Big Ten Week 1 Recap

Big Ten Week 1 Recap -- By: Brian Meyer
It is great to have football back. This is my favorite time of year! The 2011 season is upon us. Let’s take a look. Week 1 was defined by the weather, as two Big Ten games had lightning delays, and one game was actually called.
Scores
Thursday:
Wisconsin 51, UNLV 17
Friday:
Michigan State 28, Youngstown State 6
Saturday:
Northwestern 24, Boston College 17
Ohio State 42, Akron 0
Penn State 41, Indiana State 7
Purdue 27, Middle Tennessee State 24
Iowa 34, Tennessee Tech 7
Southern California 19, Minnesota 17
Illinois 33, Arkansas State 15
Michigan 34, Western Michigan 10
Nebraska 40, Chattanooga 7
Ball State 27, Indiana 20

Illinois: I caught a little bit of this game during the Iowa weather delay. They started off slow, but took control in the 2nd quarter and really never looked back. Illinois was a surprise team last year going to a bowl game and picking up a Big Ten bowl win over Baylor in the Texas Bowl last year. The Illini are a sleeper team this year. Next Game: Vs. South Dakota State
Indiana: This was a very disappointing result, as the Hoosiers got beat by a pretty bad MAC team. If this is any indication, Indiana will be bringing up the rear in the conference this year. Next Game: Vs. Virginia

Iowa: Full disclosure, I am a diehard Hawkeye fan. There, it’s been said. Iowa had an easy time with Tennessee Tech as expected. Defensively they were lights out with the first teamers. Marcus Coker fumbled twice in the first half which isn’t a good sign, but Iowa took control in the 2nd Quarter scoring 24 points. There was a rain delay which lasted about 1 and a half hours, and Coach Ferentz didn’t bring the 1st teamers back in after the players took the field. Can’t really take anything away after beating a weak opponent, but it was pretty much what I expected. Unfortunate circumstances occurred late in the 1st quarter, however. True Freshman Mika’il McCall, son of former Heavyweight Boxing Champion Oliver McCall, broke his ankle and is now out for the season. He had rushed for an impressive 61 yards on 9 carries in the 1st quarter before the unfortunate incident. He can still redshirt, but this was a big blow to a position that lacked depth as it is. Next Game: At Iowa State
Michigan: Didn’t get to see any of the Wolverines against Western Michigan. The game actually got cancelled before it ended after Michigan had the game well in hand. Watching the highlights, it seemed to be what could be expected from a Wolverines team that has a lot of question marks. Rich Rodriguez left this team in shambles. Their defense has been ill equipped to deal with Big Ten offenses as they are insanely undersized. Coach Brady Hoke has his work cut out for him. They do have Denard Robinson, who may be the most dynamic player in the country. The question with him is can he hold up through a brutal Big Ten schedule? The real litmus test for this team could come next week against rival Notre Dame. Next Game: Vs. Notre Dame
Michigan State: I caught bits and pieces of the Spartans game on Friday night against Youngstown State. Pretty underwhelmed with Sparty. While other conference favorites took care of business and laid it too weaker opponents, Michigan State struggled at times with Youngstown State. This doesn’t necessarily mean that MSU is going to be bad this season, but they certainly didn’t answer their critics who say that last year was an aberration. Most coaches say that teams make the most improvement between Week 1 and Week 2. Fans in East Lansing must be hoping this rings true. Next Game: Vs. Florida Atlantic
Minnesota: The Jerry Kill era has begun in Minnesota. Gopher fans have a lot to be excited about. In defeat, the Gophers were very impressive, losing on the road by 2 points to USC. They’ve certainly done better than any other Big Ten team who’s played USC over the past decade. What I like about this team is they look prepared and they play hard. These two aspects were something that was severely lacking under Tim Brewster. I found myself cheering pretty hard for the Gophers, because even as an Iowa fan, it’s hard not to like what Coach Kill brings to the table. He’s a football coach, not a salesman. Look out Big Ten! This team will be a factor, if not this year, then certainly for years to come. Next Game: Vs. New Mexico State





Nebraska: The Huskers are now officially in the Big Ten! Despite losing their AAU (Association of American Universities) which is an academic requirement to be in the conference, the Huskers are in. That brings up the age old joke that never gets old; what does the N on Nebraska’s helmet stand for? Nowledge. With that being said, let’s look at what Nebraska did on the field on Saturday. Pretty much what we expected. Really no shock. Nebraska has a really good defense, and offensively they will go as far as Taylor Martinez takes them. Can he hold up? He didn’t hold up in the defensively challenged Big 12, so I really do have my doubts on whether he can hold up in the Big Ten. Even still, Nebraska is still the favorite to win the Legends division. Next week should be a nice little challenge for the Huskers, as they face off with the always pesky Fresno State Bulldogs. The game is in Memorial Stadium though, so they should win pretty easily, if they are of course as good as everyone says they are. Next Game: Vs. Fresno State
Northwestern: The Wildcats picked up the signature win for the conference on Saturday. Beat Boston College at Chestnut Hill. I have no idea how good Boston College is, but they are always hovering around the middle or top of the ACC. I suspect that is where they will be again this year. Regardless, road wins are hard to come by in college athletics and Northwestern got theirs. They did so without their best player, Quarterback Dan Persa, who is still suffering from an Achilles injury that he sustained against Iowa (not before breaking our hearts of course) last season. Northwestern is always a team to look out for. I don’t expect them to win the conference by any means, but they are always a tough opponent. Excellent win for Northwestern this week. Next Game: Vs. Eastern Illinois
Ohio State: The Luke Fickel era has begun in Columbus. I’m sure Ohio State fans are just happy football season has started so they can forget about this past offseason. As far as I’m concerned, Ohio State got lucky, and none of it should be a surprise to anyone. The program was filthy long before Jim Tressell even there. Given all of that, Ohio State is still a very athletic and talented team littered with future NFL stars. So drilling Akron was to be expected, but I would warn fans of other Big Ten schools, that just because Ohio State is going through what they are going through, do not expect the Buckeyes to just fold up and take their position at the bottom of the barrel. Ohio State will be competing at the top once again this year. You may not like it, but it is the reality. Next Game: Vs. Toledo
Penn State: Joe Paterno is still hanging around. The man is a legend. Some are sick of seeing him. I love that he is still around. Penn State is always the x-factor team in the Big Ten. You know they are talented. They handled their business as expected this past weekend, but need to figure out their quarterback situation because next week they have a very big task. Alabama comes to Happy Valley. Alabama toyed with Penn State last year, and then proceeded to destroy Michigan State in the capital one bowl. This is really the only time this season before the bowls, that the Big Ten can redeem itself vs. the SEC in these inter-conference match ups. I think Penn State can do it, but there is no doubt it is a tall order. Next Game: Vs. Alabama
Purdue: Indiana was obviously the biggest disappointment of the week, but Purdue wasn’t far behind. Purdue has shown me nothing that says they will be any better than they were in 2010. I don’t see Drew Brees coming through the door, so this could be a long season for the Boilermakers. They barely survived at home vs. MTSU. Caleb TerBush is a young qb so maybe he can improve, but the Boilermakers just don’t look very impressive to me. Next week is certainly a winnable game, but on the road where anything can happen. Next Game: at Rice
Wisconsin: I hate to admit it, but I was very impressed with Wisconsin. Sure, we don’t know how good UNLV is, but that offensive line was blowing them up, and Monte Ball had about a dozen points of attack every play. Russell Wilson showed that he has picked up the offense very quickly and Badger fans have to be excited about that. I’m not going to crown them right now but they are definitely the favorites to represent the Leaders Division in Indianapolis in December. Next week is a tricky game though. If you recall, last year Wisconsin faced Arizona State and almost lost at home. This year Oregon State comes to town, and they are looking to redeem themselves after an embarrassing overtime loss to FCS West (Sacramento State). Still, the game is in Madison so I expect the Badgers to win going away. Next Game: vs. Oregon State

My Week 1 Big Ten Rankings:
1. Wisconsin
2. Ohio State
3. Nebraska
4. Iowa
5. Northwestern
6. Penn State
7. Illinois
8. Michigan State
9. Minnesota
10. Michigan
11. Purdue
12. Indiana