Chicago — While you won't see any games for about another month, this week's 2006 Big Ten Football Media Day and Kickoff Luncheon signifies the beginning of the season.

The event was reminiscent of a star-studded red carpet movie premiere. Players and coaches broke out their finest suits to pose for the blinding flashes of media cameras while TV, print and radio reporters scrapped for anything quotable — Hyatt Regency Chicago was transformed into a football circus.

The new season

Luckily, there was a lot to be said during the two-day media conference. The head coaches from every organization in the Big Ten were joined by a few of the team's top players to answer questions and concerns centering around the conference.

On Tuesday, the coaches from each squad rotated in 15-minute intervals for press conference Q&As to calm doubts about any aspect of their teams' performances for the fall and excitement after spring training, especially for a questionable MSU squad.

"In order for us to have a chance, we have to be good on the defensive side of the ball," MSU head coach John L. Smith said. "Our ability to be successful on that side of the ball is mostly dependent on our secondary. It was important that we had a different mentality this spring."

On Wednesday, the Big Ten's players and coaches flooded the Hyatt's enormous ballroom for one-on-one interviews, followed by a public autograph session and the 35th Annual 2006 Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon.

With every team represented, the buzz for a fresh season was self-explanatory.

A cast of colorful characters

It seems that with athletics in the NCAA, the excitement and energy of each team or representative school emanates from the sidelines as much as they do from the playing field. To take it a step further, you could almost say that the real stars of college sports aren't the league's important players but from the often legendary coaches.

When 11 coaches from a few of the nation's most nationally recognized programs all got together under one roof for this year's conference, it was easy to see how bright the sidelines really are.

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel used a stern voice to address the media in his often businesslike approach. University of Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr gave quiet and reserved answers to tough questions, a trend that coincides with the team's often formulaic nature. The confident and surprisingly outspoken Penn State coach Joe Paterno was a highlight of the conference with his swagger and boisterousness.

Smith took a friendly tone with the press and came off as somewhat of a father figure compared to the rest of the bunch, which makes sense based on the stress he put on caring and selflessness as goals for success this year.

Something to look forward to

There was a great moment during the final stages of Smith's press conference when former legendary Notre Dame head coach and current ESPN analyst Lou Holtz asked Smith about MSU's exceedingly brilliant performance against Notre Dame and the demising aspects of the rest of the season.

During the exchange, you could hear the rivalry in their voices, a defining moment of the conference and college football in general, and just one more reason to get hyped for next season.

"This is probably the most excited I've been for a season since taking the job at Michigan State," Smith said. "We had one of the best springs that I've ever been a part of, both on and off the field. The kids have been working very hard, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can get accomplished this season."

Stephen Patterson is a State News staff writer. He can be reached at patte294@msu.edu.