The beginning of the Big Ten season is well underway and so far it's been anything but expected as the results have seen shocking upsets of smaller profile programs and disappointing results from some big-name teams.
In particular, last weekend which saw Northwestern almost pull out a victory over Minnesota, while the battle at the Big House between two powerhouses, Michigan and Penn State, went into overtime. These results prove the Big Ten is anything but predictable.
Teams like No. 11 Michigan and No. 4 Ohio State continue to improve and impress. Michigan won a hard-fought victory in overtime against No. 20 Penn State last weekend, improving its record to 2-0 in the Big Ten, 5-1 overall.
On the other end of the Big Ten standings are Michigan State and Wisconsin who are slipping, with the Spartans at 1-1 in the Big Ten and the Badgers 0-2.
Minnesota continues to be the mystery team of the Big Ten this season after starting off surprisingly strong, then losing to Purdue and pulling out a nail-biter against Northwestern.
With every game the possible deciding factor between a Bowl bid and an extended off-season, look to see every game as a battle from start to finish.
Individual play in the Big Ten is focused on a few, but talented players. Heisman hopeful junior wide receiver Charles Rogers from Michigan State is watching his chances dwindle with each Michigan State loss, not to mention he hasn't had a touchdown catch in two weeks.
Freshman running back sensation from Ohio State, Maurice Clarett leads the Big Ten in rushing and continues to impress both coaches and players alike.
Several injuries over the weekend could give some teams a few unforeseen headaches. Wisconsin in particular who is already beginning to feel the effects of a Lee Evans-less team, has to be concerned with the ankle injury to sophomore running back Anthony Davis who left the game early against both Penn State and Indiana.
Likewise, Penn State holds its collective breath after sophomore quarterback Zack Mills injured his shoulder against Michigan. While it doesn't appear to be anything serious, there are, no doubt, some concerns in State College over the health of the Nittany Lions' starting signal-caller.
This weekend's games seem to be easy victories for the Big Ten's top teams. With Michigan playing Purdue Iowa at Indiana and Northwestern at Penn State, most of the games in the Big Ten appear to be predetermined .
However, Northwestern managed to keep things close against a respectable Minnesota team. Sure, the Wildcats probably aren't in contention for a bowl bid, but they do have the ability to upset. Although the consistently poor performance of the NU defense matched with a strong Penn State offense lead by Mills, doesn't bode well for Northwestern.
Ohio State heads to Wisconsin this weekend as the Badgers look to redeem themselves after two closely fought losses. It won't come easy however against one of the top teams in not only the Big Ten, but in the NCAA. The two big questions will be whether the Badgers can put the last two games behind them and whether senior wide receiver Lee Evans will be make his return for this important, must-win game.
Worth a look this weekend is Iowa at Indiana. The Hawkeyes have been impressive this season boasting wins against Penn State, Purdue and Michigan State and a 3-0 (6-1) record not only ties them with Ohio for a share of the Big Ten leadership and makes them eligible for a bowl bid.
The season is still far from over. While Wisconsin and Michigan State have fallen in the polls and from the public eye, don't count them out.
Both remain strong teams, and just needs a breakout game to boost morale and push them back into the winner's column. Additional leadership by the team's seniors could help in that area. But with Michigan, Ohio and Iowa continuing in their winning ways, MSU and UW better hurry.
