With so much drama in the B-1-G, it’s kinda hard bein’…

Ok, never mind.

I don’t condone parody raps. I apologize for that horrible attempt at humor. But hey, you’re still reading so I’ve successfully lured you into the point I’m trying to make.

There was some serious drama to open B1G play.

Indiana was a Zander Diamont pass away from stunning No. 1 Ohio State. Purdue was a touchdown drive away from knocking off the No. 2 team in the country. Illinois was a pass away from stunning Nebraska. But the Illini got it.

That doesn’t even take into account the defensive effort that Iowa churned out to beat the Badgers in Madison. A dramatic day it was, and those who shined in those moments were rewarded for it.

If you skipped that nonsense just to get to the real fun, here are the game balls:

Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State RB: It’s tough to pick the best stat to describe Zeke’s career-high performance. He became the first person in the last 10 years to score three touchdowns of 50-plus yards in one half. His 274 yards rushing were tied for the second most in Ohio State history. That was also his school-record fourth 200-yard rushing game. It’s a good thing he went off because the Buckeyes needed every bit of it.

Joe Schobert, Wisconsin LB: Lost in the shuffle of a rare home loss for Wisconsin was arguably the defensive game of the year by a B1G player. Schobert had 3.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and five hurries. C.J. Beathard got the win, but he’ll be seeing Schobert in his sleep.

Geronimo Allison, Illinois WR: I’m going to go out on a limb and say that was the biggest catch Allison has ever made. His game-winning score stunned Nebraska to give Bill Cubit the biggest win of his brief coaching tenure. For a team that has fallen short in clutch moments, Allison gave Illini fans a moment they won’t soon forget.

Anthony Walker, Northwestern LB: Getting sick of seeing Walker’s name in this column? Well, then tell the sophomore linebacker to stop making plays. It wasn’t some 19-tackle effort, but Walker did have a scoop and score to cap off yet another dominant day for the Northwestern defense.

L.J. Scott, Michigan State RB: The Spartans offense has issues, but Scott isn’t one of them. The freshman broke off two first-quarter touchdowns en route to his first career 100-yard game. Without his early dominance, the Spartans might not have had enough to fend off Purdue’s comeback.

Markell Jones, Purdue RB: And the reason Purdue came back was because of another freshman tailback. Jones capitalized with D.J. Knox sidelined and came up huge. His 157 yards and two touchdowns were both career bests.

The entire Michigan defense: I get that it was Maryland playing in sloppy conditions. But how impressive have the Wolverines been? They’ve allowed ONE touchdown in the last 15 quarters of football. Desmond Morgan, Mario Ojemudia and Matt Godin all had big days for a unit that is playing better than any in the B1G right now.

Jason Cabinda, Penn State LB: If you get two sacks in a game, you’re doing something right. If you get two sacks against a triple-option team, you deserve a medal. His sack also closed the door on Army’s upset bid.

Desmond King, Iowa CB: Not once, but twice King picked off Joel Stave to stall Wisconsin drives. He leads the country with five interceptions and is making a case for an All-Big Ten season. To be part of a group the held Wisconsin without a touchdown at Camp Randall is nothing short of impressive. This defense is dangerous and King is a major reason why.