Perception remains that the Big Ten is the most physical conference in college football, but Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said he doesn't think that's reality anymore.

“I think they’re all pretty similar as far as physicality is concerned and the strength and the size and the speed of the guys,” Rodriguez said Tuesday on the Big Ten coaches teleconference. “I really haven’t noticed much difference between the (Big Ten and Big East, where he coached at West Virginia), or even back when I was at Clemson in the ACC, between the physicality and the intensity and things like that.”

Michigan's Obi Ezeh and J.T. Floyd turn Michigan State receiver Mark Dell into a pretzel during first quarter action of the Spartans a 26-20 win Saturday.

Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

While the Big Ten’s reputation was built decades ago on power running games and three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust football, Rodriguez said the evolution of spread offenses like the one he runs at Michigan and different versions in use at Penn State and Indiana has blurred the lines between leagues.

“Obviously, there’s big, physical teams in the Big Ten, but there’s big, physical teams everywhere,” he said. “That old perception of this being a pound-it-out, physical thing, irregardless of what the weather’s like at the end of the year, is really not true in the Big Ten anymore. I think the schemes or the styles of play have changed all throughout college football, and the Big Ten has changed with it.”

More notes from Tuesday's teleconference:

• Rodriguez said true freshman quarterback Tate Forcier has moved past the overtime interception he threw in last week's loss to Michigan State.

"Mentally he's fine," Rodriguez said.

Physically, Forcier was limited in passing drills during Monday's practice by his sore right shoulder, but Rodriguez said he "should be able to do everything" today.

• Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz on Forcier: "He's a very good player. I was going to use the word amazing, which I think is probably appropriate considering that he was in high school a couple months ago. I think he was up there this spring, but even with that it’s really very, very impressive for a guy who was in high school last fall, certainly, to be playing this well against good competition week in and week out.

"He just seems to be a fearless guy out there and has good instincts. But instincts don’t just come. It’s something I’m sure he‘s worked real hard at. Just has a real good knack, a real good feel and makes a lot of great decisions."

• Rodriguez on his biggest concern about Iowa heading into Saturday's showdown at Kinnick Stadium: "That nobody has been able to move the ball consistently against them all year."

• Michigan center David Molk is still "a week or two" away from returning from his broken foot. "It's still way too early for him to do anything football-wise with pads on," Rodriguez said.

Iowa tight end Tony Moeaki might play Saturday, however. Moeaki will try to practice this week after missing three games with an ankle injury. "That'd certainly be a big boost for us" if he returns, Ferentz said.

• Former Michigan tight end Mark Campbell will do color commentary for the Big Ten Network for next week's Michigan-Delaware State game.