ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

All 11 teams are in action Saturday, so there's no shortage of links this week. 

• If Joe Paterno wins a national title and retires on top, it would clear a path for Bobby Bowden to claim the all-time coaching victories record, David Whitley writes in the Orlando Sentinel.
  

"Bowden will be 79 on Saturday, but compared to Paterno he looks like Tom Cruise bouncing on Oprah's couch. Both say the all-time win record doesn't factor into their planning. Both are fibbing. This is starting to look like a three-legged race at a retirement home picnic. You just want it to end before somebody gets hurt.

"The current tally is Paterno 381, Bowden 379, but winning more games won't settle anything. Paterno fans will always think he's the greatest. Bowden's flock will always follow him. This is as close to a win-win as we'll get.

"Paterno gets a third national championship this season. Bowden gets the all-time win record next season. That doesn't mean he'll retire, but it will remove the notion he's sticking around for selfish reasons. So if you're a Bobby fan, pull for Joe to win. Then pull for Joe to stop being so stubborn and accept the truth."

• Michigan defensive coordinator Scott Shafer has come under increased scrutiny, but neither head coach Rich Rodriguez nor the players are assigning blame, Joe Vardon writes in The Toledo Blade. Wolverines freshman wide receiver Darryl Stonum has been charged with drunken driving stemming from a Sept. 28 incident, John Heuser writes in The Ann Arbor News.
  
• After playing in front of six-figure crowds at Penn State and Michigan, Illinois prepares for a very different environment Saturday at Ford Field. But the Illini aren't taking Western Michigan lightly, Mark Tupper writes in the Bloomington Pantagraph. 
• Indiana's transition at athletic director likely will keep head football coach Bill Lynch employed for another year, The Herald-Times' Chris Korman writes in the Hoosier Scoop blog. 
• Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema admits he lost some credibility among the players after he was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct at Michigan State, Tom Mulhern writes in the Wisconsin State Journal.  
• Northwestern backup quarterback Mike Kafka won Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors for his heroics at Minnesota. His potential reward? The bench against Ohio State, Jim O'Donnell writes in the Chicago Sun-Times.