Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Quick thoughts on the other two early Big Ten games.

Wisconsin 37, Purdue 0: It has been a day of surprises in the league, and few saw this one coming. Wisconsin made a major statement coming off of its bye week, dominating Purdue from the get-go. Sophomore running back John Clay had a dominating performance (123 rush yards, 3 TDs), but the defense was the big story, holding Purdue to eight first downs and 141 total yards. Coordinator Dave Doeren deserves a ton of credit for getting this unit going in the right direction. Wisconsin's quarterbacks struggled, but the Badgers didn't need them. Turnovers once again hurt Purdue, but this was the first time all season that the Boilers truly looked overmatched. Wisconsin, meanwhile, could be heading to a Jan. 1 bowl.

Ohio State 45, New Mexico State 0: It wasn't ideal to have a cupcake game so late in the season, but Ohio State deserves credit for handling its business in dominating fashion. The Buckeyes defense produced another touchdown, as linebacker Brian Rolle recovered a fumble in the end zone, and held the Aggies to only 62 yards in posting its third shutout of the season. The defense bought enough time for Terrelle Pryor and the offense to get rolling, and it was good to see different players get involved for the second straight game. Ohio State doesn't need to rely solely on Pryor, who ran the ball well. Wideout DeVier Posey is becoming a star, while receivers Dane Sanzenbacher and Duron Carter both had big days. Ohio State can't take too much away from this one, but it heads to Happy Valley with some confidence.