With the start of a new season in the Big Ten comes new faces. Whether they're the hot new freshman on campus, the juco transfer, or the new head coach, here are five new faces in the Big Ten guaranteed to have a large impact on how this season will play out.1. Rich Rodriguez-Head Coach-Michigan: Everybody's favorite snake-oil salesman hits Ann Arbor this fall and he has quite a task ahead of him. Say goodbye to Lloyd Carr's mind-numbing vanilla offense and say hello to Rich Rodriguez's spread option that made the West Virginia Mountaineers one of the best teams in the Big East year in and year out.
Now, obviously installing a whole new offense at Michigan and teaching his players how to run it isn't something that can be done in spring practice. Especially when you're not just installing a new offense, as the Big Blue defense will be switching from a 4-3 scheme to the 3-3-5. It's going to take time, and the Wolverines are likely to struggle early, but thankfully their first two conference games are in the Big House this season.
So while there are going to be some bumps in the road in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines shouldn't worry too much. After all, the last time they hired a new head coach from the state of West Virginia things worked out pretty well. All Fielding Yost did was go 165-29-10 while winning six national titles.
I wouldn't expect Michigan to win any national titles in 2008, but if Rich can get this team together and playing well enough to beat Ohio State in Columbus on November 22nd, I can guarantee you fans will pay the $1.5 million he still owes WVU for him.
