Barring any last-minute snags, LSU Defensive Coordinator Bo Pelini will be introduced as the new Head Coach at Nebraska early next week, multiple sources confirmed Friday. Pelini will coach the Tigers' defense Saturday in the SEC championship game against Tennessee and, according to a source close to the situation, will be in Lincoln for an announcement Monday. Pelini and Buffalo Coach Turner Gill were believed to be Tom Osborne's final two choices to replace fired Bill Callahan. Both have Nebraska ties -- Gill as a former player under Osborne and coach under Frank Solich and Pelini as a former defensive coordinator under Solich.

Despite a third straight non-winning season, Dave Wannstedt's future at Pittsburgh appears safe. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported Friday that the university will announce a contract extension for Wannstedt, possibly as early as Saturday.

Darren McFadden will have plenty of time to think about the NFL draft -- after the season is over. For now, the Arkansas star isn't saying much. "For me, it's something I'm going to sit down with my family at the end of the season, sit down with my family, coaching staff and try to weigh out my options," McFadden said Thursday. If McFadden turns pro, it won't be much of a surprise. The junior is a Heisman Trophy candidate for the second year in a row. He's rushed for a school-record 1,725 yards this season, breaking the mark of 1,647 he set in 2006. McFadden's mother told ESPN.com's Pat Forde in August that her son would play his last year of college football this season before turning pro.

Few Nebraska football fans are going to argue with Tom Osborne's decision on an interim head coach. Already the interim athletic director, Osborne declared himself the coach until he hires a successor to Bill Callahan, allowing Nebraska's beloved former coach to visit prospective recruits and try to prevent the program from slipping during the recruiting contact period.

USC and UCLA may have shared the Coliseum for decades, but the Bruins moved out 25 years ago. However, the prospect that the teams might once again become roommates -- this time at the Rose Bowl -- worries fans on both sides. "I heard about it, and I almost fell off the chair," retired USC professor and season ticket holder Peter Dyck of La Ca?ada Flintridge said Wednesday as he walked around the Rose Bowl. Nearby, UCLA fan Nancy Loder, dressed head to foot in blue and gold, also dismissed the idea. "That's why UCLA left," said Loder, 50, of Tarzana. "We didn't want to be near them." USC officials, frustrated by stalled negotiations to renovate the Coliseum, say they are considering relocating games to the Rose Bowl beginning next season.

An injury to Matt Flynn's throwing shoulder could mean an expanded role for LSU backup quarterback Ryan Perrilloux in Saturday's SEC championship game against Tennessee. LSU Coach Les Miles confirmed following practice Wednesday that Perrilloux had been taking increased first-team snaps, but Miles said he was hopeful that Flynn could still play. "He's limited some, but he practiced and threw the ball well," Miles said. Flynn, who battled through an ankle injury earlier in the season, injured his shoulder last Friday in the 50-48 triple-overtime loss to Arkansas. When asked about his status earlier this week, Flynn was evasive. "I'm not really sure right now what's going to happen," he said.

LSU Athletic Director Skip Bertman confirmed Wednesday night through spokesman Herb Vincent that his Michigan counterpart Bill Martin has officially requested permission to speak with Les Miles about becoming the next coach of the Wolverines. Bertman requested that the meeting not take place until after LSU plays Tennessee Saturday for the SEC championship. Martin told Bertman he will comply.

Coach Tommy Tuberville and Auburn have agreed in principle to a contract extension, but major contract issues must still be resolved, according to a report in The Birmingham News. Tuberville and AD Jay Jacobs met Tuesday, paving the way for the issues to be resolved, a source told The News. However, according to The Huntsville Times' Web site, Tuberville and Jacobs did not meet Wednesday as expected, and with Tuberville expected to leave town Thursday, it was uncertain when the issues could get resolved. If the issues are settled, the proposed new contract would run through the 2014 season, The Huntsville Times reported. Tuberville's name had been mentioned prominently in various reports over the past several weeks as a possible successor to Dennis Franchione at Texas A&M, but he indicated last week he planned to remain at Auburn.

Two head coaches known for their high-powered offenses have emerged as potential candidates to replace Houston Nutt, who was criticized during his tenure at Arkansas for being too conservative with his playcalling. A source familiar with the situation said Tuesday that Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin could be a good fit for the Razorbacks. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Kiffin has wanted to coach at the college level. Kiffin is in his first season with the Raiders, but there is talk that he might be unhappy with the situation. Oakland is 3-8 this season, and the team has had quarterback issues despite using its first overall pick last April to draft former LSU signal-caller JaMarcus Russell.

USC is on the outside looking in at the Bowl Championship Series title game hunt. But USC Coach Pete Carroll refuses to acknowledge that it's over for the Trojans, who are eighth in the BCS standings with one game remaining against rival UCLA. "I think it's important for us and the other teams that are still within range of that game to play like crazy here in these last couple shots because anything can happen," Carroll said today during his weekly news conference at Heritage Hall. In 2003, USC finished the regular season No. 1 in both the Associated Press media poll and the coaches' poll, but BCS computers shut the Trojans out of the title game by making Oklahoma No. 1 and Louisiana State No. 2. USC went on to defeat Michigan in the Rose Bowl and was selected as the AP national champion.