Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, January 27, 2014

No doubt, it?s good to be Michigan. The Wolverines are coming off a monster week in which they took control of the Big Ten with huge victories vs. Iowa and at Michigan State.

Before that, the Wolverines won at Wisconsin. So, that?s three wins over three top-10 squads. That makes Michigan the first team since 1996-97 to win three straight regular-season game against top-10 teams.

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And Michigan is doing all of this without Mitch McGary, who is optimistic about his future.

How good will this team be when he returns? Really amazing to contemplate. I just hope this team doesn?t peak too early.

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If you haven?t figured it out by now, winning at Nebraska is difficult. Ohio State got clipped in Lincoln. Yesterday, it was Minnesota?s turn to feel the wrath of ?Nebrasketball.?

How about Terran Petteway?! He goes for 35 points. It was especially impressive to see the Cornhuskers bounce back from a tough loss at Penn State to notch this win. I think Tim Miles may have something cooking in Lincoln.

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Iowa will play the biggest game of the week in the Big Ten when Michigan State rolls into Iowa City on Wednesday. But, this won?t be a fully loaded Spartans team, which is missing Branden Dawson (hand) and Adreian Payne (foot).

Payne has missed the last five games; Dawson missed his first last Saturday when MSU lost at home to Michigan. Oh, and Keith Appling is dealing with a bad wrist but has continued to play on.

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The Spartans are mad about the loss. But Tom Izzo has been doing things lately that say he?s willing to sacrifice January and February for March. Smart man.

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Illinois couldn?t win at Northwestern. Neither could Purdue. Heck, Indiana couldn?t beat the Wildcats in Bloomington. But Iowa clobbered NU in Evanston over the weekend, showing just how good this Hawkeyes club is.

In fact, the 76-50 triumph may have been the most impressive of the season for Iowa.  Iowa is one of only three Big Ten teams that haven?t lost back-to-back games in league action this season. Michigan and Michigan State are the others. Iowa has been praised for its depth and versatility, but chemistry might be its biggest strength. All the pieces seem to fit almost perfectly. Nobody seems to care who scores as long as somebody does. What a fun squad.

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Meanwhile, the losses at Purdue continue. The home loss to Wisconsin was particularly hard to swallow. Natives are getting restless. Hard to blame them.

Look at the rest of the Boilermakers? schedule. I see maybe two or three more wins. That?s about it. Am I missing something?

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Prying James Franklin from Penn State was a pricey proposition for Penn State, which paid Vanderbilt a $1.5 million buyout.

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I think in the end, it will be worth it. If you are into such stuff, here are the full terms of Franklin?s deal with Penn State.

As a point of perspective, Texas agreed to pay Louisville $4.375 million on behalf of Charlie Strong and Boise State agreed to pay Arkansas State $1.75 million on behalf of Bryan Harsin.

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What Ohio State fan isn?t looking forward to 2014? Exactly. This team should be the favorite to win the Big Ten. Don?t believe me? Check out this way-early analysis of the 2014 schedule.

TWEETS THAT MATTER

My take: Now, the Huskers have to win some on the road.

My take: High praise, indeed.

My take: Amazing.

My take: It?s not gonna happen.

My take: OK. But, after six losses in a row, it?s getting more difficult.

My take: It?s been almost two years. If it was gonna happen, it probably already would have happened.

About Tom Dienhart BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section.

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