Many writers and fans alike have looked at all the talent that left the B10 last year for the NFL and say, the B10 is down this year. Those same writers and fans look at Iowa and O$U and say the same thing. So lets take a look at a few things here and try and get an idea of where the B10 is.
Iowa and O$U, now both have lost a non-con game, thats not good right? Well one could argue they are the only 2 B10 teams that play 2 BCS non-cons. I am not saying either team is going to set the world on fire, I am simply saying, you have to look at the competition to get some perspective. It's not like either one played all home non-cons or had Wisky's non-cons. ( I think O$U will be ok in CO, if not, then it might be time for them to worry)
Then you have Illnois, if the B10 is down, somebody forgot to tell them. They did just beat a 22nd ranked team.
MSU, went into a hostile place and got schooled, but really, there wasnt a person out there that thought ND was going to go 0-3. ND has a very good team (everybody was on that pre-season band wagon), but they just kept coughing up the ball. So we will have to give the Spartans a pass on this game. They have a very balanced team and should give almost anyone a run for their money.
Mich, well they look like they have put in some work and are playing better football all around. They had a scare with ND and ND did hang 31 on them, but as I said ND is not a bad team and once they stop beating themselves will be a very good team. Other than ND, Mich has given up 13 points. I know they were to creampuffs, but many B10 teams have given up more to equal creampuffs. You can argue late game subs and all, but give them credit, they are trying to stop a gusher and it seems like, for now anyway they might have slowed it down a bit.
Wisky. Looks really good on paper as they havent played anyone yet. So for now we will give them the tiger spot, paper tiger that is. They look VERY good, but playing such a weak non-con really does not give us any idea how well they will fair in the B10 or against any team of substance this year.
Nebraska. They remind me of a what tee-shirt contest. You can still win even if you are doing it while being ugly. If it wasnt for "big" plays Nebraska wouldnt even have an O. I guess we all knew coming in that T-mart is what he is, but after 3 games he has 31 out of 64 att's (48.4 cmp%) for 490 yards. He also leads the team in rushes and TD's. I personally dont like this recipe, but to each his own. For now they are winning and much like Wisky, we will just have to wait and see how it goes for them once conf play starts.
The jury is still out on many of the other teams. The Gophers could be better than they are letting on and Penn, well they played the #3 ranked team and I dont think anyone thought they were going to get a W out of that one. They didnt play well on the road, but I think the sooner they go with one qb, the better and I fully expect them to play better than what we have seen. They have a tough season this year with them going to O$U and Wisky and hosting Iowa and Ill, so my expectations are not real high for them, but I expect they will represent well in most games this year, and no matter what their record is, no team should overlook them.
Iowa and O$U, now both have lost a non-con game, thats not good right? Well one could argue they are the only 2 B10 teams that play 2 BCS non-cons. I am not saying either team is going to set the world on fire, I am simply saying, you have to look at the competition to get some perspective. It's not like either one played all home non-cons or had Wisky's non-cons. ( I think O$U will be ok in CO, if not, then it might be time for them to worry)
Then you have Illnois, if the B10 is down, somebody forgot to tell them. They did just beat a 22nd ranked team.
MSU, went into a hostile place and got schooled, but really, there wasnt a person out there that thought ND was going to go 0-3. ND has a very good team (everybody was on that pre-season band wagon), but they just kept coughing up the ball. So we will have to give the Spartans a pass on this game. They have a very balanced team and should give almost anyone a run for their money.
Mich, well they look like they have put in some work and are playing better football all around. They had a scare with ND and ND did hang 31 on them, but as I said ND is not a bad team and once they stop beating themselves will be a very good team. Other than ND, Mich has given up 13 points. I know they were to creampuffs, but many B10 teams have given up more to equal creampuffs. You can argue late game subs and all, but give them credit, they are trying to stop a gusher and it seems like, for now anyway they might have slowed it down a bit.
Wisky. Looks really good on paper as they havent played anyone yet. So for now we will give them the tiger spot, paper tiger that is. They look VERY good, but playing such a weak non-con really does not give us any idea how well they will fair in the B10 or against any team of substance this year.
Nebraska. They remind me of a what tee-shirt contest. You can still win even if you are doing it while being ugly. If it wasnt for "big" plays Nebraska wouldnt even have an O. I guess we all knew coming in that T-mart is what he is, but after 3 games he has 31 out of 64 att's (48.4 cmp%) for 490 yards. He also leads the team in rushes and TD's. I personally dont like this recipe, but to each his own. For now they are winning and much like Wisky, we will just have to wait and see how it goes for them once conf play starts.
The jury is still out on many of the other teams. The Gophers could be better than they are letting on and Penn, well they played the #3 ranked team and I dont think anyone thought they were going to get a W out of that one. They didnt play well on the road, but I think the sooner they go with one qb, the better and I fully expect them to play better than what we have seen. They have a tough season this year with them going to O$U and Wisky and hosting Iowa and Ill, so my expectations are not real high for them, but I expect they will represent well in most games this year, and no matter what their record is, no team should overlook them.
