It's already October, and some teams will reach the halfway point of their schedules by the end of the weekend. Time flies when you're having fun or protesting to oust your athletic director.

• Michigan remains on the front page, rather than the sports page, for the way it handled quarterback Shane Morris' concussion and the hit's aftermath. Students and alumni marched to the university president's house to ask that athletic director Dave Brandon be removed from his post. The biggest authority figures on campus doled out written statements Tuesday, leaving head coach Brady Hoke and his players to answer all the questions that follow. A member of Congress got involved, but the Big Ten said it won't penalize Michigan for failing to follow the conference's head injury protocol. This is growing into a problem that doesn't appear will wash away with the next news cycle.

• Ameer Abdullah sprinted forward in the Heisman Trophy chase this week after churning out another 200-yard performance Saturday against Illinois. The Alabama native is now behind only Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota and Georgia running back Todd Gurley, according to the oddsmakers in Vegas. Abdullah jumped from a 25-1 candidate to a 9-1 candidate in a week. He could launch himself into the frontrunner spot with another standout performance and a victory over Michigan State in East Lansing this Saturday.

• It's been a good start to the week for second-string quarterbacks around the Big Ten. Iowa announced its former backup, C.J. Beathard, will split time with Jake Rudock in a platoon system moving forward. Maryland's Caleb Rowe received a big vote of confidence from his head coach while challenging C.J. Brown for playing time. And lastly, Wisconsin veteran Joel Stave, who began the season with 19 career starts, has battled through the mental block that kept him on the sideline during September.

Read about all those quarterback happenings and more, in this morning's edition of the links:

East Division

• The Michigan athletes council supports AD Dave Brandon.

• Leonte Carroo is on pace to become the best receiver in Rutgers history.

• Inspecting Penn State’s running back development the last few weeks.

• Ohio State’s offensive line shows signs of dominance.

• Michigan State QB Connor Cook reflects on last season’s game against Nebraska and running away from DE Randy Gregory.

• What is wrong with Indiana’s passing game?

• Randy Edsall has confidence in Maryland backup QB Caleb Rowe.

West Division

• A Cornhuskers offensive line that has steadily improved this season faces its toughest test to date against the Spartans.

• The Illini offense has been more explosive this season, but it’s also imploding just as frequently.

• Iowa plans to move to a two-quarterback system with C.J. Beathard and Jake Rudock for the rest of the season.

• Minnesota fans can get a closer look at the Little Brown Jug now that it’s back in the Gophers possession for the first time since 2005.

• Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave has put his September case of the yips behind him this week.

• Rob Ennis, a running back prospect committed to Purdue, faces aggravated assault charges after punching a female classmate in the nose during a school beauty pageant.

• Northwestern’s win over Penn State on Saturday gave its players a rare chance to celebrate this season.