Big Ten Country

October 18 Game Summaries

Penn State 46 Michigan 17
It took longer then Nittany Lions were comfortable with, but after digging themselves a 17-7 hole, Penn State got rid of the Michigan jinx in grand fashion. The Wolverine passing game remains utterly appalling. They netted only 89 passing yards and even a Big Ten traditionalist like me isn't ready to see the days of that kind of offense return. It served to negate a nice game by Brandon Minor. The Lions exhibited a balanced attack, led up by Evan Royster who had 174 rushing yards and Darryl Clark again ran the offense with cool efficiency. From a defensive standpoint, Jeff Rice of The Centre Daily Times says the Lions unleashed the linebackers. Penn State is now set to go to the Horseshoe next week for the Big Ten's game of the year.

Ohio State 45 Michigan State 7
The Buckeyes will arrive for the showdown in great shape themselves. Jim Tressel's team played its most complete game of the year in a complete thrashing of a good MSU team. While Chris Wells had a big game, the OSU defense was the star of the show. They shut down Javon Ringer, ended the Spartan back's hopes for the Heisman and altered the course of the race for conference MVP along with it. It was the kind of game everyone expected from the Bucks back in August. Bob Hunter of The Columbus Dispatch declares they've arrived just where you would have expected.

Iowa 38 Wisconsin 16
The one team expected to challenge the OSU-PSU duo for supremacy back in August and September continued its implosion. The University of Wisconsin football program is now in a mad race with Wall Street to see who can have the most brutal autumn. The Badgers lost the turnover battle 3-0, and Shon Greene continued to be the league's most pleasant surprise for the Hawkeyes. Greene rushed for 217 yards and again carried the Iowa offense. It was a win that Kirk Ferentz needed to keep his bowl hopes on track. And to everyone's amazement, missing a bowl entirely is not only possible for the 3-4 Badgers, but likely given how they have regressed each of the last four weeks.

Northwestern 48 Purdue 26
One of the teams looking to take UW's place in the hiearchy is Northwestern. The Wildcats may not have beaten anyone good yet, but they took a significant step on Saturday in showing they could decisively handle a mediocre squad. The Boilers turned it over five times, negating a 168-yard effort by Kory Sheets. NU is at 6-1. Who would have thought that in mid-October we'd be looking at the Northwestern-Minnesota game as one that might have a January bowl game hanging in the balance?

Illinois 55 Indiana 13
The Juice was on the loose again in Bloomington. Both he and Aurelious Benn had big games in routing the Hoosiers. But the surprise in the Illinois attack was freshman running back Jason Ford, who racked up 172 yards. IU proved to be the salve Illinois needed after letting one slip away last week against Minnesota. As for Indiana, after making a bowl game last year, they are back to their normal state of affairs of welcoming the opening of basketball practice. Hoops isn't likely to bring the usual solace to Hoosier Nation, but Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star opines that at least the hallowed program is clean again.

The Curse of '96 Still Haunts

It was November of 1996, and I was still living back in my old hometown of Milwaukee. I was coming out of the gym and stopped with my wealthier friend who had the club membership in the lounge to watch some football and relax. In November '96, Bill Clinton had just been re-elected and Monica Lewinsky was an unknown White House intern. Joe Torre had just finished leading the Yankees to their first World Series title in 18 years. Yup, it seems like ages ago. That football game we watched that November afternoon was a Penn State thrashing of Michigan. It was the last time the Nittany Lions have beaten the Wolverines. Can they end the curse this week with UM reeling and PSU smelling a national title?

Jo-Ann Barnas of The Detroit Free Press reports that Lion fans are still fearful. And the Penn State fan featured in the photo two posts below wrote on his Facebook profile that he's not optimistic (then again this particular fan was probably nervous they wouldn't get past Coastal Carolina). But there really can be no excuses. Even with Ohio State next week. Even coming off a trashing of Wisconsin on the road. This Penn State team is too superior to this edition of Michigan, the game is in Happy Valley (4:30 EST, ESPN) and the UM brand name is still worth getting fired up for. Especially when you haven't beaten them in 12 years.

A better game is Ohio State's visit to East Lansing (3:30 EST, ABC). The beef of the schedule is hitting for Michigan State, but it's also the opportunity part of the schedule. Javon Ringer can break out of the slew of Big 12 quarterbacks currently overshadowing him for the Heisman if he can have a big game. He certainly has the attention of the folks in Columbus, as reported by Bill Rabinowitz of The Columbus Dispatch. But OSU should be able to move the ball on the Spartans. I look for this to be tight into the third quarter, and then for the Buckeyes to start to pull away. I think Tressel's team is too motivated for a chance at redemption and paradoxically, MSU's sound play early in the year has probably removed the "trap" element from the matchup.

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In basketball news, Bob Knight told ESPN.com he'd be interested in coaching again given the right situation. Personally I'd love to see the General come back. Hard to see where he might fit into the Big Ten, but it would be great for college basketball if this legend, underappreciate for his soundness of character (as opposed to just his winning teams) got a chance to again coach at a school with a real shot at the Final Four.

Illini & Bucks Push Forward

Illinois and Ohio State each have relatively easy home games ahead of them on Saturday and can continue to push forward off the big wins they got this past weekend. The Illini host Minnesota. Juice Williams is directing an offense that is pure dynamite and should be enough to win at home (Noon EST, ESPN). What will be interesting to watch is the play of Ron Zook's defense. As mentioned here yesterday, the Illini defense has not yet played at the level needed to let Juice & Co. carry them to a January 1 game. Minnesota has a nice pitch-and-catch tandem of Adam Weber & Eric Decker that will test this unit. Whether Illinois can keep them under wraps will give us a good progress report. Herb Gould of The Chicago Sun-Times says the Gophs remind him a lot of the 2007 Illini, both in terms of style and their hopes of a big turnaround.

Ohio State plays host to Purdue in a 3:30 EST kickoff on ABC, one of two conference games that will be on national televison in this time slot (Michigan State-Northwestern being the other). The Boilermakers haven't lived up to the expectations that some (such as myself) had for Joe Tiller's swan song. Right now, making any kind of bowl is looking like a tough fight and they won't make any progress towards that goal in Columbus. Ken Gordon of The Columbus Dispatch writes that a Boilermaker is just the cure for an OSU team that's beat up after the win in Wisconsin.

Iowa travels to Indiana (Noon EST, BTN). I've got the Hoosiers penciled in for last place this year, as do most observers after their loss to Minnesota. But we have to be honest--Iowa's done nothing on the field to make you think they are appreciably better then Indiana. Respect for Kirk Ferentz and his ability to get a team going, along with the fact that it was their own mistakes that did them in against Northwestern, preclude burying the Hawks too quickly. But if they are going to save their season it absolutely must start in Bloomington. Andy Hamilton of The Iowa Press-Citizen reports that while the vultures are circling the program, the head man is standing firm.

Michigan hosts Toledo in another noon game on the Network, and this should be a game that finally gives Rich Rodriguez a chance to breath easy. If it turns into a dogfight, the only question will be how loud the booing gets in Ann Arbor.

October 4 Game Summaries

Ohio State 20 Wisconsin 17
The prime-time battle in Camp Randall was everything it was supposed to be. This was a game as nearly even as you can get. Total yardage was a virtual dead heat, and neither team had an appreciable edge running or passing. Third down conversions were about 50 percent each way. And if Wisconsin would have had a few more seconds at the end of the first half to try another play or two after getting to the 3-yard line, they might have a touchdown instead of a field goal and had the margin of victory. The Badgers can also point to two OSU fumbles on the final game-winning drive that bounced safely back into Buckeye hands.

But it's Ohio State who got out of this one with a win because they had more playmakers. Terrell Pryor's final numbers aren't spectacular, but they don't reflect the way his speed changed the game, and the way he came through at every key point when the Bucks had to move the ball. A long touchdown drive just after UW had taken the lead with six minutes left answered any questions as to whether he was ready for high-pressure situations. And Chris Wells rushed for 168 yards on 22 carries and was another game-changing player that the tandem of P.J. Hill and John Clay wasn't for UW. Though the latter two played well, neither has Wells' explosiveness. Thus, Ohio State is on track in the Big Ten and hoping for a rejuvenation of national title hopes, while Wisconsin has to try and recover and see if they can play their way back into the New Year's Day bowl picture. Bob Hunter of The Columbus Dispatch writes about how OSU exorcised some demons in Madison with their winning drive.

Penn State 20 Purdue 6
It wasn't the kind of win that will reverberate through the college football establishment when they read through the scores. But it was exactly the kind of performance Penn State needed. They were efficient on offense, getting strong games from both Darryl Clark and Evan Royster. Most important, their defense stood up and shut down Purdue. The Lions' road tests get stricter the next two weeks in Madison and Columbus. But PSU fans can enter those games knowing they have a complete team. Jeff Rice of The Centre Daily Times says the D knows how to defend the Boilermaker spread.

Illinois 45 Michigan 20
Those of us who said Michigan's win over Wisconsin was no turning point, but the product of a Badger collapse were vindicated in the last three quarters on Saturday. The Illini spotted the Wolverines a 14-3 lead and then just exploded in UM's face. Juice Williams lit up the Michigan defense for 431 all-purpose yards. Even though Steven Threet had his most productive game at quarterback, he wasn't going to keep up with this onslaught.

Between this game and a near-miss at Penn State, Illinois has put itself back on the agenda as a player in the race for the January 1 bowl invites. As for Michigan, there is no excuse for the defensive performance. This is a veteran defense that is not learning a new system. This was the kind of game they were reasonably expected to carry the load in, and it's not happening. They've given up 60 points in two Big Ten games. Rich Rodriguez is right when he says that this is ridiculous.

Michigan State 16 Iowa 13
The Javon Ringer Express was slowed down in East Lansing. 91 yards on 25 carries isn't exactly shabby, but he was upstaged by Iowa's Shon Greene, who rushed for 157. MSU was still able to get out to a 16-3 lead and then hold on. It wasn't a statement win, but it kept the Spartans moving forward. It wasn't a bad loss, but it keeps the Hawkeyes struggling. Andy Hamilton of The Iowa Press-Citizen opines that the Hawks were their own worst enemy.

Minnesota 16 Indiana 7
Neither team had any running game to speak of, and both quarterbacks played a good game. But Gopher QB Adam Weber had Eric Decker to throw to and that was the difference. The Minnesota wide reciever hauled in 13 catches for 190 yards, and his team was able to get three second-half field goals to break up a 7-7 tie at intermission. It's been a long time coming, but more then two years after Glen Mason's firing, Minnesota has again won a conference game. Rachel Blount of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune gives credit to Decker and his toughness.

Notre Dame 28 Stanford 21
After each of the last three Notre Dame wins, I've had the same reaction. Nice win, but nothing to get too excited about. And taken individually, that's true. Michigan, Purdue and Stanford are nothing to get worked up about, especially given they were all in South Bend. But taken collectively, it's a mark of how ND is progressing. No one more so then Jimmy Clausen, who threw for 347 yards in a career-best day. The Irish will have to improve their running game as the schedule gets tougher, but at 4-1, there's again reason for hope under the Dome.

Lions & Buckeyes Look To Assert

Penn State will look to keep itself perfect when it travels to West Lafayette to face Purdue in a Noon EST game that will be televised by ESPN. This will be a good test for the Nittany Lion defense to show it can up to snuff. Whatever Purdue's flaws, moving the ball isn't one of them. While PSU's defense is certainly not a bad unit, it hasn't been championship level. As far as this game goes, Penn State isn't in serious danger of losing, as their offense is now good enough to win a track meet. But whether the Lion D can keep things under control will be a good barometer of how far they might go. One part of that defense, middle linebacker Josh Hull speaks to The Centre Daily Times about his performance so far.

Michigan hosts Illinois in the 3:30 EST ABC time slot. I'm not ready to buy the notion that UM's comeback against Wisconsin marked a huge turning point, not when the Badgers made nearly as many mistakes as the Wolverines. Illinois has hung around with legitimate national contenders in Missouri & Penn State, and has shown an ability to put points on the board. Sooner or later, Rich Rodriguez is going to have find get some production out of his offense. The winner of this game puts itself squarely in the mix for a New Year's Day bowl bid. The loser probably has to settle on playing sometime prior to January 1. Mark Snyder of The Detroit Free Press writes that just as the UM offensive line was getting healthy, they are hit by injuries in other places.

The prime-time show is Ohio State & Wisconsin, a game that had a lot of steam taken out of it by the Badger collapse in Ann Arbor. Wisconsin is now fighting to keep its season from spinning away. Ohio State looked ready to take advantage of the fresh start conference play offered them and keeping it up in Madison will get Big Ten eyes pointing toward their showdown with Penn State. Terrelle Prior will have to show he can handle the spotlight of prime-time in a hostile environment. Prior is just one example of what Ken Gordon at The Columbus Dispatch says is Jim Tressel's willingness to show his seniors that seniority does not guarantee playing time.

Apologia Pro Ohio State

In the aftermath of Saturday night's masscare at The Coliseum, the predictable outrage from the media has begun. Mark Kriegel, the designated hatchet man at Fox Sports weighed in with what's only a harsher version of what's being said elsewhere--

"What you are left with is less an implication than an emphatically harsh reminder that the Buckeyes do not merit any discussion for the title game. Let them go back home and beat Troy 106-0 next week. Let them run the table in the Big Ten. So what? With Saturday in evidence — Ohio State and Michigan crushed — the Big Ten doesn't seem so big anymore."

Throughout the national commentary isn't just the point that OSU should not be in the '08 title game---that's hardly an unreasonable suggestion, given the Bucks struggled past Ohio and the only Big Ten wins of note are Wisconsin's win at Fresno and Penn State's win over Oregon State (hardly the stuff of which national resumes are built). It is reasonable to say that a true national championship team out of the Big Ten should be able to go undefeated this year. No, what's the grinding part throughout much of the commentary is the attitude--sometimes explicit, sometimes implicit--that OSU really didn't belong in the 2006 & '07 either. championship games and only the alleged weakness of the Big Ten put them there.

Bull. This doesn't survive even modest scrutiny. The results of the last two national championship games have shown us that the best in the Big Ten doesn't match up with the best of the SEC. A combination of the last two Rose Bowls, plus Saturday night, plus the last six years generally would suggest that Southern Cal would have provided the best possible opponent. But here's the problem--the past two seasons USC hasn't bothered to show up for games that don't involve the national spotlight.

Lest anyone forget, the USC of last season (you know, the ones who presumably should have been on the field against LSU in January) lost at home to Stanford. And lest anyone think that this is really evidence of the Pac-10 being strong top-to-bottom, Stanford lost to Notre Dame. At home. As did UCLA. In 2006, the mighty Trojans tanked against the Bruins and Oregon State. We can give USC their due--when they're ready to play, they have a much higher ceiling then Ohio State. But it's time to give the Bucks their due as well--they've showed up and played consistently each week, not treating certain games as though it's beneath them to play. And that is as much a part of getting to a championship game as winning the big ones is.

Okay, OSU & Big Ten critics ask, what about the other leagues? We'll give the critics the benefit of the doubt and assume they can't possibly mean the Big East or ACC. West Virginia could have kept Ohio State out of New Orleans last January, but the Mountaineers lost at home to Pitt. The same Panther program that can't get over the hump against mediocre non-conference competition. And the ACC hasn't won a BCS bowl game since 1999.

What about the Big 12? Here, the media's shortsightedness comes into full view. While Ohio State is bashed from pillar to post for Saturday and the past two championship games, the Big 12 gets a free pass for Oklahoma losing the last two Fiesta Bowls, including one to Boise State. OU also has the honor of being picked apart by USC in a thrashing for the 2004 national title. Yes, the conference did produce a national champion in Texas, who won a great victory over a great Trojan team. But that thrust is easily parried away with the point that Ohio State won a national championship by beating a great Miami team. Those games were only three years apart. Not that much has changed and there's nothing to suggest that going through the Big 12 is harder then the Big Ten. Particularly when the Big Ten wins the annual showdown in the Alamo Bowl virtually every year.

So we come full circle. The best possible championship game the last couple years, and perhaps again this year, would have been the SEC champ vs. USC. But until the Trojans learn to show up every week, a spot is going to open for someone else. Ohio State earned that chance more then anyone. It's time for the media to call off the dogs.

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The teams most affected this year by the Big Ten's image hit will be Wisconsin & Penn State. The Badgers will have to keep a close eye on the fortunes of Fresno State if they hope to rise in the BCS standings. Teams that get hyped as the next midmajor Cinderella and then lose, have a way of collapsing afterward. Fresno could fall apart, and UW not get credit for playing a better Bulldog team in September then will exist later on. That's only hypothetical of course, but it's a hypothetical that's very realistic and would be very damaging to any Badger hopes of being in Miami.

Penn State will have to keep a similar eye on Oregon State, but they'll have an easier time getting respect because of their national reputation. The Nittany Lions also have a powerful intangible in their favor--the impact of a possible retirement by Joe Paterno. Voters might be moved by sentiment if the Lions get into a close vote. While it's not fair to other teams, there can be no doubt of this--no one's earned a sympathy vote more then Paterno, who was denied a share of the 1994 national title as voters rushed to reward Tom Osborne with his first crown. And his undefeated teams of 1968, 1969 & 1973 were left similarly unrewarded. If he gets a break, no one in Happy Valley owes anyone any apologies.

Rough Seas Ahead

Based on what happened on the field on Saturday, it looks like we can get ready for another long year of Big Ten-bashing. Though very few teams (if any) could have stepped on the field at the Coliseum and stayed with USC, it's Ohio State who dared to try and it came at a time when the conference in general and the Buckeyes in particular had precious little goodwill in the bank.

USC completely shut down the OSU running game, as the visitors netted only 71 yards on the ground. As good as Chris Wells is, that also means the Trojans were winning the battle up front. A combination of how bad the loss was, on top of the political environment this year, means Tressel has no shot at a third straight BCS title game appearance. In spite of his past success, gratitude can run cold in a hurry. Ray Stein of The Columbus Dispatch checks his mailbag and reports fan anger at the coaching staff.

Michigan turned in an embarrassing performance at Notre Dame. As I sat on the couch at my niece's birthday party watching the game with relatives, I could only note that both teams played down to their reputation. For two proud programs, it was a very poor display of football. While Charlie Weis is in no position to turn any kind of name victory away, it's appropriate that the defining feature of this rain-soaked game was six UM turnovers.

On the upside, Wisconsin came up with a clutch win at Fresno State. A rock-'em, sock-'em defensive battle was decided by 112 rushing yards from P.J. Hill and a key fumble recovery on a punt. It was a win that sets the Badgers up to make a splash on the national stage. But even granting the Bulldogs all their respect (which they have earned), the harsh reality is that the Big Ten's signature moment of 2008 has been a three-point win over a non-BCS school. We're settling into conference play in a couple weeks, so any chances at restoring the league's reputation nationwide are pretty well done, but hopefully things will improve by bowl season.

We'll look at the Big Ten's three big games of this past Saturday in more detail in a subsequent post, before jumping into next week's previews.

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Iowa rose up and turned in an excellent defensive performance, and was able to pull away with two fourth quarter touchdowns in securing a 17-5 win over Iowa State. An 81-yard punt return by Andy Brodell was the killer blow. Out east, Penn State put the hammer on Syracuse 55-13. This lopsided game featured a 560-159 yardage advantage. The Nittany Lions join Wisconsin as the one team entering league competition still in position to make its mark on the national title race.

Purdue suffered a disappointing loss to Oregon. While not as hyped as USC-Ohio State, this was the tougher blow of the games between Big Ten & Pac-10 schools. Purdue was at home against a good, but beatable team and had a 20-3 lead in the first half. They were also close to getting the winning touchdown in the first overtime before settling for a tying field goal, and ultimately defeat in the second extra session. The run defense was the principal culprit, as the Ducks ran all over West Lafayette for 306 yards.

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In the games against no-name competition, Illinois' problems were another harbinger of trouble in the conference overall. The Illini barely escaped with a 20-17 win over Louisiana-Lafayette at home. 96 yards of penalties didn't help. And Minnesota had its hands full with Montana State before prevailing 35-23.

Northwestern beat Southern Illinois 33-7 behind another good outing from Tyrell Sutton. But it was another back who was the star of the day in the low-profile games. Javon Ringer racked up 282 yards on 43 carries against Florida International. Ringer is shaping up as a lead figure in the conference MVP race, and it will be interesting to see what he does next week when Notre Dame comes to town.

Ohio State-USC: An Unfair Test

The first big game of the year is finally at hand. Ohio State visits USC (8 EST, ABC) for a nationally televised showdown that will either vindicate the Buckeyes or give more fodder to Big Ten critics, the latter seeming to be the most rapidly increasing voter demographic in the country.

Chris Wells' status remains in doubt according to this report by Tim May of The Columbus Dispatch. Even if he plays, the fact his status is this much up in the air would indicate he's not going to be anywhere close to full speed, unless of course this is all a ploy by Jim Tressel to keep the Trojan defensive staff guessing.

With or without Wells, winning this one is a lot to ask of any team. USC showed it had its game together right away with the opening day rout of Virginia on the road. The odds that any team could go into Los Angeles and beat them right now are very slim, which is what makes the unfairness of judging Ohio State exclusively on this game so ridiculous.

The national media, never a model of in-depth thought, has taken superficial analysis on the Buckeyes to a ludicrous extreme in using their past two BCS title game failures as an indictment of Tressel's program specifically and the conference overall. Suggesting OSU can't win outside its league completely forgets they beat Texas back-to-back years, including a 2006 throttling in Austin. Indicting the Big Ten for the inability of our league's second-place team to stay with the Trojans in the Rose Bowl the past two years invites the question of just how many teams could do that.

All we know for sure is that Ohio State hasn't been as good as the SEC champ in 2006-07 and the Big Ten runner-up is nowhere close to Southern Cal during that same time period. To try and read more into it then that constitutes an unfair attack ad in this election year.

I think USC is beatable and the one positive about the Wells situation is that it's lowered expectations so much. A noble effort in a close loss might get the Buckeyes enough respect back to enable them to still fight their way back to the national championship game. But however you slice it, I think the conventional wisdom prevails in the Coliseum and the Trojans get the win.

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Kirk Ferentz will get his first real test of 2008 on Saturday afternoon as Iowa & Iowa State renew their rivalrly. This will be the first of two interesting non-conference games, as a road trip to Pitt follows. We'll see if Iowa is ready to start making a comeback. While Iowans get juiced up for this game, Pat Harty of The Iowa Press-Citizen says the game rarely lives up to its hype.

At Least They Survived

It was a week for surviving. Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame all got strong tests, and while it was ugly in all cases, all three survived.

Michigan's test was the one that wasn't a complete surprise. As I mentioned in the game preview comments two posts down, Miami (Ohio) is a good program in the MAC. Still, there's no denying that a 16-6 war wasn't what Rich Rodriguez had in mind for getting on the board in Ann Arbor. The run defense saved the Wolverines, but the offense is still generating absolutely nothing in the air. Michael Rosenberg of The Detroit Free Press addresses three burning questions surrounding the program, including the immediate future at quarterback.

The Wolverines trip to South Bend was already looming as a battle between two programs desperate for a win. Notre Dame's performance in their opener at San Diego State did nothing to dispel that. The Fighting Irish looked terrible in barely pulling out a 21-13 win. They trailed 13-7 in the fourth quarter and only a fumble on the goal line (a play about one inch from being a touchdown) kept the Aztecs from going up by two scores in the final period. Keep in mind this is the same SDSU team that lost at home to Cal Poly in its opener.

Now, I realize this was the second game for the Aztecs, the one game in which teams improve the most, while it was the opener for ND. I realize the Irish may have been looking ahead, not only to Michigan, but to higher-profile games generally. It still can't explain this away. On the plus side for the Domers, Jimmy Clausen showed why he is so highly regarded in the fourth quarter. He led two clutch drives for touchdowns, including some beautifully thrown balls on routes down the sidelines. Jeff Carroll of The South Bend Tribune has a clear-eyed view of how ugly this was. And congratulations should go out to Aztec coach Chuck Long, a former Iowa quarterback who was runner-up in the 1985 Heisman voting.

Since Ohio State already has a good performance under their belt, their 26-14 struggle with Ohio can be dismissed as a look-ahead problem a little easier. The Buckeyes trailed 14-12 in the fourth quarter, and it was the Bobcats who were making the mistakes, as they gave up four interceptions. Ken Gordon of The Columbus Dispatch calls the escape a rude awakening, as the team prepares for Southern Cal.

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It wasn't all about surviving. There was also a lot of good news in the Big Ten. Penn State leads in getting the plaudits. In spite of facing a decent Oregon State team and also enduring controversy during the week, as Joe Paterno suspended key players, the Lions turned in a 45-14 rout. Daryl Clark played well, and Evan Royster rushed for 141 yards.

Wisconsin took a while to get started, spotting Marshall a 14-0 lead. But once the Badgers took over, they blasted the Thundering Herd. Allan Evridge threw for 308 yards, temporarily ending questions over whether UW will be too one-dimensional to get into a major bowl game.

Minnesota took advantage of five Bowling Green turnovers and got a great game out of Adam Weber (21/25, 233 yards). Time will tell just how impressive Bowling Green's opening day win over #25 Pitt was (as the Panthers struggled again in Week Two), but this is still the biggest moment of the Gophs have had in two years.

Northwestern was outplayed by Duke, and only a holding penalty prevented a game-winning touchdown pass. But they did survive and moved to 2-0. The downside for the Wildcats is what happened in Columbus. They have Ohio on the schedule come September 30. I had earlier projected that if the 'Cats came out of here with a win, they would easily coast to 4-0 prior to Big Ten action. Between the precarious nature of this victory, combined with the feisty Bobcat performance, that can no longer be assumed.

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All of the other teams had their games in hand by halftime at the latest. Javon Ringer's five-touchdown performance in Michigan State's rout of Eastern Michigan was the most notable individual performance. Illinois beat Eastern Ilinois behind the running ability of their passing game. Juice Williams ran for 174 yards, and Aurelious Benn rushed for two touchdowns. Iowa shut out Florida International, while Indiana gave up only a field goal to Murray State. Purdue won its opener over Northern Colorado 42-10.

Pryor Story Being Overlooked

The two main storylines coming out of the media this week are the extent of Chris Wells' foot injury and how bad the problems at Michigan are. ESPN viewers will get to assess for themselves, as both the Buckeyes and Wolverines will be on national television in the noon (EST) time slot.

Ohio State plays Ohio, in what amounts to the last public practice before USC. While the speculation about the health of Wells runs so rampant you'd think he was under consideration for vice-president, an equally important story is being overlooked. That is the potential emergence of Terrelle Pryor at quarterback. Rob Oller of The Columbus Dispatch discusses the possibility that Pryor could see significant action this weekend, in preparation for even more significant work in Los Angeles.

This is a more important development then anything that happens with Wells. As good as the running back is--and he is "all that"--a program like OSU can usually plug in a running back who is at least competent. But the possible addition of Pryor to the offensive mix is a game-changer. Whether it's a game-changer that will result in increased speed confounding the USC defense or one that will blow up in Tressel's face with freshman mistakes remains to be seen--but it is a game-changer. Stay tuned. The Bucks will be on ESPN2.

Michigan's game with Miami (Ohio) will be on ESPN. The Wolverines still have not settled on a quarterback. Mark Snyder of The Detroit Free Press reports on the ongoing battle between Nick Sheridan and Steven Threet. And this isn't going to be an easy test. The incoming Redskins tied for first in the MAC East a year ago. They return nine defensive starters, most of their offensive line and their quarterback. They are a program that's been consistently successful for several years, including producing Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethilsberger. While I expect the Wolverines to win, another 0-2 start at home is not unthinkable.

Ohio State & Michigan headline a group of seven mostly non-descript games that will be in the noon (EST slot. The remaining games, all on the Big Ten Network, include Marshall-Wisconsin, Eastern Illinois-Illinois, Florida International-Iowa and Eastern Michigan-Michigan State. Not much to get excited about in any case, although Badger fans will be watching to see if Bret Bielama diversifies the offense in an attempt to get Allan Evridge ready for a September 13 trip to Fresno State.

The other game on the docket is Opening Day in West Lafayette. Purdue, which typically starts one week later then everyone else due to their traditonal non-conference date with Notre Dame later on, will host Northern Colorado. It's Joe Tiller's last hurrah and it's got the potential to be a big one. Running back Kory Sheets now has to carry the load himself, with Jaycen Taylor gone for the year. Tom Kubat of The Journal & Courier writes that Sheets understands his role.