Power 5 week 7 recap: The Big 10 returns to class
Big 10 is back with two big upsets, Va Tech falls to Wake, and Trevor Lawrence heads to the bars.
By: The Waco Kid
Roll call: Will the real Big 10 please stand up? Not you Penn State, it's back to detention for you. The Big 10 returned to college football this past weekend and put on some out of this world offensive performances. Defensively there’s room for improvement, but it is the conference’s first games so teams will get a hall pass this week. Top teams Michigan, Ohio State, Rutgers, and Wisconsin scored at least 38 points against their opponents en route to wins. Yes you read that right, Rutgers, a top conference team only because if you are Michigan State it is not enough that you lost to the Scarlet Knights, the Spartans need to be publicly humiliated in every possible way following a loss like that. At the very least, a modern day tar and feathering on Twitter. C’mon, Rutgers has won 7 games in the last three seasons combined and this year pranced into Lansing, MI and defeated MSU to open the season. That’s embarrassing.
Sparty takes his rightful online shame.
I can now confidently say that with the exception of a few teams, I agree that some Big 10 competitors deserve to be ranked in the top 25 for the first time this season. We will examine these games later but since the conference was the latest to enter (Pac 12 still to come) they will have to wait to be exploited until the end.
My favorite conference, the Big 12, played this weekend. No one really noticed due to the entry of the Big 10 but there were some pretty high profile games, including Texas vs. Baylor and #17 Iowa State vs. #6 OK State, and if I’m being completely honest the other two games were kind of boring. Lincoln led his troops south of the Red River and once again conquered Ft. Worth, with a 33-14 Oklahoma victory, leaving TCU to contemplate possible secession from the Big 12. Les led his team a few Miles down the road only to leave Manhattan, KS with a 55-14 Jayhawk loss. These were expected outcomes for the Big 12 but the remaining two games were hard to predict.
Texas took on Baylor in the battle for the Brazos River. No one really wants to own the Brazos because it is a turd infested drainage system, but that kind of describes the teams playing so it fits. Being from the 254, I was hoping Baylor could pull off an upset against a vulnerable Longhorns team, but it didn’t seem to be in the cards. It soon became evident that Sam Ehlinger had no intentions of letting the Baylor defense stop him. He threw for 270 yards, a touchdown and an interception while rushing for two more scores. Baylor began to make moves in the fourth quarter but it proved too little, too late for Dave Aranda’s squad. Texas sent the Bears back to Waco to contemplate a 27-16 loss. At least now we know to expect a sea of burnt orange throughout central Texas and no longer have to wonder where these bandwagon fans will settle for the year. Where there is a Walmart, they will be there; a Burger King, they will be there; a convenience store that sells ice coolers, they will be there; covered in burnt orange, never letting you forget that the horns up sign is not a weird sex thing.
Photo: NY Daily News
The Texas faction of Walmart fans say “welcome to hell!” This seems to be a recurring theme. Stay classy Longhorns.
Finally, #6 Oklahoma State Cowboys played the #17 Iowa State Cyclones in a top 25 contest. I felt obligated to put in the rankings because this could very well be the last time we see two Big 12 teams play while also being ranked this season. Iowa State was coming off of a three game win streak in the Big 12 after falling to national contender Louisiana Lafayette. Oklahoma State entered the game undefeated and near the top of the Big 12 rankings. OSU features one of the best backs in the nation with Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard started off the year slow but ran for 139 yards and a touchdown in this bout. Iowa State’s Brock Purdy was subpar, only throwing for 162 yards and a touchdown, which did not help ISU in a must win conference game. Both teams had great defensive efforts but the Cyclones ultimately fell to the Cowboys, 24-21.
The Big 12: “They’re more than bad, theyyyy’re AWFULLLL!!!!”
The ACC took care of business, as expected, except for the #19 Virginia Tech Hokies. Oh, you dirty little bird you, you just had to mess everything up for the conference, huh? While the other top teams in the conference seemed to flourish, the Hokies forgot the fabled “Lunch Pail” and brought their Monday lunch rush, C-team, into North Carolina to play the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. As we have seen from the documentary QB1, Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman had gotten used to playing tenacious defenses during his time as a high school quarterback. Just kidding, those defenses were awful. I would not necessarily say the Demon Deacons won as much as I would say the Hokies lost. Wake Forest’s offense was nothing to commend but their defense did force three interceptions which ended up determining the conclusion. The game ended in favor of WF, 23-16, and it was an ugly one that Tech can only hope to leave in the past.
North Carolina continued to amaze with their rushing attack. Against NC State, Javontae Williams and Michael Carter combined for 266 yards and 4 touchdowns. There is no better one- two punch in the nation. They are today’s Mario and Luigi, and I dare you to find a better running back duo. You add that in with quarterback Sam Howell, who threw for 252 yards and a score, there’s no wonder the Tar Heels remain in the Top 25. NC State was a schedule formality that UNC walked away from with a 48-21 decisive win. Virginia entered South Beach in hopes of leaving alive. They did more than that, playing a close game with the Miami Hurricanes. It is astonishing this game ended as close as it was seeing how D’Eriq King threw for 322 yards and a touchdown. The Canes barely escaped an upset, winning 19-14, after Virginia came back late in the fourth to make it a close game. The U will travel to meet a better North Carolina State team next week and must play at a much higher level to leave with a win.
The Clemson Tigers and the Syracuse Orange, what a pair. Predictions had the Tigers as a 46 point favorite, but oh no Orange quarterback, Rex Culpepper, had something to say about that. Rex, a very, very, very distant relative of Daunte Culpepper, has followed in his kin’s footsteps of losing games closer than they were supposed to be lost. He not only threw for 175 yards and a touchdown against Clemson’s defense but also made sure the Tigers were unable to cover the absurd spread. Lawrence threw for 289, two touchdowns, and an interception while his counterpart Etienne, rushed for three scores, but that was not enough points in the gambling world. They did score enough points to send the Orange back to New York with a 47-21 loss. Rex and Sean Tucker were the only two bears to show up for Syracuse, so naturally Goldilocks ate their porridge, called Etienne to get rid of the evidence, and left without a second thought.
Photo: Sports Gossip
Trevor Lawrence had an enjoyable night at the bar to celebrate after the game, but had to call it a night early to get some rest.
The Big 10 started the season Friday night with #14 Wisconsin hosting the Fighting Illini. This one went pretty much as expected. Wisconsin scored first and then Illinois scored once. Quarterback Graham Mertz threw 3 touchdowns in the second quarter alone, and ended the night with 5 scores on 248 yards passing. Unfortunately Mertz may be out of the picture for the next few weeks due to a positive COVID test. The Badger defense held the Illini to 218 yards of total offense, forced two turnovers, and did not allow them to score. The only touchdown for IU was a 39 yard fumble return by their defense which served as a small silver lining in a 45-7 loss. Wisconsin proved they should be a top 25 team but will have to produce wins over Indiana, Michigan, and Minnesota to have a shot at the Big 10 Championship.
Saturday debuted a few interesting games from Big 10 powerhouses. The Michigan State Spartans and Penn State Nittany Lions have been historical powers within the conference and both teams seemed poised to continue their relevance this year. However, 2020 would continue to be a year of unexpected outcomes. Michigan State was set to host Rutgers for new head coach Mel Tucker’s Big 10 inauguration. Tucker was introduced to the conference in a B1G way. Rutgers scored within the first four minutes of the game and never relinquished the reins to the Spartans. Granted Michigan State did turn the ball over 7 times on offense, which is an astounding number for a non-JV high school football team. State quarterback Rocky Lombardi threw 2 interceptions and lost one fumble and the running backs combined for a total of four lost fumbles throughout the game. Rutgers capitalized on these mistakes and delivered blow after blow until the final whistle, ending the game 38-27. Even Leonidas couldn’t have stopped the onslaught the Spartans took in this battle.
Photo: Waiting for Next Year
And what have we at B&S been telling you about ranking teams who haven’t proven themselves, especially ranking them over teams that have been playing for over a month? Penn State can serve as the cautionary tale. The Nittany Lions entered their game against the Indiana Hoosiers ranked #8 in the nation. Most elite teams entering Bloomington, IN would pass right by Memorial Stadium and head to Assembly Hall to take on the Hoosiers, but on Saturday afternoon Penn State found stiff competition on the gridiron rather than the hardwood. PSU quarterback Sean Clifford “The Big Red Dog” looked like the reincarnation of Trace McSorley. Clifford seemed to be the whole offensive plan; not only did he throw for 238 yards and 3 touchdowns, he also rushed for 119 yards and another score. His main flaw was the two interceptions he gave up to the Indiana defense.
The Hoosiers proved in this game that one player cannot defeat a team by himself. There was nothing impressive about the IU offense but they were able to keep the game within reach before finally striking to send the game into overtime with a Michael Penix Jr. touchdown run. Penn State scored quickly, in overtime, on a 9-yard pass from Clifford the Big Red Dog. Indiana answered with a touchdown pass of their own but opted to go for a two point conversion to end the game. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. ran for the two point conversion, dove for the endzone, and ended the game 36-35. I will leave the verdict up to you but I am not entirely sure Indiana should have won this game.
Photo: FS1 Telecast Screenshot
Was he in…?
Two of the top Big 10 teams also opened their seasons this weekend. The Wolverines played a top 25 team, while the Buckeyes faced Nebraska. #18 Michigan traveled to Minneapolis in hopes of defeating #21 Minnesota. Michigan took a 21-10 first quarter lead and never looked back from there. Their offense was sparked by a 70 yard run by Zach Charbonnet, and they continued to pound the ball with running back Hassan Haskins, who finished with 82 yards and two touchdowns. Jim Harbaugh was able to coach his team to a win over a decent Minnesota team, 49-24.
Georgia dropout, Justin Fields, made his entrance as expected, only missing one pass out of 21 attempts. There wasn’t much hope for Nebraska in the second half, but if you take away some highly questionable calls in the first half, specifically a Cornhusker pass interference on a ball thrown well over the receiver’s head, the Buckeyes could be looking at a tied or close game going into halftime. We all know that the Auburns’, Ohio States’, and Texas’ of the world are going to get the calls in their favor that alter games; because without those programs, college football might be a little more interesting. The last thing networks need is more interesting scenarios, they just need the high paying schools to stay relevant. Thanks for ruining college football. We could be looking at a one loss Arkansas team or a one loss Baylor team but no, now we have to sit through the insufferable dynasties that the media loves to love. My apologies, I digress - back to the OSU game, in the second half Justin Fields put the game out of reach scoring two touchdowns, one in the air and one on the ground. I hate to admit it but O-H-I-O looks like a top 5 team in the nation. The Buckeyes finished Nebraska, 52-17, in one of the more impressive offensive showings of the weekend.
The Big 10 is back and proved they deserve national recognition. Now we wait for the Pac 12 to show up or back down. Either way the SEC plays on and that’s what really matters. #JustinFieldsandKylerMurraycouldntplayintheSEC, #Theytooktheeasywayout.
See you on the couch next week.