Division will host five conference home games during odd-numbered years. As a result of the nine-game conference schedule and the Big Ten’s schedule rotation, every student-athlete will have the opportunity to play against every other team in the conference at least once during a four-year period. 

Got all that? Right. Now, on to the important part: How we are all going to keep these straight without carrying around pocket globes. Using the first letter of each school’s name in a given division to form an anagram is possible (PRIM MOM for the East and WIMP INN for the West), but we prefer Tony Gerdeman’s technique:

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Steven Bench telling QB coach Charlie Fisher how excited he is about the Christian Hackenberg era, probably. (AP)

By Zac Ellis

Sophomore quarterback Steven Bench has been granted his release from Penn State, the school announced on Wednesday. Bench will complete the spring semester at the university before transferring elsewhere.

“I have been meeting with all the players this week with my evaluation of where they are at related to football and academics and to discuss what they need to work on this summer,” Penn State coach Bill O’Brien said. “After meeting with Steven, he informed me he wants to play elsewhere. We want what is best for Steven. I want to thank him for his contributions to the program. We wish Steven the best in the future and will assist him anyway we can.”

Bench saw action in two games as a true freshman in 2012, finishing 2-of-8 passing for 12 yards while backing up Matt McGloin. O’Brien said sophomore Tyler Ferguson and freshmen Christian Hackenberg, D.J. Crook and Austin Whipple will compete for the starting job this fall.

I've decided to leave Penn State and go to a school that will give me the opportunity to compete for the QB spot and reach my full potential—
Steven Bench (@SBench12) April 24, 2013

“But can we all agree that Maryland and Rutgers are looking particularly leaderly this morning? Hello?” (AP)

By Holly Anderson

Friday night news from Sources McMurphy that bears repeating: Leaders and Legends are going the way of the dinosaur. Not in the re-released-in-3D way, but rather the selected-for-necessary-extinction way:

Legends and Leaders are no more, as the Big Ten will use geography to determine its new divisions and division names beginning in the 2014 season. The Big Ten will replace Legends and Leaders with East and West when Maryland and Rutgers join the league in 2014, league sources told ESPN.

[...]

“Just take a ruler and a map [and split the 14 teams],” a source said.

HOW HARD WAS THAT? Honestly.

Notre Dame defender Louis Nix stole the spotlight Saturday with this rumbling two-point conversion play. (USA Today)

By Zac Ellis

After yet another weekend full of spring football games, here’s a rundown of the latest news and notes from across the nation:

• Notre Dame: The Irish defense came to play in the annual Blue-Gold game on Saturday, accounting for 10 sacks, two interceptions and a safety in the scrimmage. The offense, however, failed to find its groove, with second-year quarterback Everett Golson finishing 6-of-13 passing for 98 yards with one interception. He was also sacked three times. Coach Brian Kelly said he wasn’t concerned with the offense’s struggles, admitting he’d seen improvement on that side of the ball throughout spring. But the offense did find a spark late in the game when nose guard Louis Nix III took a goal-line snap and rumbled in for a two-point conversion. Perhaps Kelly should consider that package for the fall.

• Alabama: The Crimson Tide were anything but streamlined in Saturday’s A-Day game. The Crimson and White teams combined for nine turnovers — six interceptions and three fumbles — in the contest, leaving coach Nick Saban understandably upset. “The biggest thing I was concerned about was how the team would go out there and what would be their energy, their enthusiasm, and their attention to detail,” Saban said. “I don’t think that there were enough guys that answered that question in a positive way to my liking. But I’m never satisfied.” SI.com’s Lars Anderson reported on the game from Tuscaloosa. Oh, and AJ McCarron’s famous female companion Katherine Webb also made an appearance.

• Penn State: Around 28,000 fans ventured to Happy Valley for the Nittany Lions’ spring game this weekend, braving the icy elements in State College. But there wasn’t much closure for fans hoping to get a feel for Penn State’s quarterback situation, in which Steven Bench and Tyler Ferguson are battling for the starting job. Coach Bill O’Brien was non-committal when discussing both passers after the game, but the competition may become more heated when five-star recruit Christian Hackenberg arrives on campus this summer.

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Michigan led the nation last season by averaging 112,252 fans per home game. (Scott W. Grau/Icon SMI)

By Zac Ellis

Michigan’s home-field advantage was the best in college football in 2012, according to at least one list of rankings. Michigan Stadium, also known as “The Big House,” topped StadiumJourney.com’s rundown of the best college stadiums from last season. The Wolverines led the nation in average attendance with an astounding 112,252 fans per game while finishing 6-0 and outscoring visiting opponents 231-96 at home.

The outlet determined its rankings based on several factors, including a team’s win/loss record, average attendance, attendance as a percentage of capacity and points scored/allowed at home. Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium finished second, while Ohio State’s Ohio Stadium, Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium and South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium rounded out the top five.

You can find the complete rankings here, but here is the rest of the top 10:

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By Zac Ellis

Ohio State didn’t win any championships in 2012, but don’t tell that to the Buckeyes. Thursday, a few members of Urban Meyer’s staff posted pictures of the team’s new rings, which say “12-0″ across the face. Ohio State completed an undefeated regular season last year, but was ineligible for postseason play because of NCAA sanctions. And before you ask: Yes, those sanctions stemmed from players getting tattoos in exchange for … championships rings and other merchandise. Stewart Mandel always says college football is cyclical…

Check out the photos posted Thursday by receivers coach Zach Smith and sports information director Jerry Emig, which show the gold pants earned for beating Michigan. Pretty sweet, though it begs the question: How many teams sport rings for winning a division title?

Days Like Today Show Us Why Being a Buckeye is Different From Anywhere Else in the Country!! #RingsOnRings #GoldPants http://t.co/iMT2EIcawY—
Zach Smith (@CoachZachSmith) April 11, 2013

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By Zac Ellis

New Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen must have put something in the water out in Madison. Badger players took part in a dance-off during spring practice, and the results were just as entertaining as you’d imagine. These guys have some moves, even in pads.

Our co-author and resident Campus Union dance expert is moving this week, but I think she’d be proud of big man Warren Herring, a redshirt junior defensive lineman who steals the show at the end of the video. Enjoy.

Andy Staples on Jim Delany: “In a declaration filed last week in federal court in support of the NCAA’s motion against class certification, Delany threatened that any outcome that results in athletes getting a piece of the schools’ television revenue could force the schools of the Big Ten to de-emphasize athletics as the Ivy League’s schools did decades ago.”

Jim Delany to Andy Staples: “It’s not that we want to go Division III or go to need-based aid,” Delany said. “It’s simply that in the plaintiff’s hypothetical — and if a court decided that Title IX is out and players must be paid — I don’t think we’d participate in that. I think we’d choose another option. … If that’s the law of the land, if you have to do that, I don’t think we would.”

Internet’s reaction: Over there to your right.

Campus Union Feelings Collage on the subject: After the jump.

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