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

Yet, it was. So difficult, in fact, that the Boilermakers took advantage of Terrelle Pryor’s fumbles and interceptions and when on to win 26 – 18.

That’s not to say that Purdue only won because Ohio State didn’t play well. Quarterback Joey Elliott did well today, especially in the second half, and the Purdue defense kept forcing turnovers and stopping drives. Purdue dominated, simple as that.

It’s easy to forget that Pryor isn’t an experienced upperclassman. Yes, he’s a good player, but days like today remind us all that he still has a lot to learn. Getting to a BCS Bowl Game is nearly impossible at this point, unless drastic things happen in college football, but I can see him growing as a quarterback, and I’ll be interested to see what he does the rest of the season and next year.

Image: Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Purdue Shocks #7 Ohio State

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

Indiana 21, #22 Northwestern 19

• Finally, a glimmer: Indiana 21, Northwestern 19. at The Hoosier Report
• NU-Indiana Highlights at WNUR Sports

#24 Minnesota 17, Purdue 6

• Boilermakers Fall To Minnesota 17-6 at Purdue Boilermakers News

Wisconsin 27, Illinois 17

• Wisconsin Badgers football: Illinois keeps itself in check at Badger Beat
• Badgers beat Illini to get back on track at Big Ten Network

Michigan State 35, Michigan 21

• State Defeats Michigan – it’s been a long time coming! at The Life Tussle
• MSU over Michigan in all standings at What I See Staring Into Me From the Abyss

#3 Penn State 13, Ohio State 6

• Paterno and Penn State beat Ohio State in Columbus for the First Time in 30 Years at Graney and The Pig’s Blog
• Ohio State: The day after at Read Between the Lions
• Penn State Wins — Then Riots at J Schil’s Blog
• PSU-Ohio State at Mike Harder’s Weblog

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 9: 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

Some things never change. 

Today, though, I’ll take a break and instead force myself to say three nice things about Clausen. My grandmother used to make us do that when we fought – say three nice things about one another. So here you go, Mammy Boyer: three nice things about J-Claw:

ONE: He had a record day on Saturday. The fighting Irish has no turnovers, and his career-high 275 yards helped lead them to their 38-21 victory. For the record, Armando Allen, Jr. has a great day as well. Even Coach Charlie Weis was surprised at how he broke out this weekend.

TWO: Unlike some quarterbacks, Clausen carries himself well in interviews after the game. After throwing for three touchdowns, he told reporters,

“I know I’m capable of doing stuff like this, it was just a matter of time and preparation and practice.”

THREE: The new hair cut looks slightly less douche-like than the old one. Slightly.

You can read about the game here.

Picture via Newscom.

Post from: EveryJoe

J-Claw has a Record Day