Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett (16) rushes during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Michigan, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

By Daniel Gallen | dgallen@pennlive.com

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The Big Ten wrapped up its regular season Saturday, ending a year that held so much promise for some teams and ended in disappointment, or vice versa. Plenty of Big Ten teams, coaches and players made the news in the past week, too, so let’s jump in and check out this week’s newsmakers.

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Former head football coach Mike Riley in the elevator as he leaves the press conference announcing his firing in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/John Peterson)

Nebraska fires Mike Riley. Is Scott Frost on deck?

It seemed like it was only going to be a formality that Nebraska fire Mike Riley when the season ended. The writing was on the wall — the new athletic director, the 4-8 season, the 56-14 loss to Iowa — and when it ended, Riley was out on Black Friday. He finished 19-19 in his three seasons in Lincoln, and he finished below .500 in two of those. For a program that wants to contend, it wasn't good enough. Sam McKewon summed up Riley's tenure at Nebraska well in the Omaha World-Herald: "Nice guys don't always finish last, but when they do, it's because they're trying to please everyone and end up pleasing no one."

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So where does Bill Moos and Nebraska turn? The obvious answer is Scott Frost, who has guided Central Florida to an undefeated season, just two years removed from a winless campaign. Frost is a Nebraska alum and Nebraska native. He's been linked to the job for a while now — Moos is on the record praising him — and it might only be a matter of time before Frost heads home. UCF faces Memphis in the American Athletic Conference championship game this weekend.

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"I'd be hurt if Nebraska wasn't interested in me," Frost said Monday. "We're undefeated. I'm from there. When you win a lot, people are interested in you."

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The Orlando Sentinel's George Diaz wrote Monday morning that the lay of the land leaves Frost with only two options: He either goes home or he stays in Orlando. Florida hired Dan Mullen over the weekend, and the Gators seemed to be one of the only other logical landing spots for Frost. UCLA hired Chip Kelly. Tennessee is chaos. So there it is: Nebraska or UCF.

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It’s an interesting decision for Frost to make. Coaches can still win at Nebraska — Bo Pelini reeled off at least nine wins (but never more than 10) in each of his seven seasons — but the bigger question is if it’s enough for the Cornhuskers boosters and fan base. Nineteen wins in three years obviously wasn’t enough for Riley, but 67 in seven wasn’t enough for Pelini.

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Frost could easily get more leeway as a favorite son coming home. But the expectations to get the Huskers back on top quickly could sour, especially with what Frost was able to do with UCF. It seems to be the right fit on both sides. But time will tell.

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Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett (16) is looked at by team officials after being sacked during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017, in Ann Arbor, Mich. Barrett did not return after the sack. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Urban Meyer says J.T. Barrett is 'probable' for Big Ten title game.

The annual Ohio State-Michigan game was another classic, with the Buckeyes erasing deficits of 14-0 and 20-14 to leave Ann Arbor with a 31-20 victory over the Wolverines. But the game was overshadowed by quarterback J.T. Barrett leaving the game in the third quarter after reaggravating an injury he suffered on the sideline during pregame when a cameraman bumped into him. Coach Urban Meyer was furious.

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Haskins was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2016 out of Bullis in Potomac, Md. He was initially committed to Maryland, but Ohio State flipped him a couple weeks before National Signing Day, along with four-star linebacker Keandre Jones. He was the No. 3 player in Maryland, the No. 7 pro-style quarterback nationally and No. 91 overall prospect in the class.

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Former head coach of Rutgers football and head coach of the National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, now Ohio State associate head coach/ defensive coordinator Greg Schiano stands on the sidelines during an NCAA college football game against Rutgers Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, in Piscataway, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

The Greg Schiano saga was bizarre.

On Sunday, Ohio state defensive coordinator Greg Schiano appeared poised to become Tennessee’s next head coach. Hours after the news broke, both Tennessee and Schiano backed out of a memorandum of understanding they signed after a strong reaction to the news of Schiano’s hiring. Schiano built Rutgers into a respectable program that continued in the Big East in the 2000s before leaving for a failed and ugly stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He joined Urban Meyer’s staff at Ohio State last season after Chris Ash left to take over Rutgers. It was a furious and brief saga. I’d recommend reading the below stories for the full scope of the past 48 hours or so.

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Read more:

Penn State trustee: 'I can confidently say that Coach Greg Schiano had nothing to do with the Sandusky scandal'

Whether Greg Schiano knew about Sandusky was immaterial in age of flash mob and Us vs. Them

Tennessee AD issues statement on Vols' decision to back away from hiring Greg Schiano

What they're saying about Greg Schiano, his past at Penn State, and Tennessee football

Tennessee backs out of deal with Greg Schiano due to Penn State, Jerry Sandusky connections, report says

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Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, right, congratulates long snapper Andrew Robinson (49) after a Michigan touchdown in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Ohio State in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)

Michigan is going to be fine.

Jim Harbaugh is winless against Ohio State in three tries at Michigan, and he’s beaten Michigan state only once in his short tenure in Ann Arbor. It’s obviously not the results that Wolverines fans want to see, but it still seems like there are plenty of reasons for optimism with Harbaugh in charge. Harbaugh won 10 games in each of his first two seasons, and that dipped to eight (pending the bowl game result) this fall.

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There are a couple takeaways from this season. The first is that the Michigan defense should be fine as long as Don Brown remains the defensive coordinator. He took over for the departed DJ Durkin (now at Maryland) in 2016 and engineered a great group. This year, Michigan ranked No. 3 in yards allowed per game. But any of the defensive positives were hamstrung by an offense that ranked No. 101 — and fifth out of five Division I programs in Michigan — in yards per game. Wilton Speight and John O’Korn weren’t the quarterbacks Michigan needed.

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Both will be gone next season — Speight tweeted he’ll be a grad transfer, while O’Korn’s eligibility expired — which means that the Wolverines should have a battle between Brandon Peters and Dylan McCaffrey for the starting job, while incoming freshmen Joe Milton and Kevin Doyle will also be in camp. Harbaugh will have one of his guys that he’s developing from Day 1 leading the team. It is surprising that he couldn’t make things work with what he inherited, but he can truly be graded on what he does with players and an offense that are truly his.

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ESPN.com's Tom VanHaaren pointed out in a piece Monday that Michigan was hurt by its 2015 recruiting class. Harbaugh had been hired in December and had only a month to cobble together a class for a program coming off a 5-7 season under Brady Hoke. Of the 14 players he signed, 10 remain with the program and four are regular contributors, according to Van Haaren.

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In 2016 and 2017, Harbaugh signed classes of 28 and 30 that ranked Nos. 8 and 5, respectively, according to 247Sports. His Class of 2018 has only 16 players and checks in at No. 14 with plenty of time before signing day. There’s a plenty of talent in the program that’s maturing and gaining experience. It’ll be worth watching if those players can make the leap in 2018. Then there can be a more well-rounded assessment of Harbaugh’s tenure.

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Wisconsin offensive linebacker Garrett Dooley (5) celebrates with Paul Bunyan's Axe after his team won 31-0 against Minnesota in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)

There's one more Big Ten game left

OK, now for some game action. Wisconsin and Ohio State meet in the Big Ten championship game Saturday night with pretty high stakes. Wisconsin finished the regular season 12-0 and essentially clinches a College Football Playoff berth with a victory. Ohio State went 10-2 and was No. 9 in last week’s CFP rankings. Based on what happened over the weekend, the Buckeyes will slot in at No. 8 in Tuesday night’s rankings. Would a win over the undefeated Badgers vault them into the top four? Eh. Maybe? Stranger things have happened (just ask 2014 Ohio State).

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But setting aside that off-field subplot, the on-field intrigue is pretty interesting. Wisconsin has played a weak schedule this season, and Ohio State will be its toughest opponent by a long shot. The Badgers have the nation’s top defense, and the Ohio State offense appeared like it really kicked into gear down the stretch. Will Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook’s interception woes be canceled out by a young Ohio State secondary that’s struggled at times? Can freshman sensation Jonathan Taylor really get rolling on the ground?

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It’s going to be a lot of fun in Indianapolis. The Badgers have played in five of the seven Big Ten championship games ever, with a pair of wins and a pair of defeats. They lost to Penn State, 38-31, last year and to Ohio State, 59-0, in 2014. The won’t shrink from the stage. This is Ohio State’s third title game appearance. Before beating Wisconsin in 2014, they lost to Michigan State in 2013.

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Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley celebrates his touchdown run with Billy Fessler during the first quarter at Maryland Stadium on Nov. 25, 2017. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com

Penn State was so, so close this season.

Penn State lost to Ohio State on the road by one point and to Michigan State on the road on a last-second field goal. That's all that separated the Nittany Lions from 10-2 and 12-0 and possibly the CFP. PennLive's Greg Pickel did a nice job putting it into perspective: Penn State has come a long way — the Nittany Lions beat Maryland, 66-3, three years after the Terps beat them, 20-19, at home — but there is a feeling of what could have been.

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Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck reacts on the sideline in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)

P.J. Fleck's boat took on water in the end.

Minnesota was a nice story entering Big Ten play after starting 3-0, including a win at an awful Oregon State team, but the Golden Gophers did just about the opposite of finishing strong over the final two weeks of the season. After racking up 54 points in a win over Nebraska, Minnesota lost its final two games 39-0 to Northwestern and 31-0 to Wisconsin.

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Fleck got a contract extension out of it, but it wasn’t a promising end to the season. Minnesota wasn’t the easiest job this year, and Fleck got the job late in January, so he was working from behind. Minnesota should be fine and contend in the Big Ten West in the future, but a 2-4 record in the division shows there’s still a ways to go for the Golden Gophers.

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Purdue linebacker Garrett Hudson (16) and cornerback Antonio Blackmon (14) celebrate with the Old Oaken Bucket after defeating Indiana 31-24 in an NCAA college football game in West Lafayette, Ind., Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Purdue is bowl eligible!

Speaking of the Big Ten West, Purdue went 6-6 in Jeff Brohm’s first season and beat Indiana in a rivalry game clinch bowl eligibility. That’s a nice turnaround for a program that was a doormat under Darrell Hazell. Defensive coordinator Nick Holt did a nice job with that side of the ball, while Brohm’s offense had its moments. A better Purdue is the next step for a more interesting Big Ten West.

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Northwestern defensive lineman Tyler Lancaster (1) hoists the Land of Lincoln trophy as other players celebrate after Northwestern defeated Illinois 42-7 in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Bradley Leeb)

Northwestern is fine.

The Wildcats quietly finished the season 9-3, a mark they’ve hit for the second time in three years and the fourth time in Pat Fitzgerald’s 12 years. Northwestern struggled a little bit early in the season, but the Wildcats rounded into form nicely. Unfortunately, Wisconsin made it tough for Northwestern to contend for the West crown, but it’s not unreasonable to expect the Wildcats to contend on a regular basis in the division.

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Penn State head coach James Franklin looks on as Maryland wide receiver D.J. Moore hauls in a pas behind cornerback Christian Campbell during the second quarter at Maryland Stadium on Nov. 25, 2017. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com

A pair of second-year coaches end the season with a thud.

It’s going to be hard for Maryland and Rutgers to contend in the Big Ten East against the likes of Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State on a yearly basis, but there’s a chance the Terrapins and Scarlet Knights can jump up and steal a couple games on a yearly basis. That didn’t happen in 2017. Each side showed some improvement, but Maryland was undone by more quarterback woes and a bad defense, while Rutgers is rebuilding an entire program.

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Terps coach DJ Durkin and Scarlet Knights boss Chris Ash are both in their second seasons, so there’s still plenty of time for them get things going. 2017 wasn’t really that year. Maryland closed the year with a 66-3 loss to Penn State and Rutgers with a 40-7 clunker against Michigan State. That gave a pretty good example of the gap that’s still in the East.

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