Big Ten Roundup - Week Five Standings & More

Big Ten conference roundup, standings, player and game of the week

Click on each team for game recaps, thoughts, schedules and more and scroll down for the games, results, players of the week and the conference roundup.

Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Michigan | Michigan State | Minnesota
Northwestern | Ohio State | Penn State | Purdue | Wisconsin
- Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4

Big Ten Game of the Week

Michigan 27 ... Wisconsin 25
Michigan couldn't have been worse in the first half, turning it over five times as Wisconsin took a 19-0 lead into halftime. It was a completely different Wolverine team over the final 20 minutes of the game as Steven Threet hit Kevin Koger for a 26-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, Brandon Minor ran for a 34-yard score, and John Thompson picked off a pass and took it 25 yards for a score. But the Wolverines went for two and failed, giving them a 20-19 lead with 10:24 to play. The Wolverine scoring run continued going 77 yards in six plays with Sam McGuffie running for a three-yard score with just over five minutes to play. But Wisconsin would rally on its final drive going 64 yards in six plays with Allan Evridge connecting with David Gilreath for a 22-yard touchdown with 13 seconds to play. Down two, the Badger converted the conversion, but it was called back to an ineligible receiver penalty. Evridge misfired on the second try and Wisconsin didn't get the onside kick. Philip Welch hit four first half field goals for the Badgers.

Big Ten Player of the Week
The entire Michigan defensive line, led by DE Brandon Graham, who made six tackles, three sacks, and forced two fumbles in the win over Wisconsin. Also, Penn State WR Derrick Williams set the school-record for total yards in a game catching six passes for 75 yards and a touchdown, running six times for 33 yards and a score, and returning three kickoffs for 133 yards and a touchdown in the win over Illinois

Standings	Conference			Overall
	W-L	PF	PA	W-L	PF	PA	STK
N'western	1-0	22	17	5-0	125	62	W5
Penn State	1-0	38	24	5-0	249	64	W5
Ohio State	1-0	34	21	4-1	134	80	W2
Michigan St	1-0	42	29	4-1	155	84	W4
Michigan	1-0	27	25	2-2	83	91	W1
Purdue	0-0	0	0	2-2	121	105	L1
Minnesota	0-1	21	34	4-1	166	104	L1
Wisconsin	0-1	25	27	3-1	127	68	L1
Iowa	0-1	17	22	3-2	142	51	L2
Illinois	0-1	24	38	2-2	133	128	L1
Indiana	0-1	29	42	2-2	125	100	L2

Saturday, September 27
12:00	at Ohio State 34 ... Minnesota 21 CFN Prediction: OSU 37-17  OSU -18
12:00	Michigan State 42 ... at Indiana 29 CFN Prediction: MSU 34-30  MSU -9
12:05	Northwestern 22 ... at Iowa 17 CFN Prediction: Iowa 23-14  Iowa -8
3:30	at Notre Dame 38 ... Purdue 21 CFN Prediction: Pur 24-16  Pur -2.5
3:30	at Michigan 27 ... Wisconsin 25 CFN Prediction: UW 23-13  UW -6.5
8:00	at Penn State 38 ... Illinois 24 CFN Prediction: PSU 38-23  PSU -13.5

Games of the Week
Aug. 30 - Cal 38 - MSU 31
Sep. 6 - NW 24 ... Duke 20
Sep 13 - Oregon 32 - Purdue 26 2OT
Sep 20 - Pur 32 - CMU 25
sep 27 - Mich 27 - UW 25

Players of the Week
Aug. 30 - PJ Hill, Wisconsin
Sep. 6 - Javon Ringer, MSU
Sep 13 - Javon Ringer, MSU
Sep 20 - Javon Ringer, MSU
Sep 27 - Michigan D line & Derrick Wililams, PSU

Conference
Roundup

Illinois … Penn State has a serious defense, and Illinois was able to get the offense moving. 189 rushing yards and 183 passing yards didn't do enough to overcome the Nittany Lion explosiveness, but Arrelious Benn did his part. The defense couldn't come up with the one big stop needed for the offense to take over. Penn State was always one step ahead and the Illini couldn't do anything to slow the machine down. If the Illini offense plays as well as it did this week at Michigan next week, the season will get back on track.
Indiana … Kellen Lewis got banged up against Michigan State, but that was hardly the problem. The defensive line that was supposed to be the strength coming into the season hasn't come close to playing up to its talent level. Offensively, Ben Chappell struggled in place of Lewis, and Lewis didn't shine when he came back in. As this game showed, Marcus Thigpen has to keep getting the ball in his hands. He's a devastating home run hitter who needs to be in space as much as possible. Until the defense comes around, the team's going to need all of its available weapons.
Iowa … Iowa made way too many mistakes and didn’t do nearly enough defensively to get into the Northwestern backfield once things started to go south. Shonn Greene ran well, and Ricky Stanzi did enough to show that he should remain the starting quarterback, but five turnovers, with four fumbles, and struggles on third downs turned out to be a killer. The team can’t afford to blow home games, and now the schedule gets nastier with tougher home dates and interesting road games. The team is good enough to win, but it can’t keep making mistakes.
Michigan … Much will be made about how the comeback win over Wisconsin could charge up the Rich Rodriguez era and turn the season around. This was a great, great win, but the heart showed in the second half might mask all the major problems the team still has. A steady quarterback needs to be unearthed, a real, live tailback has to emerge, and the offensive line has to be better. However, Michigan can win a lot of games if the defensive line plays like it did throughout. The score should've been at least 30-0 at halftime with the mistakes the offense made, but the defense came through big-time. In the second half, Brandon Graham and Tim Jamison dominated the Wisconsin offensive front. Even though there are still issues, this win will allow everyone to exhale for a week with Illinois coming to town.
Michigan State … While it might seem like there's more to the MSU offense than Javon Ringer, there isn't. Ringer ran 44 times against Indiana, and when the other parts of the offense were working, it was because everyone was keying on Ringer. Even so, Brian Hoyer had his best game of the year and the O line did a fantastic job against the excellent IU pass rush. As long as the defense can prevent the big plays it gave up this week, there shouldn't be a problem against Iowa and Northwestern.
Minnesota … The Minnesota defense got pounded on for the first time all year as Ohio State thumped away with Beanie Wells and Terrelle Pryor. The offense had a few chances, getting the ball on a turnover deep in Buckeye territory early and going on a long drive in the third, but could only come away with two field goals. Adam Weber wasn't bad, but the running game struggled and there weren't enough good drives to give the defense a little rest. Indiana is a winnable game up next, but the offense has to average more than 2.9 yards per carry.
Northwestern … There are still going to be doubters considering the schedule isn’t all that tough, but the win over Iowa at Iowa should open some eyes. Tyrell Sutton was held in check, but C.J. Bacher stepped up. The defense gave up yards, and got ripped up in the first half, but it started to force turnovers and held firm in the second half. Now it’s time to truly get excited. There’s an off-week before home games against Michigan State and Purdue. With no Penn State or Wisconsin on the schedule, it’s time to start dreaming big.
Ohio State … The Ohio State offense took on a whole different look with Beanie Wells and Terrelle Pryor running the ball. Granted, Minnesota isn't USC, but for the first time this year, the offense started to moved the ball on a consistent basis with the running game suddenly getting more of a pop. It would've been nice if the defense had dropped the hammer in the fourth quarter and made it an ugly blowout for style points, but it was still a good, easy win before going to Wisconsin.
Penn State … Penn State got tested for the first time all season long, and it came through when it had to. It's a little disturbing that the offense rolled without much of a problem and it took a full sixty minutes to put the game away. The defense had a few breakdowns, especially on the 54-yard touchdown catch from Arrelious Benn, but the offense, and Derrick Williams, made up for the problems. Illinois was able to run and throw equally well, and while the Nittany Lion defense won't have a problem with Purdue next week, the D needs to be tighter in upcoming road games at Wisconsin and Ohio State. On the plus side, Darryl Clark proved he's the team-leader to keep the offense moving. He was terrific.
Purdue … 202 rushing yards. That's how many Notre Dame came up with. Notre Dame. The Purdue run defense is more than just a big problem, it's the season. With Penn State and Ohio State coming up next, Purdue needs to come up with a new wrinkle in a big hurry or there won't be a bowl, there won't be a good sendoff for Joe Tiller, and a relatively good team will be an extreme disappointment. As this game showed, Curtis Painter can't bomb away for wins.
Wisconsin … Bret Bielema might be one of college football's bright young head coaches, but he and he staff were blown out by Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan staff when it came to making adjustments. Wisconsin should've blown out Michigan by four touchdowns, but the offense couldn't take advantage of all the first half Wolverine mistakes, and there were no adjustments on the pass plays, especially on third downs, until the final drive. Wisconsin will still go to the Rose Bowl if it wins out, Michigan isn't all that great, but first, QB Allan Evridge needs to be taught to get rid of the ball much, much quicker. He killed the offense by holding on to is way too long.