Former federal prosecutor Lawrence Oliver was appointed Wednesday to investigate the Cook County state’s attorney’s office and a former employee who allegedly lied on the witness stand during the third trial of Jackie Wilson, who was eventually cleared of murdering two Chicago police officers.

Oliver, who was named special prosecutor by Judge Alfredo Maldonado, will investigate perjury allegations against former Assistant State’s Attorney Nicholas Trutenko and whether other current and former members of State’s Attorney’s Kim Foxx’s office may have tried to cover for him.

Trutenko was fired in October on the same day he admitted, during Wilson’s third trial, that he had an ongoing personal relationship with William Coleman, a jailhouse informant who helped convict Wilson of the 1982 murders of Officers William Fahey and Richard O’Brien at his second trial.

Oliver will have authority to convene a special grand jury to investigate and potentially bring criminal charges against Trutenko, as well as probe the operations of Foxx’s office for evidence of a coverup.

“Whatever investigation happens, happens,” Maldonado said during the brief on-line hearing Wednesday. “Now that this investigation is ongoing, this investigation goes wherever it goes.”

Wilson’s lawyer, Elliott Slosar, seemed satisfied with Oliver being named special prosecutor.

“We are pleased the court has undergone such a thorough search and found a well-qualified special prosecutor,” Slosar said. “We know that what we’ve uncovered is only the tip of the iceberg. We know that the special prosecutor will find out whatever was going on behind the scenes in the state’s attorney’s office.”

In an emailed statement, a Foxx spokesperson said the office would cooperate with the special prosecutor.

“The State’s Attorney is committed to transparency and accountability in this and all matters, and the office will fully cooperate with the review of this case,” the statement said.

Oliver’s appointment marks the second time the state’s attorney’s office has been investigated under Foxx’s leadership. In 2019, special prosecutor Dan Webb was appointed to investigate the office’s decision to drop charges against former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett who is accused of staging a hate crime near his Streeterville apartment.

Webb did not find evidence to support criminal charges against any prosecutors, including Foxx, though he reported uncovering “substantial abuses of discretion and operational failures.”

Webb’s report remains under seal and has not been made public.

Oliver spent four years as a federal prosecutor before joining Perkins Coie law firm, where he headed up the firm’s white-collar criminal practice. He was appointed as a special prosecutor to investigate alleged beatings by guards at the Cook County Jail in 2003, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Oliver was also appointed to the Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois in the wake of an admissions scandal in 2009, and to former Gov. Pat Quinn’s Reform Commission, which recommended policy changes in state government after the indictment of Quinn’s predecessor, Rod Blagojevich.

Oliver spent 16 years as chief counsel-investigations for Boeing, although it was not clear if he still works for the Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer. He did not immediately respond to a call from the Chicago Sun-Times Wednesday.

Maldonado ordered the special prosecutor investigation in June, after Wilson’s lawyers petitioned the court to investigate Trutenko for perjury and to probe how the state’s attorney’s office handled Wilson’s case.

Trutenko was a prosecutor in Wilson’s second trial. Wilson won a third trial in 2018, after Judge William Hooks ruled Wilson had been tortured into giving a confession by detectives working under of former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge.

During the third trial, special prosecutors said Coleman could not be found and likely was dead, and therefore, they said, they intended to use Coleman’s testimony from the second trial as evidence against Wilson.

But when Trutenko was called to the stand midway through the last trial, he admitted to a long-running friendship with Coleman and said he had recently communicated with Coleman by email. Trutenko said he had not been asked about his ties to Coleman by the special prosecutor, a claim the special prosecutors said was false.

Wilson walked free when all charges against him were dropped shortly after Trutenko’s revelation. Wilson’s brother, Andrew Wilson, who was twice convicted of gunning down the two officers, died in prison in 2007.

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Hall of Fame defensive back Charles Woodson played 18 years in the NFL, his last two alongside Khalil Mack on the Raiders. When he talks, Mack listens.

“You don’t get too many years in the NFL, too many chances to win ballgames and too many chances to get to the playoffs and go all the way,” the star outside linebacker said Wednesday, after the Bears kicked off training camp with a light practice. “Charles Woodson told me a long time ago — he was like, ‘You cannot waste time. This [stuff] is very valuable.

“I understand that now, going into Year 8. And [I’ve] only been in the playoffs three times so far — and losing in the first round every one of them. [Stuff] is very valuable. Time is of the essence.”

That’s true for Mack, who knows he needs to be better. And it certainly applies to the Bears’ defense, which was the NFL’s gold standard in 2018 and then slipped, considerably, in each of the past two seasons.

In 2018, the Bears led the NFL with 36 takeaways. The defense helped to mask offensive flaws that would become plainly apparent the next two years when the Bears ranked 22nd and 25th, respectively, in takeaways. Without a short field, the Bears simply couldn’t score.

When the defense stopped sizzling, so did the Bears.

“The thing about a team sport is everybody’s got to carry each other,” Mack said. “It’s about everybody being of one accord and everybody doing what it takes to win ballgames, whether it’s them scoring 17 points or 14 or 12 or us shutting another team out. Whatever it takes to win a ballgame is definitely what we’ve got to step up and be able to do on defense.”

But the defense won’t improve this year unless Mack does. And vice versa.

Mack was the best edge rusher graded by Pro Football Focus last year, but his sack total was once again disappointing. He totaled nine last year and 8 1/2 in 2019. In his four seasons before that, he averaged 14.75 — numbers far more befitting the six-year, $141 million contract the Bears handed him in 2018, the highest-ever for a defender.

The Bears will be quick to say that Mack’s sack numbers were blunted by constant double- and triple-teams, and that every coach in the NFL spends game week ensuring Mack won’t ruin their game plan. Mack won’t get any relief, though, unless his counterpart scares their opponents. Leonard Floyd didn’t in his first two seasons, and Robert Quinn was one of the biggest, most expensive disappointments in the NFL last year.

Sean Desai, the new defensive coordinator, needs to find ways to unlock the pass rush the Bears are paying so handsomely.

“He’s really creative with what we do on defense,” general manger Ryan Pace said.

Head coach Matt Nagy interviewed nine candidates for the coordinator position before hiring Desai, his former safeties coach and first-time play-caller, in January. Nagy heard the candidates suggest ways to free Mack from double-teams, and might borrow a few. He liked Desai’s suggestions, too; expect him to move Mack around the defensive line on obvious pass downs more than the Bears did when Chuck Pagano called plays.

“We’re not going to probably show very much of that [in the preseason],” Nagy said. “But eventually, we will.”

Asked if the Bears’ defensive struggles through the second half of last season were more a result of scheme or players, Mack tossed the question aside like he did Buccaneers tackle Tristan Wirfs on national television last year.

“That sounds like excuses,” he said. “But for me personally, I know I can play better. So ultimately, what I can control is what I can control….. But what you bring to the table, we’ve got to bring it all together and be what we know we can be — and that’s a great defense.”

Mack refused to blame injuries, too, despite spending more time on the Bears’ injury report last year than his previous two seasons. He didn’t miss a game, but he was listed with injuries to his knee, back and ankle. A shoulder injury suffered in Week 13 was the worst of them

“We want to make sure — and [Mack] knows this — that we do everything we can on the prevention side, of the health and their bodies, and Khalil specifically,” Nagy said. “And then making sure we also help him out schematically. He’s going to get double and triple-[teamed]. How do we help alleviate that with him so that when he does get singled, he can have more chances to win?”

If he does, the takeaways will come. That’s precisely what Nagy wants to see from his defense in the next six weeks.

“A ton of them,” Nagy said. “Everywhere you look, I want that ball coming out. I want fumbles, interceptions, tipped passes. I mean like – when they go to bed at night, just think about intercepting the football, you know? Stripping that football, be like, crazy about it. Everywhere you go. We have to get takeaways this year, and I think we got a lot of guys that are ready for it …

“We went through that a few years ago, and you can see what that can do. That can really help out. But we as coaches, we’ve got to talk about it. You can’t just go out and expect it to happen.”

Mack, on the other hand, doesn’t do the talking.

“Get to the damn quarterback,” he said. “That’s what we got paid to do, coming in and affecting the game by getting to the quarterback and creating turnovers and short fields for the offense. Ultimately, that’s the goal.

“Of course, we’re not satisfied with the result last year. So there’s work to be done. Enough talking. I don’t do that. I don’t like to talk about it.”

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Dusty Hill, bassist and vocalist for ZZ Top for more than 50 years, has died. He was 72.

According to reports, Hill passed away in his sleep at his Houston, Texas home.

Bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard issued as statement via social media on Wednesday:

“We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX. We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the ‘Top’. We will forever be connected to that “Blues Shuffle in C.” You will be missed greatly, amigo. Frank & Billy”

According to a Facebook post by the band, Hill recently suffered a hip injury, preventing him from touring with the band. At that time, the band said its longtime guitar tech, Elwood Francis, would fill in on bass, slide guitar and harmonica.

Upcoming performances for the trio included a Las Vegas residency at The Venetian Resort scheduled to begin Oct. 8.

Born Joe Michael Hill in Dallas, he, Gibbons and Beard formed ZZ Top in Houston in 1969. The band released its first album, titled “ZZ Top’s First Album,” in 1970. Three years later it scored its breakthrough hit, “La Grange,” which is an ode to the Chicken Ranch, a notorious brothel outside of a Texas town by that name.

The band went on to chart the hits “Tush” in 1975, “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs” and “Gimme All Your Lovin'” in 1983, and “Rough Boy” and “Sleeping Bag” in 1985.

In addition to making music, movie/TV fans will remember Hill for his on-screen appearances in “Back to the Future Part III” and “Deadwood.”

ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. In his introductory remarks at the ceremony, the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards said: “These cats know their blues and they know how to dress it up. When I first saw them, I thought, ‘I hope these guys are not on the run, because that disguise is not going to work.'”

That look — with all three members wearing dark sunglasses and the two frontmen sporting long, wispy beards — became so iconic as to be the subject of a New Yorker cartoon and a joke on “The Simpsons.”

Contributing: Associated Press

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Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be partly sunny with a high near 90 degrees — heat index values could be as high as 97. Some showers and severe thunderstorms are possible tonight with a low around 74 degrees. Tomorrow will be partly sunny with a high near 86 degrees.

Top story

Exelon moves to close Byron, Dresden nuclear plants, citing Springfield failure on energy deal: ‘We have no choice’

Citing the lack of a deal on clean energy legislation, Exelon Generation plans to file decommissioning plans for its Byron and Dresden nuclear power plants.

The filings, which company officials said they plan to submit to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, are among the final steps in retiring the plants, which have been in operation for decades.

Byron would close September, followed by Dresden in November.

The company also plans to issue job reduction notices to employees — staffing at the energy plant hovered around 1,500 people when plans to retire the facilities were announced last August. That figure could drop as low as 30 to 40 employees over the next 10 years, according to a news release announcing the plans.

Without legislation, the company could also close its Braidwood and LaSalle nuclear facilities sometime in the “next few years,” according to the company statement.

Rachel Hinton has more on the closings here.

More news you need

1. A U.S. Marshal’s Task Force shot and killed a man wanted for a 2019 Chicago murder after he allegedly pulled a gun as officers tried to arrest him yesterday inside a Calumet City restaurant, state police said. Two CPD officers were part of the task force.
2. A former federal prosecutor was appointed today to investigate the Cook County state’s attorney’s office and a former employee who allegedly lied on the witness stand during the trial of a man eventually cleared of murdering two CPD officers. This marks the second time the state’s attorney’s office has been investigated under Kim Foxx’s leadership.
3. After a year of turmoil, Illinois is finally on the verge of dishing out precious new permits to operate recreational pot shops. The first of three lotteries for 185 total dispensary licenses is set for tomorrow, with the others scheduled next month.
4. Beginning next week, anyone who goes inside an Illinois DMV will have to wear a mask, officials announced today. This follows the new CDC mask guidelines released yesterday that urge covered faces in some suburbs.
5. Students with special needs who turn 22 while in school will be able to finish the academic year under legislation signed into law today by Gov. Pritzker. Before, students with disabilities were only eligible for services until the day before their 22nd birthday.
6. Mayor Lightfoot’s administration is counting on a massive refinancing to bankroll more than half the cost of a $600 million police contract. The contract gives rank-and-file officers a 20% pay raise over eight years, more than half of it retroactive.
7. Lollapalooza returns to Grant Park tomorrow for what will be the largest public event to date held in Chicago since the start of the pandemic. We’ll be on the ground covering the festival, but before the gates open, here’s everything you need to know about this year’s iteration.

A bright one

Jewel at 94th and Ashland reopens with new facility for South Shore Drill Team

Auburn Gresham residents have waited more than a year for their Jewel-Osco at 9400 S. Ashland Ave. to reopen.

The store was getting “a little gray,” as local Ald. Howard Brookins (21st) put it, even before it was looted during the citywide unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd last summer. It was high-time for, what Brookins called, “a third iteration.”

Today, the remodeled store reopened to the public, but with a partnership that will provide local residents with more than just a local place to buy their groceries and pharmaceuticals.

Screenshot

The store includes a 2,200 square foot “community room” for Chicago’s iconic South Shore Drill Team. With lockers, cushioned flooring, refrigerator, microwave, free Wi-Fi and a wireless video and audio projection system, the room will serve as a second rehearsal space.

It will allow a group that has grown from a “small troupe of four twirling rifles” to 250 members to serve even more young people on the South Side.

The newly remodeled store includes an upgraded check-out area, expanded deli, meat and seafood counters, “refreshed” produce and a Drive Up & Go area where customers who buy groceries online can pick up their orders.

Fran Spielman has more on the store’s reopening here.

From the press box

Your daily question ?

With August right around the corner, what’s something you want to do before summer ends?

Reply to this email (please include your first name and where you live) and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Say you’ve been tasked with writing a show set in Chicago — who’s the main character? What parts of the city will be featured? Here’s what some of you said…

“Archer to Sox Park, a Chinese American meets an Italian American in the 1960s and are separated by the highway destructions of three blocks in between where they live and their families. They manage to meet later at Chicago Fest, fall in love and open a business in the old neighborhood.” — Pat Mapes

“A show about a group of friends who take Metra into the city daily for various careers in banking, insurance, law, non-profit, etc. Basically set on the Metra, drinking coffee on the morning train, drinking beers on the evening train and having random conversations.” — Mackenzie Currans

“I would base it on a kid who was supposed to get a scholarship to play football in the SEC, but decided to carry the ball one more time in an all-star game and broke his leg, costing him his scholarship and he ended up going to law school. I’m guessing it would be in an unrealistically huge office, while he fights for the little guy pro bono because he’s secretly a wealthy superhero. A combination of Jeff Bezos, Batman, and My Cousin Vinny.” — Kyle Davies

“A delivery driver, and highlighting his interactions with people in all areas of the city. All the neighborhoods deserve their day in the sun.” — Laura Canales

“Pick all families who’ve been devastated by losing a loved one who was killed with no ties to drugs, guns, domestic violence or involved in anything nefarious. This may help them understand their grief and shine the light on the unsatisfactory behavior of organizations whose purpose is to help them with trauma and resources.” — Rosie McCallister

“A die-hard Cubs fan and the story of her up and downs being a die-hard Cubs fan for over 30 years and how being tested by the Cubs and learning to be loyal in the face of adversity has shaped her personality. Wrigleyville of course!” — Helen Good Petit

“A stand-up comic featuring Hyde Park/Woodlawn, Old Town, South Shore, Lakeview and Edgewater.” — Bejay Outla

“The main character would be a small business owner in the Loop faced with all the challenges of the past year and a half from COVID to race relations to the struggle to stay open and to at least break even. Featured parts of the city would be downtown (where the business is), and South, West, and North sides (where the owner and her workers/customers live). It would have to be a drama, of course, but hopefully with occasional humor to provide hope for the main characters. I’d call it ‘Chicago Hope’ if that title hadn’t already been used.” — Paul Lockwood

“From Perishing to Clark, 39th Street to 125th. The story of a former teacher turned educational admin observing and fighting the corruption within the CPS. From test cheating, patronage and selective student appointments, to collecting votes and dollars for your bosses to the closure of 50 schools and the suffering along the way. ‘Nuff said.” — Katherine Konopase

“‘The Women’ — set in the late 19th century, this dramatic series centers on Ida B. Wells, Jane Addams, and Frances Willard and their cooperation and conflicts in their struggle for racial and gender equity. Can’t get more iconic Chicagoans than these women! And we need more historic Chicago dramas!” — Toni Gilpin

Thanks for reading the Chicago Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

Sign up here to get the Afternoon Edition in your inbox every day.

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Let’s say there’s an outbreak of deadly parvovirus in your neighborhood. Your beloved golden retriever Red, however, goes into a full-scale panic attack at the sight or smell of a veterinarian. You know the disease is highly communicable and potentially fatal.

There’s a reliable vaccine, but the dog won’t listen. Runs and hides under the porch. Fights the leash like a smallmouth bass on a hook. Rolls over on his back and has to be dragged, panting and drooling. Maybe even bites the hand that feeds him.

God forbid you should force the issue. No vaccine shot for Red. Even a dog has his rights, after all — among them the right to die in agony while shedding the deadly virus all over the neighborhood.

Put that way, the whole national “debate” over the COVID-19 vaccine seems kind of crazy, doesn’t it? When the vaccine refuser is a golden retriever, we take action because we understand that the dog can’t be reasoned with.

(When I lived in the country, I learned to administer my own vaccinations. I also prevented the animals from watching Fox News. It only riles up the cows.)

That said, I agree with the Republican governor of Alabama. Asked what it would take to convince her constituents to get vaccinated — Alabama is among the least-protected in the nation — Gov. Kay Ivey responded, “I don’t know. You tell me. Folks [are] supposed to have common sense. But it’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks. It’s the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down.”

Trouble is, folks tend not to have a lot of common sense when they’re frightened. Not much more than their ancestors in 14th-century Europe who blamed the Black Death on Jews poisoning wells. Also on Gypsies, beggars and foreigners generally. Many lepers were put to death.

Mainly, though, it was the Jews.

Dr. Anthony Fauci isn’t Jewish, but he’ll do for a certain kind of fool. I think we all know the kind I mean.

Alabama physician Brytney Cobia wrote a Facebook post about admitting young, previously healthy patients to a COVID-19 ward in Birmingham.

“One of the last things they do before they’re intubated is beg me for the vaccine,” Dr. Cobia wrote, as quoted on AL.com. “I hold their hand and tell them that I’m sorry, but it’s too late.”

After they die, Cobia continued, “I hug their family members and I tell them the best way to honor their loved one is to go get vaccinated and encourage everyone they know to do the same.

“They cry. And they tell me they didn’t know. They thought it was a hoax. They thought it was political. They thought because they had a certain blood type or a certain skin color they wouldn’t get as sick. They thought it was ‘just the flu.’ But they were wrong. And they wish they could go back. But they can’t.”

She prays that people will learn.

Many white southerners, Politico reports, “are turning down COVID-19 vaccines because they are angry that President Donald Trump lost the election and sick of Democrats in Washington thinking they know what’s best.”

Especially, of course, when they do.

Possibly they’ll listen to Gov. Ivey or Dr. Cobia, but not soon enough, I fear. Besides, as in the 14th century, paranoia is worldwide. There was a recent anti-vaccine rally in London’s Trafalgar Square, with a host of crackpots invoking imaginary, often self-contradictory horrors.

Vaccines are a satanic plot for world domination; or they’re a surveillance technology, turning your body into a 5G transmitter; or they alter your DNA; or they cause infertility. Or vaccines will just flat kill you.

Closer to home, the epicenter of the deadly pandemic surge in Arkansas, where I live, appears to be Branson, Missouri, the cornball country music capital of middle America.

“Branson has a lot of country-western shows,” Dr. Marc Johnson, an epidemiologist at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, told the Daily Beast. “No vaccines. No masks. A bunch of people indoors and air conditioning, tightly packed, listening to music, possibly singing along, i.e. a superspreading event.”

Yee-haw! The town’s mayor has proclaimed, “I DO NOT believe it’s my place, or the place of any politician, to endorse, promote or compel any person to get any vaccine.” He’s all about freedom and liberty, the mayor.

Only what about my freedom not to get infected because some country karaoke fan thinks COVID-19 is a hoax? Government and private employers can’t force people to take the shot, but they can require vaccines as a condition of employment. You already can’t get into Yankee Stadium without proof of vaccination. NFL teams will likely require it, too.

If people had any sense, you wouldn’t have to drag them from under the porch. But history teaches that you must.

Gene Lyons is a columnist with the Arkansas Times.

Send letters to [email protected].

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As the NBA attempts to return to some sort of normalcy for the 2021-22 season, that means getting back to a preseason schedule in early October that will keep the travel miles down for the Bulls.

The team announced on Wednesday that it will play a four-game preseason schedule, which begins Oct. 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the United Center, and ends Oct. 15, with the Bulls hosting Memphis.

Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans will be in town on Oct. 8, while the lone road game is on Oct. 10, as the Bulls will travel to Cleveland.

According to the team, season ticket plans are now available by calling 312-455-4000, while details on single-game tickets for preseason and regular season home games will be announced closer to the release of the full regular season schedule.

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MIAMI — The Oakland Athletics are in playoff contention, and Starling Marte is their midseason reward.

Oakland obtained the versatile but well-traveled outfielder Wednesday from the Miami Marlins for left-hander Jesus Luzardo.

“We felt like Starling was frankly the best position player that was out there on the market,” A’s general manager David Forst said before the team’s game in San Diego. “We’ve always said when the team performs and puts itself in a playoff position, it’s on us to do whatever we can to try and help them.”

The A’s, who began the day six games behind AL West leader Houston, also acquired left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin this week from the Cubs.

“We’ve added two really solid pieces to help this team over the next send two months,” Forst said.

Marte, 32, is batting .306 with an .859 OPS and 22 stolen bases in 25 attempts. The Marlins will cover nearly all of his remaining contract for 2021, and he becomes a free agent after this season.

It’s the third time in 18 months that Marte has been traded. He joins an outfield that also includes Ramon Laureano and Mark Canha.

The Marlins made the deal after they were unable to reach an agreement with Marte on a contract extension. They’re last in the NL East and expected to make more moves before the trade deadline Friday.

Luzardo is 2-4 with a 6.87 ERA in 13 games, including six starts. He was sidelined for four weeks in May after he broke the pinkie on his pitching hand when he thumped a table while playing a video game.

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Dusty Hill, bassist and vocalist for ZZ Top for more than 50 years, has died. He was 72.

According to reports, Hill passed away in his sleep at his Houston, Texas home.

Bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard issued as statement via social media on Wednesday:

“We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX. We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the ‘Top’. We will forever be connected to that “Blues Shuffle in C.” You will be missed greatly, amigo. Frank & Billy”

According to a report on deadline.com, Hill recently suffered a hip injury, preventing him from touring with the band.

Upcoming performances for the trio included a Las Vegas residency at The Venetian Resort scheduled to begin Oct. 8.

Hill was born Joseph Michael “Dusty” Hill in 1949 in Dallas, Texas.

In addition to making music, movie/TV fans will remember Hill for his on-screen appearances in “Back to the Future Part III” and “Deadwood.”

ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

More to come…

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The odds, as usual, are looking good for Ohio State to have another successful football season. Illinois and Northwestern? Well …

With college football just a few weeks away, oddsmakers at www.SportsBettingDime.com have released regular-season statistical over/unders for the top rushers, receivers and quarterbacks at all Power Five schools. The site has also posted over/under for wins; conference championship odds; the odds to reach their conference championship game; and current odds for any Heisman hopefuls.

The SBD oddsmakers have set the over/under win totals for Alabama and Clemson at 11.5 while Ohio State and Oklahoma are listed at 11.0. Those schools are also favored to win their respective conferences.

Illinois’ over/under for wins is 3.5. Northwestern’s is 7.0.

ILLINOIS

Over/Under Wins: 3.5

Odds to Win the Conference: +33200

Odds to play in the BIig Ten Championship game: +9500

Heisman odds for Brandon Peters: +50000

Chase Brown Over/Under Rushing Yards: 1091.5

Brian Hightower Over/Under Receiving Yards: 714.5

Brandon Peters Over/Under Passing Yards: 2,447.5

Brandon Peters Over/Under Passing TDs: 20.5

NORTHWESTERN

Over/Under Wins: 7.0

Odds to Win the Conference: +5700

Odds to play in the Big Ten Championship game: +1200

Heisman odds for Cam Porter: +80000

Cam Porter Over/Under Rushing Yards: 1,025.5

JJ Jefferson Over/Under Receiving Yards: 644.5

Ryan Hilinski Over/Under Passing Yards: 2,109.5

Ryan Hilinski Over/Under Passing TDs: 15.5

NOTRE DAME

Over/Under Wins: 8.5

Heisman odds for Kyren Williams: +12500

Kyren Williams Over/Under Rushing Yards: 1,245.5

Michael Mayer Over/Under Receiving Yards: 732.5

Jack Coan Over/Under Passing Yards: 2845.5

Jack Coan Over/Under Passing TDs: 19.5

OHIO STATE

Over/Under Wins: 11.0

Odds to Win the Conference: -135

Odds to play in the Big Ten Championship game: -260

Heisman odds for CJ Stroud: +2900

Master Teague Over/Under Rushing Yards: 1,215.5

Chris Olave Over/Under Receiving Yards: 1,179.5

CJ Stroud Over/Under Passing Yards: 3,032.5

CJ Stroud Over/Under Passing TDs: 31.5

WISCONSIN

Over/Under Wins: 8.5

Odds to Win the Conference: +700

Odds to play in the Big Ten Championship game: +120

Heisman odds for Graham Mertz: +14000

Bo Melton Over/Under Rushing Yards: 1,065.5

Jake Ferguson Over/Under Receiving Yards: 695.5

Graham Mertz Over/Under Passing Yards: 2754.5

Graham Mertz Over/Under Passing TDs: 25.5

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The field at Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium will be named for Duke Slater, the trailblazing Black football player who was an All-American tackle a century ago, played in the NFL, and became a pioneering Chicago judge.

The university’s Board of Regents approved the name Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium during its meeting in Cedar Falls on Wednesday.

Slater went to high school in Clinton and played for the Hawkeyes from 1918 to 1921. He helped the 1921 Hawkeyes finish 7-0, including a victory over Notre Dame and coach Knute Rockne.

Slater was the NFL’s first Black lineman, playing on offense and defense for 10 seasons with teams in Rock Island, Illinois, Milwaukee, and Chicago.

He earned a law degree from Iowa while playing in the NFL, later worked as a lawyer in Chicago, and became one of the city’s first Black judges.

Slater, who died in 1966 at age 67, will be inducted next month into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.

The only football stadium in the Power Five conferences named for a Black player is Iowa State’s Jack Trice Stadium.

The idea of honoring Slater at Iowa’s stadium originated in the 1970s when university president Willard “Sandy” Boyd proposed naming the Hawkeyes’ stadium Kinnick-Slater, in part to honor 1939 Heisman Trophy trophy winner Nile Kinnick.

Boyd’s idea faced pushback from some fans and a committee opposed to having a joint name. As a compromise, the university named the stadium for Kinnick and a residence hall for Slater.

The university in 2019 added a bronze sculpture outside Kinnick Stadium to commemorate Slater and the 1921 team.

The push to put Slater’s name on the stadium was renewed following protests for racial justice across the nation and on campus in 2020. Supporters argued the compromise 50 years ago snubbed one of Iowa’s greatest Black athletes and scholars.

Last year’s protests also prompted several former Black players to call out the racial insensitivity they faced while playing under Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, who apologized and made several changes, including allowing kneeling during the national anthem.

A group of former Black players is suing the program and two top Ferentz assistants, including his son and offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, for discrimination.

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