Temple got hosed. Minnesota still stinks. The Citadel put a lot of points on Wisconsin. The Citadel does not even carry a full load of scholarship players for a 1-AA school.

So far this week has been business as usual although there are some upsets in the making. After playing Texas tough for a half last week I do not consider the Falcon win over TCU to be an upset. In each of the past two years when they played and beat Texas Tech & Oklahoma, they then lost to weaker teams the following week. Playing top teams does take the wind out of one's sail.

Notre Dame has to the worst team in 1-A.

I am sticking with my pre-season prediction regarding how the Big Ten will play out for the most part. The only change I am making is flip-flopping the two Michigan schools.

1. Penn State 11-1, they easily have the conferences top defense. This year, that is more than enough for me.
2. Wisconsin 10-2
3. Ohio State 10-2
4. Purdue, 9-3
5. Michigan State, 8-4
6. Michigan, 7-5
7. Illinois, 7-5
8. Iowa, 6-6
9. Northwestern, 5-7
10. Indiana, 4-8
11. Minnesota, 3-9

SOS, are you sure about that one statement regarding PSU having the best defense in the Big-10? Unless you're a PSU alum or live somewhere in PA, I think you're just a wee bit biased.. (Then again I not only live in Cowtown but I work for OSU so I guess I'm biased too... :D

Stewart, I want to ask you something, do you dislike OSU? I know you grew up just outside Cincy, and went to Northwestern but is there something about OSU that has caused you to seemingly have this reputation that you dislike us? I guess I'm just curious what it was that caused you to feel this way, because I'm honestly at a loss here...

Looks like the Big Ten put some hurt on the Big East and Pac-10 today. I'm not saying the Big Ten is the best, but the Pac10 came down to earth today with OSU beating Wash and #1 UCLA getting crushed by the utah juggernaut! Can't wait till Wisconsin and OSU have to come to Happy Valley later this year. Besides a couple of teams (USC, LSU and Flordai), everone else seems mediocre. Oklahoma really hasnt played anyone yet, exas is lucky to be where they're at, WVU hasn't played anyone, etc..... We still need a couple weeks to see where everyone really stands....

Looks like the Big Ten put some hurt on the Big East and Pac-10 today. I'm not saying the Big Ten is the best, but the Pac10 came down to earth today with OSU beating Wash and #1 UCLA getting crushed by the utah juggernaut! Can't wait till Wisconsin and OSU have to come to Happy Valley later this year. Besides a couple of teams (USC, LSU and Flordai), everone else seems mediocre. Oklahoma really hasnt played anyone yet, exas is lucky to be where they're at, WVU hasn't played anyone, etc..... We still need a couple weeks to see where everyone really stands....

I know it's early, but is anyone else beginning to notice similarities to the 2002 Buckeyes and this group of Buckeyes? Great defense, a mediorcre offense, an unproven QB at the helm...and a lot of close games.

I know the Bucks aren't even on anyone's radar yet, but look out...these guys seem to do much better in the underdog role than they do as favorite.

Holy cow at UK beating Louisville. I have to wonder if UL would have taken a knee on the last kickoff, then they would have had 8 more seconds and enough time to run one last play from 10 yards out... This weekend has been one of the most exciting weekends yet for college football. Despite being an OSU alum, and whatnot, I was glad to see Michigan regain some sense of dignity, had they lost to ND then I don't think they would let the Michigan players back into the state of Michigan.

I agree with your question Stewart, I honestly think that George Leary is a much better coach then Weiss, and I don't think Notre Dame would look like such a pathetic bunch of lost players out on the pitch. Honestly, I think some of the better high school teams in the country this year could beat Notre Dame.

Given how poorly Notre Dame is, do you think they will bounce back next year or is this going to last a few more seasons now that the players that Troy recruited are all gone?

Great stat on Vandy vs Notre Dame - Bill Trocchi is the MAN!

There's a lot of discontent going around about the Big Ten this year, and Stewart is no exception. Many commentators, including SI's power conference ratings, have the Big 10 being thoroughly outclassed by the Pac 10. I would have to say, however, that it is worth keeping in mind a comment made by several observers today. It is very difficult to judge quality on the basis of only a few games.

Today's games would seem to raise at least some further question marks about just how far apart the B10 and P10 are. Witness:

1. The B10 has two more undefeated teams than the P10 and three more teams that are 3-0.

2. While Michigan has been spanked by teams it shouldn't have been, so now has UCLA.

3. In direct, head-to-head games, the B10 is 2-1 against the P-10.

4. While Minnesota is clearly bad, so is Arizona.

It seems to me that much of the hype about the P-10 being much better than the B-10 comes down, ultimately, to Michigan's poor performance in its first two games, which I will refer the reader back to my earlier point. It's very difficult to assess long-term strength on only one or two games.

Rich, I grew up in metro Detroit and am a Spartan fan. The reason I say that Penn State has the best defense is simple. Penn State has the nations top secondary and linebacking corps. Justin King is the nation's top corner. Sargent and Wallace are the leagues 4th and 5th best corners. Both safeties are the best at their positions in the league. Dan Conner is the nations top linebacker. Sales and Lee are the 3rd and 4th best linebackers in the league. The D-line was never a concern as some have thought. It is as simple as that.

Good thing no one is saying that the Big Ten is tops with Iowa, Minnesota and Northwestern beaten by weak teams. Wisconsin has labored over weak teams, Michigan has only managed to beat the unofficial Commander-in-Chief's winner, OSU has only beaten Washington, whose claim to fame is beating a Boise State team with one Top 25 victory in the past three seasons, and I don't see any big wins from the rest. Hardly a resume worth boasting about.

Nobody is saying the Big 10 is tops. I think what some people are saying, however (including me) is that it's gotten fashionable to dump all over the Big 10 this year, probably largely due to OSU's admitted choke against Florida (they just weren't prepared and they should have been) and Michigan.

As for all this conference comparison, let me speak for at least some of my Big 10 brethren and say those of you from other conferences that need to keep yakking, go ahead and chatter all you want to about who's better. Shout, jump up and down...heck, beat your chest if you want...whatever makes you feel big and tough. Us (and I mean the Big 10)...we're gonna just focus on playing ball for the next few months, and we'll see you at bowl time. That's when it matters.

Oh, and yeah...feel free to respond with the usual inane bravado...it'll make things sweeter at the end of the season.

Go Boilers! Go Buckeyes!

To BoilerBuck - I see it as not being fashionable to dump on the Big Ten. It's just an honest appraisal of a conference that has done little to distinguish itself. To say that Tressel and OSU did not prepare for Fla is silly. OSU players, including Smith, talked about the dedication they showed leading up to the game. Last season Big Ten teams played no one but a Texas team having an off season. OSU could not prepare for Florida because they had seen nothing to prepare them. OSU was fast and strong until you look outside the Big Ten. I think the Big Ten must upgrade its schedule if it is to have any hope of regaining its reputation. It should have been USC vs Florida for the title.

SOS you really think that Indiana will get only one more win this season with Illinois, Minnesota, Northwestern and Ball State still on the schedule?

Charles, your honest appraisal misses the mark. Michigan plays ND every year, PSU scheduled them, OSU scheduled Texas. There's games agasint Oregon and Washington.... It's not like the Big Ten plays scrubs out of conference. Every conference plays some good and bad games out of conference.

I still come back to Penn State and Wisconsin beating SEC teams in bowls last year. Everyone forgets that. The BCS game last year would have been different if Ginn wasn't hurt too. but I don't want to get hung up on could of and should of stuff.

And enough we with the lack of speed in the Big Ten crap. I agree that the SEC has fast defensive lineman, but other than that they're not much faster elsewhere. There are a number of fast backs, receivers, linebackers and secondary players in the Big Ten. Tennessee and Arkansas were supposed to have too much speed for PSU and Wisconsin, but that didn't happen.

Finally, the Big Ten has a winning record against the SEC in bowl games for the last 5 years. That's a fact!

Bradley, thanks for the update. That prediction for Indiana was made before the season. Sorry for not updating the bottom half of the Big Ten. I just copied and pasted.

Did anyone else notice the fact that Mandel only briefly mentioned Penn State and Wisconsin, arguably the 2 teams with the best shot to win the conference, but talked much more about Ohio State and Michigan--even Iowa? He mentions Michigan State, Illinois, and even Minnesota more than these 2!

I think it's becoming fashionable to jump on the "Big 10 sucks" bandwagon...and I'm not one for high fashion.