I know this is heaven for a college football fan. I'm headed to Chicago, where today at noon, Big Ten Media Days will begin.

The Gophers are among the seven teams that will be featured Friday -- with Jerry Kill's press conference at 8 a.m. Seven other teams go today, including Michigan State, Wisconsin, Iowa and Ohio State.

You can follow what the coaches are saying and more on our Live Blog, which will kick off at 11 a.m.

Here's today's schedule:

12 p.m. -- Mark Dantonio (Michigan State)

12:15 -- Tim Beckman (Illinois)

12:30 -- Paul Chryst (Wisconsin)

12:45 -- Randy Edsall (Maryland)

1:00 -- Kevin Wilson (Indiana)

1:15 -- Kirk Ferentz (Iowa)

1:30 -- Urban Meyer (Ohio State)

After that, the coaches and players are available for one-on-one interviews. By about 5:15, I hope to have my notebook and recorder filled with stuff that can help carry stories through the Gophers' season opener on Sept. 3 against TCU.

This year, we hope to capture more of the fun on this blog. I'll have some posts, and so will Jason Gonzalez, who will be following the event from Minneapolis. So keep checking back, and follow our Live Blog, to get more of a sense for the action at McCormick Place. Enjoy.