Big Ten: Rutgers looking to start road back to relevance

CHICAGO — So, when was the last time Rutgers football really mattered?

Last season, the Scarlet Knights finished 2-10 and lost to Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State by a combined 224-zip, which is hard to do.

Second-year coach Chris Ash has a new practice facility, a new offensive coordinator in former Minnesota coach Jerry Kill, and nine transfers to go with 17 returning starters. Who knows what that all means, but at least things look as if they might finally be trending in the proper direction.

"It wasn't fun," Ash said of his debut season. "It was awful. But it's behind us. I've been asked a lot about it. We're a lot better today because of what we went through. A lot of tough times, a lot of challenges, but it brought our team together.

"We pushed the reset button in December. This is a completely different team. We don't want to do that again. We learned a lot of lessons, and they're in the back of everybody's head. History doesn't determine what your future success or failures are."

The Scarlet Knights have some skill, especially at wide receiver. Janarion Grant, who has already tied the NCAA record for touchdown returns, with five on kickoffs and three on punts,  missed the last eight games last season with a broken ankle. Jawuan Harris led the team in catches as a freshman. Damon Mitchell, a Cedar Creek grad, is a newcomer from Arkansas.

On the other hand, Rutgers set a Big Ten record last season with 95 punts. Nobody said the recovery was meant to be seamless.

New Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck, formerly of Western Michigan, will be the subject of an ESPNU reality show called — what else? — "Being P.J. Fleck." Go for it.

"That's not a title I would necessarily pick," Fleck said with a smile. "They approached us, which was an honor. One thing I was hired to do was bring national exposure to the University of Minnesota. That's every head coach's job and responsibility to their institution. That's not self-promoting. You're not the most important thing on campus, but you're the front porch nationally of what everyone sees.

"I don't know if this is going to be like the Kardashians or they're going to spin it … a little bit tamer. But it will be a little interesting to see what comes out of it. It's about rowing the boat."

What would a Big Ten media day be without a little something from Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, who has to replace 16 starters, including 10 from the nation's top-rated defense?

"I feel like OK. Good," Harbaugh said. "Maybe that's going to motivate them even more, give them more reason to put their whole heart into everything they're doing. So I'm excited for all the guys, really."

The Wolverines lost three of their last four a year ago, including the Orange Bowl, by a total of five points.

"I hope that's driven us a lot in the offseason," which included a bonding trip to Rome in April, Harbaugh said. "Myself included."

The Wolverines open their season on Sept. 2 against Florida in Arlington, Texas.