Happy Halloween! Before filling up on candy, dive into the mailbag to get set for the first weekend in November.

@AWardESPN 4 already how many 200+ yard rushing performances does Abdullah need to get? Already statistically better than most in a career. - Shawn Hale (@shawnhale86) October 31, 2014

Austin Ward: The Nebraska star has certainly packed what might be a productive career for some running backs into a little more than half of a season, and Abdullah is doing some truly special things with the football this year. I'm not sure that he needs to add another 200-yard game to his resume necessarily to be worth of a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation, but if he can tack one more on, it seems like a lock that he should be among the finalists. There are really two factors left for Abdullah at this point in his campaign for awards. First, the Huskers need to keep winning, and Abdullah carrying the team to the West Division title and maybe even the College Football Playoff would be huge for his candidacy. The second is shining in a specific game against another guy who will be getting votes in what should be a wildly entertaining matchup on Nov. 15 against Melvin Gordon and Wisconsin. And if Abdullah gets to that 200-yard mark again that week, just go ahead and punch his ticket to Gotham.

@AWardESPN What needs to happen in the conference, to convince top level recruits to play for more B1G schools? - TMayneII (@TMayneII) October 31, 2014

Austin Ward: There's no one-size-fits-all answer that applies across the league, but the bottom line is the Big Ten needs to start winning more games outside the conference when it gets primetime opportunities against marquee opponents. Falling short in games against LSU, Oregon or even Virginia Tech isn't a good way to generate much momentum, and the SEC's stranglehold on the national title recently hasn't done the Big Ten any favors. This might be something of a chicken-or-egg situation since having great players obviously helps in claiming those meaningful victories, but programs such as Michigan State and Ohio State already have the athletes to go outside the league, win games and boost the reputation of the Big Ten. It just has to get the job done.

@AWardESPN who are prospects for the Michigan AD job? - katiyana (@katiyana) October 31, 2014

@ESPN_BigTen @AWardESPN As of this mornings developments, what are the odds at that Jim Harbaugh will be Michigan's football coach in 2015? - don n brookfield (@DonInBrookfield) October 31, 2014

Austin Ward: One search is already underway in the Michigan athletic department, and it seems a certainty that another will start when the season ends with Brady Hoke. And given how important knowing who the boss will be to the next coach for the Wolverines, they had better work quickly to replace Dave Brandon as the athletic director. The short list figures to have plenty of names with ties to the program, starting with UConn's Warde Manuel, Jeff Long of Arkansas and Boston College's Brad Bates. But if Michigan can't get somebody in place soon, things could get messy when it comes to firing Hoke and hiring a replacement. That's one reason it's difficult to envision Jim Harbaugh taking the reins, and it also continues to be tough to imagine he's ready to leave the NFL right now to head back to the college ranks without winning a Super Bowl. Somebody representing Michigan will have to make a run at him, though, which again underlines the importance of filling the AD vacancy as soon as possible.

@AWardESPN what are Michigan State's weaknesses? - Adam Greer (@agreer11) October 31, 2014

Austin Ward: The Spartans don't have many, but there are areas that aren't as strong as others that Ohio State will be focusing on next week ahead of the titanic battle in East Lansing. On defense, Michigan State doesn't seem nearly as solid across the board as it was a year ago and it might not be as athletic either. Purdue was able to move the ball without much trouble running an offense that looked pretty similar to Ohio State's, and it doesn't have nearly as much talent on offense as the Buckeyes. Offensively, Connor Cook has put up some impressive numbers and the Spartans are scoring seemingly at will, but the quarterback has looked a bit careless at times with the football and recently had a three-week stretch with at least one interception in every game that raised a small warning flag. He's going to have to be careful next week against an Ohio State secondary that leads the Big Ten in picking off passes.