Hello, ladies and gentlemen (there are ladies here, right?); there was some other football played last weekend, and not everything stopped with a certain event in Ann Arbor.
Wisconsin 27, South Florida 10
The Badgers are 3-1, but some of the fans I know are worried that this team just doesn't have what it takes to win the West. Given the fact that Melvin Gordon couldn't muster more than 38 yards against Western Illinois, and they couldn't get a touchdown until the third quarter against South Florida, there are some questions being asked in Madison.
Rutgers 31, Tulane 6
The Scarlet Knights are 4-1 after Gary Nova went 14/291/4 against Tulane. But, the combined record of the teams Rutgers has beaten is 10-17. Although Rutgers seems to be on a bit of a roll, let's temper things a little bit. Even if they win on Saturday night against Michigan, we still won't know that much about this team.
Iowa 24, Purdue 10
I mean, who doesn't beat Purdue?
Michigan State 56, Wyoming 14
Michigan State is averaging 50.3 points per game, which is good enough for 3rd in the country. I said last week that I thought their ability to score points is a deliberate shot at Michigan. I stand by that because I'm irrational right now. The Spartans had 338 yards rushing on the day, and it appears as though even the waterboy got a yard or two in there somewhere.
Northwestern 29, Penn State 6
It was the Trevor Siemian show in Happy Valley on Saturday, as the Northwestern QB passed for 258 yards and ran the ball in for three scores on the ground. Ah, the ground; the place where Penn State could get nothing done. 50 yards total is close enough to nothing in football.
Maryland 37, Indiana 15
Much like Rutgers, Maryland's opponents haven't been the strongest competition, going 10-12 so far. However, the fact that the Maryland deflated an Indiana offense that was at one point quite explosive could mean that the Terrapins are looking to be the barnstormers of the East.
Minnesota 30, Michigan 14
Ohio State 50, Cincinnati 28
Holy shit, Buckeyes! You may have won this game quite handily, but you should probably figure out how to defend the pass a little bit. Of the four scoring plays by the Bearcats, only ONE was less than 60 yards. It went: 60, 19, 83, and 78! If Cincinnati had had any ground game whatsoever, they may have been able to really make Ohio State sweat. In the end, though, 70 yards just isn't going to cut it.
Nebraska 45, Illinois 14
It's the same story for this one: Ameer Abdullah rushed for over 200 yards, and Illinois couldn't get out of their own way.
Reilly O'Toole was in for an injured Wes Lunt and he went right ahead and threw three interceptions. Nebraska, on the other hand, may be separating themselves from the pack in the West at 5-0 overall.
The Takeaway
I wish something could take me away from the worst week ever.