What a weekend in the Big Ten as two teams stamp their tickets for bowl eligibility, Northwestern may have saved their season and Melvin Gordon put in a bit of history with 408 rushing yards. The West continues to confuse with Nebraska’s beating and Iowa looking competent again. An Iowa upset over Wisconsin brings the winner of NU-Minnesota back from the brink. Lot’s of drama in not much play left.
Team of the Week – Wisconsin A+ – They faced a de facto elimination game against Nebraska and after a horrible 17-3 start plagued by turnovers they flipped the switch. The passing game brought them nothing but Tanner McEvoy had some nice runs and the defense was fabulous. The OL and running back play was spectacular. Ohio State has had some teams be able to run on them so maybe, just maybe, a team built like Wisconsin can deny OSU another title.
Illinois – F – The fact that this was a 16 point final margin says more about Iowa’s gaffes than anything positive Illinois did. The Ilini gave up nearly 600 yards of offense to dysfunctional Iowa, was held to just 235 yards and couldn’t sustain drives going just 6 of 16 on third. A bowl is still mathematically possible with Penn State and Northwestern left but with PSU’s defense even better than Iowa’s and NU suddenly playing determined ball, it looks doubtful, most likely bringing the curtain to the Beckman era.
Indiana – D – The Hoosiers had a halftime lead! Yes, they showed some signs of life with a 13-10 halftime lead that they pushed to 16-10 in the third but 21 unanswered created too big a hole. Yes, they closed to 8 in the fourth but the defense faltered again, yielding 14 more for the Knights. Despite a better offensive game, they still get a D. The defense stunk it up. 429 yards, 8.0 per pass, 5.3 per rush and 3 long scoring plays of 34 yards or more. The offense was improved but still major flaws. 3 turnovers, 1-15 on third and 9 penalties for 82 yards as a team is something the thin Hoosiers cannot afford.
Iowa – B – Defense played strong but the mistakes in execution this team has along with horrible coaching continue to spoil what should be a fun season. 30 points out of 587 yards of offense is dismal. They had turnover on downs deep in Illinois territory and a missed chip shot field goal. It is sloppy play like that, that cost them the Iowa State and Maryland games, led to the Minnesota blowout and will – unless fixed – cost them the Wisconsin and Nebraska dates.
Maryland – F – The defense did nothing, the offense did nothing, they lost the turnover battle 4-0 and looked outclassed in every conceivable way. Getting Stefon Diggs back from suspension will be a big boost but he can only do so much against Michigan and Rutgers.
Michigan – Idle
Michigan State – A – If not for the first 3 scores being chip shot field goals instead of winding up in the end zone, this thing would have been a laugher. Great bounce back performance, especially by the defense, for Dantonio’s squad.
Minnesota – B- – After a horrific start gave OSU a 14 point lead, the Gophers played the thing straight up. In fact, they actually won the game 24-17 after that terrible start. Considering how good their power run game can be, they have to be excited about getting the humiliated Huskers next and with a little luck from one rival beating another rival, could set up a winner-take-all finale with Wisconsin. Rooting for Iowa? Be prepared for spontaneous brain explosions in Minneapolis.
Nebraska – F – The worst defensive performance imaginable came at about the worst time possible. Their bruised bodies and egos don’t have much time to dwell on it though as Minnesota comes to down with their impressive ground game as well. The most important thing for Bo’s squad is to not let the bleeding spill all over the place and become a full-on gusher. They too will be rooting for Iowa this weekend if they have any hope of getting to Indy.
Northwestern – A- – Without a doubt the strangest outcome this season (or at least on par with Indiana over Missouri). The Wildcats’ pathetic offense came from nowhere to put up 547 yards, 284 in the air / 263 on the ground, and score 14 fourth quarter points to force OT. Even stranger, there were 8 combined turnovers and in overtime – after sixty minutes of avoiding playing defense – both units force 3 and outs. The only difference is the Irish missed their field goal. With Purdue and Illinois remaining, the Cats have a shot at a bowl game…crazy.
Ohio State – B+ – They played well enough to win, but not much else. Maybe the weather factored in more on the field than it did on TV, but this was a rather flat performance. Give the Gopher’s a lot of credit but to nearly lose to a team with less than a hundred passing yards is inexcusable. OSU’s rush defense has got to improve (with very little time to do it) if they do indeed face Wisconsin in a few weeks.
Penn State – C – An ugly day passing the ball (112 yards, 4.3 average) and 3 turnovers sort of puts a damper on making a bowl. The good news is, you can afford these things when facing Temple. The Owls were even more dreadful with 61 rushing yards on 20 carries and a whopping 5 turnovers.
Purdue – Idle
Rutgers – C+ – Well it got them to bowl eligibility, so there is that. Not sure why the defense, something that had been fairly reliable for Rutgers, decided to take the week off but at least the offense was humming with Gary Nova. They face MSU and Maryland in the final two weeks, both on the road, it will be interesting to see if this offensive work can carry over against the stiff Spartans. If it does, and the defense steps up, a seventh win is possible (most likely against the Terps).
Game of the Week – With all respect for Northwestern’s stunner, the easy answer is Wisconsin vs Nebraska. Every time Melvin Gordon touched the ball you thought he would score. The groans could be heard on television as a lucky ankle tackle would save a 70 yard touchdown run. As Melvin closed in on the record the energy was electric. A nighttime, beat down, ncaa-record jump around was also a thing of beauty. What a game.
Why Did I Watch This Award – Penn State vs Temple was not a thing of beauty. I love defense as much as the next person but that game was more slop than it was bruising defense.
Gambling Report Card
Illinois/Iowa – Iowa (-3.5), Over (56, degenerate bet) – Well only 44 points scored thanks to Iowa not finishing some drives well but the casuals get a win and my fellow degenerate settle for a split.
Indiana/Rutgers – RU (-7.5), Under (55) – The Hoosier’s flipped on me. The defense which had put in some good games suddenly tanked and the offense which had been putrid turned it on. Settled for another split.
Maryland/Michigan State – MSU (-12), Over (58) – Just like Iowa, Sparty left a lot of points out on the field costing us the over. A third split.
Minnesota/Ohio State – OSU (-12.5), Under (56.5) – Earned a split thanks to 55 points being scored, but OSU couldn’t cover thanks to Minnesota’s strong push.
Nebraska/Wisconsin – UW (-6.5), Under (57) – Umm, Badgers covered the over by themselves. A fifth split.
Northwestern/Notre Dame – ND (-17.5), Under (52.5) – Swing and a miss times two. Uh-oh!
Penn State/Temple – Points (PSU -11), Under (39) – 43 points scored. Damn. PSU won by 13. Double damn.
Week Record: 5-9-0
Season Record: 69-68-2 – Still in the black!
Josh’s Top 25
Real AP:
1. Florida State – the nightmare lives on.
2. Alabama
3. Oregon
4. Mississippi State – how far would a non-SEC team have fallen? Happy for MSU but feels like garbage to me.
5. TCU
6. Baylor
7. Ohio State
8. Ole Miss
9. Georgia
10. Michigan State
11. UCLA
12. Kansas State
13. Arizona State – I feel vindicated.
14. Wisconsin
15. Arizona
16. Auburn
17. Georgia Tech
18. Marshall
19. Missouri
20. Utah – why?
21. Nebraska – double why?
22. Colorado State
23. Oklahoma – triple why?
24. USC – quadruple why?
>>>Seriously, 3 teams with 3 losses ranked and one that just comae off the worst defensive performance in how many years of football played at Nebraska? Silly<<<
25. Duke
My top 25:
1. Oregon – I think the Pac 12 is the deepest league in the nation and a lot better than the SEC. Who is the worst team in this league? Washington State? If healthy they would surely beat Vanderbilt, have a shot against Kentucky/Arkansas/Florida and yet Oregon is dominating it. In league play they have averaged 43.4 ppg. Oh, you’re right, Colorado is the worst team. I don’t recognize a school a thousand miles away from the Pacific ocean as being in the PAC 12.
2. Alabama – I do however believe the SEC is better than the ACC and the roughly zero ranked teams FSU has defeated.
3. Baylor – A simple thought process…can Baylor beat FSU? Yes. Can they beat Miss State? Yes. Can they beat TCU? Oops, they did.
4. Florida State
5. TCU
6. Mississippi State – Harsh but fair, the fact is MSU’s resume has changed over the last few weeks. LSU is now unranked. Texas A&M is unranked, Auburn has 3 losses, Kentucky and Arkansas played them tight. They need to beat Ole Miss, and beat them soundly, for me to consider putting them back in the top 5.
7. Ohio State – That Tech loss improving thanks to their win over Duke! Or something…
8. Ole Miss
9. Wisconsin – Call me a homer, I don’t care. This team is peaking at the right time and their defense is phenomenal.
10. Michigan State
11. Kansas State
12. UCLA
13. Georgia – I’m sorry, a team that gets beat down by hapless Florida, loses to South Carolina and is now without their best player for the rest of the season does not deserve a massive leap in the polls. I did bump them three spots though, I just don’t think they are as complete as the clubs above them.
14. Arizona – Needed a late field goal to get past pesky Washington but I’m still buying this team. They are finding ways to win while going through a midseason swoon.
15. Georgia Tech – As much as I like Duke…please let the Jackets face FSU in the ACC title game and end the national nightmare!
16. Arizona State – Yes they gave up 62 points to UCLA and yes they lost where dreams go to die at Oregon State, but they are 8-2. USC, Stanford, Notre Dame, Utah and Washington are all above average teams – and the men of Troy might be a good team – and ASU beat them all.
17. Boise State – Whaaat? Did you know the Broncos are 8-2. Their losses were Ole Miss in week one, where they played very strong but turnovers killed hem and at Air Force – a very solid 8-2 team in their own right.
18. Colorado State
19. Marshall – Undefeated is undefeated
20. Missouri – I don’t love this team yet but compared to some of the 3-loss teams they deserve it. Their biggest knocks are a 34-0 blowout loss to Georgia and dropping the Indiana game. I’m not jazzed by their wins, either. I suppose Texas A&M is the best but is that really saying much?
21. Oklahoma – That Tennessee and Texas wins suddenly look okay and their 3 losses are very impressive.
22. Auburn – More of an eye-test team for me. They looked good against Ole Miss, beat KState and when they put it all together they are a very dangerous team.
23. Utah – Don’t really like them either but their UCLA win still ranks highly and their losses have been very tight. Splitting hairs among these mid teens to 20s teams.
24. Nebraska – Really didn’t want to keep them ranked after that historic meltdown, but two losses and epically one bad performance seems to be the norm among the teams ranked in the 20s.
25. Duke
Big Ten and Counting 