• Bo Pelini's seat is red hot again heading into Nebraska's game at Iowa on Friday. It's fair to wonder how good the Cornhuskers will be next year after Ameer Abdullah and Kenny Bell graduate, and with Randy Gregory likely headed to the NFL. Tommy Armstrong Jr. does not look like the answer at quarterback. If Pelini gets fired, it might save him from having to watch a less competitive team in 2015.

• Ralph Friedgen was ACC Coach of the Year in 2010, when Maryland went 8-4 a year after falling to 2-10. but that didn't keep him from getting fired that December. Friedgen resurfaced this year as the offensive coordinator at Rutgers. On Saturday, he will face his old friends at his alma mater. Friedgen hasn't said anything this week, but a few years ago he said: "I could care less about Maryland. I burned my diploma."

• Illinois and Northwestern will be playing for more than the Land of Lincoln Trophy in Evanston. The winner gets a bowl berth, and the loser's season is over. Northwestern endured a four-game losing streak before rallying with wins over Notre Dame and Purdue. Illinois looked nothing like a bowl team before knocking off the Gophers and Penn State.

JOE CHRISTENSEN