• The Big 12 seems to have received another reprieve (in this case, in the form of a rejection, for the moment, by the Pac-12), which isn't just good news for the Great Plains states, but for the Big Ten as well. Jim Delany and the league's presidents clearly want to move slowly in considering any further expansion, but transactions don't seem to happen slowly anymore. But with Pitt and Syracuse now locked into the ACC, Rutgers possibly joining them, and Missouri briefly on the brink of accepting a rumored invitation from the SEC, potential Big Ten recruits were drying up, potentially forcing a precipitous move. Instead, the league can wait some more, in hopes Notre Dame someday knocks on the door.

• There might not be a bigger surprise in the Big Ten this year than the Illinois defense, which lost three players to the NFL, including first-rounder Corey Liuget, an anchor in the middle of the line. But the 3-0 Illini terrorized Arizona State's Brock Osweiler last week, sacking him six times and intercepting him twice, en route to their first victory over a ranked team since 2007. "I thought defensively, we would be a lot better than people gave us credit for," said coach Ron Zook.

• Ohio State has decided to do something dramatic at quarterback, going with a true freshman, Braxton Miller, a week after a deflating loss at Miami. "It's a give-him-a-shot thing," Buckeyes coach Luke Fickell said on his weekly radio show of his decision to bench Joe Bauserman, who was just 2-for-14 for 13 yards against the Hurricanes. "It's time."