Big Ten Media Days takeaways: Inside Oregon's scramble, Michigan's encore and The David Mirkovic Show begins

Here’s what we learned at Big Ten Media Days, plus a Mick Cronin moment

CHICAGO — Dana Altman first confided in long-time assistant Tony Stubblefield that he was considering retirement last Friday. Stubblefield waited for the weekend to pass, hoping his friend would have a change of heart. Altman wanted to meet with Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens on Monday, but Mullens was out of town, so the summit was kicked down the road for 24 more hours. Late Tuesday, Altman relayed to Stubblefield that he was still leaning toward hanging it up, but he wanted to sleep on it one more night. After Wednesday's practice, Oregon's players gathered for a meeting. Senior wing Andrew Meadow thought they might be getting fresh new shoes.

Instead, Altman dropped the bombshell that he was stepping away, despite being on the doorstep of the exclusive 800 Wins Club. "We had a challenging year last year," Stubblefield said. "Not that it had anything bearing on coach's decision, but I think that took a lot out of him." Stubblefield was elevated to the interim head coach, which meant he had to pack a jet-black suit and hop on a late-Wednesday flight bound for Chicago ahead of Thursday's Big Ten Media Days. The biggest brouhaha now is the portal. Since Oregon's brass tabbed Stubblefield as the interim coach, Oregon's roster cannot enter the portal until Nov. 7, five days after