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Well, this was an interesting week in the B1G to say the least.
There were 10 games featuring conference teams and six of those were decided by one possession. The B1G was, unfortunately, just 3-3 in those contests. Not the best showing for a league hoping to prove its the best in college football.
But, an up-and-down week in the B1G leaves us with plenty of overreactions. Here are 10 from Week 3:
B1G Conference, B1G Legs
I’m not sure what the weight-training program is for kickers in the B1G, but it has to be better than any other conference in college football. Three kickers drilled field goal attempts from beyond 50 yards on Saturday:
- James McCourt, Illinois — 57 yards
- J.D. Dellinger, Purdue — 53 yards
- Jordan Stout, Penn State — 57 yards
And just for good measure, Keith Duncan was 4-for-4 in Iowa’s win over Iowa State. The B1G is bringing a brand new meaning to the hashtag #CollegeKickers. Also, I’m going to need that workout plan.
Temple of Doom
Remember when that guy gets his heart ripped out during the popular Indiana Jones flick? That’s basically what happened to Maryland when it traveled to Philadelphia. And it’s happened two years in a row. What is the evil curse Temple has placed on the Terrapins?
Iniana Hsiers
There was absolutely no “D” in Bloomington this weekend. The “O” wasn’t any better. Enjoy your new moniker, IU. That’s the punishment for a 51-10 loss to the Buckeyes at home.
Michigan State is wasting the greatest defense in history
Is this even an overreaction? Michigan State’s defense has been one of the best in the country for two straight years now, and the Spartans can’t muster up two touchdowns to beat Arizona State? Inexcusable. Seriously, this is one of the best defenses I’ve seen in a long time. It’d probably be even better if it didn’t have to be on the field so damn much.
Fields of Dreams
Confession: I’ve never actually seen the movie. Is it about a five-star quarterback who got ridiculed for his decision to leave and SEC program and then showed the world why he’s still one of the best players in the nation? Am I in the ballpark?
Kicking wins championships…in Iowa
Maybe Kirk Ferentz has been on to something this whole time. Keith Duncan made all four field goals and Iowa State botched a punt return at the end of the game, helping Iowa get an 18-17 win over the Cyclones Saturday. Forget offense and defense, just focus on special teams from here on out.
Ne-Back-ska
Dominant from start to finish. That’s the Nebraska we wanted to see from the get-go. Amazing how much easier life is when you don’t commit eight penalties a game and turned the ball over three times each Saturday.
This whole B1G-MAC thing is getting out of hand
Why do we keep marking MAC teams as guaranteed wins for B1G programs? This is the 14th straight season in which a MAC team has knocked off a B1G squad. What is your secret sauce, MAC? Is anyone else in the mood for a giant cheeseburger suddenly?
Rondale Who?
Gary Patterson said TCU had seen plenty of players as athletic as Rondale Moore. Guess he was right. The Purdue receiver had just 25 yards on three catches against the Horned Frogs. So overhyped.
Northwestern is the new Wisconsin
We give a lot of credit to Wisconsin for churning out All-American running backs every year, but let’s take a look a Northwestern, shall we. First it was Justin Jackson, then Jeremy Larkin, then Isaiah Bowser and on Saturday Drake Anderson. The B1GCats must have an overstock of B1GBacks they’re not telling us about.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB