The Big Ten looks like it is in for a very interesting year. After one week of conference play, there are a few surprises. Four Big Ten teams — Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Ohio State — haven’t lost a game this season, and two other teams, Iowa and Wisconsin, are 4-1.
Denard Robinson
It seems odd to say that an undefeated Michigan team is a surprise; after all, Michigan is the winningest college football team of all time. Denard Robinson, however, can only be said to have put up shocking numbers on offense. His extraordinary output has allowed Michigan to overcome what appears to be a pretty weak defense and keep the wolves (or perhaps Wolverines) from the door of beleaguered coach Rich Rodriguez. Michigan State — particularly its win over preseason Big Ten favorite Wisconsin — also has been a surprise. We’ll find out soon enough which team can keep it up; the Wolverines and the Spartans play each other this week at The Big House in Ann Arbor.
At the other end of the league, Minnesota’s bad start may have finally made Golden Gopher supporters rue the day Glen Mason got fired. Penn State fans have to be disappointed in their offense, which has struggled to score points and been held to a field goal apiece by Alabama and Iowa. Indiana, which comes to the Horseshoe to play Ohio State this week, is almost Penn State’s exact opposite. The Hoosiers have scored points in bunches behind a passing attack that currently ranks fourth in the nation, but it has given up points in bunches, too. Denard Robinson took advantage of that propensity to pull out a last-second win last week.
College football is a lot of fun to watch, and the Big Ten this year is especially unpredictable.
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