1. The story of what perfidy Michigan State linebacker Max Bullough committed to be suspended for the Spartans' first Rose Bowl in 26 years, not to mention the last game of his college career, has yet to come out in full. But no one in East Lansing is complaining about the school suspending a team captain, the defensive leader and the program's heart and soul. The blame is at Bullough's feet. That's the definition of a solid program.

2. In a first-person piece Wednesday in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Rebecca Kill, the wife of Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill, told of a benefit to her husband coaching from the press box upon his return to work after a severe epileptic episode. "Just to be up there when we beat Nebraska (for the first time since 1960) was special," Rebecca Kill wrote, "because the coaches and players didn't get that view of fans storming the field. They were running off to the locker room. ... It was a great feeling for him; he had tears in his eyes."

3. Utah State slowed down Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch on Thursday in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl because it stopped one of the threats from the dual-threat star. Lynch rushed for 1,881 yards this season, an average of 144.7 yards per gsme. That was a big reason why he finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting. The Aggies, though, allowed only 107.3 yards on the ground per game this season. They allowed Lynch only 39 yards on 18 carries.