Around the Big Ten

[Mike]

If anyone is laughing at Iowa’s offense, as you should. That’s how I feel watching Michigan most of the time.

If Iowa and Michigan played each other every week, nobody would like football.

[iam416]

Penn State has basically played the last 2.5 quarters with a non-functioning offense. And they’re still winning. Iowa at #4 is preposterous. For what? Beating Iowa State????

[iam416]

Well, not anymore. My point still stands.

[WM Wolverine]

Penn state can't move the ball with this backup QB.

[iam416]

Well, they can move backwards. I would have absolutely punted at the 50 with that offense, but eh, they were fucked as soon as Iowa got a lead.

[lineygoblue]

PSU better hope their QB can go, or their season is toast. They play great defense, but they can't score.

[iam416]

They would have run Iowa if Clifford played all game.

[Cody_Russell]

Of course happy to see Iowa win that game + Penn State lose.
I feel less impressed with Iowa though. Pumping the breaks on the idea that Iowa would actually beat Ohio State for now.
Clifford suffering an injury for Penn State completely changed the game. Penn State probably would have won if he was healthy.
On the bright side, M will probably beat Penn State if Clifford's injury is significant. That backup QB was SO BAD as a passer.

Appears like M and MSU are on a collision course to meet in three weeks as undefeated, top 10 ranked, teams. Oh boy.

[Mike]

Michigan moves up to AP #8, #7 in coaches poll.

Big Ten:

Iowa #2
OSU #6
PSU #7
MSU #10

Meat grinder coming up after the bye.

[lineygoblue]

Those rankings will get scrambled over the next few weeks as they all start playing each other.

Iowa could sneak thru to the CCG, where they'll run into OSU. After that, its bye bye playoffs for Iowa.

I think M might be headed to a NYD bowl if they don't completely choke vs PSU and MSU. They need to beat at least one of them to get to a NYD bowl.

I've seen nothing to indicate that M can beat OSU.

[Cody_Russell]

Penn State basically has 21 days for Clifford to recover from that injury with a bye week and Illinois. Call it a double bye week.
Then it’s the big showdown vs Ohio State in Columbus.
Penn State hasn’t provided any information about the Clifford injury. It didn’t seem serious, but who knows.

Iowa does have a great opportunity to be 12-0 and play in the B10 Championship Game. Their schedule isn’t bad. I wouldn’t rule out @ Wisconsin, vs Minnesota, and @ Nebraska as trap games. Weird upsets happen in the B10 all of the time… generally excluding Ohio State.
Iowa is very much a weak #2 overall ranked team IMO.

[iam416]

I’ve never seen a worse #2 thru #4, and that includes 2007.

[Mike]

Talent, I’m with you re: Iowa. Watching the game yesterday I was trying to figure out why they were ranked #3 to begin with. They got way too much mileage out of that ISU win. All you have to do is watch two offensive series to realize they suck at offense. The D is legit but that ain’t the name of the game nowadays.

[Tom W]

Iowa is only up there through process of elimination. Georgia is only undefeated team who actually looked like they could run the table. Of course, the only purpose of polls before November is to keep the discussion interesting. It will all sort itself out and we’ll be left with the Alabama and OSU invitational yet again.

[froot loops]

You can only win the games in front of you. Iowa is good.