Big Ten Goes too.....PSU? Not So Fast......

Submitted by the_big_house 500th on
It was an upset that nobody not even the great Joe Paterno saw coming. This past Saturday the mighty Nintny Lions fell to unranked Iowa for the second consecutive time in two years. However this year was different, this year Penn State lost by 11 in stead of a point. What does this say about Penn State? Does it tell us they were overrated? Does it tell us that Iowa is better than everyone gives them credit for? Or was the weather the biggest problem for Happy Valley? Honestly many can give their views on how they lost but one word sums it up, turnovers. Interceptions, fumbles and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown does not help a win make. But now with Penn State falling to 15th and Iowa ranked two seeds higher also including Ohio State at 9th and Michigan now at 22nd 4 teams remain in the top 25 for the Big Ten the question is, who's the most worthy candidate at this point for the title? Of course it's now the 5th week in and still it might be too early to tell. Ohio State gets the shutout against Illinois who didn't play a good game at all with Juice Williams not 100% healthy. Michigan passed Indiana but not by much and a win by a questionable call was not what Rich Rodriguez was thinking about when Michigan took the field for their first home opener. Wisconsin took a good margin of a lead against Michigan State but the lead seemed to losen after the Spartans came back only losing by 8 points. And of course the big stunner Iowa's 11 point win to beat Penn State. Right now Michigan sit's in a 4-0 1-0 season so far after 4 weeks. An improved and impressive turn around from a dissapointing 3-9 season from last year's 2008 season. Some believe Michigan's not ranked high enough since they are undefeated but the schedule and last year's ranking didn't help going into 2009. Now that the Wolverines are 4-0 many believe Michigan not Michigan State has the advantage going into East Lansing this year. So far Michigan has shown they can get the winning points late in the game to bottle the win. The question is now can they play as good on the road as they do at home to go 5-0 2-0? This Saturday in East Lansing, we will find out. As for the Big Ten many starting to believe with Penn State's drop, Iowa's rise and Michigan's current undefeated season will the Big Ten championship feature Michigan as a contender? It's too early to tell now but right now things are looking very decent for a Michigan favor if things stay for the Wolverines the way they are now.
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MichiganStudent

September 29th, 2009 at 9:25 AM ^

I'm not too sure on Wisky. They have not played anyone of note yet, unless you consider Fresno and MSU high caliber teams. They have a head coach in Bielema who I think is one of the worst coaches in the Big Ten, he single handidly lost them games last season because of wasted/stupid timeouts, poor clock management, and terrible play calls. Could they be a good team and January bowl game contender, sure they can, but I do not think they have proven anything yet. The middle part of their schedule sets up tough for them. October 3 at Minnesota October 10 at No. 9 Ohio State October 17 No. 13 Iowa October 31 Purdue November 7 at Indiana November 14 No. 22 Michigan Thats a rivalry game @ Minnesota in their new stadium, an away game at OSU which they will most likely lose, then another rivalry game versus a solid Iowa team. You never know about Purdue and Indiana because they both have showed flashes of offensive explosiveness (Purdue more so than Indiana). Finally they have to play against us and we are no slouch. *They finish their schedule off @ Northwestern and @ Hawaii and you've got to assume they win those games. The jury is still out on Wisky as far as I'm concerned and I keep hearing the same things from my friends that go to school there.

Joined: 08/27/2008

MGoPoints: 7223

RONick

September 29th, 2009 at 3:12 AM ^

I hate to say it, but too many people have forgotten about UOS. That defense is scary good and will make them a favorite in every game. Now, the last three weeks of the season (at PSU, home against Iowa, at The Big House) will be a daunting challenge, but I fear that The Vest might have just enough on offense to give them the advantage. Everyone else is playing for 2nd IME.

Joined: 02/04/2009

MGoPoints: 763

Michigan_Mike

September 29th, 2009 at 3:55 AM ^

OSU will stumble in Big 10 play. I don't see anyone running the tables in conference. What happens if we get three teams all with one loss in conference like the Big 12 south had last year. Iowa, Penn State and Ohio State could feasibly all beat each other.

Joined: 01/18/2009

MGoPoints: 4567

formerlyanonymous

September 29th, 2009 at 8:02 AM ^

It would be wrong to say nobody saw the upset coming. Maybe during week one, but since then Iowa looked like it would compete. I definitely picked Iowa. That and the weather man/student during Gameday was AWESOME. I should find the youtube clip of his segment. So many great burns in a minute or so weather segment.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 38964

chitownblue2

September 29th, 2009 at 8:29 AM ^

Honestly, I think the Iowa @ OSU game is going to be for the Big 10 title. I don't think PSU has the horses to score on OSU. Iowa doesn't either, mind you, but having a useless offense didn't stop them from beating PSU by 11 points on the road. The interesting thing will be to see if Iowa can navigate the rest of their schedule without a mishap. They still have to go to Wisconsin next week, and then they have Michigan. With a quarterback as erratic as Stanzi (yes, I know there were tons of drops, but quite a few were also just inaccurate throws) I think their offense perpetually has the ability to single-handedly lose them the game. FWIW - if Michigan can score on Iowa's defense, our offense is officially GOOD.

Joined: 06/03/2009

MGoPoints: 7178

Hannibal.

September 29th, 2009 at 8:32 AM ^

I'm not surprised at all by what happened with Penn State. They lost a ton of starters off of last year's squad. Five of them from the trenches. Three starting wide receivers and all four defensive backs. You don't lost that kind of experience and not feel it big time. Especially Penn State, whose recruiting has been really hit-and-miss the last five years. Penn State will lose at least one more Big Ten game, probably two.

Joined: 09/09/2008

MGoPoints: 9051

jamiemac

September 29th, 2009 at 8:41 AM ^

People were surprised at that game? The PSU O-Line struggled with Syracuse and Temple, of course they would struggle vs Iowa. My take: A lot of Big 10 teams have good to potentially great offenses. Two teams play championship defense: OSU and Iowa. And, I think they play their defense much better than the huddled masses of the Big 10 play their offense. Of course, we'll have another set of games this weekend and all our opinions will be usurped again by the surprising world of college football.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 8446

Hemlock Philosopher

September 29th, 2009 at 8:46 AM ^

A lot of people saw this happening - I put a nickle on it. Iowa was 6-1 (3-1 in State College) since 2000 going into this game. Iowa also has a strong and experienced D-line going up against a PSU O-line which had to replace 4 of 5 starters.

Joined: 02/12/2009

MGoPoints: 9419

IPKarma

September 29th, 2009 at 8:59 AM ^

will lose one of it's next 4 games. IMO they'll get caught with their pants down. Indiana, Purdue, Wisconsin, Minnesota - all capable of pulling the upset.

Joined: 09/15/2009

MGoPoints: 1021

jamiemac

September 29th, 2009 at 9:29 AM ^

If IU beats the Buckeyes this weekend, I will run around Toledo wearing just boxer shorts and my IU flag wrapped around me like a cape. I will replicate the same kind of celebration I did back in 1992 when they advanced to the Final Four my sophomore year down there. Same flag, too. Please please please please football gods make this happen. Also: Can I count on some MGoBail money from y'all?

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 8446