The fifth weekend of the College Football season the most thrilling weekend of the season as every portion of the slate lived up to the expectations. While a portion of the Big Ten teams were on the bye, the teams that were involved in the action gave us some thrilling finishes. The headliner of the weekend was a massive showdown between Oregon and Penn State but, it wasn't the only exciting finish.
The Big Ten had 6 games this weekend and 5 of the 6 were one score games delivering some incredible finishes. Every team in the league has played a league game at this point, and the sample size is big enough to start ranking these teams.
Dan Lanning has the Oregon Ducks pushing for the Big Ten crown
The UCLA Bruins lost the battle of the Big Ten basement dwellers against Northwestern as firing DeShaun Foster didn't give this team much of a spark. The offense didn't wake up until the 4th quarter and by that point Northwestern was able to hang on. This team is now 0-4 and when you look at the schedule, this team is now looking at a winless season as there aren't any games they'll be favored in.
The Northwestern Wildcats couldn't have asked for a better draw this weekend as they hosted the winless UCLA Bruins the game after they fired their Head Coach. This game was evenly matched but, the Wildcats kept the Bruins out of the endzone until late in the 4th quarter and it got them the win. David Braun's group needed this win as the rest of league play is going to be much tougher but, they'll have a great chance to pick up a win next week against UL Monroe.
The Wisconsin Badgers had the weekend off and it'll be a great time for Luke Fickell to try and right the ship after a miserable loss to Maryland. Fickell's seat is heating up and if Billy Edwards can get healthy on the bye week it would be big for the Badgers chances down the stretch. Next weekend brings another tough game for the Badgers as they'll face Michigan but, at some point Fickell's team is going to need to pull off a big win.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights were driving with a chance to kick a game tying field goal but, a snap mishap cost them any chance at winning the game. Greg Schiano trotted his backup kicker out for a 56 yard field goal that never had a chance sinking the Scarlet Knights to 3-2. This team continues to play close games in the Big Ten but, they may not have the talent to get over the hump.
This weekend was the first bye week of the season for Purdue as they're off to a 2-2 start to the Barry Odom era. Big Ten play will tell us a ton about how far this team has come but, early in the year it's hard to not be optimistic about this team.
The Iowa Hawkeyes had every chance to pull off a massive upset over Indiana but, in the end like we see every season, the offense isn't good enough. The rushing attack got bottled up by Indiana and when Mark Gronowski or Hank Brown needed to pass they couldn't create a big play. The offense has been a massive issue for years and until Iowa commits to making it better, this team will always fall just short.
It wasn't pretty for the Golden Gophers but, Minnesota escaped with victory over Rutgers due to a late game snap mishap by the Scarlet Knights. Drake Lindsey had a great Big Ten debut going 31-41 for 324 yards and 3 touchdowns leading the offense in a game where they didn't have Darius Taylor. Rutgers rushing attack gashed the Gophers, which is a concern but, this was a great first conference win for PJ Fleck's group.
Mike Locksley's team spent this weekend on the bye after kicking off Big Ten play with a win over Wisconsin. This team was expected to be one of the worst teams in the league but, with exciting freshman quarterback Malik Washington, this team has a chance to be a great surprise team. Next week brings a Washington team that has an explosive offense but, they have flaws as was shown against Ohio State.
The Michigan State Spartans spent the weekend on the bye after their first loss of the season to the USC Trojans. The loss to USC had to sting as the Trojans flaws were on full display this weekend but, the team will have to move on. Next weekend brings another big test as the Spartans face Nebraska in a game that could eliminate the loser from the Big Ten race.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers spent this weekend on the bye and it couldn't have come at a better time coming off of a loss to Michigan. The biggest issue for Matt Rhule's team has been stopping the run and it's an issue they'll need to address if they're going to compete in a league like the Big Ten. Next weekend brings a matchup against Michigan State where the Huskers should have the talent edge to get back on track.
The Washington Huskies came into the weekend with a great chance to send a message if the offense could continue to click as they hosted the top ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Instead, the Huskies took three trip to the redzone only scoring a pair of field goals which ended up sinking their chances. The defense couldn't get off the field as the Buckeyes ran at will in this one and Jedd Fisch is going to have some areas to address going forward.
After a big win over Michigan State, Lincoln Riley's team came out flat against Illinois, and they were never able to recover. Makai Lemon was a human highlight reel for the Trojans but, two turnovers by the offense proved to be too much to overcome as the Illini drove down the field for the game winning field goal. Lincoln Riley's team is still alive in the College Football Playoff hunt but, they need to get healthy as soon as possible if they're going to do damage in league play.
Sherrone Moore's team spent the weekend on the bye and after being suspended two weeks, he likely enjoyed the extra time to work with his team. The Wolverines were helped by results all over the Country as several teams took their first loss while others did so in Big Ten play. Next week brings a showdown against Wisconsin and it should give the team a great chance to pick up another win in league play.
After a truly shocking blowout loss, the Fighting Illini bounced back with a gutsy win over the USC Trojans to pick up a Top 25 win. Luke Altmyer did it all for the Illini with passing, rushing, and receiving scores while he led his team down the field for the game winning field goal. Bret Bielema has his team back on track after getting blown out last season and if they can start to rattle off wins they'll be right back in the race for the Playoff.
While most will look at Penn State's loss to Oregon as a double overtime loss that was close, there are real concerns with this team. James Franklin continues to lose in the big games and until he wins one, this program will always feel like doom is right around the corner. Drew Allar hasn't looked like the 1st round pick everyone built him up to be and even with new receivers he struggled until the 4th quarter.
It wasn't pretty for the Indiana Hoosiers as they needed a touchdown late to win the game but, Curt Cignetti's team survived an upset scare. After looking like the Heisman front runner last weekend, Fernando Mendoza struggled yet, when Indiana needed him most he found Elijah Sarratt for the game winning touchdown. The Hoosiers defense came up big shutting down the Hawkeyes rushing attack and now Indiana is starting to get in a great position for the Playoff.
This offseason, everyone brushed Oregon off with all the talent they lost but, Dan Lanning keeps proving his team is one of the elite and they reload rather than rebuilding. This game looked to be in hand before Penn State came storming back to force overtime but, Lanning got his team focused again and sealed the game with an interception. Dante Moore is starting to look like one of the best quarterbacks in the Country and the Ducks are going to be a hard out in any game they play.
It wasn't the prettiest showing for the Ohio State Buckeyes but, they're off to a 1-0 start in Big Ten play with a win over a very good Washington team that should've been ranked in the Top 25. The defense continues to look like a veteran group that's played in the system for years rather than a team with a new coordinator and a ton of new pieces. The offense controlled the game on the ground leaning on Washington the entire game. This team has all the talent to go on a deep run and as they continue to get experience, they're only going to be tougher to beat.
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