Did you get all your jokes in? All your potshots? Because if you didn’t take advantage of the languishing Big Ten the last few years, you’re out of luck.
College football’s easiest punching bag isn’t absorbing punishment anymore — it’s beginning to dole it out. The Big Ten may not be the SEC — not yet at least — but the conference is starting to look like one of the premier leagues in the country again, with five teams ranked in the latest Associated Press Top 25.
By contrast, the SEC has seven while the Big 12 and Pac-12 have five apiece.
Ohio State and Michigan State are both 4-0, ranked first and second in the country, respectively, by the AP. Neither is a surprise. But look at how well the rest of the league has played outside of the conference.
No. 16 Northwestern is 4-0, with wins over then-No. 21 Stanford and Duke, which just knocked off previously ranked Georgia Tech. Nineteenth-ranked Wisconsin’s only loss was to SEC powerhouse Alabama. No. 22 Michigan, a major surprise at 3-1 under Jim Harbaugh, just destroyed BYU, 31-0. And the Wolverines only loss came at 10th-ranked Utah, one of the country’s big surprises so far this season, coming off Saturday’s 62-20 demolition of Oregon. Minnesota nearly upset No. 4 TCU. Even Indiana and Iowa, albeit without a major test yet, are both 4-0.
We’ll find out more in the coming weeks. Indiana hosts Ohio State on Saturday, Michigan meets Northwestern and Michigan State after visiting Maryland this weekend and Iowa takes on Wisconsin.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, not if you have been paying attention. The Big Ten was 6-4 during the bowl season, led by Ohio State — who knocked off Alabama and Oregon to become the first school from the conference to win it all since the Buckeyes did it in 2002 — Michigan State defeating TCU and Wisconsin beating Auburn.
Yes, it was last season, and so much changes from one fall to the next, but it was a significant change for the Big Ten, which had gotten exposed during recent bowl seasons. Many felt Ohio State didn’t belong in the playoff in the first place, a knock on its conference. And then Harbaugh took over at Michigan, his alma mater. Nobody rebuilds teams faster.
The Big Ten isn’t about two teams anymore if the non-conference season is any indication, and usually it is.
TCU the man
If this season goes where TCU wants it to go, if the Horned Frogs can get healthy defensively and reach the playoff, Aaron Green will never have to buy a drink in Fort Worth again. He saved the Big 12 favorite’s season, making the game-winning catch on a deflection with 23 seconds left on fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line to lift TCU to a dramatic, 55-52 win over Texas Tech.
The senior running back, enjoying a solid season as the team’s feature back for the first time, caught a tipped Trevone Boykin pass in the back of the end zone that hit off the hands of receiver Josh Doctson. Green managed to haul in the pass as he fell out of bounds.
Ducks without cover
The lopsided score made sense, but not the numbers next to each team. 62-20 isn’t an uncommon final involving Oregon, but it was stunning to see the Ducks on the short end of it, the worst home defeat at Oregon since 1977. Utah is legitimate, led by senior quarterback Travis Wilson, but there are serious problems in Eugene.
The talent level under coach Mark Helfrich isn’t the same as it was with Chip Kelly running the show. The Ducks’ recruiting classes, while not terrible, haven’t been stellar, either, ranked 17th and 26th by Rivals.com, the last two years. The defense, always a problem under Kelly, has regressed even further. And without a prolific offense to produce big leads, that’s a poor recipe for success.
Heisman Watch
RB Leonard Fournette, LSU
We plan our Saturdays around Fournette, who became the first LSU back to run for more than 200 yards in back-to-back weeks, single-handedly dominating Syracuse with 244 yards and two touchdowns.
QB Trevone Boykin, TCU
Another superhuman effort from the junior — 527 total yards and four touchdowns — preserved TCU’s undefeated season in a gutsy 55-52 win at Texas Tech.
RB Nick Chubb, Georgia
Just another ho-hum Saturday afternoon for the consistently explosive sophomore, 131 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns.
QB Cody Kessler, USC
The senior finally threw a pick, his first this season, but he also tossed five touchdowns and threw for 375 yards in a statement-making rout at Arizona State.
RB Paul Perkins, UCLA
Three more rushing touchdowns for the best running back in the country nobody talks about.
The Post’s Top 10
1. Ohio State (4-0) (Last week: 1)
Cardale Jones finally resembled the quarterback who won a national title in January, throwing for 288 yards and two touchdowns in an easy win over Western Michigan.
2. Ole Miss (4-0) (2)
Trap this. There was no Alabama hangover for Ole Miss, which took care of Vanderbilt, 27-16, and has a manageable schedule until meeting Texas A&M on Oct. 24.
3. Michigan State (4-0) (3)
Another workmanlike victory, 30-10 over Central Michigan, for the everyman Spartans. They’re not flashy; they just win.
4. LSU (3-0) (4)
Eventually, Brandon Harris will have to make some big throws for LSU. The sophomore hasn’t had to yet, throwing for a paltry 302 yards and two touchdowns in three games.
5. TCU (4-0) (5)
TCU better get healthy on defense or the Horned Frogs are going to slip up at some point. Allowing 28.2 points per game won’t get them into the playoff.
6. Baylor (3-0) (6)
Baylor faces an actual Power Five opponent this week in Texas Tech for its Big 12 opener. It only took until October.
7. Notre Dame (4-0) (7)
Is Notre Dame a legitimate playoff contender? We’ll begin to find out when the Irish visit ACC contender Clemson, by far their biggest test yet, Saturday night.
8. Georgia (4-0) (8)
If the perennially underachieving Bulldogs can beat Alabama at home this week, they can run the table. Road games at Auburn and Georgia Tech aren’t as daunting as they looked a month ago.
9. UCLA (4-0) (9)
Each week, we’ve been told UCLA would be humbled. And each week, the Bruins have done the humbling.
10. Utah (4-0) (NR)
The biggest early-season surprise, the Utes announced they’re for real with a 62-20 emasculation of overrated Oregon. Get to know the name Travis Wilson, Utah’s dynamic, dual-threat quarterback.
Dropped Out: Alabama (3-1)