Afternoon roundup: Badgers’ Henry expects speedy recovery

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Before getting to the links, I spoke today with Minnesota coach Tim Brewster (Q&A to follow soon), and he said former Gophers star safety Dominic Jones, who is serving a year in the county workhouse after being convicted of fourth-degree sexual conduct, will not address the team tonight, as originally planned. Brewster didn’t elaborate on the reason for the change and said he wasn’t sure if Jones could talk to the team at a later date.

Around the league:

• Wisconsin cornerback Aaron Henry underwent a second surgery on his right knee Friday, this time to repair a torn meniscus. Despite the setback, the sophomore expects to be ready for the Badgers’ Big Ten opener at the Big House on Sept. 27, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jeff Potrykus writes in his blog.
  
• There was a Big Ten flavor in FoxSports.com’s recent rankings. The league is No. 4 in the conference rankings, which isn’t as much of a surprise as the Big 12’s selection at No. 1. Ohio State tops the preseason power rankings, while Wisconsin comes in a surprising 10th. Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz rounds out the coaches on the hot seat chart, while Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio is No. 5 among coaches on the rise. I guess Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema has already risen. Ohio State-Michigan is the sports top rivalry, and the Buckeyes rank No. 4 among the best teams of the last decade.
  
• Ohio State stars Beanie Wells, James Laurinaitis and Malcolm Jenkins occupy the top three spots in SI.com’s list of 10 best Big Ten players. It was nice to see Indiana’s Greg Middleton get some love at No. 9, but no Arrelious Benn? That’ll change.
  
• Rich Rodriguez isn’t what Michigan fans are used to, but the Old Blues will acclimate as long as the team wins, Jamie Samuelsen blogs in the Detroit Free Press.
• Leave your cameras at home if you’re headed to Ohio State’s open practice tonight. Offensive lineman Andrew Moses will be there, and his brother Chris will be watching, Ken Gordon writes in The Columbus Dispatch.
  
• If you missed it on the ESPN.com preps page, Bill Kurelic takes an early look at Big Ten recruiting for 2009. No surprise that Ohio State is excelling, but Michigan State has also joined the lead pack.
  
• The Lansing State Journal’s Joe Rexrode reveals his AP Top 25 ballot. He’s big on Ohio State (No. 1) but not so hot on Wisconsin (No. 18). Penn State, Michigan State and Michigan are on the outside looking in. Joe has a nice explanation for his voting.
  
• Bobby Bowden says Florida State’s succession plan has helped him in recruiting. Would a similar setup aid Penn State and Joe Paterno?

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