It doesn’t look like that will be the case. Today, Iowa fell, but not to Penn State (no, they beat them gloriously – sigh – earlier this season) and not to Ohio State (they play one another next week). Iowa was stomped into the ground by none other than Northwestern.

Ok, “stomped into the ground” is a little harsh. The game ended up with a score of 17 – 10, which isn’t necessarily bad, until you realize just how mediocre  both of the teams really were today. It’s really easy to claim that this only happened because Ricky Stanzi, the Hawkeyes quarterback, got taken out with an ankle injury in the first half. That definitely contributed to the loss. I’m not buying it, though, that the team deserved to be ranked #4, with or without Stanzi. Iowa may have been undefeated, but what the records don’t show is that they’ve played sloppily in many games and almost lost more than once.

So at this point, the Big Ten title could still go to Iowa, or it could belong to either Ohio State or Penn State. After the Iowa game, all of these teams had one loss. Just a short time after, though, Ohio State and Penn State kicked off, and it quickly became apparent who had the upper hand. Personally, I think that both quarterbacks looked pretty bad today, but when it was put on the shoulders of the rest of the offense to make plays, Ohio State’s players stepped up. Penn State’s embarrassing 24 – 7 loss puts them out of the running for the title.

Yep, this was pretty much the scene all day in Happy Valley. Image: Newscom

Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Michigan State finally showed that they actually remember how to play football by crushing Western Michigan 49 – 14. Michigan, on the other hand, didn’t have such a good day, losing 38 – 36 to Purdue. I will say, however, that even though Michigan’s record isn’t so good, they’re hanging in there every week and actually showing some hope for the future under Rich Rodriguez. Wisconsin held on against Indiana (for the record, I think they’re overrated too at #21, but that’s a post for another day), and Illinois overcame Minnesota 35 – 32.

The Big Ten may not be a powerhouse at this point, but hopefully they can rebuild the conference to be competitive nationally again. At least with teams like Iowa rising to such a high ranking, which teams in the Big Ten do consistently every year, they’re remaining attractive to prospective students, which can only lead to strong teams in the future.

Post from: EveryJoe

Big Ten Teams Shake Things Up

#11 Ohio State 45, #24 Northwestern 10

• Pryor at Ohio Soup
• The 2008 Ohio State – Northwestern Report Card at Buckeye Legends
• Pryor Steps Up Against Northwestern at The Buckeye Blog

#18 Michigan State 21, Purdue 7

• Michigan State Refuses to Lose at A Beautiful Day for Football

Wisconsin 55, Indiana 20

• Wisconsin Breaks Away to Defeat Indiana at Indiana Football News
• Wisconsin runs over Indiana 55-20 at Big Ten Network

Michigan 29, Minnesota 6

• UM 29, Minnesota 6: Notes, quotes & observations at Michigan Wolverines Football
• Michigan Takes Home Little Brown Jug with 29-6 Win Over Minnesota at Michigan Sports Center

Western Michigan 23, Illinois 17

• Broncos Turn Back Illinois, 23-17 at MAC Report Online
• Western Michigan the ‘better team’ in frustrating Illini loss at The Daily Illini

Iowa 24, #3 Penn State 23

(Do we really have to talk about this one? Really? Fine. Sigh. It seems like EVERYONE is talking about it anyways…)

• Iowa stuns No. 3 Penn State at Monte Asbury’s Blog
• iowa vs penn state, a game to remember at The Urban Bigfoot
• Penn State Loses to Iowa – What it means for Michigan State at Elect Jeff
• IOWA UPSETS PENN STATE 24-23 at Gridiron Goddess
• My long, Penn State, National Nightmare is over at STFU Sports Blog
• Iowa upsets undefeated Penn State at Nick’s Blog
• Penn State Upset by Iowa 24-23 at The Big Lead

(insert depressed face here)

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC

(check back soon if the link isn’t live yet)

Post from: EveryJoe

2008 Week 11: Blogging about the Big Ten

Northwestern 24, #17 Minnesota 17

• Last Call with Jake Simpson: Final thoughts on Saturday’s win at NU Football Insider
• Late INT lifts Northwestern past Minnesota 24-17 at Big Ten Network

#21 Michigan State 25, Wisconsin 24

• Day 2 at Just Juli
• Michigan State vs. Wisconsin at Cave Kurt’s Blog
• Sat. Final: Michigan State 25, Wisconsin 24 at Today’s TMJ4 Sports

Central Michigan 37, Indiana 34

• Welcome back, Gerry. Central Michigan 37, Indiana 34. at The Hoosier Report

Purdue 48, Michigan 42

• What the hell Michigan?!!!??!! at Sports according to Josh
• Rich Rodriguez setting records at Michigan at Top of Mind

Illinois 27, Iowa 24

• Illinois’ Glow After Beating Rival Iowa at College Football Insiders
• Ferentz talks about the loss to Illinois at Iowa Hawkeyes Football

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC

(check back soon if the link isn’t live yet)

Post from: EveryJoe

2008 Week 10: Blogging about the Big Ten

Northwestern 48, Purdue 26

• Northwestern-Purdue Highlights at WNUR Sports
• No. 21 Purdue takes down Northwestern Big Ten Network

Iowa 38, Wisconsin 16

• Series by series: UW offense against Iowa at Wisconsin Badgers Football

#12 Ohio State 45, #20 Michigan State 7

• Ohio State Michigan State Recap at The Nut and the Feisty Weasel

#3 Penn State 46, Michigan 17

• Review, Game 8: Penn State 46, Michigan 17 at Zombie Nation
• Game 8 Recap: Penn State 46, Michigan 17 at We Want the Lion

Illinois 55, Indiana 13

• Rock bottom, yet? Illinois 55, Indiana 13. at The Hoosier Report
• IU Falls to Illinois 55-13 at 1070 The Fan

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC 

(check back soon if the link isn\\\’t live yet)

Post from: EveryJoe

2008 Week 8: Blogging about the Big Ten

Illinois against Minnesota

• Guest Columnist: My Take on the Illinois-Minnesota Game at Paint the Town Orange
• Juiced Up Minnesota Takes Down Illinois at NCAA Football Fanhouse
• Minnesota spoils Illinois\\\\\\\’ Homecoming at The Southtown Star

Indiana against Iowa

• Indiana gets rolled by Iowa at Cannot Falter
• Season-ender: Iowa 45, Indiana 9. at The Hoosier Report

Michigan against Toledo

• Let’s make fun of Michigan some more at The Buckeye Battle Cry
• For Michigan football fans only: Profane Toledo at Change of Subject
• Pyre of the Phoenix: Michigan Football Falls to Toledo at Maize n Brew

#23 Michigan State against Northwestern

• Simon: NU backs out of the spotlight at NU Football Insider

#12 Ohio State against Purdue

• Lack of style points hurting Buckeyes at College Football Nation
• Ohio State looks ugly in win over Purdue at Ohio State Buckeyes Fooball and Baskerball

#6 Penn State against Wisconsin

• Review, Game 7: Penn State 48, Wisconsin 7 at Zombie Nation
• Nittany Notes: Wisconsin at BlueWhiteIllustrated.com

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC

Post from: EveryJoe

2008 Week 7: Blogging about the Big Ten

Iowa’s Ricky Stanzi (see left) and the rest of the Iowa team just couldn’t get moving against Northwestern.

They’re one of the few teams to be 5-0, yet they aren’t on the top 25 list. Is this team underrated? So far, here’s how their season has gone:

• Week One: Syracuse, 30-10 (home)
• Week Two: Duke, 24-20 (away)
• Week Three: Southern Illinois, 33-7 (home)
• Week Four: Ohio, 16-8 (home)
• Week Five: Iowa, 22-17 (away)

And here’s how the rest of their schedule looks:

• 10/11 – Michigan State (home)
• 10/18 – Purdue (home)
• 10/25 – Indiana (away)
• 11/01 – Minnesota (away)
• 11/08 – Ohio State (home)
• 11/15 – Michigan (away)
• 11/22 – Illinois (home)

Ok, now I don’t think there is any disputing the fact that these last seven games will all be harder than the first five. Still, Ohio hasn’t bee horrible this year, regardless of their crappy record – they held their own against Ohio State and Wyoming. Even Duke hasn’t been playing as badly as usual. This week, they beat Virginia 31-3.

So, although I don’t think that Northwester will be able to win out against Michigan State or many of the other team on the schedule, they aren’t horrible. Teams like Purdue and Indiana may find themselves surprised by Northwestern this season, and we should see them slide into the top 25.

Pictures via Newscom.

Post from: EveryJoe

Let’s Talk about Northwestern