ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

There's a lot going on this morning, so this will be brief. I went 4-1 this week in the picks, despite some concern about Michigan State and Penn State winning on the road. Still, my overall winning percentage dropped from 85.2 to 84.8. The lone loss seemed like the most obvious lock, as Northwestern traveled to lowly Indiana and promptly laid a massive egg.

Here's a look at how the picks worked out.

NORTHWESTERN-INDIANA

• My pick: Northwestern 34, Indiana 21
• Game result: Indiana 21, Northwestern 19
• 20-20 hindsight: The Hoosiers held up their end of the bargain, but Northwestern imploded on the road, committing five turnovers and struggling on special teams. The Wildcats inexplicably didn't attack Indiana down the field and still made mistakes on offense despite a dink-and-dunk scheme. Injuries to running back Tyrell Sutton and quarterback C.J. Bacher could hurt Northwestern the rest of the way. Hoosiers backup quarterback Ben Chappell performed well.
  

ILLINOIS-WISCONSIN

• My pick: Wisconsin 28, Illinois 27
• Game result: Wisconsin 27, Illinois 17
• 20-20 hindsight: The Badgers came into the game as a desperate team and played like it, elevating their performance on both sides of the ball. As predicted, the Badgers forced Juice Williams into several turnovers and the run game took advantage of an inconsistent Illinois front seven.
  

MINNESOTA-PURDUE

• My pick: Minnesota 31, Purdue 27
• Game result: Minnesota 17, Purdue 6
• 20-20 hindsight: I've definitely underestimated the defenses in this league, and Minnesota continues to impress with its opportunistic play. The Gophers forced four turnovers and held Purdue to its lowest passing total (109 yards) in Joe Tiller's 12 seasons as Purdue coach. You get the feeling this Boilers offense is never going to get on track.
  

MICHIGAN STATE-MICHIGAN

• My pick: Michigan State 26, Michigan 24
• Game result: Michigan State 35, Michigan 21
• 20-20 hindsight: The Spartans took the right approach to the rivalry and displayed strong mental toughness after things didn't go their way early on. They survived a blown call that gave Michigan a touchdown and surged in the second half behind Brian Hoyer, Javon Ringer and Blair White. Kicker Brett Swenson struggled (0-for-3 in field-goal attempts), but the Spartans ultimately didn't need him.

PENN STATE-OHIO STATE

• My pick: Penn State 27, Ohio State 24
• Game result: Penn State 13, Ohio State 6
• 20-20 hindsight: No team had really held down Penn State's offense this season, and Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes' offense seemed to be hitting its stride after a 45-point performance against Michigan State. But defense ruled the night at Ohio Stadium, and Penn State forced the decisive turnover in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes' defensive line proved me wrong, but Penn State was more dominant up front, shutting down Chris "Beanie" Wells (22 carries, 55 yards).
  

Bye: Iowa (5-3, 2-2 Big Ten)

Season record: 56-10 (84.8 percent)