How EVR spent his bye week... (Big Ten Tuesday)

While the Cats were resting up, watching Jackass 3D, and preparing for Michigan State, I was painting my dining room, watching Big Ten football, and being served a painful reminder of my age during a flag football tournament.

But so much was learned about the Big Ten this weekend, that it would be appropriate to begin the week there.  Starting Wednesday, then, EVR will dive back into the Cats preparation for Sparty.

The Big Ten took at step towards taking shape this weekend, and in many ways we have a much better idea of where everyone stands in relation to eachother.  Here is my look at each team, why they are ranked where they are, and why they should not be.

1 Michigan State: Sparty gets the #1 nod as the lone remaining undefeated team in the conference.  They also have the most impressive wins compared to Iowa and Purdue, the other teams without a conference loss.  MSU has played far from consistent football, but they have been the most consistent team out there.  They are playing with confidence and an emotional edge.  If they can beat NU and Iowa in the next two weeks, they have a legitimate shot at an undefeated season.

But MSU does have some chinks in the armor.  The offense is highly inconsistent, and while scoring in bunches (which they do) can have its advantages, there is nothing to brag about when you score three points at home in the first half against Illinois.   The defense is nothing short of opportunistic, but they can be beaten by a competent passing attack (say... of Northwestern?).

2 Wisconsin: Wisconsin beat Tressel at his own game Saturday night, getting a lead and then maintaining it with conservative and boring football.  But this is not a boring team, it is a solid Big Ten team and has played one of the most rigorous schedules thus far.  John Clay and the running game will continue to be a factor any time the Badgers have the lead in a game.  The defense is spotty but generally solid and there will not be any shootouts against inferior opponents.  Wisconsin also should only be tested by Iowa and Northwestern down the stretch.

But Wisconsin lacks the flash necessary to stay in this spot.  The quick start against OSU put the score at 14-0 before many people had tuned into the game.  They cannot count on the fast start in their remaining big games, or else Michigan State will happen all over again.  The defense played well against Ohio State, but Pryor was not on his game.  Stanzi and Persa could open up big games against Big Red.

3 Ohio State: Ohio State is still the premier team in the conference and still has the opportunity to win 10 games.  With so many games among the top of the conference remaining, Ohio State could very easily sneak back up into the top spot -- and even a BCS at large bid (which is good for everyone).  Ohio State's defense clamped down around Wisconsin after the early surge and gave the offense every opportunity to win the game.  The offense can be flashy at times, but they are best when running good ol' Tressel-ball.

But OSU cannot have the mental lapses that cause them to get down early to a team like Wisconsin.  The offense is not built for a large comeback against a good team.  It is beginning to look like Pryor may never develop into the elite product that everyone had hoped (and that is OK, he is still very good).  The defense is not as good as it has been in the past, although is still very strong.  OSU still has to visit Iowa before finishing with Michigan.  But first needs to figure out the riddle of Purdue.

4 Iowa: Iowa has the table set for them this season with MSU, Wisconsin, and OSU all at home.  Iowa's defense is filled with NFL-level talent and the offense really clicked last week against Michigan.  While the conference is a little heavier at the top, this Iowa team may actually be better than the 2009 product, which of course went 10-2 and won the Orange Bowl.  The fact that Iowa still has to face all three of the above is the only reason it is ranked below them.

But the defense, for all the talent, has really struggled this season.  Even with Denard Robinson out of the game, Iowa could not keep Michigan out of the end zone.  The special teams have had abysmal problems, as evidenced by the loss to Arizona.  In addition to the Big three above, Iowa has to go to Evanston, and the Cats have cause Iowa major headaches over the past five years.  Iowa has a tough road to hoe, and may falter because of the issues on defense.

5 Northwestern: Surprised? Probably, but this is consistent with the pollsters and, really, NU has the best resume of any of the second tier teams in the conference.  But right now there is a big chasm between NU and Iowa.  NU can begin their efforts to close that gap this weekend, but they still need to play Iowa and at Wisconsin to finish the season.  Dan Persa looks like he could win every game on his own.  Too many mental errors on every side of the ball are keeping this team from moving to the upper level.

But the Cats have not beaten any teams of substance yet.  While both sides of the ball have looked impressive at times, neither has looked like a team that could knock off either of the big four yet.  The linemen need to be more of a force as they have been completely pushed around by both Minnesota and Purdue.  This is a season that could go very bad very quickly if they are not careful.

6 Michigan: Big Blue is coming off of two high-profile losses to teams that they had no business beating.  And honestly, if they played Northwestern 10 times on a neutral field, they would probably split.  But Michigan is 6th because they belong in the middle.  They have one of the most explosive offenses (who knew Forcier would move the ball better than Robinson against Iowa) but one of the worst defenses.  They started 5-0, but may have a hard time finishing above 7-5.  They are Even Steven.

But Michigan's defense is so bad.  Against Notre Dame, UMass, and Indiana they were opportunistic and pulled out the wins.  But their luck may have run out.  Michigan is ranked here now because this is where they deserve to be based on their record so far, but do not be surprised if they fall away as the season progresses.

7 Purdue: Like it or not, Purdue has been one of the nicer stories of the middle part of the season.  For all of the injuries they have had, their team has stepped up and won some nice games for them.   And why does this surprise anyone?  Purdue's defense was expected to be one of its strongest units in years and Ryan Kerrigan may be the best defensive end in the conference.  Purdue's offensive line is a powerful bunch who can move weaker defenses off the ball.  And the Purdue offense has always been accused of being a "system" offensive scheme -- so why should we be shocked when the backups have success?

But the offense is way too one-dimensional to have any long-term success in the Big Ten.  When NU was unable to stack the box successfully, expect OSU to completely shut down the Purdue running game and force Henry to throw.  Purdue will compete with Michigan and Illinois for slotting in the final Bowl game analysis.  But with only four wins, Purdue has some work to do.

8 Illinois: The Illinois love-fest that began after the Penn State win ended abruptly at the beginning of the second half against Sparty.  And Illinois is a nice looking team, but does not have the talent, or the coaching, to compete on any real level in the conference.  With that said, the defense is a strength at times, and the running game paces a nice, ball control offense.  This team may be good enough to save Zook's job; which depending on who you ask may be a really good thing for the rest of the Big Ten.

But the Illini are way too one-dimensional on offense to succeed in the Big Ten this year.  Even when down by 10 against Michigan State, Illinois played very close to the cuff and never opened up the playbook.  Maybe Zook has great things in mind for his young QB; and maybe he wants to keep the training wheels on this year.  But these rankings are for 2010, not 2012.

9 Penn State: Wow did these guys get irrelevant fast.  After the brutal loss to Illinois and the bye week, there has not been a peep about Happy Valley in almost two weeks.  It is hard to say anything good about this team.  If you take out Youngstown State (FCS), Penn State has scored a grand total of five touchdowns in five games -- three of which were against Kent State.  The true freshman quarterback is playing like a true freshman -- and sadly (depending on your point of view), Joe Pa will likely not be the coach long enough to see him mature.

But this is a team with a lot of heart; and a team that will dive in front of a train for their coach.  Penn State may limp its way through the season, but if Joe Pa is really ready to call it quits, try announcing it before the MSU game and see his players rise to the occasion.

10 Indiana: I went on record in the preseason saying that I was not drinking the IU Cool-Aid.  Here is the thing, if you want to schedule bad teams in order to get bowl eligible, fine.  But you still need to be good enough to win two more games, something that I am not sure that Indiana can do right now.  The performance against Michigan was a nice effort -- and there will be a few chances to win still on the schedule.  But IU fans who were holding off making their holiday plans should go ahead and call their travel agent, because this team is not going bowling.

But Ben Chappell is having a very good season and putting up some strong numbers.  Even if he does not captivate you with his blazing speed, it is hard to argue with the results.  If he can get some games where his defense comes to play, he might have some chances to pick up a few unexpected wins.  Losing Darius Willis for the season will really hurt this team.

11 Minnesota: There may not be a worse-off team in a BCS conference than the Golden Gophers right now.  Firing your coach this early in the season is not common and suggests that they will make a play for one of the high-profile coaches without a current job (Mike Leach anyone?).  The seniors no longer have anything to play for.  And their fullbacks and tight ends might as well get out their transfer papers if Leach is coming to town.  This is looking like a 1-11 season after two consecutive bowl appearances.

But -- yeah I have nothing good to say.

Go Cats!