Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor, September 24, 2012
The final full week of non-conference football is complete, and now it's time for Big Ten play. There are five Big Ten tilts set for Saturday, including Ohio State-Michigan State and Wisconsin-Nebraska. Before the action kicks off, here are BTN.com's top 10 most-read stories of Week 4.
10. Revsine's Numbers: Three unbeaten teams remain
Last week, I opened the column by dwelling on the negative. Not happening this week. We?re starting with the positive - the Big Ten?s three unbeaten teams. Ohio State is the first, and perhaps least surprising, of those unbeatens - and Urban Meyer?s team has gotten there with, no surprise, a high-powered offense.
9. 1st Quarter Recap: Iowa 14, Central Michigan 10
Iowa sniffed out Central Michigan?s rushing attack in the first quarter and held the Chippewas to 19 rush yards and the Hawkeyes lead 14-10 at the end of the first quarter. Iowa aired it out in the quarter, finishing with 119 passing yards.
8. Who's got next? Mark Dantonio's rapid-fire Q&A
During his press availability after Michigan State?s 23-7 win over Eastern Michigan, Spartans coach Mark Dantonio apparently wanted to keep the questions from reporters moving at fast pace. At one point it was almost like a no-huddle approach as Dantonio punctuated each of his short answers with the phrase, ?Next question.?
7. 1st Quarter Recap: Nebraska 35, Idaho State 0
With 35 points in the first quarter, No. 22 Nebraska now holds a 35-0 lead over Idaho State. The Cornhuskers got on the scoreboard first, rattling off a two-play, 68-yard drive that ended in a score when Rex Burkhead turned a handoff into a 61-yard touchdown.
6. Week 4: We predict all 10 Big Ten games
Every week, BTN.com?s Brent Yarina (@BTNBrentYarina) and Tom Dienhart (@BTNTomDienhart) offer their predictions for each Big Ten football game. We also provide a poll for all of the games so fans can vote for their winners. After three weeks, it?s Tom and BTN.com fans on top, at 28-8, while Brent is in the cellar, at 27-9.
5. 1st Quarter Recap: UAB 6, Ohio State 0
In the first quarter, UAB?s Jonathan Perry stood out. He threw for 61 yards and ran for 26 yards, and the Blazers lead 6-0 at the end of the first quarter. UAB made the score 6-0 when Calvin Jones returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.
4. Did You See This? Michigan banner on Notre Dame Stadium
How about that? We?re still days away from the Michigan-Notre Dame game, and Wolverine fans already have hit up Notre Dame Stadium. Thanks to @stephenjnesbitt, we have visual proof of it. Evidently, Michigan fans placed a blue ?Beat the Irish? banner on the stadium, facing Touchdown Jesus.
3. Week 4 Bowl Projections: Michigan headed to Fiesta Bowl
Three weeks are in the books, but the bowl picture remains a work-in-progress. To review: The Big Ten has tie-ins with eight bowls-but it has only 10 bowl-eligible schools, as Penn State and Ohio State are on NCAA and banned from the postseason in 2012.
2. Gophers hoops gets Aerographic jersey design
If you?ve watched Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State or Purdue basketball recently, you may have noticed their jerseys have a large, yet faint, design on the back. It?s a Nike thing, and it?s called the Aerographic design. Add Minnesota to the club. Sophomore Joe Coleman tweeted a picture of the new jersey Wednesday.
1. Power Rankings: Believe in the Wildcats, Gophers
The Big Ten is home to three 4-0 teams after nonconference play. One of the perfect teams is no big surprise (Ohio State), while the other two are close to shocking (Minnesota and Northwestern). And you?ll find all three on top of my latest Big Ten Power Rankings.
BTN.com web editor Brent Yarina covers football and men's basketball for BTN.com. He writes the popular uniform feature "Clothes Call," which also focuses on the latest cosmetic changes across Big Ten arenas and stadiums. Read all of his latest work here. You can subscribe to Yarina's RSS feed and follow him on Twitter @BTNBrentYarina. |