ESPN College Football

CHICAGO -- When the college football playoff push kicked off, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith planted himself in the campus-sites camp.

Smith favored having the semifinals on the campuses of the higher-seeded teams. The setup would give Big Ten teams like Ohio State an advantage they've never enjoyed in the current BCS/bowl setup -- nationally significant games on Midwest soil in late December or early January. Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany was among the first major college football figures to stump for campus sites this winter.

"We've shifted," Smith told ESPN.com on Tuesday. "I was originally for campus sites, and I still go back there mentally every now and then as discussions occur, but the bowls have a really good system set up to host."

The reasons for the Big Ten's shift are well known by now. Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne said Tuesday that a playoff outside of the existing bowls would "pretty much destroy the bowl system." Preserving and protecting the Rose Bowl is paramount to Delany and the rest of the Big Ten brass.

Smith also thinks there are operational advantages to keeping the biggest games at bowl sites.

"There are certain schools that would put it on and host it extremely well," he said. "Others might be challenged with that. Bowls have done this a long time. They have great local organizing committees. ... And it's good for the game."

The strongest counterargument is that campus sites would ease the burden on college football fans. Rather than make separate trips for a league title game, a national semifinal and a national championship game, fans of some teams could have one of those games closer to their homes.

Another apparent plus for Big Ten backers is the potential weather advantage Big Ten teams could exploit by hosting games. Unlike squads in the South and West, Big Ten teams are conditioned to play cold-weather football, but they typically face the best from the SEC, Pac-12 and Big 12 in ideal conditions at places like the Rose Bowl, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and University of Phoenix Stadium.

The thought of a college football playoff in the snow is both novel and exciting to some Big Ten fans. But Smith actually sees it as a drawback.

Brace yourselves, Woody and Bo ...

"Let's say Ohio State is hosting and it's January or December, and let's say it is 5 degrees," Smith said. "Is that right for the game? We're not pro. We need to figure out what's best for the game, and I think a fast surface, good weather is important for the game. It's important for the kids."

Delany, Osborne and others acknowledge that campus sites could favor the Big Ten, which hasn't won a national championship since after the 2002 season. But in surveying presidents, athletic directors, coaches and even players, the overwhelming majority favored the bowl sites.

"It would be a competitive advantage to have semifinal games at home fields," Osborne said. "... but the bowls have been good to us."

The sentiment isn't sitting well with some folks. The Big Ten might have been alone in advocating for campus sites, but it's fair to ask if the Big Ten gave up on the crusade far too easily.

Yahoo! Sports' Dan Wetzel writes today:

Somewhere Mike Slive of the SEC and Larry Scott of the Pac-12 are kicking back with a cackle of delight. These guys are angling for every possible edge while the Big Ten and the Rose Bowl sit in adjacent bathtubs, holding hands and waiting for the moment to be right.

Wait, the rest of college football has to be asking, you're not even going to fight and try to make us look like wimps for arguing against football in the cold?

Wait, you seriously are going to ask the same fan base to travel three times in a month -- Big Ten title game, semifinals and championship game, the last two at least via airplane? And you think we won't end up with the majority of the crowd?

The Rose Bowl's power over the Big Ten is something to behold. It makes normally intelligent men say ridiculous things.

Of the Big Ten groups advocating for playoffs at bowl sites, the coaches' position makes the least sense. These are guys who typically capitalize on every possible advantage presented to them. But they seem to value their players' bowl experience over the possibility of making Alabama or USC play them in the snow.

Why should the Big Ten care if TCU and Oregon have small stadiums and can't accommodate the media and the corporate sponsors? The Big Ten, for the most part, doesn't have those problems.

In my recent interview with Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman, I asked him why so many powerful people in the Midwest care so much about bowl games located so far away.

"It's part of the tradition of college football," Perlman said. "It is a good experience for student-athletes. It makes more sense in terms of ending the season than some kind of playoff. It helps the communities that have been supportive of intercollegiate football for a long time."

What about the local communities Big Ten schools can serve by keeping games on campus?

Wetzel writes:

There's no question Big Ten fans love the Rose Bowl, although not as much as they once did. They also like to win, also would like to shut the SEC up and also really like showing off their legendary stadiums and great cities, fighting against the idea that they live in some inhospitable, rusted-out region.

Plenty of them could use the economic impact of staging these massive events in the Midwest too.

That's not going to happen. The campus-sites ship has sailed. Perhaps it's a tradeoff the Big Ten made to ultimately ensure strong playoff access for league champions.

If and when the Big Ten champion qualifies for a playoff, however, it will more than likely play a virtual road game. The team will have to fight like heck to win.

A lot harder than the league did to have meaningful games on campus.

CHICAGO -- Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith has chaired the NCAA basketball tournament selection committee, so he knows a thing or two about difficult decisions and fan backlash.

While a four-team playoff in college football will please most fans of the sport, Smith thinks it won't mitigate the debate about who's in and who's out. Just the opposite, in fact.

Smith and his fellow Big Ten athletic directors on Monday began studying the polls, the final BCS standings and any other rankings since the 1992 season. They found that differentiating between No. 4 and No. 5 is often tougher than choosing the two best teams to play in the national title game.

"When you start looking at [Nos.] 3, 4, 5 and 6, you're going to be able to put a piece of paper between those teams," Smith said.

The final regular-season polls from recent seasons often show small differences between No. 4 and No. 5.

In 2010, No. 4 Wisconsin had only six more points than No. 5 Stanford in the AP Poll, 22 more points in the Harris Poll and 37 more points in the Coaches' Poll. In 2009, both Florida and Boise State were within 70 points of No. 4 Cincinnati in the AP and Coaches' polls. In 2004, the AP Poll had Utah at No. 4 and Texas at No. 5, while the teams were flipped in the Coaches' Poll, separated by just 24 points. In 2007, No. 4 Georgia led No. 5 Virginia Tech by just 35 points in the Coaches' Poll. The final Harris Poll that year had USC at No. 5 and Virginia Tech at No. 6.

"Who's going to pick that 4 and 5?" Smith said. "It's just like in the NCAA tournament. Who's left out? That's what's going to happen."

It's not surprising that the conference commissioners spent so much time on potential selection procedures for the playoff at last month's BCS meetings in Florida. Several Big Ten ADs say there's support for a selection committee to be used for the future format.

The playoff also will put more teams in the mix for berths than the current system, when usually only one team can have a legitimate claim to one of the spots in the title game.

"In the FCS, now they've got 20 teams in the playoff and they're talking about going to 24 because the 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th teams are not happy," Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne said. "Well, you can only imagine what's going to happen here. Every team probably in the top 10 or 12, they're going to have some argument as to why they should be in the four-team playoff.

"People think this will settle it on the field, this will diminish the amount of controversy. I don't think that'll happen at all. If anything, it will escalate it because you have more teams involved."

Even when the Big Ten reads the tea leaves and sees a college football playoff is inevitable, the league, along with its partner, the Pac-12, still finds a way to tick off most of the country.

Not surprisingly, the most-discussed element of the BCS postseason options proposal obtained by USA Today is the option to expand the national semifinals to accommodate the traditional Big Ten/Pac-12 matchup in the Rose Bowl. In case you missed it, here's how the plan would work:

In the latter plan, the four highest-ranked teams at the end of the regular season would meet in semifinals unless the Big Ten or Pac-12 champion, or both, were among the top four. Those leagues' teams still would meet in the Rose, and the next highest-ranked team or teams would slide into the semis. The national championship finalists would be selected after those three games.

Ugh. So you'd have six teams vying for two spots. And some kind of selection committee would determine which of the winners of the "semifinal" wouldn't make the national championship game.

The Rose Bowl is my favorite event on the college football calendar. I've only covered two of them, but if you put me in Pasadena every Jan. 1 for the next 30 years, you'd hear no complaints. Still, this plan seems borderline ridiculous.

And it has Jim Delany's fingerprints all over it. Delany and his Pac-12 counterpart, Larry Scott, don't want to see the Rose Bowl diminished in any way. But as Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne told me and others have stated, any playoff system will hurt the bowls, including the Rose. Still, fans want a playoff.

The Rose Bowl thing brings up an interesting debate, one I discussed Wednesday during a radio interview in Omaha. One of the hosts, Dirk Chatelain (he of Omaha World-Herald fame), asked whether the Big Ten's Rose Bowl love has gone too far and whether there's a disconnect between the traditionalists who run the league and the fans. Chatelain mentioned that a new generation of Big Ten fans, who grew up during the BCS era and the playoff push, might be less tied to the Rose Bowl.

Take Ohio State fans, for example. They've watched their Buckeyes dominate the Big Ten during the BCS era but have seen them only in one Rose Bowl since the span (2010 Rose Bowl). Meanwhile, the Buckeyes have played in three national title games.

Do Big Ten fans value the Rose Bowl enough to make it an integral component of the national playoff plan? Would the potential devaluing of the Rose Bowl with an alternate and, most likely, more sensible playoff plan be too much to give up?

Here's your chance to weigh in. You can also send me your views here (please include which Big Ten teams you root for).

LINCOLN, Neb. -- As of 2:15 p.m. Tuesday, the door to Tom Osborne's office hadn't been broken down.

That didn't mean Osborne, Nebraska's athletic director and former football coach, wasn't being bombarded with feedback on the team's decision to wear an alternate uniform, which Osborne described Monday as "futuristic," for one home game this coming season. While most Huskers players and adidas reps are thrilled, there's a portion of Big Red Nation that has a different view.

"A lot of people in this state are very traditional," Osborne told ESPN.com. "We're going to try it for one game. ... Some young people and some players and some recruits kind of like it. Probably most of our traditional fans aren't going to be too thrilled."

Nebraska is following the trend of alternate uniforms around college football. A new-age team, Oregon, is credited with launching the fad, but tradition-rich programs like Michigan and Ohio State have donned throwback unis in recent years. Michigan State wore a special uniform for its game against Michigan last year.

Nebraska's getup appears to be a nod to the future, but some will undoubtedly see it as a slight to its past.

I tend to agree with ace columnist Tom Shatel on this. It’s fine for one game, as long as Nebraska doesn't go too far (which it won't). Fans don't like to think their program has to follow a trend, but college sports are big business, and for Nebraska, adidas pays a lot of the bills and can call the shots.

While I had to ask Osborne about the unis, I was much more interested to chat with him about bigger-picture topics relating to Nebraska, the Big Ten and college football. The 75-year-old is as sharp as ever and had some interesting thoughts on the state of the game.

Here's some of what Dr. Tom had to say:

• Nebraska's first full year in the Big Ten has gone well according to Osborne, who called commissioner Jim Delany's leadership style "very inclusive." He added, " There are always concerns about individual needs, but I see a difference in what we experienced before [in the Big 12] in that people are willing to give a little, sacrifice a little, for the welfare of the whole. That bodes well." He called the Big Ten Network a major asset, particularly for recruiting.
• Osborne likes the idea of playing playoff games either on campuses or in other regions than just the major bowl sites (Miami, New Orleans, Glendale and Pasadena). "It's something that would benefit your fans, and that helps the atmosphere," he said. "And it certainly would help the teams from the northern part of the country.”
• Osborne said the proposal to increase bowl eligibility from six wins to seven wins would be "a step toward trying to eliminate some of the less relevant games." But he added that any type of playoff system, even the current BCS structure, diminishes the bowl system to some degree. Asked about BCS bowl access and the increase of unattractive matchups, he talked about taking the top 10 teams and assigning them to the big bowls, regardless of conference affiliation. "When you tie in conference champions, sometimes you get a conference champion that doesn't have much national appeal and might not have a very good record," he said. "That can throw a team with one loss in with somebody that's got three or four losses. ... I'm in favor of protecting the top 10 ranked teams, irrespective of what conference you're from. That may not play real well with a lot of the conferences, but usually the major conferences are going to have at least one [top 10 team]."
• I asked Osborne about the Nebraska football brand, which was at its peak during his last years as coach in the mid-1990s, when the Huskers claimed three national titles (1994, 1995, 1997). Nebraska is still seen as one of four brand-name programs in the Big Ten -- Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State being the others -- but the team, while winning 38 games the past four seasons, hasn't appeared in a BCS bowl game since the 2001 season. "The thing that enhances [the brand] is winning," Osborne said. "It wouldn't hurt to have a national championship in football or one of our major sports, baseball. We're pretty good in a lot of things. We've won three Big Ten titles so far this year, have a chance to win two or three more this spring. But certainly a championship in football would help us." And how close is Nebraska in football? "They're pretty close," he said. "I think they'll have a good chance next year."
• Osborne is "a little bit" surprised the Big Ten hasn't won a national title in a decade. He talked about the locations of the national title game, all well outside the Big Ten footprint, and talked about how hard it was for Nebraska to beat Miami in the Orange Bowl, the Hurricanes' home stadium (Nebraska went 1-3 in those games). He also talked about how the Big Ten has been stricter than some leagues about oversigning. Asked about the SEC and other conferences trying to rein in oversigning, Osborne said, "There's concern about it. But if you say you can't sign more than 25 but midyear signees don't count, you're still leaving the door open."
• Osborne likes the Big Ten's new partnership with the Pac-12, billed as a brand-strengthening alternative to expansion. He also thinks realignment fever will die down for a bit. "The time where major disruption can occur is when you have television contracts are up for renewal," he said. "That's when people can start looking toward greener pastures sometimes. So we'll see how things turn out over the next two, three, four years."
• Osborne also weighed in on Nebraska coach Bo Pelini and his development in the role. Pelini is 39-16 at Nebraska. "Sometimes people point out a specific event on the sideline or something, but he has matured in terms of his sideline demeanor," Osborne said. "He's always been well-respected by the players. They seem to like to play for him. Of course he's an excellent defensive coach. He understands offense from the standpoint of defense, which is a good way to understand it."

Penn State's legendary coach and college football's all-time wins leader, Joe Paterno, died on Sunday, just 73 days after being dismissed as the Nittany Lions' coach.

He influenced a lot of people, including those in the Big 12. Several issued statements in the wake of Paterno's death.

Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville:

"When you think of college football and its tradition, you can't help but picture those dark glasses, black shoes and plain uniforms that were his style and mark on Penn State University.

I have had the great fortune to coach against Coach Paterno four times during my career and each time I came away from those contests with a greater understanding of the game of football. A true highlight of my career, has been a 30-year relationship with Coach and his wife Sue.

Like many coaches, I grew up watching and learning from one of the greatest tutors and mentors of the game. I am deeply saddened to learn of his passing and wish to extend my condolences to Sue and the rest of the Paterno family."

You may have seen Mack Brown's thoughts, too.

"I've known Coach Paterno since I started coaching. Sally and I built a great relationship with him and Sue over the last 10 to 15 years, and we shared many great times. I know our lives are better because we had the opportunity to spend time with them. He was a gift to us, and when we heard the sad news today, we both openly wept, not only because college football lost a great man, but we lost a great friend. I appreciate all of the advice, the attention and the time he's given us over the years. We will miss him dearly and will always cherish the wonderful memories. College football will be left with a major void because he has done so much for our game and for Penn State. It's a very sad day, and with his passing, we have lost one of the greatest coaches our game, and all sports, will ever have. He leaves us with great stories, memories and records that may never be broken. There will never be another Joe Paterno. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sue and the family."

Nebraska AD Tom Osborne's athletic program is not in the Big 12 anymore, but his roots run in that league and the Big 8 far more than they do in the Huskers' current league, the Big Ten, where Paterno coached. Osborne's last national title, back in 1997, was the first in Big 12 history.

“I am saddened to hear the news of Joe Paterno’s passing. Joe was a genuinely good person. Whenever you recruited or played against Joe you knew how he operated and that he always stood for the right things. Of course, his longevity over time and his impact on college football is remarkable. Anybody who knew Joe feels badly about the circumstances. I suspect the emotional turmoil of the last few weeks might have played into it. We offer our condolences to his family and wish them the very best.”

Former Texas coach Darrell Royal lost to Paterno in the pair's only meeting back in the 1972 Cotton Bowl, but Royal opened up about what Paterno meant to him.

"What I remember about our days when we were both coaching is that Joe was very honest, he was a heckuva a coach, and he was one of the outstanding coaches of all time. You can't say that about every coach, but you darn sure can say that about Joe Paterno. He meant a lot to the game, and he meant a lot to me. He was a solid person, and a solid friend."

New Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin released a statement as well.

"Our deepest sympathies, as well as our thoughts and prayers go out to Coach Paterno's family and the entire Penn State community. I was coaching wide receivers at Minnesota and we were Penn State's first Big Ten Conference game and out of respect for Coach Paterno, our head coach Glen Mason wore a coat and tie coaching in that game. Coach Paterno will be missed."

I never met Joe Paterno. I never covered one of his teams or even spoke with him. The effect he had on others' lives, though, was obvious from afar.

Did he make questionable decisions late in his life? By Paterno's own admission in the final interview of his life, he regrets some of those decisions.

Like any of us, he made mistakes. Unlike most of us, however, he also had a profound positive impact on thousands of lives over his 85 years.

Statement are beginning to roll in from around the Big Ten Conference following the passing of former Penn State coach Joe Paterno on Sunday morning. Paterno coached his final 19 seasons in the Big Ten and won three league titles (1994, 2005, 2008).

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Joe Paterno. His passing marks a tremendous loss for Penn State, college football and for countless fans, coaches and student-athletes. Our condolences go out to the Paterno family and to the entire Penn State community."

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer

"I am deeply saddened to learn about the passing of coach Joe Paterno. He was a man who I have deep respect for as a human being, as a husband and father, as a leader and as a football coach. I was very fortunate to have been able to develop a personal relationship with him, especially over the course of the last several years, and it is something that I will always cherish. My prayers and thoughts go out to his wife, Sue, and to their family, and also to the family he had at Penn State University. We have lost a remarkable person and someone who affected the lives of so many people in so many positive ways. His presence will be dearly missed. His legacy as a coach, as a winner and as a champion will carry on forever."

Nebraska athletic director and former coach Tom Osborne

"I am saddened to hear the news of Joe Paterno's passing. Joe was a genuinely good person. Whenever you recruited or played against Joe you knew how he operated and that he always stood for the right things. Of course, his longevity over time and his impact on college football is remarkable. Anybody who knew Joe feels badly about the circumstances. I suspect the emotional turmoil of the last few weeks might have played into it. We offer our condolences to his family and wish them the very best."

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon also tweeted: "The U-M Athletic Dept expresses its condolences to the Paterno Family on Joe's passing. Very sad. May he RIP."

Fans at Indiana's Assembly Hall observed a moment of silence for Paterno before today's basketball game between IU and Penn State.

More statements from around the league are on the way and we'll post them on the blog.

Is Bo Pelini interested in the Penn State head-coaching vacancy?

Depends on whom you believe.

For the second consecutive day, media reports out of Pennsylvania mentioned Pelini's name in connection with the Penn State job. And for the second consecutive day, Pelini denied he has had any contact with Penn State about the position.

"The irresponsible reports that are going on out there aren't true," Pelini told reporters in Lincoln following Tuesday's practice. "I have not interviewed for Penn State and I'm not saying anymore on that."

The (Harrisburg) Patriot-News' David Jones tweeted Monday afternoon that Pelini has had discussions with Penn State officials but isn't in the mix for the job. Pelini denied having any contact through a school spokesman and Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne said he hadn't heard from anyone at Penn State wishing to speak with Pelini.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ron Musselman reported today that Pelini met with Penn State acting athletic director Dave Joyner last week in Texas but is no longer considered to be in the mix, according to a source close to the search.

The Post-Gazette reported prompted Tuesday's denial by Pelini. Penn State sports information director Jeff Nelson tweeted earlier today that the school interviewed only one candidate for the position last Friday. Lions interim coach Tom Bradley confirmed he was the candidate.

What do we make of the reports and the Pelini denials? Pelini also squashed a report from Columbus last month that he had interviewed for Ohio State's coaching vacancy.

This is what we at ESPN like to call the silly season, where rumors run rampant regarding coaches and jobs. I also know both Jones and Musselman have covered Penn State for a long time and are tapped into the search there. They know their stuff when it comes to PSU.

It seems odd that Pelini would want to leave Nebraska for Penn State, given all the uncertainty in State College right now. Ohio State seemed to make more sense, given his ties to the school (he played for the Buckeyes) and to the state (he's from Youngstown, Ohio).

Osborne has been committed to Pelini and understands better than anyone the connection between continuity and success. Pelini has a great gig at Nebraska, but he also seems to struggle with the criticism that comes with the territory in a state where Husker football means everything.

The Lincoln Journal Star's Steven M. Sipple outlined why Pelini would appeal to Penn State, citing, among other things, Nebraska's academic improvement under his watch.

Sipple also added this:

I sometimes wonder how Pelini reacts to fan criticism in the wake of this year's 9-3 regular-season record. Remember, he was stung in 2003 when he was part of the Nebraska staff jettisoned after producing the same record. Some Husker fans no doubt feel flattered when Pelini comes up in speculation regarding prominent jobs. Other folks no doubt become annoyed. As I wrote last December, get used to it.

Nebraska fans aren't too familiar with their coaches being mentioned for other jobs, as the Omaha World-Herald's Tom Shatel writes today.

Perhaps Huskers backers should check in with their pals in Iowa to see what it's like.

A Nebraska regent has expressed concern for the safety of the Cornhuskers football team during Saturday's game at Penn State.

Regent Tim Claire said he grew worried about the potential for danger while watching footage of students flooding the streets of State College on Wednesday night after the Joe Paterno firing. A TV news truck was overturned and there were some scuffles with police during the demonstrations.

Penn State police chief Tyrone Parham told The Associated Press on Thursday that his force is "taking extra precautions and has added additional resources for the game."

Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne released the following statement on Thursday afternoon:

“I am saddened to learn of the recent events at Penn State and we will continue to monitor the developments on their campus. We will hold the alleged victims and all those involved in our thoughts and prayers.

“We have had a number of inquiries from fans regarding the circumstances at Penn State and the conditions they might expect in attending the game. UNL Chief of Police Owen Yardley is in touch with the Penn State police department and we have talked with interim Penn State Athletic Director Mark Sherburne. We have visited with Penn State security and we understand they are enhancing their security efforts for Saturday’s game and are taking extra precautions to ensure that all players, coaches and fans are treated in a respectful way. We also appreciate that there is a student-led effort at Penn State to respectfully welcome Nebraska fans to Beaver Stadium and into the Big Ten Conference. We know that our fans will reciprocate and display good sportsmanship toward Penn State’s fans and players.”

Claire's concerns have some merit, because no one is quite sure how to predict what might happen during Saturday's game. But students have mostly directed their anger at the Penn State administration and the media here in the past few days. While one student told me Wednesday night that things "will get ugly" after the game if the Nittany Lions lose, I have a hard time seeing how any outburst would be directed toward Nebraska players, coaches or their fans, who are basically just bystanders in this whole affair. The team will leave Beaver Stadium quickly after the game, and visiting fans might want to exercise some caution if they venture out in the city Saturday evening.

This remains a volatile situation, and you can understand Claire's trepidation. Penn State students and fans haven't exactly covered themselves in glory the past couple of nights, but this is an opportunity to show what they're made of in a tough time for the entire school.

The sex abuse scandal in State College has completely overshadowed this weekend's Nebraska-Penn State game. It wasn't that long ago when few things would have seemed bigger than a meeting of these two teams.

The Cornhuskers and Nittany Lions have only played each other 13 times, but in the 1980s and 1990s in particular, the two programs could measure themselves against one another.

"For a lot of years, we certainly were both very prominent in college football," Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne said.

The schools played each other every year from 1979-83, and both usually brought high rankings into the game. The series came to a head in 1982, when No. 8 Penn State hosted No. 2 Nebraska in what many Nittany Lions consider the greatest game ever played in Beaver Stadium.

Osborne's Huskers had some major star power, especially in the backfield. Mike Rozier, who would win the Heisman Trophy the following year, and future NFL star Roger Craig were the running backs, while Turner Gill was the quarterback. Nebraska also had future No. 1 pick Irving Fryar at wideout and legendary center Dave Rimington snapping the ball.

"In '82, in some ways, we had our best team," Osborne said. "We were pretty good on defense and very good on offense. The '83 team was an excellent offensive team but was not very good on defense."

A Gill touchdown run gave Nebraska a 24-21 lead with 1:18 left. But Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge led his team on a game-winning drive. The march was greatly aided by a long pass to Mike McCloskey to set up first and goal at the 2-yard line. The referees awarded McCloskey the catch though he clearly looked to be out of bounds. Penn State would go on to win 27-24 and win its first national championship under Joe Paterno despite losing their next game to Alabama by three touchdowns. Nebraska would finish 12-1 and ranked No. 3.

"Certainly they deserved to win the national championship because they beat us head to head," Osborne said. "People still talk about [that game], and they still remember it. It's a different game today with instant replay and so on, and I think the margin for error is much less today. But I'm not questioning the officials -- we just didn't make enough plays in the game when we needed to."

The Huskers got revenge of sorts in 1994. Both Nebraska and Penn State finished the season unbeaten. But after Osborne's team defeated No. 3 Miami in the Orange Bowl and Penn State beat No. 12 Oregon in the Rose Bowl, both The Associated Press and coaches' poll voters awarded Nebraska the national title.

"We would have given anything to play them, but at that time they were obligated by the Rose Bowl contract," Osborne said. "We had to go down and play Miami at Miami, which is never a piece of cake. Just like the end of '82 season, you accept the vote. It's part of the deal."

The two teams' first meeting since 1983 happened in 2002. Penn State fans themed it a "settle the score for '94" grudge match, and the Lions whipped then-No. 8 Nebraska 40-7. The Huskers won the following year in Lincoln.

So there is some interesting history here, and the Big Ten is hoping this series becomes a rivalry by making Penn State and Nebraska into a protected annual cross-division matchup. Both programs are also the most recent additions to the league, with the Nittany Lions joining in 1990 and the Huskers now competing in their first year of Big Ten play.

"It's such a traditional, longstanding league that I'm sure we'll be seen as the new kids on the block for the next 10 years, whereas a lot of leagues aren't even 10 years old," Osborne said. "So there is that similarity."

The other similarity is this: both programs had their storied moments, and both are trying to recapture those days. Between 1970-99, Nebraska and Penn State finished in the top 10 of the AP poll together 17 times. It hasn't happened again since 2000. Nebraska has no top-10 finishes since 2001.

The Nittany Lions have had trouble consistently matching their previous success since joining the Big Ten, though they are in first place of the Leaders Division with a two-game edge. The Huskers have gone a decade without so much as a conference championship, and their hopes of winning a Legends Division title were dealt a body blow by last week's home loss to Northwestern.

So when the two meet again on Saturday, they will be rekindling a bit of shared history. And they can hope that the future will mean many more high-stakes games between them.

The Big Ten blog is haunted today. Bennett is going as Albert Pujols, for obvious reasons.

Halloween came a little early for teams like Michigan State and Wisconsin, which has endured a two-week nightmare.

In keeping with the Halloween spirit in Big Ten country and beyond, we present this primer ...

Haunted House: Camp Randall Stadium remains the toughest place to win in the Big Ten, and Wisconsin can't wait to return home after the past two weeks. Wisconsin has won 14 consecutive games there, including the past seven by 31 points or more. The Badgers have averaged 48.5 points during the span. Spartan Stadium is quickly becoming a haunted house, too.

Boo (boo): Nebraska's defense lost one of its leaders and stars as tackle Jared Crick suffered a season-ending torn pectoral muscle against Ohio State. Purdue couldn't avoid the injury bug before the season, losing projected starting quarterback Rob Henry to a season-ending ACL tear.

Thriller: The Big Ten has had three ultimate thrillers this season. Michigan and Notre Dame combined to score three touchdowns in the final 72 seconds, including the game-winner by the Wolverines with two seconds left. Wisconsin and Michigan State then had a see-saw battle that ended with a 44-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to Keith Nichol with no time left on the clock. And Wisconsin and Ohio State combined to score four touchdowns in the final 4:39 Saturday night, including the game-winning pass from Braxton Miller to Devin Smith.

Graveyard: The Big Ten's BCS title hopes; Russell Wilson's Heisman Trophy hopes; Penn State's losing streak against Iowa; Iowa's losing streak against Northwestern; Michigan State's road losing streak against Ohio State.

Trick or treat (high-stakes game): The Nov. 12 matchup between Penn State and Nebraska in State College should have enormous implications for both teams and both divisions. Penn State is the only unbeaten team in Big Ten play and holds a two-game lead in the Leaders division. A victory would move Joe Paterno's team one big step closer to Indianapolis. If Nebraska gets by 3-5 Northwestern this week, the Huskers will remain in good shape to challenge for the Legends division championship. They'll need some signature road wins at Penn State and the following week at Michigan to stay alive.

Jason Voorhees (team that won't die): Ohio State. Written off after a Week 3 loss at Miami and left for dead after its collapse at Nebraska, Ohio State has sprung back to life following back-to-back Leaders division wins. Luke Fickell's team stepped up in every phase against Wisconsin and remained very much in the division race. The Buckeyes have no margin for error, but they seem to embrace the adversity and everyone counting them out.

Witchcraft: Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson haunted Notre Dame for the second consecutive year, lifting his team to a dramatic win against the Fighting Irish. After racking 502 yards of total offense last year in South Bend, Robinson helped Michigan rally from a 24-7 fourth-quarter deficit to beat Notre Dame 35-31 in Week 2. Michigan scored 28 fourth-quarter points and won on Robinson's touchdown strike to Roy Roundtree with two seconds left.

Cursed team: Wisconsin. No team in America has experienced back-to-back losses in more heartbreaking fashion than Bret Bielema's Badgers. Wisconsin has mounted impressive comebacks on the road the past two weeks, only to lose on a Hail Mary at Michigan State and Miller's on-the-run heave at Ohio State. The Badgers have made enough mistakes to lose both games, but they have to be questioning the football gods. Iowa certainly feels cursed after its second consecutive loss to Minnesota on Saturday, a game in which Hawkeyes running back Marcus Coker racked up 252 rush yards and two touchdowns.

Halloween costumes

• Bo Pelini: Barney
• Jim Delany: Notre Dame leprechaun
• Wisconsin RB Montee Ball: Monty Hall
• Michigan State LB Denicos Allen: The Waterboy
• Luke Fickell: Happy Gilmore
• Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi: Coach Ed Gennero
• Tom Osborne: Dan Beebe or Bevo
• Brady Hoke: Fred Flinstone
• Ron Zook: A calculator
• Bret Bielema: A replay official
• Purdue LB Joe Holland: Brian Bennett
• Kevin Wilson: Ron Swanson (Wilson MUST regrow his 'stache)
• Penn State QB Matthew McGloin: Rob Bolden
• Penn State QB Rob Bolden: Matthew McGloin
• Michigan State RB Edwin Baker: The Rock

Wisconsin and Nebraska will play what looks like the game of the year in the Big Ten on Saturday. Many expect the two teams to stage a rematch in December at the league championship game. The two states are both football-crazy with only one FBS team within the borders, and they play a similar physical style. There's also the Barry Alvarez connection.

So this game has all the underpinnings of a new rivalry in the making. Except for one small detail: the two teams are in separate divisions and are not guaranteed to play every season.

No matter how classic this weekend's game or subsequent meetings are, that will hurt the chances of this series becoming a true rivalry.

"It's hard to have a real strong rivalry when you won't play every year," said Alvarez, the Wisconsin athletic director.

There's very little history between the Badgers and Huskers. They've only met five times, and the last game came in 1974.

But some certainly wanted this to become an annual event. Badgers coach Bret Bielema asked the league office last year to put Wisconsin and Nebraska together when it was forming divisions, and he thought Nebraska and Wisconsin would make a great end-of-season rivalry game. Instead, Iowa-Nebraska will be that final weekend showdown.

Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne thought the two teams would be together when divisions were being discussed.

"I thought the divisions would go along geographical lines," Osborne said. "But Jim Delany and the folks in the Big Ten decided to go for competitive balance. With us just coming into the league, I wasn't in any position to say, 'Here's what we'd like to have.'"

Osborne saw firsthand in the Big 12 how playing in opposite divisions can affect a rivalry.

"We saw it with Oklahoma," he said. "That was a historic rivalry, but when it came down to two games out of every four years, it certainly diminished the rivalry. I think we'll always see playing Wisconsin as a great opportunity, and they'll see us the same way. But we won't play every year, and that makes a big difference."

Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe took some time out last week to indulge the media blitz surrounding the one-year anniversary of his conference's near death and answer questions about its recent cash-fueled revival from a number of media entities.

One of those interviews was with ESPN Radio in Austin, Texas. He offered some candid thoughts on Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne when asked about the three programs (Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri) that looked like they had wandering eyes last summer.

"On the Nebraska point, they never really liked, or at least Tom Osborne never really liked the Big 12, I don't think." he said.

After doing that interview, I asked him to expound on the comments, which were more frank than anything I'd heard him say about Nebraska since I took over this blog back in 1981.

"That probably was a little stronger than I should have said it," Beebe said. "I think Tom has a high, high level of respect for the Big 12 and its institutions."

Even still, Beebe said Osborne wasn't a fan of several Big 12 decisions from the moment he took over as athletic director in 2007.

"From the day that I sat down with him when he became the athletic director, he expressed strong concern about a lot of the things that happened when the Big 12 was formed, even though it was 13 or 14 or 15 years previous," Beebe said.

Among those concerns, the gravitational pull of the state of Texas for the Big 12, which moved its offices to Dallas when it merged with four members of the Southwest Conference. He also cited the prohibition of players categorized as partial qualifiers being admitted to Big 12 programs, which Osborne commonly signed to his program, as did others.

Just before Nebraska and Colorado announced their exits, the Big 12 Championship announced plans to remain in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas for three additional years.

During the realignment fracas of last summer, Osborne repeatedly stated that league offices and championship game locations weren't enough to warrant a change of conference, but instead, the uncertainty surrounding the Big 12 and stability in the Big Ten, along with a bigger paycheck, pushed the Huskers to make the decision.

However, one of the big differences from the Big Ten and Big 12 is the way it shares conference revenue. In the Big 12, teams that are on television more earn more than those that aren't. In the Big Ten, revenue is shared equally.

"What’s interesting though, and maybe even a little bit curious to me is that Texas and Nebraska were aligned almost exactly on every issue, including the revenue distribution piece and putting all the rights into the conference. So it’s kind of interesting when I read about comments about Nebraska now being pleased about being in a conference where they put all their rights in and divide money equally," Beebe said.

"That’s the exact opposite position that they took for years in this conference."

CHICAGO -- Tom Osborne and Jim Tressel go way back.

The two coaches -- one current, one former -- have been friends for years. Last spring, Osborne invited Tressel to Nebraska to tour the school's athletic facilities and speak at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet. Tressel shuffled Ohio State's spring practice schedule so he could make the trip to Lincoln.

"When coach Osborne calls you, you do what he asks," Tressel told reporters last April.

The respect is mutual, even as Tressel endures unprecedented scrutiny after admitting to withholding information that showed Ohio State players committed NCAA violations.

Osborne, speaking Monday at the Big Ten spring meetings, voiced his support for Tressel.

"I don't really know enough about [Ohio State's situation]," Osborne said. "I do know Jim Tressel, and I believe that Jim's an honorable person. There will be those who will criticize me for saying that, but I think I know Jim's character. What happened, I don't know a lot about the details. I certainly hope for his sake that things turn out OK, and for Ohio State."

Tressel's self-imposed five-game suspension ends Oct. 8 when his Buckeyes visit Lincoln to face Nebraska. The coach and other Ohio State officials are scheduled to appear Aug. 12 before the NCAA's Committee on Infractions, which could issue additional penalties before the Ohio State-Nebraska game or shortly thereafter.

"When you're out on the road recruiting, you're not usually worried about Ohio State trying to cheat to get a player," Osborne said. "I just don't think they would do that. That's not in their DNA. It looks like there was a mistake made, but I don't know much more about the details."

Osborne also weighed in Monday on the state of violations in college football. Although the Ohio State case and the Cam Newton situation from last year have put the spotlight on improprieties in the sport, Osborne has seen much worse.

"There was cars, clothes and cash back in the 60s and the 70s," Osborne said. "And then [when] Southern Methodist got the death penalty in 1985, you began to see a real tamping down of those kinds of things. ... Today the violations are more subtle and I don't think as frequent.

"The scrutiny is much greater today, so sometimes it seems to the average observer that there's way more cheating. I can tell you from having been there and having experienced it and having dealt with it, it's not as bad today as it was."

After all the Jim Tressel/NCAA news, spring game recaps and the like, I haven't had a chance to weigh in on Nebraska's revised contract for coach Bo Pelini.

Nebraska gave Pelini a new five-year deal that includes a $425,000 raise, bringing his salary to $2.775 million. Pelini will make more than $3 million per year beginning in 2014. Boasting a 29-12 record in three seasons at Nebraska, Pelini becomes the Big Ten's third highest-paid coach behind Tressel and Iowa's Kirk Ferentz.

Huskers athletic director Tom Osborne knows a thing or two about football coaches' contracts, and while things have changed since he walked the sidelines, Dr. Tom showed good foresight with this move. Pelini didn't ask for a new deal and seems committed to Nebraska, but he's a good coach who soon could be in high demand, so the deal makes sense.

One thing Osborne said really stood out to me:

"The thing I began to realize in looking at contracts is that people from outside the Nebraska athletic department, when they look at a coach's salary, aren't interested in a five-year contract and what you're going to make in 2014, 2015," Osborne told The Associated Press. "They're interested in what you make right now."

"They" also will try to lure away coaches with the prospect of more money up front. While loyalty and administrative support matters to coaches, money talks, especially in a sport driven by it.

Osborne is a realist, telling the AP, "I don't think any contract locks anybody up." But the new contract reaffirms Nebraska's commitment to Pelini, especially at a time when there's a lot of speculation about a potential vacancy at Ohio State.

Pelini played safety for the Buckeyes and hails from Youngstown, Ohio. If Tressel steps down or is forced out, Pelini's name will be mentioned as a potential candidate. He might not be among the top names, but it's hard to imagine he won't be in the discussion, especially if the Huskers perform well in their first Big Ten go-round.

The Lincoln Journal Star's Steven M. Sipple writes:

Great leaders often have excellent anticipatory ability. They're a few steps ahead of most folks. Sure, Pelini might be down the list of candidates if Ohio State had to go looking for a head coach right now. But perhaps Osborne, the Nebraska athletic director, anticipates the Huskers enjoying a strong first season in the Big Ten. Maybe he understands the Big Ten has a lot of good teams, but no great ones. Bottom line, it's easy to imagine Pelini's crew capturing the Legends Division and winning the first Big Ten championship game. Imagine how quickly Pelini's stock would rise in that scenario.

"When someone thinks about making somebody a better offer ... I just felt we needed to make [Bo's] contract a little more contemporary and more consistent with what other people are doing, so that's what we did," Osborne told me last week, speaking in general terms -- not about Ohio State specifically.

If you believe in your head coach, I say pay him like you believe in him, which Osborne did.

I'd add that if you're a big-boy program in a big-boy league, act like it.

Nebraska is moving to the Big Ten, and Osborne has talked about the increased financial commitment the athletic department must make to compete in its new league. Memorial Stadium is being expanded, and a new basketball arena is on the way.

Pelini's new deal shows Nebraska means business.

Nebraska was set to clinch the Big 12 North in its season finale against Colorado in Lincoln last season, but the Big 12 didn't have a representative on-hand to give the Huskers their trophy.

"They didn’t think it would be safe to send somebody up," Osborne told the Lincoln Journal Star after the game. "That’s the word I got. You can call [Big 12 commissioner Dan] Beebe and ask him."

So reporters did. And Beebe enlightened them with an explanation that he had received death threats following a controversial Nebraska loss to Texas A&M the previous week.

Since then, Osborne had been quiet on the issue, but sat down for an interview in Lincoln with the Chicago Tribune earlier this week, and the subject of the threats came up once again.

Osborne wasn't on board with Beebe and the Big 12's response. He admitted he was disappointed with the sect of Nebraska's fan base who felt the need to send Beebe messages, saying it was usually a person who "lost a bet or was mad at the world."

But Osborne's chief complaint? That the death threats were made public at all.

"[I was] a little bit disappointed that it was a matter of public information because most anybody who has been in coaching for any length of time or a political figure has had some pretty serious threats," Osborne told the Tribune. "I've had a great number of death threats during my time as a coach, and most of them just got thrown in the waste basket, unless someone had a particular method that they mentioned or a time and place sometimes we'd turn in over to campus police."

I've said it before, but Beebe was no doubt in a difficult position and left with few options other than traveling to a place he felt uncomfortable going. It was a little bit odd that Beebe was so apt to answer his phone late on a Friday night as he did after the Huskers win over Colorado, but even if he didn't speak with the press, the problems would have been there regardless. Osborne's comments were the first time anyone knew about any hateful messages, but Beebe's options were either A) say nothing and look like he was snubbing Nebraska or B) Make it look like he was trashing a fan base, which, by the way, he went out of his way to prevent. In his comments to the media, he emphasized that he understood it was a small, small minority of fans and that the fan base had an otherwise pristine reputation.

The mess is mostly behind the Big 12 and Nebraska, but by the end, it's safe to say neither side came out looking great.

Osborne also insinuated that rather than have Nebraska play future Big Ten mate Iowa, the Big 12 contributed to sending the Huskers to the Holiday Bowl for the second consecutive year, where they faced Washington, who Nebraska beat in Seattle by 35 earlier in the season.

"I don't know how much the Big 12 had to do with that. It appeared that the logical step was to go to Phoenix and play in the Insight Bowl against Iowa, which would have been a Big Ten preview," he said. "Whether that was something Big 12 officials had something to do with, I don't know. It would have been a logical game, and the Big 12 is tied into the Fiesta Bowl and the Insight Bowl, so I'm sure they had some influence."

The Huskers lost the Holiday Bowl, 19-7.

"It was tough because we'd already played that team and beaten them badly and had been there the year before," he said. "So that might have contributed a little bit to our being flat and [not] playing like we could have."