• For all the hand-wringing about having to use only one end zone for last week's Illinois-Northwestern game at Wrigley Field, nobody attending or playing in the game -- save perhaps for the fans in the right field bleachers -- sounded anything but delighted by the event. The Cubs made money, the Wildcats galvanized their fan base with the unique event, and there's already talk of doing it again. How to solve the tight-field dilemma? "I don't know," Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips told the Chicago Tribune. "Maybe you could take off some seats down the third base line or shift the field."
• Most coaches downplay college football awards, asserting that team goals are more important. Bret Bielema doesn't buy it. In fact, the Wisconsin coach takes the unusual step of calling voters, mostly football writers around the country, to lobby for his players. Bielema told the Wisconsin State Journal last week that he had contacted voters to support the candidacies of tight end Lance Kendricks for the Mackey Award, tackle Gabe Caramini for the Outland Trophy, tailback John Clay for the Doak Walker Award, and quarterback Scott Tolzien for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award.
• The Hoosiers, 0-7 in conference games heading to Purdue on Saturday, are in danger of going winless in the Big Ten, putting coach Bill Lynch in danger of losing his job. His players last week made a direct appeal to athletic director Fred Glass to spare Lynch, who is 5-26 in conference games over four seasons, saying they, and not their coach, were responsible for the disappointing season. "It's come down to a very few plays where, if one of us steps up and makes a play, we have different outcomes," quarterback Ben Chappell told the Bloomington Times. "I have the ultimate respect for Coach. I love playing for him, and I'd do anything for him."
