Big Ten Football & Basketball Blog

Another weekend of play in the Big Ten has the conference on it’s head. With Michigan State losing to Nebraska and Ohio State’s upset of Wisconsin, along with Michigan and Penn State winning again, the Big Ten now boasts 5 teams in the BCS Top 25 wit all 5 ranked from 10-20. A look at the Big Ten football standings shows an undefeated Penn State sitting atop the Leaders Division at 5-0 ahead of Wisconsin, Ohio State and Purdue who each have a 2-2 conference record. Meanwhile in the Legends Division, Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska each have 3-1 records in the conference with Iowa a game behind at 2-2. The intra-conference parity has the bowl projections showing just one Big Ten team in a BCS bowl game this season, something rarely seen in the past given the conference’s (sometimes unfounded) reputation as a top-tier football conference.

The Big Ten season is officially underway for the Michigan Wolverines and Minnesota Golden Gophers, but for Minnesota it seems they forgot to show up. Michigan has jumped out to a 28-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter with the Minnesota defense having no answers for Michigan’s play calling and speed. Wearing their throwback helmets, the Wolverines have been led by Denard Robinson who has both a passing and rushing TD while Smith is the real star of the first half with a passing, rushing and receiving Touchdown. Michigan, the #19 team in the nation, is looking to start the season at 5-0 which has obviously caused a major increase in sales of Michigan Wolverines apparel & jerseys and fan interest on the many Michigan message boards. With Brady Hoke at the helm the Wolverines are seen once again as a contender in the Big Ten, a conference that they have not performed well in over the past three years.

In one of the most high profile games of an exciting Saturday, September 10, 2011 in college football, the #3 Alabama Crimson Tide lead the #23 Penn State Nittany Lions by a score of 17-3 at the half. In a first half that was a defensive battle throughout, a Penn State fumble set up Alabama’s last drive of the half and the Crimson Tide offense capitalized to milk the clock and punch in a rushing touchdown with just 35 seconds left before halftime. This game, which will of course shape the opinions of millions of fans across the nation about the strength of the SEC and the lack thereof for the Big Ten, is the big game of the day on the SEC along with Mississippi State @ Auburn and South Carolina @ Georgia. Meanwhile, the Big Ten football scoreboard will also reflect a narrow Ohio State win over Toledo and an important Michigan vs. Notre Dame game that will also impact the Big Ten’s reputation in 2011.

The Ohio State Buckeyes started slowly but made Luke Fickle a winner in his coaching debut in a 42-0 rout of the Akron Zips. With five players suspended from one set of NCAA violations and another three players added this week to the suspension list for another incident this summer, Ohio State had little trouble with the Zips, a team picked to finish near the bottom of the MAC this season.

In State College, PA, the Penn State Nittany Lions returned the opening kickoff 95 yards to set the tone in a 41-7 win over Indiana State. Silas Redd scored two rushing TDs with 104 yards rushing as Penn State had no trouble in their warm-up before hosting Alabama next week.

Michigan also looked good on the Big Ten football scoreboard as they won a weather-shortened game in Ann Arbor 34-10 over Western Michigan. Facing a Broncos team that is actually picked to be worth a darn this year, unlike the opponents of Ohio State, Nebraska and Penn State in week one, Michigan fell behind 7-0 early but scored two defensive TDs as Denard Robinson went 9-13 for 98 yards in his new pro style offense. Michigan hosts #16 Notre Dame in week two of the season.

Kirk Cousins completed 18 of 22 passes and threw for 222 yards for Michigan State as the Spartans opened the season with a 28-6 win over Youngstown State on Friday night. BJ Cunningham caught nine passes for 130 yards and a touchdown for No. 17 Michigan State in the game.

MSU, one year removed from a 11 win season that ended with a blowout loss to Alabama in the Capital One Bowl, gave reason for fans to be excited and buy Michigan State apparel & merchandise to support the green and white.

The Spartans continue their killer early season schedule in facing Florida Atlantic on Saturday, September 10th in East Landsing.

Week 12 Big Ten Football Round-Up

The #7 Wisconsin Badgers and #9 Ohio State Buckeyes were sure to take care of business in Big Ten play on Saturday. Wisconsin tied the Big Ten record for points scored by a single team as they thumped Indiana 83-20 while Ohio State exploded for 35 second half points to beat Penn State 38-14. Meanwhile, #13 Iowa slipped up a week before hosting Ohio State as the Hawkeyes blew a 17-7 lead in the 4th quarter @ Northwestern to fall 21-17. Northwestern and Iowa are both now 7-3 on the season now while Wisconsin and Ohio State are both 9-1. There’s no doubt that the excitement around OSU & Wisconsin will help the sales of Ohio State hats & clothing and Wisconsin Badgers apparel this holiday season.

In other Big Ten action Michigan picked up their 7th win of the year as their defense played Purdue tough in a 27-16 victory. Minnesota picked up their first Big Ten win of the season winning @ Illinois 38-34 keeping Illinois from locking up bowl eligibility despite their continued presence in the weekly 2010 bowl projections.

The Big Ten season is over for all teams ranked in the conference. However it is a big week for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Oregon and Oregon State will battle on Thursday, December 3rd for the Pac 10 title with the winner will play Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. With Big Ten football action halted until bowl games, fans can find great sports gifts including Fathead posters online at DFN Sports sites.

The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated Michigan once again in the best rivalry in all of sports. The #10 Buckeyes cruised to a 21-10 victory. Next up for Ohio State is the 2010 Rose Bowl on New Years Day. Iowa moved up two slots to #11 following a 12-0 victory over Iowa. At 10-2, the Hawkeyes still have hopes for a BCS bowl bid and in the latest bowl projections Iowa is picked to play Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Penn State moved up one slot to 13 with an impressive 42-14 victory at Michigan State.

The battle for the Big Ten Championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl lived up the billing as Ohio State defeated Iowa 27-24 in overtime in front of over 100,000 fans in the Horse Shoe. With the victory Ohio State moved up to #10 in this week’s BCS Top 25 standings while Iowa fell to #13. Ohio State will face Michigan in the one game season in Ann Arbor where it is expected that several fans will be wearing Ohio State Snuggies, while Iowa hosts Minnesota. Penn State moved up 4 slots to #14 following their 31-20 victory over Indiana. Penn State will face a difficult task when they travel to Michigan State this week. Wisconsin moved up 4 slots to #16 following a big victory over Michigan. The Badgers travel to Northwestern this week.

The Iowa Hawkeyes’ luck finally ran out as the Hawkeyes lost on their home turf to Northwestern 17-10. QB Ricky Stanzi sustained a knee injury in the contest, and his availability is unknown. Iowa lost all hope at a National Championship but still can win the Big Ten in Columbus when they face Ohio State. Ohio State moved up in the Top 25 rankings to #11 after an impressive victory at Penn State. The victory sets up what is essentially a Big Ten title game between the Buckeyes and Iowa this weekend. The winner will win the conference and earn a trip to the Rose Bowl. The loss sent Penn State down the rankings to #18 as the Nittany Lions will host Indiana this week. The Badgers of Wisconsin moved up one slot to #20 with their victory over Indiana. Wisconsin hosts Michigan on Saturday.