CHICAGO — Penn State’s Daryll Clark might be the reigning all-Big Ten quarterback, but it was Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor who was selected the conference’s preseason offensive player of the year at the league’s media day Monday.

Pryor, the nation’s No. 1 recruit two years ago, was 8-1 as a starter last year and was the first freshman to lead the Big Ten in passing efficiency, with a 151.3 rating.
“It’s not so much that it’s an honor for me, but I look at it as a compliment to the Buckeyes,” Pryor said. “We take pride in playing in the Big Ten and the conference championships we’ve won. This just shows that others know we intend to be very competitive again this year.”
Ohio State has won four consecutive Big Ten titles, including sharing the crown with Penn State in 2005 and last year, then the Nittany Lions gained the league’s Rose Bowl berth by beating the Buckeyes, 13-6.
Michigan State linebacker Greg Jones, the league’s leading returning tackler, was selected as the top defensive player in voting by writers and broadcasters attending media day.
Ohio State is the preseason favorite, followed by Penn State and Michigan State. The league releases only the top three teams in its preseason poll. Penn State hosts Ohio State on Nov. 7.
“I know Ohio State is a heavyweight, I don’t know about us,” chuckled Penn State coach Joe Paterno. “I don’t know what we’re going to be.”

FROM THE COMMISH
Each year, the Big Ten champion is generally decided in late November while leagues such as the Southeastern Conference and Big 12 host title games at neutral sites in front of sellout crowds and millions of television viewers in the first week of December.
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany acknowledged the lack of a postseason championship game was detrimental, but said the league would not expand solely to fill that void.
“I understand that we’re out of the mainstream for that week to 10 days, and I don’t think it’s good,” he said. “But I don’t think it by itself is the reason why you would go forward (with expansion).”
Minnesota coach Tim Brewster, a former assistant at Texas, wants the league to go to 12 teams ... immediately.
“I look forward to the day when we add a team and we split the divisions and we play for a championship on national TV on a Saturday night in December,” he said excitedly.
“I mean, how good would that be for this conference, for the exposure of this conference? I think we’re missing a little something there by not having that. But I think it’s something that we’re discussing as a conference, and so I think both those things would help us. Playing into December, adding a team and playing a championship game, in my mind, would be a very positive step for our conference.”
WEATHER OR NOT
After posting a 41-65-2 conference record during their 27 seasons playing inside the Metrodome, Minnesota will begin play at its open-air TCF Bank Stadium this year. Gophers coach Tim Brewster had a conversation with Bud Grant, who was the Vikings’ coach when they played outdoors.
“He said what we’ve got to do is use the outdoors to our advantage, and that’s what we want to do,” Brewster said. “We’re excited about going back outside and playing in the elements, playing hard-nosed, physical football on campus.”
Penn State’s first visit to Minnesota will be Oct. 23, 2010. The Gophers haven’t won the Big Ten title since sharing it with Indiana and Purdue in 1967.
SPARTY TAKES THE HIGH ROAD
Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio declined to needle struggling in-state rival Michigan, which had a disastrous 3-9 campaign in 2008 and lost at home to I-AA Appalachian State the year before.
Dantonio ruffled Wolverine pelts last year when he refused to characterize the Spartans’ 49-18 loss to Penn State as an embarrassment.
“Embarrassing would have been 3-9 coming into this game,” he said pointedly.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, a linebacker on the Wildcats’ Big Ten champions in 1995 and ’96, recently was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
“You can see from my illustrious NFL career that I was just (ital) so (end ital),” joked Fitzgerald, whose pro career consisted of three preseason games with the Dallas Cowboys.
QUOTE OF THE DAY II
Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema says the price of a victory at Penn State is steep.
“You go play at Penn State, (if) you beat them, you don’t get hot water, I guarantee it. (Joe Paterno) has a little switch right by his locker, I swear. We’ve gone out there and had success a couple times. If you win, you’ve got no hot water.”
Bielema is 0-1 as a head coach at Happy Valley, which is not on the Badgers’ schedule this year. He does have two wins at Penn State as an Iowa assistant.