It's almost here. This week marks the beginning of the end of Big Ten football's offseason. Next week brings the conference's annual media days in Chicago and with it the unofficial start to a fresh year of football.

To celebrate, our writers will be taking a look back at the past seven months and debating what people and events deserve superlatives for entertaining us the most during this year's offseason.

First up, we take a look at the best spring practice performance by a Big Ten player.

Quarterback Nate Sudfeld has proven to be a leader both on and off the field for Indiana. AP Photo/Matthew Putney

Brian Bennett: Indiana QB Nate Sudfeld

Gaining confidence is the first step back for any player returning from an injury. And so it was for Sudfeld, whose 2014 season was cut in half when he needed surgery on his non-throwing shoulder. He recovered enough to get ready for spring ball, and Hoosiers insiders said that at times Sudfeld was zipping the ball around as well as he ever had during practice, thanks to the strengthening exercises he completed during his rehab. It was obvious how much Indiana missed its starting quarterback down the stretch last season, as the passing game all but disappeared. The team really needs a big final flourish from the senior as it looks to finally make it back to a bowl game.

Dan Murphy: Michigan State DE Lawrence Thomas

The Spartans' traditionally tough defensive line could have one of its best groups in recent memory this season, and a lot of that has to do with Thomas stepping into a bigger role. The fifth-year senior was one of the country's top linebackers coming out of high school. He's now finding his stride this offseason after a couple of position switches led him to a spot in the defensive line rotation in 2014. Thomas spent the majority of his time on the interior last season, but showed off his athleticism playing at defensive end in the spring. He impressed during Michigan State's spring game, even when lined up across from All-American candidate Jack Conklin. He and former Big Ten defensive player of the year Shilique Calhoun give the Spartans a pair of potentially dominant bookends in the trenches this fall.