Brian Bennett on four year scholarships in the Big 10:

By guaranteeing four years to a player, programs are eliminating a coach’s ability to run off players because they have oversigned or because they feel the player’s athletic performance is not up to snuff. It also prevents a new coach from coming into a program and cutting players who don’t fit his style. That gives more protection to the college athlete, and that’s a noble cause.

It always amazes me that scholarships were/are one year at at time and had to be renewed for players to come back the next season. The SEC has taken a beating the last few years for questionable practices regarding finding creative ways to let players go in under four years. Props to the Big Ten for stepping up.