Making the morning rounds.

• Lady MacBowden. Bobby Bowden has made it clear enough that he plans to be back for a 35th season in 2010, age, attrition, decline and influential opponents be dadgummed. But he's also had the sense and tact to avoid ultimatums, bold declarations or any other moves that might antagonize the power brokers immediately above him who'll ultimately make the call. His wife, Ann, on the other hand, has no such qualms: "You know, we don't need the university as much as they need us ... They'll have to fire him for him not to go another year … If they've got guts enough to do it, let them do it."

With FSU staring down the barrel of its first losing season in decades, this may not be the ideal moment to challenge the boss' manhood. Mrs. Bowden also threatened to take her husband and "go to Europe or go on a long cruise or something," which I get the feeling would make everyone else associated with Florida State much happier than it would Bobby. At least the governor has his back. [USA Today]

• Bears may not be Bestless in Seattle. Cal running back Jahvid Best won't play Saturday in the Bears' trip to Stanford, thanks to lingering effects of a severe concussion from the frightening end zone tumble he took two weeks ago against Oregon State, but Best could be back against Washington on Dec. 5. At the very least, he's almost guaranteed to be back in time for a bowl game before deciding whether to take his wares pro. [San Francisco Chronicle]

• I see rhinestone jumpsuits in Ty's future. By far, the best name to surface in the nascent UNLV coaching search is ex-Stanford/Notre Dame/Washington architect Tyrone Willingham, who's also being floated for the San Jose State job. They're getting a good laugh out of that in Seattle, where Ty was bounced after last year's 0-12 catastrophe, but another name churning through the rumor mill has them slightly on edge: Husky defensive coordinator Nick Holt, late of USC and a head coaching stint at Idaho, may be on UNLV's radar, as well. [Seattle Times]

• Brewster shall return. Tim Brewster's boss, Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi, gave his coach a vote of confidence, telling the Minneapolis Star-Tribune "I expect him to be our football coach [in 2010]" -- with a caveat: "I think you've got two more games to decide that," including the Gophers' second straight bowl bid under Brewster. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]

Quickly ... Court dates have been set for three Tennessee players arrested for armed robbery last week. ... Urban Meyer dominates Google trends, but not for steering Florida toward another national championship. ... The Kansas City Star issues a subtle dig at Mark Mangino. ... And Dan Patrick interviews new BCS executive director Bill Hancock, who has one of the worst jobs in America.