Big Ten Football

Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell and Kansas head coach Lance Leipold have reportedly emerged as the "three leading candidates on top of Nebraska's wish list" amid its head coaching search.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported Tuesday that trio leads a group of 11 potential targets to replace Scott Frost, who was fired following a Sept. 10 loss to Georgia Southern. The Cornhuskers' list includes one internal option: interim head coach Mickey Joseph.

Here's a look at the other coaches linked to the Huskers, per Feldman:

• Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman
• Washington State head coach Jake Dickert
  
• Coastal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell
  
• Former Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall
• Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule
  
• Texas special assistant Gary Patterson
  
• Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard
  

Frost seemed like the perfect hire to get Nebraska football back on track. He's a Lincoln native who helped lead the Huskers to a share of a national championship as a quarterback in 1997, the last time they reached the mountaintop of college football.

He arrived after leading UCF to a 13-0 season in 2017, which provided a major boost to his coaching stock, but it simply didn't work out at his alma mater. The Cornhuskers posted a 16-31 record during his four-plus-year tenure with no winning seasons.

It raises uncertainty about what type of coach is needed to turn the tide back in the program's favor, and athletic director Trev Alberts noted after Frost's dismissal that he's going to seek outside guidance from other coaches to answer that question.

"If you hear that Trev Alberts reached out to XYZ coach, it might very well be true. Doesn't mean that I'm trying to hire that coach," Alberts told reporters. "I'd like to get that perspective. I'd like to get a perspective of a coach who isn't here right now about our job, and what the uniqueness is and the needs and those sorts of things."

While there are some marquee names on the candidates list—Campbell has been linked to numerous high-profile jobs in recent years and O'Brien owns success both in college and the NFL—Leipold may be the most intriguing option if the program is willing to have patience.

Kansas' head coach is a builder. He constructed Wisconsin-Whitewater into a Division III powerhouse, helped turn Buffalo into a consistent MAC contender and has already helped the Jayhawks show signs of turning a corner after an extended downturn.

It doesn't necessarily happen overnight, as a 2-10 record during his second year in Buffalo shows, but his ability to steadily lay a foundation has been impressive at every stop.

Leipold wouldn't arrive and land a ton of 5-star, top-10 prospects right away, but he'd bring in players who fit his system to help create that groundwork for future success. It happened in Buffalo, and it's already taking place at Kansas.

That's what Nebraska needs right now. It's no longer realistic to think the Huskers are going to contend for a national title in the immediate future, so hiring a coach who can build a culture that can pay dividends down the line should be the mindset.

So far, Alberts and Co. haven't shown extreme urgency to fill the void, which will give Joseph a chance to impress in the interim role. But it would be a surprise if Leipold, if he's interested, isn't one of the finalists as the list begins to shrink.

Eli Manning's second chapter continues to be a hit.

The former New York Giants quarterback turned media personality went undercover for Penn State's walk-on tryouts, pretending to be a "Chad Powers" persona he created for ESPN's Eli's Places.

Hilarity ensued.

You've gotta hand it to the 41-year-old Manning—he can still sling it. Sean Clifford's job is probably safe, however, given that whole eligibility thing.

Instead, the next Manning we'll see in college football is the nephew of Eli and Peyton, Arch Manning, who has committed to Texas and is the top-ranked prospect and quarterback in the class of 2023, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Toledo Rockets 77-21 in a blowout on Saturday at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, to move to 3-0 on the season.

It was a particularly impressive showing from quarterback C.J. Stroud, who completed 22 of 27 passes for 367 yards and five touchdowns. He also had two carries for nine yards before being replaced by Kyle McCord with the Buckeyes holding a significant lead in the fourth quarter.

Stroud has been considered a Heisman Trophy favorite since the 2022 season began, but fans believe he put some distance between him and his competition in the race for the award with his performance against the Rockets.

Stroud entered Saturday's game having completed 69 percent of his passes for 574 yards and six touchdowns in wins over Notre Dame and Arkansas State.

While Stroud currently looks like the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy, the 2022 campaign has only just begun. He's sure to have some stiff competition for the award, especially from the likes of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, USC quarterback Caleb Williams and Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett.

The Buckeyes will face the Wisconsin Badgers next weekend looking to extend their record to 4-0.

Mickey Joseph's first game as interim head coach for the Nebraska football team went a lot like many of games during the Scott Frost era.

Speaking to reporters after the Cornhuskers' 49-14 loss to Oklahoma, Joseph shouldered the blame for his team's performance.

"This is on me, not my players, not my assistant coaches," Joseph said. "I've got to do a better job, and I will. I've got to accept responsibility for it, and I have. We've got eight games left, and we're going to get ready to win some games."

Joseph was originally hired as an associate head coach, wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator on Frost's staff in December. He spent the previous five seasons as an assistant at LSU.

After a 1-2 start to the season, which included blowing an 11-point lead against Northwestern and a loss to Georgia Southern, Frost was fired as head coach on Sept. 11.

Joseph took over on an interim basis. The 54-year-old played quarterback at Nebraska from 1988-91.

The Cornhuskers got off to a good start against the sixth-ranked Sooners. They went 77 yards in six plays on their opening drive, capped by Casey Thompson's 32-yard touchdown pass to Trey Palmer for a 7-0 lead.

Oklahoma went on to score 49 unanswered points before Nebraska broke the streak with a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

It's dark times for the Nebraska football program right now. The team hasn't had a winning record since 2016 and hasn't won a bowl game since the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl when Mike Riley was head coach.

Things have gotten so bad that the crowd at Memorial Stadium was chanting for Urban Meyer before kickoff and during the game.

Nebraska, perhaps mercifully, has next week off to regroup before hosting Indiana on Oct. 1.

Michigan remains perfect after rolling to a 59-0 victory over Connecticut on Saturday at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

Blake Corum's stat line tells the story of how badly the Huskies were overmatched. He carried the ball just 12 times but ran for 71 yards and five touchdowns.

This game was all but over by halftime, with the fourth-ranked Wolverines up 38 points and claiming a 249-64 edge in total yards. They dominated every phase of the game, including special teams.

The one-sided contest brought an end to Michigan's nonconference slate, which wasn't exactly a murderers' row. Jim Harbaugh's squad blew out Colorado State and Hawai'i by a combined score of 107-17 prior to Saturday.

There's something to be said for a team that handily beats overmatched opponents, but the first three weeks haven't revealed much about the Wolverines.

Along the same lines, J.J. McCarthy did nothing to warrant another quarterback change. He finished 15-of-18 for 214 yards.

Still, it's unclear whether the sophomore signal-caller is the guy and a big enough upgrade over Cade McNamara to get Michigan meaningfully closer to winning a College Football Playoff game.

Michigan will open Big Ten play against Maryland on Sept. 24, and its offense will be put to the test Oct. 1 when it faces off with a stout Iowa defense. The Hawkeyes, in particular, could help show how much—if at all—the offense has grown with McCarthy under center.

Nebraska reached out to Urban Meyer as part of its coaching search following the firing of Scott Frost, according to CBSSports.com's Dennis Dodd.

Dodd cautioned that "it was not made clear whether Meyer was asked about his interest in holding the job." He posited the Cornhuskers may have sought the 58-year-old's input on other candidates.

A section of Nebraska fans made their opinion known when they chanted "We want Urban!" during Fox's pregame show in Lincoln:

One fan also went so far as to make a customized shirt lobbying on his behalf:

Meyer is coming off a disastrous stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was fired following a 2-11 start, and the fact that he failed to make it through even one full season spoke to how much things unraveled behind the scenes.

Meyer's record at the college level speaks for itself, however. He has a 187-32 record and three national titles. The allure of hiring a coach with his resume is obvious for a program like Nebraska, one that's attempting to return to national prominence.

The circumstances leading up to Meyer's departure from Ohio State have led many to argue his coaching days should be over. He was suspended for three games in 2018, his final season with the Buckeyes, after he failed to properly handle domestic violence allegations that had been brought against assistant coach Zach Smith.

Even aside from that, bringing Meyer in could potentially be disastrous for Nebraska.

His distaste for losing is almost legendary, and he'd be inheriting a significant rebuilding job. How might his demeanor change if the Cornhuskers start slowly in Big Ten play?

Meyer's authoritarian act might wear thin, too, in an era when players have more freedom to transfer. A coach's duties in recruiting now extend beyond landing blue-chip recruits and include keeping your own players happy so they don't leave for greener pastures.

It's less than a full week since Nebraska ousted Frost. As much as the idea of Meyer coaching the Huskers is nectar for the content gods, more candidates are bound to emerge as athletic director Trev Alberts examines the full landscape.

Ohio State wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming are expected to play against Toledo on Saturday, per head coach Ryan Day.

"He's further along than he was at this point last week," Day told reporters regarding Smith-Njigba, who suffered a hamstring injury early in the Sept. 3 season-opening win against Notre Dame.

"We're going to expect him to play this weekend, we'll see how this week goes, but we're going to only put him in the game if we feel 100 percent sure that he's ready to roll."

Smith-Njigba did not play last Saturday against Arkansas State in a 45-12 win.

Fleming has missed both of Ohio State's victories after suffering an undisclosed injury late in training camp, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

However, he's also expected to go this week in OSU's home matchup versus the 2-0 Rockets at 7 p.m. ET in Columbus' Ohio Stadium.

Smith-Njigba caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns last season. His return will be a welcome sight to a team with national championship aspirations. The same goes for Fleming, a 5-star recruit whom 247Sports ranked as the top wideout from the class of 2021. The Pennsylvania native caught 12 passes last year.

The remaining OSU wideouts have certainly held down the fort in their absence, however. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka combined for 11 receptions, 302 yards and four touchdown catches against Arkansas State. Egbuka notably dominated against Notre Dame with nine catches, 90 receiving yards and a touchdown reception.

Ultimately, Ohio State arguably sports the deepest and best wide receiver room in college football, and those wideouts are catching passes from a potential No. 1 overall NFL draft pick in C.J. Stroud.

The No. 3 Buckeyes are a force to be reckoned with, and adding Smith-Njigba and Fleming back into the fold only makes the team stronger as it searches for its first national title since the 2014 season.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are looking for a new head coach.

Nebraska announced Sunday that Scott Frost was fired after four seasons leading the team. He ends his tenure with a 16-31 record. Associate head coach Mickey Joseph was named interim head coach.

Amie Just of the Lincoln Journal-Star reported Joseph becomes the first black head coach in any sport in Nebraska history.

Frost's run was defined by ineptitude in crucial moments. Nebraska lost 22 games decided by eight points or less while he was at the helm, and the team's nine single-digit losses during 2021 set a college football record.

While Frost was at the helm, the Cornhuskers never appeared in a bowl game and posted a 0-14 record against ranked opponents. They struggled in Big Ten play, going 10-26 in conference games.

Nebraska's 2022 season got off to a rough start when the team blew an 11-point second-half lead in a 31-28 loss against Northwestern.

Frost came under fire for a peculiar decision to go for an onside kick after taking a 28-17 lead in the third quarter. The Wildcats recovered the ball and scored on the ensuing drive to spark their comeback victory.

The 47-year-old conceded after the loss that he wouldn't make the call for the onside kick if he could do it over again. He was asked directly if he would ever consider stepping down from his position, but he said he would "fight with the guys as long as I can fight."

While Frost's tenure in Nebraska has ended unceremoniously, the team will have to make the right decision for its next head coach if it wants to return to success. The Cornhuskers haven't finished with a winning record since 2016.

As a team that looks like it's going nowhere this season, Nebraska will have to continue to trudge its way through the year with Joseph at the helm until it finds a permanent replacement.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. continued to build an impressive rapport as they helped lead No. 3 Ohio State to a convincing 45-12 win over Arkansas State on Saturday at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.

Stroud, one of the early leaders in this season's Heisman Trophy race, completed 16 of his 24 passes for 351 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions for the Buckeyes.

Harrison tallied seven catches for 184 yards and three scores. He nearly had another TD late in the first quarter, but it was ruled an incomplete pass on a close call at the goal line.

Here's a look at some Twitter reaction to the OSU offensive duo's performance:

Other standouts for Ohio State included running back TreVeyon Henderson (87 rushing yards and two TDs) and Emeka Egbuka (118 receiving yards and one TD).

It took awhile for OSU to find its top gear against the Red Wolves, as the massive underdogs kept the contest within one score until deep in the second quarter, but a touchdown connection between Stroud and Harrison shortly before halftime opened the floodgates.

That score sparked a 21-0 run for Ohio State, which cruised to the finish line.

The Buckeyes improved to 2-0 with Saturday's victory after they scored a hard-fought 21-10 triumph over No. 5 Notre Dame in Week 1.

Next up on the schedule for Ohio State is a meeting with Toledo out of the MAC next Saturday at The Horseshoe. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Fox.

Consider Michigan Wolverines quarterback Cade McNamara among those a bit surprised that he'll split starts with J.J. McCarthy to start the 2022 season.

"I'd definitely say it's pretty unusual," he told reporters. "It was kinda a thing I wasn't expecting by the end of camp. I thought I had my best camp. I thought I put myself in a good position."

Head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters this week that his plan was to start McNamara on Saturday against Colorado State and to give McCarthy the nod against Hawaii on Sept. 10.

"No person, that's biblical, no person knows what the future holds," he said. "It's a process and it's going to be based on performance, but we're not going to withhold any good thing. Both have been tremendous quarterbacks. We think that both are capable of leading our team to a championship."

"Some people have asked, 'How did you come to that decision? Was it based on some kind of NFL model?'" he added. "No, it's really based biblical. Solomon, he was known to be a pretty wise person."

Harbaugh seemed to be referencing the Judgement of Solomon parable, with the story going that two women went to King Solomon, laying claim to the same child. Solomon's response was that the women should cut the child in two and split it evenly. One of the women said that she would rather see the child go to the other woman than see him killed, and Solomon awarded her the child.

McNamara, 22, served as Michigan's starter last year, throwing for 2,576 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 64.2 percent of his passes. He helped lead Michigan to a 12-2 record, the school's first outright Big Ten title since 2003 and a College Football Playoff berth.

But McCarthy, highly recruited out of high school ahead of last year, saw some playing time as well in 2021 as the backup, throwing for 516 yards and five scores while adding 124 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.

While he was affected during spring practice by a shoulder issue in his throwing arm, he's clearly impressed since.

"Cade is arguably one of the most improved players on the team. J.J. did not have spring practice, but he has ascended to where he's at, based on his performance," Harbaugh said. "That's a really, really good thing. There's no demotion for Cade McNamara. It is a promotion for J.J., based on what he's been able to do as well."

It's unclear how long the two will split starts or playing time. McNamara started his season by going 9-of-18 for 136 yards and a touchdown in the Wolverines' 51-7 hammering of Colorado State on Saturday. He led Michigan on six scoring drives.

McCarthy played limited snaps, finishing 4-of-4 for 30 yards. But he impressed nonetheless, also rushing three times for 50 yards and a touchdown.

For now, it would appear that Harbaugh is happy with his quarterback platoon. It will undoubtedly remain a focus of the Wolverines' season, however, especially after McNamara's comments on Saturday.