Big Ten links: Surprise 4-0 starts, PSU offense & much more

How about those Iowa Hawkeyes?! It?s OK to say they?re good.

North Texas coach Dan McCarney was impressed after getting his butt kicked.

?The physicality of the team is fundamentally sound,? McCarney said. Then his voice got softer and yet firmer at the same time for emphasis.

?Just the whole complete thing,? he said about Iowa. ?Special teams, punter, kicker, returner. The returner (cornerback Desmond King) obviously is going to be playing a lot of years after he leaves Iowa if he stays healthy. He?s going to have a long career in the NFL.

?They?re fundamentally sound, they?re well-coached, they don?t beat themselves. Iowa doesn?t beat Iowa. You have to beat them."

This week?s game at Wisconsin will tell us a lot.

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While on the topic of surprise 4-0 teams, there's the Indiana Hoosiers, too.

IU is 4-0-and looks like a cinch to make its first bowl since 2007 and just its second since 1993. I wonder how many games the Hoosiers can win-seven? Eight? It?s possible. Really.

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Michigan is improving every game, in every way. And, the rest of the Big Ten should be scared.

Nick Baumgardner of Mlive.com says Saturday showed why school A.D. Jim Hackett waited on Jim Harbaugh. It showed why Michigan made him a $40-million coach, and why Hackett basically put all the eggs in the Harbaugh basket. Because, ultimately, results are tough to argue with.

"It's coming," Harbaugh said Saturday afternoon, less than an hour after his team humiliated No. 22 BYU, 31-0, at Michigan Stadium. "It's coming together."

Faster than I even expected.

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Can you believe it has been 25 years since BTN?s own Howard Griffith scored eight-count ?em EIGHT–TD?s in a game? I feel pretty certain this record is as unbreakable as Joe DiMaggio?s 56-game hitting streak.

Bob Asmussen of the Champaign News-Gazette looked back at the Griffith's big day, a performance that made Al Bundy?s four-touchdown game at Polk High look like peanuts.

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Some fans may not like the fact Michigan State isn?t dominating opponents. Take it easy. Don?t worry. The Spartans are winning. Besides, Mark Dantonio?s blueprint is to win titles-not notch lopsided wins. He isn?t Steve Spurrier.

"I was on a football team in 2002 when we won eight games by less than a touchdown," Dantonio told Mlive.com, referring to his stint as the Buckeyes' defensive coordinator under Jim Tressel. "We won a national championship. You just keep playing, and it gives you confidence when you can make plays down the stretch because at the end of the day there's pressure."

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Was the Kansas game a must-win for Rutgers? I think it was. Watch video of RU interim head coach Norries Wilson give his spin.

The Scarlet Knights needed some positive mojo, considering all of the tumult around the team. So, I think it was a must-win. There aren?t a lot of games on the Rutgers? schedule that look like gimme wins. The KU game was one of them. So, RU needed to prevail. And did.

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Penn State has discovered a vertical passing game-and just in time, as injuries are settling in a running back.

With top running backs Saquon Barkley and Akeel Lynch sidelined for an undetermined length of time, the success of the passing game will take on even more importance. Pennlive.com notes that Christian Hackenberg played his best game of the season vs. San Diego State, throwing for 296 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-35 passing with no interceptions. For the first time this year, the junior quarterback pushed the ball deep down the field, completing passes of 32, 35, and 46 yards to three different receivers. This is the 2013 Hackenberg. Welcome back!

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After that performance by Minnesota QB Mitch Leidner vs. Ohio, it seems some Gopher watchers have changed their tune.

Yes, Leidner isn?t always pretty, but he usually delivers when the chips are down. He did so at Colorado State earlier this year; and he did again on Saturday vs. Ohio.

?I never lose confidence in myself,? Leidner said. ?I?ve been a competitive kid my entire life and at no point was I going to back down from any type of competition.?

So, it?s OK to be a Leidner fan again ? at least for a week.

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Yes, Nebraska has had a bit of a bumpy ride to open the Mike Riley regime. But, one thing is certain: The Huskers aren?t boring.

A Hail Mary loss? A 23-point fourth-quarter rally that resulted in an overtime loss? Fun. If the defense can tighten, Nebraska could be a factor in the West.

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Remember when Braxton Miller caught America?s attention in that opening win vs. Virginia Tech with a way-crazy spin move? Seems like eons ago. Doug Lesmerises wonders why OSU can?t figure out how to use Miller.

Game one, eight touches, 140 yards from scrimmage, two scores.

Next three games combined, 20 touches, 118 yards from scrimmage, no scores.

Why can't Ohio State figure out how to get Miller the ball in a way that will let him get loose again?
"(We're) trying to give him the ball," Urban Meyer said after Ohio State's 38-12 win over Western Michigan on Saturday. "It's an effort to try … we're releasing him out of the backfield, we're flipping him the ball, lining him up with the quarterback, and we're just not having the big hits right now and we will."