Ohio State? Nebraska? Maybe Iowa?

If former Arizona head coach Mike Stoops doesn't land another head-coaching position, it's a pretty good bet he'll be coaching defense in the Big Ten in 2012.

Stoops Stoops has confirmed he met with new Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, presumably about the Buckeyes' defensive coordinator position. While he's not saying whether or not he has been offered the job, Stoops certainly is in the mix.

He also could get a call from his good friend Bo Pelini, who likely will need a defensive coordinator to replace his brother, Carl, expected to become Florida Atlantic's head coach. Stoops told the Lincoln Journal Star's Steven M. Sipple that he would be interested in an opening on Nebraska's staff should one emerge.

Stoops and Pelini haven't discussed any jobs, Sipple reports. Their two families are close as the groups of brothers grew up together in Youngstown, Ohio.

"We're great friends, and I have great respect for Bo and what he's done," Stoops told the Journal Star.

There's also the situation at Iowa, which has a defensive coordinator in Norm Parker. But Parker's health issues in recent years have made his future a constant topic of discussion. I've heard from many Iowa fans expressing interest in Stoops, a safety at Iowa from 1982-84.

It will be interesting to where the coaching carousel goes, but Stoops could be heading back to the Big Ten.