The Big Ten’s heavy hitters largely did not disappoint in the final week before beginning conference matchups. Ohio State, Michigan State and Nebraska looked sharp against ranked opponents. Eight Big Ten teams in total remain undefeated with the majority of nonleague games now in the rear-view mirror.
On the other end of the spectrum, Iowa lost its first regular-season game since November 2014, and it came against five-time FCS defending champion North Dakota State. The only other Big Ten team to lose this weekend was Illinois, who lost to the MAC’s Western Michigan. It’s hard to call either of these results shocking. It should, though, serve notice to athletic directors that if you’re going to schedule down early in the season, make sure to find a team that's closer to a sure thing. There’s nothing to gain from scheduling potentially losable games against non-Power 5 teams in September.
Team of the week: No shortage of candidates, but after going on the road and ending the playoff hopes of a ranked team it’s impossible not to pick No. 2 Ohio State. Not only did the Buckeyes pick up their 19th road win in 19 tries under Urban Meyer, they did so decisively against a talented Oklahoma team. There was reason to remain skeptical about this team and the big gaps it had to fill after two wins against lower competition to start the year. Now, Ohio State has shown unequivocally it is armed with everything it needs for a run at the College Football Playoff.
Big man on campus (offense): Nebraska’s Tommy Armstrong (don’t worry, Buckeyes fans, we’ll get to Noah Brown in a minute) threw for three touchdowns and ran for a decisive fourth-quarter score to cap a back-and-forth battle against No. 22 Oregon. The senior quarterback connected with Jordan Westerkamp for a crucial fourth-down conversion, and two play later pulled down a draw play and ran 34 yards to give the Cornhuskers a 35-32 win. Armstrong’s performance helped push his team to 3-0 to start the season.
Big man on campus (defense): Jon Reschke’s hand appeared to be just fine after the linebacker missed Michigan State’s opener against Furman. He led the Spartans with eight tackles and created two turnovers in a win at Notre Dame that was more lopsided than the 36-28 final score would have you believe. He forced a fumble on the series after Michigan State’s first score and later intercepted a pass that set his offense up to take a three-score lead in the third quarter.
Big man on campus (special teams): Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers said he was tired of being “an almost kind of guy” after getting close to breaking a couple returns in his first couple games this year. He put that title to rest with a 54-yard return for a score that capped a weird 45-28 win over Colorado filled with big plays. The kick gave Peppers 204 all-purpose yards on the day to go with his nine tackles and a sack on defense.
Top play: Ohio State’s Noah Brown must’ve been getting bored with catching touchdown passes. So he finished the first half at Oklahoma by catching the ball and Sooners defensive back Michiah Quick at the same time in the back corner of the end zone – and he almost did both with only one hand. The second of Brown’s four scores on the night gave the Buckeyes a comfortable 35-17 lead heading into halftime, blowing open a statement win for a team that is proving that youth won’t be a handicap this season.
Best relegation candidate: There’s a lot of good football being played in the Mitten State, but no team will finish the month of September with more Big Ten wins than Western Michigan. The MAC title contenders knocked off Northwestern with a crazy finish to start the season before steamrolling Illinois 34-10 this Saturday. If the Big Ten decides to expand any time soon, might we suggest a trip to Kalamazoo?
And if they need an even number of newcomers, FCS-level North Dakota State made a fine bid this weekend by beating Iowa with a last-second field goal. The Bison are 6-0 against FBS teams since 2010. Thank goodness the Big Ten decided to wean FCS schools off its future schedules. Two of them (including Illinois State against Northwestern last week) came away with wins in their last hoorah against the league.
Best closer: One play was all Maryland freshman quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome needed to finish a double-overtime win against UCF. He didn’t flinch when replacing injured starter Perry Hills with the game on the line, taking his first snap 24 yards through the middle of the Knights defense to end the game. How about those Terps? D.J. Durkin’s team matched last year’s win total with a 3-0 start in nonconference play.