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It’s amazing, but we’re just a couple of months from the start of fall camps. And that means were just a couple months away from lighting some fires under various coaches' seats to get them to win now or else.

But why wait?

I thought I‘d assess the temperature of the various coaches in my leagues to see where they stand heading into 2010 and what they need to do to ensure their employment in 2011.

Needs to win right away

Mike Price, UTEP: Price has become a bit of a fixture in this particular position on the hot seat list. He was given a vote of confidence at the end of last year, but that was because he still has players such as quarterback Trevor Vittatoe and running back Donald Buckram on his roster. But they’re gone after this season, so Price needs to make something out of this year or else.

Neil Callaway, UAB: Callaway is 11-25 in his three seasons as UAB’s head coach and the Blazers have not won more than five games in any of his seasons. In all fairness, Callaway did have to deal with scholarship losses thanks to NCAA APR sanctions that came down prior to his arrival. But with Joe Webb gone and the team looking for an offensive spark this year, the administration and fans could get antsy.

Seat could get toasty midseason

David Bailiff, Rice: I honestly think Bailiff has nothing to fear, but last season’s 2-10 campaign was pretty brutal, especially after the 10-3 season in 2008. But Bailiff has some key transfers this season, including running back Sam McGuffie, who could end up being the best player in the conference. Another 10-win season might be a stretch, but the Owls should get into bowl contention.

Bob Toledo, Tulane: Toledo took a tough job four years ago as Tulane was still rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina and was displaced because of other hurricanes. He also has to deal with a tough academic standard, which often hampers recruiting. Still, Tulane has some fertile recruiting ground with Louisiana and Texas and should be better than its 3-9 record a year ago.

Chillin’ in a lounge chair

Kevin Sumlin, Houston: Sumlin’s Cougars provided some thrills last year with wins over Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Mississippi State en route to a 10-win season, but they struggled at the end of the season and failed to win the conference title or the bowl game. Still, Sumlin’s coaching job in just two years has made him one of the hottest up-and-comers, and Houston will want to hold onto him as long as it can.

June Jones, SMU: Jones has started SMU on the road back to prominence, which has its administration and fan base in a frenzy. The school bumped up his salary last year and the expectations for a nine or 10-win season, a division title and possible league title are high. Jones won’t be chastised if they don’t achieve all of those goals, but he has to continue to show improvement.

George O’Leary, UCF: Remember when folks were calling for O’Leary’s job? Yeah, those days are gone and now many think the Knights could be the team to beat in the East Division and perhaps the conference. The defense has been stout, but the Knights need to show some progress on offense to live up to the expectations.

Todd Graham, Tulsa: I think it’s fair to call last year’s 5-7 finish a fluke. Graham acknowledged that he underestimated the loss of some of his seniors after the 2008 season and the lack of depth on the offensive line. However, Tulsa doesn’t lose much offense from a year ago, and if the O-line and quarterback G.J. Kinne can progress, the Golden Hurricane could be right back in the conference title hunt.

Larry Fedora, Southern Miss: Fedora missed an East Division title by five points last season and those five points were the theme that drove the Golden Eagles this spring. Southern Miss will once again be at the top of the East Division and will probably battle UCF for the division title. Fedora has kept the bowl streak alive, but now it’s time to push his squad forward.

New coach, jury is still out

Ruffin McNeill, East Carolina: McNeill took over a team that lost 28 seniors from last year and he’s installing a new offense and defense. Now, it’s tough to rule out the back-to-back conference champions, but it’s hard to see this as anything but a rebuilding year.

Larry Porter, Memphis: Porter is another coach who lost several key contributors. He’s breaking in a new quarterback and a new running back in a new system. He has a little more pressure on him to build quickly with possible expansion looming, but it will take some time to get this team back in contention.

Middle Tennessee running back Phillip Tanner is back after missing the last six months with a knee injury.

The Colorado Springs Gazette breaks down the five developments from Air Force’s spring practice.

Rice coach David Bailiff is pleased with his team’s latest scrimmage.

The Boise State offensive line is highlighted by depth and experience.

East Carolina coach Ruffin McNeill and defensive coordinator Brian Mitchell are trying to keep ECU’s defense at a high level.

Running back Channing Trotter is excited about UNLV’s new offensive scheme, but the team still has questions at quarterback.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson

Rice football and coach David Bailiff will host 10-15 members of the Air Force’s 336th Rocketeers squadron during Saturday’s game at East Carolina.

Bailiff met the squadron while visiting Afghanistan in July during a coaches tour he did with four other collegiate football coaches, including Idaho’s Robb Akey.

The squadron returned home to North Carolina in September.

Unfortunately, just days after Bailiff visited the squadron, two members were killed in the crash of their F-15 E Strike Eagle while on a mission. The members of the squadron buried one of those pilots on Thursday.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson

Rice coach David Bailiff sees a light at the end of the tunnel; he just wants supporters to hold on just a little bit longer.

“You have to stick with us because we're going to win one sooner rather than later,” Bailiff said during his weekly news conference. “We have to maintain our confidence. We have to maintain our belief that we can win. We're going to keep our expectations high and we'll get it done.”

Rice is 0-4 to start the season for the first time since 2006. It ranks in the 100s nationally in several defensive categories, including last in scoring defense. It’s 104th in scoring offense with just 18.75 points per game. The Owls have lost their games by an average of 25.25 points and lost their starting quarterback, Nick Fanuzzi, to a shoulder injury.

It’s a difficult turn of events, especially after finishing 10-3 a season ago.

But Bailiff is hoping the experiences of the past four games will help the Owls moving forward, especially now that Conference USA play is almost in full swing. Rice plays Tulsa this week before facing Navy on Oct. 10 and then it moves into conference play full-time.

“I think the greatest thing that's happening during this streak is that I'm seeing some amazing leadership by people who had not shown it earlier in the year,” Bailiff said. “That's going to help galvanize this football team because there's guys drawing the line in the sand saying, ‘It's not going to happen here at Rice.' We're going to win, we're going to keep the expectations high.”

Bailiff has done his best to maintain a positive attitude with his players and coaches. He's made sure to point out all the positive plays during the losses and stressed the achievements when all 11 guys are on the same page. He’s encouraged underclassmen who have had to fill big holes because of injuries.

But perhaps the most important thing to note is that when Rice started 0-4 in 2006, it rallied to finish the season 7-6 and play in the New Orleans Bowl.

“We've got to get those guys prepared to where they hit the field confident,” Bailiff said. “We need to get a lucky stone in our pocket on some of those injuries and continue to aim high and not let this football team fall short because we are talented.”

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

After struggling through one of my worst weeks in recent history, I'm hoping for a turnaround in these picks.

Here they are.

Kansas 41, Duke 17: The Jayhawks have too many offensive weapons and an improved defense with a knack of making big plays. Jake Sharp and Toben Opurum provide an emerging 1-2 weapon at running back and Dezmon Briscoe will juice production in the passing game with Todd Reesing as he becomes more comfortable in the offense. Duke coach David Cutcliffe will likely alternate Sean Renfree and Thaddeus Lewis at quarterback. Both will likely struggle against an emerging Kansas defensive front that has produced nine sacks in its first two games.

Missouri 45, Furman 6: Look for the Tigers to jump on their FCS opponent quickly, hoping to make amends after last week’s closer-than-expected victory over Bowling Green. Blaine Gabbert regressed in his second start, but should be ready to show improvement this week. If they can find the edge exhibited against Illinois, this one won’t be close for very long.

Colorado 24, Wyoming 21: It can’t get any worse for Dan Hawkins and the Buffaloes, can it? If they lose this one, it will. Despite the struggles stopping big plays and operating the offense in losses against Colorado State and Toledo, the Buffaloes will rebound. Even though the Cowboys turned the heat up on Texas last week and Dave Christensen had his way against the Buffaloes when he was offensive coordinator at Missouri -- he outscored Colorado by a combined 113-10 margin last season -- it won’t be that easy this time. The Buffaloes will rebound and win a gritty game that won’t be very spectator friendly.

Oklahoma 38, Tulsa 17: Landry Jones makes his second career start against Tulsa, an underrated program under Todd Graham that will be itching to earn some national revenge against their “big brothers” from across the state. This should be a good matchup between the Golden Hurricane, who led the nation in total offense each of the past two seasons, and the salty Oklahoma defense. Sooners coaches are familiar with Tulsa quarterback G.J. Kinne, who they tried to recruit as a linebacker. Even without Sam Bradford, the Sooners still should have enough offense to win.

Virginia Tech 28, Nebraska 21: Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee will be looking to stop the Hokies’ 31-game home nonconference winning streak in his first career road start. There might be tougher first-game assignments in college football, but I don’t know of many. Lee leads the conference in pass efficiency, but will be stepping up in class when he faces the active Virginia Tech defense. Ryan Williams and fellow freshman David Wilson both rushed for more than 160 yards last week and the Hokies will be looking to set the tempo by using them. Still, the Cornhuskers might make this one closer than expected with a strong pass rush against Tyrod Taylor and if they can stay away from special-teams mistakes.

Baylor 31, Connecticut 21: The Bears will be gunning for their second straight conquest over an opponent from a BCS-affiliated conference against Connecticut, which beat them in Storrs last season. But this is a different Baylor team, which has had a bye week to settle down after an upset victory over Wake Forest in its opener. Backup quarterback Cody Endres steps in as Connecticut’s starter after Zach Frazer was hurt last week against North Carolina. One item to watch will be how Baylor’s young Canadian tackles Danny Watkins and Phillip Blake will handle Lindsay Witten, who leads the Big East in sacks.

Kent State 24, Iowa State 21: Paul Rhoads will try to halt the Cyclones’ nation-worst 17-game road losing streak. Iowa State quarterback Austen Arnaud will be trying to rebound after throwing four interceptions in the Cyclones’ 35-3 loss last week to Iowa. Look for Giorgio Morgan and Eugene Jarvis to share snaps for the Golden Flashes, who ranked 96th or worse in each of the four major offensive statistical categories. In the end, this one might be settled by which of two of the nation’s worst turnover margin teams -- Kent State is 94th and Iowa State is 108th -- does the better job of protecting the ball.

Texas A&M 38, Utah State 10: Texas A&M hopes to build on a strong opening-game performance against New Mexico where the offense and defense were both productive in a 41-6 victory. Jerrod Johnson looked more comfortable starting his second season as quarterback and the Aggies showed strong skill players. The defense, while still not at the “Wrecking Crew” standards of the past, had a strong effort with five sacks keyed by three from Von Miller. Utah State was challenging for Utah, but likely doesn’t have the firepower to stay close to the rejuvenated A&M attack for long in this game.

Oklahoma State 45, Rice 17: The Cowboys are intent on rebounding after last week’s disappointing home loss to Houston. They likely will play without Big 12 leading rusher Kendall Hunter, but backups Beau Johnson and Keith Toston averaged nearly 8 yards per carry against Houston. The Cowboys gave up more yardage in the first half last week than against Georgia in the previous week. They shouldn’t face much of a challenge from Rice, which is rebuilding from last season’s 10-win team. Coach David Bailiff alternated among three quarterbacks last week and could do the same against an Oklahoma State defense that will be intent on improvement this week.

Texas 54, Texas Tech 31: Even though they claim otherwise, rest assured the Longhorns have been awaiting this rematch ever since their 39-33 loss in Lubbock last season. They should have the upper hand in this one because their secondary is a year more experienced and this will be Texas Tech quarterback Taylor Potts’ first road game as a starter. The Longhorns looked lethargic in the first half last week at Wyoming, but blew the game by scoring 28 unanswered points in the second half. It won’t be that easy this week against Potts and the Red Raiders, but look for the Longhorns’ offense to produce similar late success.

UCLA 21, Kansas State 10: This one figures to be a low scoring game as the Wildcats have sputtered offensively and UCLA will be playing without starting quarterback Kevin Prince, who sustained a broken jaw late in the Bruins’ victory at Tennessee. Look for both teams to try to take control on the ground with UCLA employing Johnathan Franklin and Kansas State countering with Big 12 rushing leader Daniel Thomas. The Wildcats have also struggled mightily with special teams in their first two games and must improve for any upset hopes. But the UCLA defense is too formidable, winning this one as they pick up the slack for an offense missing Prince.

Last week: 7-3 (70 percent)

For the season: 16-6 (72.7 percent)

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Here are my Big 12 picks for this weekend.

Colorado 21, Toledo 20: This might be the biggest game of Dan Hawkins’ career after his team’s opening-game debacle against Colorado State. The Buffaloes need to get a ground game going -- remember that guy on the bench is Darrell Scott -- and do a better job of limiting big plays on defense. Toledo quarterback Aaron Opelt threw 67 passes in last week’s loss at Purdue, but will find it much tougher this week against the Buffaloes’ underrated secondary keyed by cornerback Jimmy Smith. I’m looking for the Buffaloes to do just enough to escape the Glass Bowl with a victory-- but it’s not going to be easy or pretty.

Iowa 21, Iowa State 17: The Cyclones have had much recent success against the Hawkeyes at Jack Trice Stadium, where they have won four of the last five in the series since 1999. The Hawkeyes struggled last week against Northern Iowa and were lucky to escape with a victory only after blocking field goals on the last two plays of the game. I look for replacement running back Adam Robinson to run with a little more confidence this week for the Hawkeyes. Don't be surprised if wily Iowa coordinator Norm Parker cooks up a defensive scheme that will handcuff the Cyclones’ emerging no-huddle offense. But it wouldn’t surprise me if the Cyclones were able to make this one close and maybe even eke out an upset victory.

Nebraska 41, Arkansas State 14: The Cornhuskers ran off a 49-3 victory over FAU and Bo Pelini wasn’t happy about his team’s defensive efforts. They’ll be facing another challenger from the Sun Belt in Arkansas State, who shouldn’t pose too many problems. I’ll be interested to see the continued development of future Cornhuskers like Rex Burkhead and Cody Green and see how the defense reacts after the scalding criticism of their coach. If Pelini gets mad after giving up three points, what's he going to do if they give up seven or 10 or 14 points this week?

Oklahoma State 45, Houston 34: Oklahoma State had a strong opening performance, including a salty defensive showing that stopped Georgia cold after the Bulldogs scored a touchdown on their opening possession. It will be interesting to see if that huge victory left the Cowboys with a hangover. It’s something they can’t afford, considering Houston’s high-powered offense keyed by Case Keenum. The Cougars had Oklahoma State on the ropes last season before the Cowboys blew the game open in the second half. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar kind of game on Saturday.

Texas 45, Wyoming 7: The Longhorns’ toughest nonconference road game shouldn’t pose too many problems, even with injuries on the offensive line and other personnel losses in the secondary. I’ll be interested to see how alternating Wyoming quarterbacks Robert Benjamin and Austyn Carta-Samuels attack a Texas defense that allowed more points in an opening game last week in 10 years. It will also be noteworthy to watch Texas’ running backs and see if Vondrell McGee still is the featured back after his fumble problems last week. Despite playing at high elevation, the Longhorns should have no worries.

Kansas 44, UTEP 35: Kansas ran the ball strongly last week against Northern Colorado and should be able to do the same against the Miners. But it wouldn’t surprise me if UTEP quarterback Trevor Vittatoe and some underrated offensive weapons make the Jayhawks sweat their way through their visit to the Sun Bowl. In the end, Dezmon Briscoe will make enough plays as a receiver and maybe as a kick returner to extend the Miners’ 16-game losing streak against Big 12 teams.

Missouri 34, Bowling Green 14: What can Blaine Gabbert do for an encore? His auspicious start has been the talk of the “Show-Me” State this week after a breakthrough performance against Illinois. I was just as impressed by the Tigers’ “Scorpion” defensive front which made Illinois quarterback Juice Williams miserable. The Missouri defense will be tested by Bowling Green’s talented pass-and-catch duo of Tyler Sheehan and Freddie Barnes. The Falcons beat Missouri in each of Gary Pinkel’s first two seasons at Missouri, including his first game there in 2001. But that’s a long time ago.

Oklahoma 34, Idaho State 0: Landry Jones gets his first start at quarterback as he replaces Sam Bradford. I look for Bob Stoops to have a conservative approach this week designed to build confidence for Jones over the next several games. There won’t be anything fancy as the Sooners will lean on a running game that needs to help restore assurance in an offensive line that struggled last week. Idaho State dropped a 50-3 outing at Arizona State last week in a game where Bengal quarterbacks threw four interceptions. It might be more of the same as the Sooners’ defense will be charged to pick up its performance with all of the lingering questions on offense.

Texas Tech 41, Rice 17: Taylor Potts didn’t have the best of college career starts, throwing three interceptions last week against North Dakota. I look for improvement from him and the Tech running attack as they meet rebuilding Rice. Owls coach David Bailiff is still struggling to find a quarterback and I expect both John Shepherd and Nick Fanuzzi to get an opportunity to play. But it won’t nearly be enough as the Red Raiders should cruise into the Texas game with a better performance than their first game.

Kansas State 31, Louisiana-Lafayette 24: Carson Coffman should have a better performance in his second game and the Kansas State special teams will be improved in a tougher-than-expected battle at Cajun Field. The Ragin’ Cajuns have a couple of nice offensive weapons in quarterback Chris Masson and running back Undrea Sails. If they get rolling, it could be a long night in the bayou for the Wildcats. I’m also a little concerned about how Kansas State’s lack of depth affects them at both offensive line and defensive line during what should be a hot, humid night. But in the end, Kansas State running backs Daniel Thomas and Keithen Valentine will provide enough offense for the Wildcats to escape Louisiana with a tough victory.

Last week: 10-2 (83.3 percent)

Season: 10-2 (83.3 percent)

Posted by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson

Rice used two quarterbacks in Saturday’s 44-24 loss to UAB and coach David Bailiff said he doesn’t plan to change that.

Bailiff announced during his Monday press conference that sophomore Nick Fanuzzi would start this week’s game at Texas Tech, but that both he and senior John Thomas Shepherd would play in the game. Shepherd started against UAB but both quarterbacks played.

“We’re going to start Nick this week, and if he leads us down the field and scores on the first couple possessions, we’ll probably leave him in, but I think for the good of this football team, we’re going to continue to use two quarterbacks right now,” Bailiff said. “The easy thing is to look at the stat sheet and see that Nick threw for 154 yards, but when you watch the film and grade their decision-making, we know that John Thomas did a lot of good things too.”

Fanuzzi completed 12-of-20 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown and rushed for seven yards and a score. Shepherd completed 10-of-22 passes for 81 yards and an interception, but led the team in rushing with 48 yards.

Bailiff said he was pleased with Fanuzzi’s play in the passing game, but that he needed to work on some things in the running game. He had the opposite praise and criticism for Shepherd.

Rice, which was coming off a 10-3 campaign last year, is still looking to replace the majority of its offense which either graduated or left early for the NFL. The team had hoped to get more production out of the running back position, but its top two statistical running backs, Tyler Smith and Charles Ross, had 37 yards apiece and no touchdowns.

Bailiff has maintained all along that if one quarterback separates himself, he’ll be the team’s starter for the foreseeable future.

“Nick did look off some defenders and came back to receivers, which is something he had not done in practice,” Bailiff said. “But for him to be the total package quarterback, we’ve got to work on the running game with him.”

Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson

Rice head coach David Bailiff, who is visiting U.S. troops overseas with Bobby Hauck of Montana, Rich Ellerson of Army, Rob Akey of Idaho and Mickey Matthews of James Madison, has been sending in updates to the Rice athletic department, which has been publishing them on its Web site.

He talks about meeting Rice fans at their various stops as well as the caliber of troops he's met during his trip.

The cool thing about this is that it's really the only public communication between the coaches and the rest of the country. The U.S. Defense Department does not disclose where the coaches are or where they are heading, which makes it tough to track them. There's also no word on when the coaches will return stateside.

Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson

The second annual Under Armour Coaches Tour, which takes five coaches to visit U.S. troops in the Middle East, has garnered most of the attention this summer, but that doesn't mean other coaches aren't doing their part to support America's troops.

Rice's David Bailiff, Bobby Hauck of Montana, Rich Ellerson of Army, Rob Akey of Idaho and Mickey Matthews of James Madison have been traveling through southwest Asia visiting troops at various bases.

Although the Defense Department doesn't allow the group's current location to be disclosed, the coaches did stop at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar to visit troops in the U.S. Central Command rest and recuperation pass program.

According to dvidshub.net, "the venue offers service members a respite from contingency commitments throughout Southwest Asia. Over 185,000 war fighters have participated in the program, since its inception in 2004."

On the Rice athletics Web site, Bailiff offered his thoughts about the area and the troops.

"I know everyone in Texas thinks it has been hot there recently, but let me tell you that the heat here re-defines the meaning of hot," Bailiff said. "You literally feel the heat pulling the moisture out of your body. But even with the conditions, the thing that just overwhelms you from the start is the quality of the men and women we've met.

"These are highly-motivated individuals who do an incredible job. It makes you proud to be around them and to see they way they approach their jobs. I'll do my best to send you some kind of update when I can, but they are keeping us pretty busy."

The dates of the tour, which was put on by the U.S. Army and Koeberle & Associates, a sports and entertainment firm, were not announced so there's no telling when the group will return to the state.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

It would seem that being relegated to a pay-per-view telecast would be college football's version of playing in Siberia. Less attention compared to national games on the major networks seemingly would make this an unattractive solution.

But excitement about the arrival of new Nebraska coach Bo Pelini is helping to disprove that line of thinking. The Omaha World-Herald reported that Nebraska notched impressive pay-per-view numbers in their first three telecasts, helping the school make more money than if those games had been carried by a national television network.

School officials estimate that Nebraska's first three games have generated more than $1 million in their telecasts produced in cooperation with Fox Sports Network.

"FSN has also done games with Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, and the Nebraska games we have done have performed well in comparison with those schools," Geoff Goldman, FSN Midwest's media relations manager, told the Lincoln Journal Star.

So maybe there is a method there. Hire a vibrant new coach and play a bunch of nobodies from schools outside BCS conferences. And then sit back and rake in the cash.

I wish my budgeting was that simple.

Here are some of the other stories around the conference generating some hot sports opinion this morning. 

• Kansas State fell victim to some of its old problems in a 38-29 loss to Louisville Wednesday night. The Kansas City Star's Jason Whitlock said that QB Josh Freeman didn't live up to being one of the Big 12's best quarterbacks. Freeman wasn't ready -- literally and figuratively -- for his prime-time opportunity.
• Colorado is girding for a tough challenge when West Virignia visits tonight, a game that could be a watershed moment for Coach Dan Hawkins' program. It will be the start of a brutal six-game swing for the Buffaloes that includes games against five ranked foes.
• Massachusetts players defended only nine passes in their entire game last week against James Madison. They may face that many in the first series Saturday against Texas Tech. And poor route-running was blamed by Texas Tech assistant coach Lincoln Riley as the major reason the Red Raiders dropped eight passes against SMU.
• Baylor has repeatedly benefitted from field-position advantage during their recent two-game winning streak.
• Cotton Bowl officials showed off their $57 million package of renovations, which will result in at least 16,000 more fans attending the Texas-Oklahoma game next month.
• Oklahoman columnist John Rohde spins forward to a potential Oklahoma-USC national championship game at the Orange Bowl. The Sooners will have to play at least the next four weeks without injured  DT DeMarcus Granger, and perhaps much more.
• An underrated element in Oklahoma State's early success has been its strong punting. The Cowboys lead the nation in net punting and six of their eight kicks have been downed inside the opposing team's 20-yard line. They haven't needed much punting with the emergence of WR Dez Bryant into one of the nation's most productive players.
• Texas has already blocked three kicks in its first two games after producing none last season. Freshman DB Aaron Williams has been a key ingredient, blocking two against UTEP.
• Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Jimmy Burch details the Big 12's biggest early surprises this season. Hurricane Ike has resulted in some unique challenges for Rice this week. Coach David Bailiff has been sleeping with his family in his office after the storm ripped through his home.
• Texas A&M DE Michael Bennett is emerging out of the ample shadow of his older brother, former A&M standout TE Martellus Bennett.
• Kansas City Star beat writer Mike DeArmond's scientific experiment in his weekly vlog might be the best comparison to Missouri's prolific offense. And the Columbia Tribune's Dave Matter says the Tigers should be in good shape Saturday as long as Dick Jauron's Buffalo Bills don't show up in the place of Turner Gill's team.  
• Nebraska's defense has struggled during its bye week with a mental hangover after facing so many spread passing offenses, defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said.