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Big Ten Media Days - Day One: Storylines to watch

Big Ten Media Days will get away on Tuesday morning at 10:15 a.m. and it will be a jam-packed two days in Indianapolis with plenty to be discussed by Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren as well as seven of the conference's coaches.

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Big Ten Media Days schedule - Day One:

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Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren: 10:15 - 11:00 a.m.
Nebraska Head Coach Scott Frost: 11:15 - 11:30 a.m.
Maryland Head Coach Mike Locksley: 11:30 - 11:45 a.m.
Minnesota Head Coach P.J Fleck: 11:45 - 12:00 p.m.
Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz: 12:00 - 12:15 p.m.
Indiana Head Coach Tom Allen: 12:15 - 12:30 p.m.
Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald: 12:30 - 12:45 p.m
Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh: 12:45 - 1:00 p.m.

With that here are five key storylines we're be following closely on Tuesday morning and afternoon.

1. Conference Expansion

On day one of the Big Ten Media Days, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren will kick things off on Tuesday morning when he walks up to the podium at 10:15. He won't be on stage for long but it should be a jam-packed session filled with a lot of questions regarding the Big Ten's future. That of course includes the conference's current and future conference expansion plans.

Last month, the Big Ten formerly accepted UCLA and USC to join the conference starting for the 2024 school year. That will move the Big Ten all the way to 16 teams but the conference expansion will not stop there. While no one expects Kevin Warren to give away any of his plans or anything specific, it will be intriguing to see what Warren says regarding the matter and how the conference will handle any future expansion discussions.

2. Pay for play and player unions

Name, Image, and Likneess will continue to be a big discussion point in college football for the foreseeable future, at the very least until there is some sort of regulations set around it. Kevin Warren will likely address the topic at some point during his time at Big Ten Media Days but it will also be a topic that is discussed by nearly every coach, no matter if you're a traditional powerhouse or a school just puttering along, it affects everyone. What would Kevin Warren like to see in the future regarding NIL and what do future coaches think about it as we enter year two of the NIL? Both those questions are likely to be asked and answered along with many more regarding the issue.

Additionally, a player union is a topic that will be a major talking point over the next decade but especially in Big Ten media days. With the rumor that Penn State players are looking to unionize, it surely will be discussed at some point, whether that's by Kevin Warren or James Franklin remains to be seen but it would be shocking if we left Big Ten Media Days without any dialogue regarding any potential player unionization.

3. The Big Ten's new TV rights deal

The Big Ten new TV rights deal was expected to be either done or at the very least close to done by this point. Perhaps a new one gets announced during the Big Ten Media Days but as of Tuesday morning, there is little information out there regarding the discussions. The deal obviously changed quite a bit last month with the addition of UCLA and USC and future conference expansion will play a big part in the deal as well.

4. Jim Harbaugh - Michigan coming off a CFP appearance, NFL and his contract, and more

Jim Harbaugh will be the last coach to speak on Tuesday at around 12:30 p.m. roughly. Michigan is obviously coming off a Big Ten championship and a trip to the college football playoffs but lost quite a bit of talent since last season including both his coordinators. But more notably, we'll see if he has to answer any questions regarding him and his long hard look at the NFL this past January and how he committed he is to the Wolverines going forward.

5. Scott Frost's final chance with Nebraska? 

Frost is entering year five in Lincoln and has yet to put together a .500 or better season and has only won more than four games, once. Last season, Frost's Cornhuskers went 3-9 despite outscoring their opponents on the season. Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts may have been willing to give Frost one more go since the Cornhuskers did show some promise last season despite the 3-9 record but Frost's seat is certainly hot. A slow start for the program could spell doom for the former Nebraska star quarterback. There were a lot of changes this offseason for Nebraska both on the roster and on the coaching staff including the addition of offensive coordinator Mark Whipple who is coming off a terrific 2021 season with Pittsburgh. Can all the roster additions as well as Whipple be enough for Nebraska to finally get back to a bowl game in 2022?

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