Big Ten teams have witnessed some sharp weather variations since my report two weeks ago.
With 6 teams in the AP Top 25 poll at this stage there is plenty of sunshine around the conference. But for some, stubborn storm clouds look set to linger for the rest of the season.
Sunshine: Iowa, Ohio State, Northwestern, UCLA
It is still all bright sunshine in Iowa as they dispatched a disappointing Washington team 41-24 at the weekend. The Hawkeyes even had their 2nd QB Jeremy Hecklinski under centre as Hank Brown was injured.
Hecklinski finished with 202 yards and 3 touchdowns, demonstrating why there was a true QB battle pre-season between him and Brown.
Iowa sit at 5-1 with their only loss coming to Ohio State so far and look on course to be a ten-win team.
Speaking of Ohio State, the Sun remains as bright as ever in Columbus after they demolished Maryland 45-16. Bo Jackson and Jeremiah Smith helped themselves to two touchdowns a piece.
The defence has restricted every opponent this season not called Texas (who scored 24) to under twenty points.
One place that hasn’t had a lot of sunshine in recent years is Northwestern and they seem in for a sustained sunny period. It might be attributable to a new stadium bounce but that is two wins in a row at Ryan Field.
Granted, the wildcats would be expecting to beat Ball State but their following fixtures against Michigan State and Rutgers also look winnable. This could make them bowl-eligible by the end of October!
Another place that has not seen a lot of football-sun recently (ironic given its geographic location) is UCLA. Well, it appears the brighter weather might be back under Bob Chesney.
The Bruins picked up a great win against Oregon on Saturday to move to 5-0 and 3-0 in the Big Ten. RB Wayne Knight picked up 103 yards and a TD over 22 carries to add to his 12 yards and TD from 3 catches.
The loss of QB Nico Iamaleava to injury during the game gives some hint of future clouds. But given that Nico has not been the most effective and backup Ty Dieffenback seemed quite efficient, this may not be a major concern.
Bright Spells: Purdue
It might seem odd to list a team at 3-3 under the “positive” column, but Purdue need to be celebrated when opportunities arise.
I didn’t have a 41-13 win over Minnesota on my bingo card this weekend, especially given Minnesota’s big win against Michigan the week prior.
Purdue had 464 offensive yards in this game compared to 275 for Minnesota with a whopping 305 coming on the ground. They had possession for just over 37 minutes.
I wonder if this game could be put down to a Minnesota hangover post the Michigan game. But nobody in Purdue cares.
Purdue have put together wins again Illinois and Minnesota on the bounce now with a ropey looking Washington up next.
Suspected Showery Spells: Indiana
Another counter-intuitive looking one here that could prompt someone to take the keyboard away from me.
Indiana are top of the Big Ten with six wins, three in conference play and no losses. What am I talking about with showers?
Well, they just about got away with a win at the weekend, squeaking past Nebraska 20-17. This coupled with a close game against Northwestern a few weeks ago suggests to me that this team is not as dominant as it was twelve months ago.
Curt Cignetti said in his post-game presser, “Good teams find a way to win”. This is true but with Ohio State coming to town next week I just sense that some rain could be on the horizon.
Heavy Rain: Oregon, Washington
“It never rains in Autzen Stadium” is a part of the pre-game traditions, announced over the loudspeakers every game.
Well, it’s raining at the moment over Oregon, quite heavily.
A 17-15 loss to UCLA at Autzen effectively ends their playoff hopes of a team that had National Championship ambitions.
Oregon were very very poor on offense and there appears to be some issues with the coaching arrangements. We could be close to full blown thunderstorms soon.
Oregon must now salvage something from this season and not become the 2025 Penn State.
Washington join Orgeon in rain-soaked misery after their 41-24 beating from Iowa at home. The Huskies have lost three in a row and must travel to Purdue for a Friday night game next.
It appears that they will have to face the Boilermakers without QB Demond Williams Jr who has a rib injury. Backup Elijah Brown has been tidy when stepping in so far however.
Given the rivalry, at least both Pacific Northwest teams can console themselves in the misery of the other for now. At least until they meet on 28th November.
Week 6 Results
| Road Team | Points | Home Team | Points |
| Iowa | 41 | Washington | 24 |
| Maryland | 16 | Ohio State | 45 |
| Indiana | 20 | Nebraska | 17 |
| UCLA | 17 | Oregon | 15 |
| Ball State | 14 | Northwestern | 45 |
| Illinois | 38 | Michigan State | 37 |
| USC | 31 | Penn State | 23 |
| Minnesota | 13 | Purdue | 41 |
| Michigan | BYE | ||
| Rutgers | BYE | ||
| Wisconsin | BYE |
