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Ohio State kicked off spring ball in 2010 looking for a third linebacker to join standouts Ross Homan and Brian Rolle.

Just days into practice, the Buckeyes appeared to have found their missing piece: Etienne Sabino.

"He's the guy," linebackers coach Luke Fickell said after a workout last April. "This has been his best spring so far."

A quick glance at Ohio State's 2010 stats shows Sabino had no tackles, no sacks, no interceptions ... and no games played. Before the season kicked off, Sabino and the coaches agreed that redshirting would be the best option.

Andrew Sweat, who outperformed Sabino in preseason camp, moved into the third starting linebacker position. Sabino spent Saturdays on the sideline.

"I did feel good about my situation last spring, but unfortunately several things happened," Sabino told me this week. "That's behind me, and I'm just looking forward to the future."

Sabino is once again a big part of Ohio State's plan at linebacker. The Buckeyes must replace multi-year starters in Rolle and Homan, and the spotlight once again has turned to Sabino, a 6-3, 242-pound junior from North Miami Beach, Fla.

"This is what you come here for, so it's very exciting," he said. "I feel real comfortable out there, and I think everything is just clicking right now."

Although Sabino prefers to lead by example, he has taken a more active role on the practice field. He made many of the defensive calls in Saturday's scrimmage, and cornerback Travis Howard told The Columbus Dispatch that Sabino is "definitely our leader right now in the middle of the field."

"I'm just trying to do the right things at all times, and hopefully, people will follow," Sabino said.

He didn't get the chance last fall. The coaches liked their linebacker depth entering the season with two All-Big Ten candidates and the emerging Sweat.

But injuries began to erode Ohio State's defense, first in the secondary and then at linebacker, as Homan hurt his foot against Wisconsin and would miss several weeks. Suddenly, the prospect of Sabino taking the field seemed very real.

The worst part: He hoped he wouldn't have to.

"If anybody else was to go down, I was going to have to come out of my redshirt year," he said. "We were about eight games into the season. By that point, I was just hoping everybody would stay healthy so I wouldn't have to play. But if I was called on, I would have been ready.

"Luckily, everybody was able to stay healthy."

Along with Sweat, Sabino will anchor the linebacker group this season, and he has spent the spring fine-tuning his game, trying to keep his pads lower and employ better technique. Ohio State says goodbye to seven defensive starters, the most production lost since after the 2005 season.

It's critical for players like Sabino, who has been around a while but lacks game experience, to fill the gaps.

"Is it going to be a challenge? Yes," Sabino said. "But I think we’re up for it. I think we're going to surprise a couple people."

There's little doubt that the first Big Ten player drafted in April will be a defensive lineman.

(Not including Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara, who played his entire career in the Big 12.)

Who will hear his name called first? Wisconsin's J.J. Watt? Purdue's Ryan Kerrigan? Illinois' Corey Liuget? Iowa's Adrian Clayborn? Ohio State's Cameron Heyward?

I'll have more on the hopefuls as we get closer to draft night, but colleagues Todd McShay and Mel Kiper are always dissecting the draft and have come out with their latest three-round mock selections.

Here's McShay's mock draft and where the Big Ten players fall:

First round

• Illinois DT Corey Liuget, No. 14 overall to St. Louis
• Purdue DE Ryan Kerrigan, No. 16 overall to Jacksonville
• Wisconsin DE J.J. Watt, No. 17 overall to New England
• Wisconsin T Gabe Carimi, No. 21 overall to Kansas City
• Iowa DE Adrian Clayborn, No. 24 overall to New Orleans
• Ohio State DE Cameron Heyward, No. 32 overall to Green Bay

Second round

• Illinois RB Mikel Leshoure, No. 45 overall to San Francisco
• Iowa DL Christian Ballard, No. 53 overall to Indianapolis
• Illinois LB Martez Wilson, No. 54 overall to Philadelphia

Third round

• Wisconsin TE Lance Kendricks, No. 68 overall to Buffalo
• Indiana WR Tandon Doss, No. 86 overall to Kansas City
• Wisconsin G John Moffitt, No. 87 overall to Indianapolis
• Indiana T James Brewer, No. 90 overall to Buffalo

Here's a look at Kiper's mock draft and where the Big Ten prospects fall:

First round

• Watt, No. 10 overall to Washington
• Liuget, No. 14 overall to St. Louis
• Kerrigan, No. 20 overall to Tampa Bay
• Carimi, No. 23 overall to Philadelphia
• Clayborn, No. 27 overall to Atlanta
• Heyward, No. 30 overall to New York Jets

Second round

• Wilson, No. 34 overall to Buffalo
• Leshoure, No. 53 overall to Indianapolis
• Doss, No. 64 overall to Green Bay

Third round

• Ballard, No. 67 overall to Denver
• Kendricks, No. 68 overall to Buffalo
• Moffitt, No. 77 overall to Tennessee
• Ohio State CB Chimdi Chekwa, No. 81 overall to Oakland
• Ohio State LB Ross Homan, No. 85 overall to Philadelphia
• Penn State G Stefen Wisniewski, No. 93 to Chicago

Some interesting stuff here. Both McShay and Kiper think the Colts' Big Ten pipeline will continue, and both also like Buffalo to draft Big Ten players. Kiper includes three players McShay leaves out -- Chekwa, Homan and Wisniewski -- while McShay includes one player (Brewer) who Kiper leaves out. It also stands out how teams like Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin have more high-level draft prospects this year than Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Nebraska.

Amukamara is the only Nebraska player included in both mock drafts. Both McShay and Kiper have Amukamara going 13th overall to Detroit, where he'll reunite with former Huskers' teammate Ndamukong Suh.

The NFL scouting combine wrapped up Tuesday with the defensive backs going through drills.

Let's check out the Big Ten's top performers:

CORNERBACKS

• Ohio State's Chimdi Chekwa tied for third in the 40-yard dash at 4.4 seconds; Nebraska's Prince Amukamara tied for fifth at 4.43 seconds;
• Ohio State's Jermale Hines (listed as a cornerback for the combine) tied for 10th in bench-press reps with 19
• Amukamara tied for fifth in the vertical jump at 38 inches
• Amukamara tied for second in the broad jump at 10 feet, 8 inches; Chekwa tied for sixth at 10 feet, 6 inches
• Nebraska's Eric Hagg finished 10th in the 3-cone drill at 6.73 seconds

SAFETIES

• Iowa's Tyler Sash tied for fourth in the 40-yard dash at 4.62 seconds
• Sash tied for fifth in the vertical jump at 33 inches
• Sash tied for second in the 3-cone drill at 6.9 seconds

Now that the combine is finished, let's see which Big Ten players ranked in overall top performance.

BIG TEN TOP COMBINE PERFORMANCES (all positions)

• Chekwa tied for eighth in the 40-yard dash at 4.4 seconds; Nebraska running back Roy Helu Jr. finished 13th at 4.42 seconds; Amukamara finished 14th at 4.43 seconds
• Wisconsin defensive end J.J. Watt tied for fourth in bench-press reps with 34; Ohio State linebacker Ross Homan tied for 10th with 32; Purdue defensive end Ryan Kerrigan tied for 12th with 31
• Indiana receiver Terrance Turner tied for fifth in vertical jump at 41 inches
• Amukamara and Turner tied for ninth in broad jump at 10 feet, 8 inches
• Ohio State receiver Dane Sanzenbacher finished third in the 3-cone drill at 6.46 seconds
• Sanzenbacher finished sixth in the 20-yard shuttle at 3.97 seconds; Helu tied for 11th at 4.01 seconds
• Sanzenbacher finished fourth in the 60-yard shuttle at 10.94 seconds; Helu tied for ninth at 11.07 seconds

All eyes were on Indianapolis this weekend as dozens of NFL prospects, including a large contingent from the Big Ten, went through the scouting combine.

My ESPN colleagues are all over the happenings in Naptown, so check out the combine blog and the latest Scouts Inc. combine notebook.

There's more testing and timing Monday with the defensive linemen and linebackers, but some results are in, so let's take a look. I'm breaking these down into top performers by position. I'll put together an overall top performers post once the combine is finished.

Wide receivers

• Nebraska's Niles Paul finished second in bench-press reps (225 pounds) with 24
• Paul tied for 14th in the 40-yard dash at 4.51 seconds
• Indiana's Terrance Turner tied for second in vertical jump at 41 inches
• Turner finished seventh in broad jump at 10 feet, 8 inches
• Ohio State's Dane Sanzenbacher finished second in 3-cone drill at 6.46 seconds; Turner tied for 14th at 6.77 seconds
• Sanzenbacher finished third in the 20-yard shuttle at 3.97 seconds; Paul finished 12th at 4.14 seconds; Turner finished tied for 13th at 4.15 seconds
• Sanzenbacher finished second in the 60-yard shuttle at 10.94 seconds; Turner tied for ninth at 11.21 seconds

Quarterbacks

• Iowa's Ricky Stanzi and Wisconsin's Scott Tolzien tied for 13th in the 40-yard dash at 4.93 seconds
• Stanzi finished ninth in the vertical jump at 32.5 inches; Tolzien tied for 12th at 29.5 inches
• Tolzien tied for seventh in the broad jump at 9 feet, 8 inches; Stanzi finished 12th at 9 feet, 2 inches
• Tolzien tied for third in the 3-cone drill at 6.84 seconds; Stanzi finished 12th at 6.95 seconds

Running backs

• Nebraska's Roy Helu Jr. finished sixth in the 40-yard dash at 4.42 seconds; Ohio State's Brandon Saine finished seventh at 4.43 seconds;
• Illinois' Mikel Leshoure tied for third in the vertical jump at 38 inches; Helu tied for eighth at 36.5 inches
• Leshoure tied for fourth in the broad jump at 10 feet, 2 inches; Helu finished 10th at 9 feet, 11 inches
• Helu finished second in the 3-cone drill at 6.67 seconds; Leshoure finished sixth at 6.82 seconds
• Helu finished first in the 20-yard shuttle at 4.01 seconds; Penn State's Evan Royster tied for eighth at 4.18 seconds
• Helu finished first in the 60-yard shuttle at 11.07 seconds

Tight ends

• Wisconsin's Lance Kendricks finished eighth in the 40-yard dash at 4.75 seconds; Michigan State's Charlie Gantt finished 11th at 4.93 seconds; Iowa's Allen Reisner finished 12th at 4.95 seconds
• Gantt tied for first in bench-press reps with 27; Kendricks tied for third with 25
• Kendricks finished sixth in vertical jump at 34.5 inches; Gantt finished 13th at 30.5 inches
• Kendricks finished second in broad jump at 10 feet, 2 inches; Gantt finished ninth at 9 feet, 4 inches; Reisner tied for 12th at 9 feet
• Kendricks finished sixth in the 3-cone drill at 6.94 seconds; Gantt finished 11th at 7.15 seconds
• Kendricks tied for second in 20-yard shuttle at 4.15 seconds; Gantt tied for eighth at 4.4 seconds
• Kendricks tied for sixth in 60-yard shuttle at 11.9 seconds; Gantt and Reisner tied for 11th at 12.12 seconds

Defensive linemen

• Wisconsin's J.J. Watt tied for fourth in bench-press reps with 34; Purdue's Ryan Kerrigan tied for sixth with 31

Linebackers

• Ohio State linebacker Ross Homan finished first in bench-press reps with 32; Ohio State's Brian Rolle finished fourth with 28; Illinois' Martez Wilson tied for ninth with 23

Offensive linemen

• Iowa's Julian Vandervelde tied for 10th in the 40-yard dash at 5.21 seconds; Indiana's James Brewer and Wisconsin's Gabe Carimi tied for 14th at 5.27 seconds
• Michigan's Stephen Schilling and Penn State's Stefen Wisniewski tied for sixth in bench-press reps with 30; Carimi tied for ninth with 29; Ohio State's Justin Boren tied for 14th with 28
• Carimi finished fifth in vertical jump at 31.5 inches; Vandervelde tied for sixth at 31 inches; Wisconsin's John Moffitt tied for eighth at 30.5 inches
• Carimi finished fifth in broad jump at 9 feet, 1 inch; Vandervelde finished tied for 13th at 8 feet, 8 inches
• Vandervelde finished seventh in 3-cone drill at 7.46 seconds; Wisniewski finished eighth at 7.51 seconds; Boren finished 11th at 7.57 seconds
• Moffitt finished sixth in 20-yard shuttle at 4.53 seconds; Vandervelde tied for seventh at 4.59 seconds; Schilling tied for ninth at 4.62 seconds;

Spring practice is creeping closer, and Purdue will hit the field in less than two weeks (March 1 to be exact) for the first of its 15 workouts.

Here's a snapshot of what to expect in the Leaders Division this spring.

ILLINOIS

Spring practice starts: March 29
Spring game: April 23

What to watch:

• New look at linebacker: Illinois loses first-team All-Big Ten selection Martez Wilson as well as playmaker Nate Bussey. They combined for 195 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, two interceptions and four fumble recoveries. The Illini need a middle linebacker and could turn to productive senior Ian Thomas or promising sophomore Jonathan Brown. Illinois also is replacing linebackers coach Dan Disch.
• Ford tough: All-American running back Mikel Leshoure departs, turning the spotlight to Jason Ford. At 235 pounds, Ford is a true power back who will give the Illinois offense a slightly different look in 2011. The Illini also want to build depth at running back with players like Troy Pollard.
• Replacing Liuget: Illinois begins the difficult task of replacing the Big Ten's most disruptive interior defensive lineman in Corey Liuget, a likely first-round draft pick in April. Akeem Spence had a very solid redshirt freshman season and will take on a larger role, but Illinois must build around him with Glenn Foster and others. This is a major priority for defensive coordinator Vic Koenning and line coach Keith Gilmore this spring.

INDIANA

Start of spring practice: March 8
Spring game: April 16
End of spring practice: April 19

What to watch:

• Culture change: Kevin Wilson has talked extensively about changing the culture around the Indiana program, and the process begins in full force this spring. Players will have to adjust to the demands of Wilson and his staff, which still isn't in place but soon will be. There will be plenty of teaching and learning, as players must absorb Wilson's offense and a 4-3 defensive scheme (IU operated out of the 3-4 for part of last season).
• Quarterback competition: Three-year starter Ben Chappell departs, and there's no clear-cut successor entering spring practice. Both Dusty Kiel and Edward Wright-Baker played sparingly in five games last season, and they bring different skills to the table. It'll be interesting to see who emerges under center this spring before acclaimed recruit Tre Roberson arrives for fall camp.
• Identify defensive contributors: Indiana can't expect to get over the hump until it upgrades the defense, and co-coordinators Mike Ekeler and Doug Mallory begin a crucial evaluation process this spring. The Hoosiers need to build depth and identify Big Ten-ready players throughout the defense, particularly in the back seven after losing standout linebacker Tyler Replogle and others.

OHIO STATE

Start of spring practice: March 31
Spring game: April 23

• Suspension preparation: Ohio State knows it will be without four offensive starters and a key defensive reserve for the first chunk of the 2011 season. This spring, the Buckeyes start the process of evaluating who will step in, especially at the quarterback spot for Terrelle Pryor. Joe Bauserman holds an edge in experience (though little has come in games), and he'll compete with Kenny Guiton and heralded incoming freshman Braxton Miller.
• Receiving orders for Drayton: Stan Drayton left Florida for Ohio State primarily to expand his coaching repertoire and oversee a new position group. The career running backs coach will work with a mostly unproven group of Ohio State wide receivers this spring. Ohio State must replace All-Big Ten standout Dane Sanzenbacher, and DeVier Posey is among those suspended for the first part of the season. Says Drayton of his receivers, "Personnel wise, they're in competition with the whole offensive unit."
• Up-the-middle defensive replacements: Excuse the baseball reference, but Ohio State loses several standout players in the core of its defense: linemen Cameron Heyward and Dexter Larimore, linebackers Brian Rolle and Ross Homan, and safety Jermale Hines. Although the Buckeyes always find ways to reload on defense, it will be interesting to see who emerges this spring, especially at linebacker.

PENN STATE

Start of spring practice: March 18
Spring game: April 16

What to watch:

• The quarterbacks, especially Rob Bolden: Penn State's quarterback competition should be wide open this spring, and it might be the most fascinating race in the Big Ten. You've got sophomore Rob Bolden, who asked for his release after the Gator Bowl but didn't get it from Joe Paterno, and has returned to compete for a job he thought he never should have lost. Junior Matt McGloin tries to redeem himself after the bowl disaster, and Paul Jones and Kevin Newsome also are in the mix.
• Line play on both sides: The Lions boast enough at the skill positions on both sides of the ball to be a much improved team in 2011. But they have to get better and more consistent on both lines. The offensive line must replace standout Stefen Wisniewski and find the form it displayed in 2008. The defensive line tries to regain its swagger after backsliding in 2010, and identify a pass-rushing threat or two.
• Kicking it: Collin Wagner was Penn State's top offensive weapon for much of the 2010 season, but the standout kicker departs the program, leaving a void. Punter Anthony Fera likely will handle the bulk of the kicking duties this spring until incoming freshman Sam Ficken arrives.

PURDUE

Start of spring practice: March 2
Spring game: April 9

What to watch:

• Replacing Superman: Purdue returns nine defensive starters, but the Boilers lose Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kerrigan. The Boilers were the league's top pass-rushing team in 2010, but Kerrigan's production and presence played huge roles in the overall sacks and tackles for loss totals. The entire defensive line took a step forward last fall, and will need to do so again without No. 94.
• The quarterbacks: Robert Marve is still recovering from his second ACL tear, so Rob Henry, Caleb TerBush and Sean Robinson will be in the spotlight this spring. Henry showed promise when healthy in 2010, and TerBush had a strong spring a year ago before being ruled academically ineligible for the season. The quarterback race won't be decided until the summer, but all the candidates can help themselves in spring ball.
• The offensive identity: A wave of injuries forced Purdue to overhaul its plan on offense in 2010. Although several key players will be out or limited this spring, the Boilers can start to reshape their plan on offense. Coach Danny Hope is optimistic Marve and the others return at full strength, but he doesn't want to take anything for granted. This is a huge spring for players a notch or two down the depth chart to get noticed.

WISCONSIN

Start of spring practice: March 22
Spring game: April 23

What to watch:

• Finding Tolzien's successor: After a one-year respite, Wisconsin's annual spring quarterback competition resumes. Sort of. Jon Budmayr will have every opportunity to establish himself as the Badgers' top option before Curt Phillips (knee) returns to full strength. Budmayr turned heads with his performance two springs ago, but played sparingly last season behind Scott Tolzien.
• New leadership on defense: Charlie Partridge and Chris Ash are familiar faces who step into new roles this spring. Partridge and Ash were promoted to co-defensive coordinators following Dave Doeren's departure, and they'll get their first opportunity to shape the defensive vision this spring.
• Reloading on the lines: Wisconsin loses three All-American linemen from 2010: Gabe Carimi and John Moffitt on the offensive side, and J.J. Watt at defensive end. Although the Badgers must replace more bodies on the offensive front, they boast excellent depth there and should be able to fill the gaps. Watt leaves a bigger void, and Wisconsin needs strong springs from players like Louis Nzegwu and David Gilbert.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Justin Boren is a 6-foot-3, 320-pound monster known as one of the Big Ten's best and nastiest offensive lineman.

But back in 2008, at that moment, Boren was absolutely terrified.

He had made the seemingly unthinkable transition from Michigan to archrival Ohio State, and he had no idea how he'd be received.

"I was so scared when I walked in for the first time," Boren recalled Saturday. "I had played 'em five months ago and I was coming in here like the new kid. I was more scared than when I went up to Michigan as a freshman. But they [welcomed] me with open arms. They've been awesome."

Boren didn't begin his career as part of one of the most successful classes in Ohio State history. But he's finishing it that way, and he couldn't be happier.

"I didn't want to look back and have any regrets," Boren said. "I didn't want to second-guess myself. And I can honestly say I've never done that. ... It's the greatest choice ever made."

It's hard to argue after Boren and his fellow seniors led Ohio State to its seventh consecutive win against Michigan, a 37-7 triumph that was essentially over by halftime. Ohio State claimed a share of the Big Ten title for a record-tying sixth consecutive season.

The Buckeyes' seniors improved to 43-8 in their careers. A bowl victory next month will tie them with their predecessors in 2009 for the most wins in team history. But perhaps most important, the class made it through without ever losing to Michigan.

"Five Big Ten rings and five pairs of gold pants," coach Jim Tressel said, referring to the large group of fifth-year seniors in the class. "That's a big deal."

Ohio State's seniors have contributed to The Game losing some serious luster in recent years. The Buckeyes have won each of the past four meetings by double digits, including the past two at Ohio Stadium by a combined score of 79-14.

Imagine what it would be like to be on the other side.

"I really can't," senior wideout Dane Sanzenbacher said. "It's got to be tough, but we work all year for this game, and we want to come out and execute. We can't really worry about what it would be like on the other end because we don't ever want to be on the other end."

Neither does Michigan, but the Wolverines had to endure another beating at the hands of their archrivals.

The buzz before and after the game centered on Wolverines coach Rich Rodriguez, who continued to struggle against top-tier Big Ten opponents. Rodriguez fell to 0-6 against Michigan's two conference rivals -- Ohio State and Michigan State.

"I'm ticked," Rodriguez said. "Do you want me to go jump out there with all the Buckeye fans and sing 'Kumbaya?' I wish we'd played better. Our guys, they played hard, and that's to be expected, but I wish we'd executed better and as coaches, we've got to try and put them in positions so they can make some plays.

"I'm going to be mad for a while, and then we'll move on to the next one."

The next one likely will take place Dec. 28 at the Insight Bowl in Arizona. But will Rodriguez still be around to coach the Wolverines?

Speculation has mounted in recent days about Rodriguez's job security. Athletic director Dave Brandon on Saturday reiterated his stance that he'll evaluate the program at the end of the season.

"I'm going to work tomorrow as always," Rodriguez said. "I worry about my future every day. Before I took the job, after I took the job.

"But nothing's going to change how we work."

While Michigan stews in the midst of its slide, Ohio State's seniors emphasized the importance of keeping their streaks alive. They stepped in after an Oct. 16 loss to Wisconsin, which linebacker Brian Rolle said "bonded the team together even more."

Ohio State hasn't lost since, and several seniors finished the regular season playing their best football.

Rolle and fellow linebacker Ross Homan combined for 16 tackles, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble Saturday. Senior safety Jermale Hines broke up three passes. Sanzenbacher, without question the Big Ten's top receiver this season, caught three passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.

The result: Ohio State's seniors maintained the status quo.

"I think people will look back and say we were a tight-knit group, a class with class and character," Rolle said. "When we come back for a reunion, I want guys to say, 'Man, those guys were great.' "

So what's left for Ohio State's seniors?

The Buckeyes continue to fight the negative perception stemming from their back-to-back blowout losses in the BCS title game. They should get a chance in January for a second consecutive BCS bowl victory, quite possibly against an SEC team (LSU or Arkansas) in SEC territory (New Orleans in the Sugar Bowl).

Not a bad way to go out.

"Getting a win this year in whatever game we go to would be great," Rolle said. "It'll show that this senior class, guys fought hard to bring tradition back to Ohio State."

Ohio State doesn't control what happens in the Big Ten title race right now.

Like the other three Big Ten teams with one conference loss, the Buckeyes have little to no margin for error the rest of the way. And while winning is great, winning impressively is even better as Ohio State's ranking in the final BCS standings could determine whether it returns to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl.

Might Ohio State's reign atop the Big Ten be coming to a close? Don't bet on it.

November is the Buckeyes' time to shine. They've proven it time and again during Jim Tressel's tenure as head coach.

Ohio State's Big Ten dominance is directly tied to its success this month, and if the Buckeyes' amazing run ends, it likely will be because of a November stumble.

Here are the particulars:

• Ohio State is 26-4 in November games in Tressel's previous nine seasons as coach
• The Buckeyes are 15-1 in their past 16 November games, with the lone loss coming against unranked Illinois in 2007
• Ohio State has swept its November slate five times under Tressel, including in each of the last two seasons
• The Buckeyes haven't lost to a ranked team in November since their last loss to archrival Michigan, on Nov. 22, 2003

If Penn State, Iowa and Michigan aren't concerned yet, consider the fact that Ohio State has won its past two games by a combined score of 101-10. Plus, the Buckeyes had an extra week to prepare for their November schedule, which should help a banged-up defense and get star linebacker Ross Homan back on the field.

"I hope that we get emotionally rested, physically rested," Tressel said last week, "because when Penn State comes in, it's a whole different world. But like anything else, it's where you're investing your time. That open week, what are you thinking about? What are you working on? Are you doing the things that you need to do to get better?

"If you do that, then hopefully it will be a plus for it."

Tressel asked those questions rhetorically, but he knows how to get the desired answers from his players in November. Better than any Big Ten coach in recent memory.

Ohio State on Saturday faces a Penn State team riding a wave of confidence following three consecutive victories. Two weeks later, it hosts a Michigan team that could make its season by ending The Streak.

In between, the Buckeyes visit No. 13 Iowa, which gave them all they could handle last year in Columbus. Iowa still has a shot at the Rose Bowl and will be honoring an outstanding group of seniors, including quarterback Ricky Stanzi, an Ohio native who missed last year's game against the Buckeyes because of injury.

Ohio State has crushed weaker opponents all season, but its two road games against good teams have resulted in a loss to Wisconsin and a lackluster win at Illinois. Aside from one game, Iowa has been flat-out dominant at home.

So it comes to this for the Scarlet and Gray. They need to run the table in November and likely get a little help from Wisconsin in order to reach the Rose Bowl.

Anything less would end Ohio State's run of five consecutive Big Ten championships.

And anything less also would come as a surprise.

» Power Rankings: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-10 | SEC | Non-AQ

The Big Ten title race didn’t change much Saturday, but there’s always some shuffling in the power rankings. Both Michigan schools make a positive move, while the Illinois schools backslide after tough road losses.

Penn State is back among the league's top half after three consecutive wins. It'll be interesting to see how the Nittany Lions fare against improved competition down the stretch.

Remember, the power rankings reflect how a team is playing right now and will change week to week.

1. Wisconsin (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten): I really believe that when healthy, Wisconsin is the Big Ten's best team. The Badgers have had to fight through injuries in their past two games, not to mention bye week hangover in a sluggish first half at Purdue. But reserves like running back Montee Ball are stepping up, and Wisconsin’s defense made a ton of plays to lead a second-half surge.

2. Michigan State (9-1, 5-1): The Spartans took care of business against last-place Minnesota and revived their rushing attack behind dynamic sophomore Edwin Baker. Linebacker Greg Jones and the defense also regained its swagger. The team's offense in the second half was less than stellar, but it didn't need to be. Michigan State now gets a well-earned open week.

3. Ohio State (8-1, 4-1): Holding steady at No. 3 for now, Ohio State has a chance to move up as it enters its signature month under head coach Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes' Big Ten dominance can be directly traced to their November dominance. Star linebacker Ross Homan (foot) could return this week as Ohio State hosts surging Penn State before its signature showdown Nov. 20 at Iowa.

4. Iowa (7-2, 4-1): Iowa drops in the rankings after its lackluster performance at Indiana. The Hawkeyes couldn’t finish drives for most of the game and were extremely fortunate to escape with a win after Indiana's Damarlo Belcher dropped the ball in the end zone with less than a minute remaining. I liked what I saw from Ricky Stanzi in crunch time, but Iowa really dodged a bullet Saturday.

5. Penn State (6-3, 3-2): I really like what I've seen from Penn State since the bye week, especially on offense. Running back Evan Royster is rolling, and quarterback Matt McGloin has provided a jolt to a lifeless unit. A banged-up defense also showed some teeth Saturday by shutting out Northwestern in the second half. Penn State’s competition goes up quite a few notches this week in Columbus.

6. Michigan (6-3, 2-3): A great offense can carry a team at times, and Michigan's offense has helped the Wolverines become bowl eligible for the first time in coach Rich Rodriguez's tenure. The Michigan-Illinois game might have defied Big Ten tradition, but it was damn fun to watch. Everyone knows the Wolverines are an incomplete team, but their offense should strike fear in every opponent the rest of the season.

7. Illinois (5-4, 3-3): What happened to the Illinois defense? A unit that had held teams like Ohio State and Michigan State in check was no match for Michigan, which piled up 67 points, 676 offensive yards and 33 first downs. I wouldn’t like to be in the film room with coordinator Vic Koenning right now. The good news is Illinois continues to see growth from quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase.

8. Northwestern (6-3, 2-3): The Wildcats haven't put together a complete game against an FBS opponent, a troubling trend that continued Saturday in Happy Valley. Northwestern has showed it can play with more talented teams like Michigan State and Penn State, but the Wildcats are struggling to finish, especially on defense. Quarterback Dan Persa has filled the void left by Mike Kafka, but Northwestern is really missing the defensive backs it lost to graduation.

9. Indiana (4-5, 0-5): It’s the same old story for coach Bill Lynch and the Hoosiers, who did several good things Saturday but couldn’t emerge with a Big Ten victory. Indiana's defense has played noticeably better since the Ohio State loss, but the offense still isn’t putting the ball in the end zone enough. You have to feel for Belcher, an outstanding receiver who makes that catch nine out of 10 times. Things don't get easier this week with a trip to Wisconsin.

10. Purdue (4-5, 2-3): Purdue controlled the pace in the first half, forcing mistakes from Wisconsin and making several nice plays of its own. But quarterback Sean Robinson's youth caught up to the Boilers after halftime, as Purdue lost the momentum and never regained it. Turnovers kill you against good teams, and the injury-plagued Boilers have had too many miscues since the Minnesota win.

11. Minnesota (1-9, 0-6): The Gophers had to know what was coming in East Lansing, and yet they still had no answer for Baker, who racked up 179 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Minnesota's offensive inconsistency continued as it couldn't finish drives. At least only two more games remain in this death march, and Minnesota’s best chance for a win comes this week at Illinois.

Time to press the rewind button on Week 9 before looking ahead to this week's games.

Team of the week: Iowa. After two close losses filled with what-ifs, the Hawkeyes left nothing to chance Saturday afternoon at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa obliterated Michigan State from the opening kickoff, storming out to a 30-0 halftime lead. The Hawkeyes did it with offensive execution, as quarterback Ricky Stanzi put himself on the Heisman radar, completing 11 of 15 passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns. They also did it with opportunistic defense, recording three interceptions against the typically poised Kirk Cousins, returning one for a touchdown. Iowa received major contributions from many players and avoided a special-teams miscue. The win tightened the Big Ten race heading into November.

Best game: Michigan-Penn State. It was a Saturday of blowouts around the Big Ten, but two traditional powerhouses provided an entertaining offensive shootout at Beaver Stadium. Michigan's Denard Robinson had another huge night, rushing for 191 yards and three touchdowns to go along with 190 passing yards and a score. But "Shoelace" got upstaged by Penn State's Evan Royster and Matt McGloin. Royster, the former All-Big Ten running back who entered Saturday with just one 100-yard rushing performance in seven games, went for 150 rushing yards and two scores. McGloin sizzled in his first career start, passing for 250 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Michigan rallied late to cut Penn State's lead to seven points before the Lions answered. The teams combined for 72 points and 858 offensive yards. Northwestern-Indiana also had some late drama before the Wildcats held on to win 20-17.

Biggest play: Iowa led Michigan State 10-0 late in the first quarter, but the Spartans had entered Hawkeyes territory and had first-and-10 from the 41. Safety Tyler Sash read Cousins perfectly and made an easy interception on a pass to B.J. Cunningham. The exciting part came next, as Sash ran six yards before lateraling the ball over Cunningham's head to teammate Micah Hyde. Hyde raced 66 yards and dived inside the pylon for a touchdown. Iowa went up 17-0 and never looked back. "It's like the point guard that pulls up from 40 feet deep and shoots a 3-pointer," said Sash, a former basketball star in high school. "If he makes it, it's alright. But if he misses it, what are you doing?"

Specialist spotlight: Penn State's Collin Wagner went 2-for-2 on field goals, including a 42-yarder that gave the Lions a 10-point cushion in the fourth quarter. He also ran seven yards on a fake field goal to seal the victory in the final minutes. Northwestern's Stefan Demos has had an up-and-down senior season, but he came up huge at Indiana with two field goals, including a 45-yarder to make it a two-score game with 6:51 left. Both punters in the Michigan State-Iowa game performed well, as Iowa's Ryan Donahue placed three punts inside the 20-yard line and Michigan State's Aaron Bates averaged 48.5 yards per boot. Ohio State recorded a special-teams touchdown as Jonathan Newsome blocked a Minnesota punt and Zach Domicone recovered in the end zone. The Buckeyes also had a 70-yard punt return by Jordan Hall. Illinois' Anthony Santella averaged 43.7 yards on seven punts, and teammate Clay Nurse blocked a Purdue punt.

Game balls (given to players on winning or losing teams who didn't receive helmet stickers)

• Ohio State's Dan Herron, DeVier Posey and Terrelle Pryor: All three turned in big performances as Ohio State blew out Minnesota. Herron continued to establish himself as the Buckeyes' No. 1 running back with 114 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Pryor once again was efficient, completing 18 of 22 passes for 222 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Posey had six catches for 115 yards and a score.
• Iowa DL Mike Daniels: It's probably a combination of Daniels' emergence and the way opponents are double-teaming Adrian Clayborn, but the junior continues to have a huge season. He recorded two more tackles for loss against Michigan State, bringing his season total to 10.
• Northwestern QB Dan Persa and WR Jeremy Ebert: They've formed one of the Big Ten's top passing connections and hooked up five times for 98 yards and two touchdowns against Indiana. Persa completed 18 of 28 passes for 212 yards with two touchdowns and no picks, and he added 19 rush yards before being shaken up late in the game.
• Michigan QB Denard Robinson: Robinson single-handedly kept Michigan alive at Penn State with 191 rush yards and three touchdowns and 190 pass yards and a score. He accounted for 381 of Michigan's 423 offensive yards at Beaver Stadium.
• Indiana DE Darius Johnson: Johnson applied steady pressure to Persa and consistently beat Northwestern's offensive line for 11 tackles, including two for loss and a sack.
• Ohio State LB Brian Rolle: With fellow 'backer Ross Homan still sidelined by injury, Rolle stepped up against Minnesota with 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the win.

Now let's spin it forward and look at Week 10.

No. 16 Iowa (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) at Indiana (4-4, 0-4): The Hawkeyes are riding high after their dominant win against Michigan State, but they'll have to take care of business on the road the next two weeks before the Ohio State showdown. Indiana dominated Iowa last Halloween for three quarters as Stanzi threw five interceptions. But it was all Iowa in the fourth, as the Hawkeyes exploded for 28 unanswered points. Indiana quarterback Ben Chappell will throw the ball a ton, so Iowa's defensive linemen will have their ears pinned back for this one.

Minnesota (1-8, 0-5) at No. 14 Michigan State (8-1, 4-1): Despite Saturday's ugly loss, the Spartans remain very much alive in the Big Ten title race and can get well against the league's worst team. Look for Michigan State to reignite its ground game against a Minnesota team that allows a league-worst 201.8 rush yards per game. Minnesota's Adam Weber torched Michigan State for 416 pass yards and five touchdowns in last year's wacky game in Minneapolis, but he'll face a much tougher challenge this time around.

Illinois (5-3, 3-2) at Michigan (5-3, 1-3): Don't be fooled by the matching records; these teams are headed in opposite directions. Illinois is surging after back-to-back blowout victories and looks for its third consecutive win against the Maize and Blue. Michigan has dropped three consecutive league contests as its defense and special teams continue to regress. Embattled coach Rich Rodriguez needs this one in a big way, and the winning team will be bowl eligible.

No. 9 Wisconsin (7-1, 3-1) at Purdue (4-4, 2-2): After an open week, the Badgers return to action against a Purdue team coming off of back-to-back ugly losses. Speaking of one-sided games, Wisconsin crushed Purdue 37-0 last year in Madison. This game features Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year front-runners Ryan Kerrigan from Purdue and J.J. Watt from Wisconsin. The two defensive ends have combined for 12.5 sacks and 32 tackles for loss this season.

Northwestern (6-2, 2-2) at Penn State (5-3, 2-2): A pretty obvious story line here as Joe Paterno goes for win No. 400. The Nittany Lions' legend would be just the third college coach to record 400 victories -- John Gagliardi and Eddie Robinson are the others -- and the first to do so in Division I-A/FBS. Standing in the way of history is Northwestern, which brings a 4-0 road record this season to Happy Valley. Wildcats star quarterback Dan Persa returns to his home state for the game.

Bye: No. 11 Ohio State (8-1, 4-1)

» Power Rankings: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-10 | SEC | Non-AQ

The Big Ten boasts four top-20 teams and a fifth in Illinois that seems a lot closer to the top tier than the bottom tier. After the top five, the league is a real mystery until the bottom two.

Just remember, these rankings reflect how a team is playing right now.

1. Michigan State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten): The Spartans are alone at the top, but they learned Saturday how tough it is to win with a target on their backs. Kirk Cousins looks more and more like a premier quarterback, and his receiving corps stepped up in a big way at Northwestern. Cousins and his targets will need another big performance at Iowa, especially if the run game doesn't reignite.

2. Wisconsin (7-1, 3-1): Bret Bielema proved the last two weeks that he's a big-game coach, and his fake punt gamble in the fourth quarter paid off in a big way. The Badgers didn't let several key injuries stop them on an impressive fourth-quarter scoring drive, and they prevailed despite a defense that couldn't get off of the field on third down. A bye week beckons before a very manageable closing stretch.

3. Ohio State (7-1, 3-1): Losses both last week and last year clearly didn't sit well with the Buckeyes, who completely dominated Purdue in a 49-0 win. The offense pretty much did as it pleased, but the real encouraging sign was a defense that held Purdue to nine first downs and 118 total yards despite playing without star linebacker Ross Homan. If Ohio State plays like this down the stretch, it could be headed back to Pasadena.

4. Iowa (5-2, 2-1): This might be a better Iowa team than the 2009 version, but the Hawkeyes aren't as clutch as they were last fall. Kirk Ferentz can say what he wants about the timeout decision, but it was poor clock management in a critical situation. Iowa still has an outside shot at reaching a BCS game, but it can't afford any more slip-ups the rest of the way.

5. Illinois (4-3, 2-2): The offense remains a bit of a work in progress, but Illinois has made significant upgrades on both defense and special teams. Martez Wilson and Corey Liuget continue to blossom along with Nate Bussey, and Illinois recorded two pick-sixes and two blocked punts to pull away from Indiana. The schedule sets up very favorably for Ron Zook's squad down the stretch.

6. Michigan (5-2, 1-2): A bye week arrived at a good time for Rich Rodriguez's crew, which needs to figure out how to improve on defense and on special teams for the stretch run. Michigan might be able to simply outscore some of its remaining opponents, but it's hard to win games with a defense as poor as this one has played. Rodriguez faces the most critical game of his Michigan career this week at Penn State.

7. Purdue (4-3, 2-1): The Boilers received a harsh reality check Saturday, and they'll pay a heavier price with another poor showing this week at Illinois. But the 2-0 conference start still means something, and Danny Hope's team has shown its resiliency before. Illinois' defense is playing at an extremely high level, and Purdue offensive coordinator Gary Nord will need to make some tweaks for Rob Henry or whoever starts at quarterback in Champaign.

8. Penn State (4-3, 1-2): It wasn't the prettiest win, but Penn State really needed a W and overcame the loss of its starting quarterback to get one at Minnesota. Rob Bolden looked very good before suffering a possible concussion, and the Nittany Lions received lifts from receiver Derek Moye, defensive back D'Anton Lynn and running backs Evan Royster and Silas Redd. A banged-up defense remains vulnerable, though, and Penn State will be tested by Michigan's attack.

9. Northwestern (5-2, 1-2): Had Northwestern held on against Michigan State, it would be No. 5 in the power rankings and ranked in all the major polls. But a second consecutive Big Ten loss at home leaves Pat Fitzgerald's squad searching for answers, particularly on defense and along the offensive line. Quarterback Dan Persa is an absolute warrior, but his offensive line has underachieved and the defense let down in the clutch.

10. Indiana (4-3, 0-3): Indiana's defense allowed only 289 yards and Illinois scored 43 points. Wow. How does that happen? Five turnovers and two Indiana punts blocked. You can't expect to win Big Ten road games making so many mistakes. It's not November yet, but I can't see Indiana making a bowl game unless it beats Northwestern at home this week. Huge game for coach Bill Lynch and the Hoosiers.

11. Minnesota (1-7, 0-4): I didn't know what to expect from Minnesota following the coaching change, but it turned out to be more of the same. The defense continues to backslide and the offense couldn't convert a ton of yards (433) into enough points. Things likely will get ugly this week against Ohio State, and unless Minnesota grows up on defense, the Gophers are looking at 1-11.

It's that time again.

Here are your best and brightest from Week 8 in the Big Ten.

Punters Brad Nortman and Aaron Bates: Did you think I'd resist the chance to give helmet stickers to punters? Ha! Both these guys are well deserving after their roles in huge fourth-quarter fakes that led to come-from-behind victories. Nortman stunned Iowa with a 17-yard run on fourth-and-4 deep in Wisconsin territory during the Badgers' 31-30 victory, and Bates hit Bennie Fowler with a 23-yard completion on fourth-and-11 in the Spartans' 35-27 come-from-behind win. Bates, who also passed for a touchdown on a fake field goal against Notre Dame, now has a passer rating of 475. Not bad.

Michigan State's receivers: Some of you scoffed when I ranked Michigan State's receivers and tight ends as the Big Ten's best group before the season. They showed why Saturday with a tremendous collective effort against Northwestern. Mark Dell and B.J. Cunningham combined for 17 receptions, 220 receiving yards and three touchdowns, while Keith Nichol had two huge catches on the game-winning drive. And who can forget redshirt freshman Bennie Fowler, the recipient of the "Mousetrap" who also had a 22-yard touchdown run.

Ohio State LB Andrew Sweat: The Buckeyes defense missed a big piece Saturday in senior linebacker Ross Homan (foot), but Sweat stepped up in a big way to fill the void in a 49-0 win over Purdue. Sweat led a suffocating defensive effort with eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. He shares the sticker with the rest of the defense, which held Purdue to nine first downs and just 118 total yards.

Illinois LB Martez Wilson: It has been a long, hard road for Wilson, but he's finally performing like the player we thought he'd be when he arrived in 2007. The junior led Illinois with 12 tackles, blocked a punt (one of two for Illinois) and recorded a pass breakup in a 43-13 win over Indiana. He shares the sticker with fellow defenders Patrick Nixon-Youman and Jonathan Brown, both of whom had interception returns for touchdowns.

Penn State RBs Evan Royster and Silas Redd: The Lions needed a lift from the run game after Rob Bolden went down with a head injury, and both Royster and Redd provided one. The senior and the freshman combined for 133 rush yards and a touchdown on only 19 carries in a 33-21 win over Minnesota. Receiver Derek Moye also came up big with touchdown catches of 42 and 9 yards.

Ten items to track in a five-pack of Big Ten games on Saturday.

1. Lines collide in Iowa City: If you love line play and power football, pay attention Saturday afternoon at Kinnick Stadium. Wisconsin boasts the nation's No. 12 rushing attack and an offensive line boasting 130 career starts among its top six players. Iowa ranks seventh nationally against the run and has 100 career starts among its top five defensive linemen. Two future first-round draft picks match up in Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn and Wisconsin left tackle Gabe Carimi. The Richter scale had better be working in Iowa City because there could be a few tremors.

2. Spartans head across state lines: Michigan State is off to its best start since 1966, but all seven Spartans wins have taken place within the confines of the state. Some see this as a bigger deal than it really is -- an impressive win at Michigan should count for something -- but the Spartans can help their case for national respect with a good performance against 5-1 Northwestern in Evanston. Plenty of Michigan State fans should turn up at Ryan Field as the Spartans try to maintain perfection before another big road test at No. 15 Iowa.

3. Gophers resume play without Brewster: The Tim Brewster era is over at Minnesota, but the Gophers still have five games left to play. Interim coach Jeff Horton leads Minnesota in its first game without Brewster as it hosts Penn State. How will the Gophers respond? Perhaps more importantly, how will their fans respond after booing regularly during five consecutive home losses? "We're coming into two home football games, and I don't think it's fair for the kids to be booed," Minnesota AD Joel Maturi said Sunday in announcing Brewster's firing. "Quite frankly, it's why I have my plea out to our fans, don't boo our kids."

4. Buckeyes boiling: Don't expect Ohio State to overlook Purdue like it did last year. For starters, most Buckeyes players were on the field at Ross-Ade Stadium when Ryan Kerrigan and the 1-5 Boilermakers recorded the upset. Add in the fact that Ohio State comes off of a humbling loss to Wisconsin, and Jim Tressel's crew should be locked and loaded. Tressel has been masterful at exacting revenge, but his team faces some obstacles Saturday. The offensive line must keep Kerrigan away from Terrelle Pryor, and a banged-up defense will be without star linebacker Ross Homan and nickel safety Christian Bryant.

5. Bowling in Champaign: There's still time left for both Indiana and Illinois, but the loser of Saturday's game in Champaign could face an uphill battle to reach six wins and a bowl game. Indiana recorded its only Big Ten win of 2009 against the Illini, and Bill Lynch's crew needs two more wins to qualify for its second bowl game in four seasons after going 14 years without making the postseason. Illinois has survived its toughest stretch at 3-3, but this is a game the Illini need on their home field to show that things really are turning around.

6. Penn State faces must-win: Joe Paterno keeps stiff-arming the "must-win" label, but everyone knows it applies for Penn State on Saturday. If the Lions stumble against 1-6 Minnesota, they'll have a hard time reaching a bowl game and getting Paterno his 400th career win. This week, Paterno scoffed at a suggestion of in-fighting among the coaching staff, and Penn State players know they need to play with greater passion after a lackluster performance against Illinois. Rob Bolden and the offense need to step up against the Big Ten's worst scoring defense, especially since Penn State's own D continues to deal with some key injuries.

7. Wildcats back to being underdogs: The Northwestern Wildcats are underdogs for the first time this season, and that could spell good things Saturday against No. 7 Michigan State. Northwestern has been at its best as an under-the-radar, unranked underdog since 2003, recording eight wins against ranked opponents, including two last season. But Michigan State is executing at an extremely high level in all three phases, so Northwestern needs to clean up its mistakes, particularly with penalties and special-teams meltdowns.

8. Norm chant: Iowa defensive coordinator Norm Parker still hasn't returned to the team following foot amputation surgery last month, but Hawkeye Nation is keeping him in their thoughts Saturday. Every time Wisconsin's offense faces a third down on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa fans are being encouraged to chant "Norm! Norm! Norm!" This is a great idea to honor a great coach, and you can find out more about it here.

9. Opportunity knocks again for Purdue: No one outside Mollenkopf Athletic Center expected Purdue to be 2-0 in Big Ten play after a rash of injuries claimed starting quarterback Robert Marve and other key players. And no one expects the Boilers to be 3-0 in the conference after Saturday's trip to No. 10 Ohio State. Danny Hope's team has no pressure and once again gets a great opportunity to showcase itself on the national stage. Much like Illinois, Purdue typically plays Ohio State tough: the Boilers are 3-5 against the Buckeyes since 2000 with two losses by a combined seven points and only one loss by more than 16 points.

10. Rough road for Badgers: Bret Bielema and the Wisconsin Badgers overcame their big-game bugaboo against Ohio State. But if they intend to remain in the Big Ten title race, they need to back it up with a signature road win. Bielema still needs more of those, especially after Wisconsin's Oct. 2 loss at Michigan State. He has a 2-2 record against his alma mater, Iowa, but has dropped back-to-back games. Divisional alignment puts the Wisconsin-Iowa series on a two-year hiatus, so Saturday's game has extra meaning. "I graduated from Iowa," Bielema said. "They treat me very badly when I go down there. So it’s a hostile environment."

The first set of Big Ten games are in the books, and here are my quick thoughts:

Illinois 33, Penn State 13: Wow. I'll admit I didn't have the guts to pick Illinois today, even though I thought the Illini were capable of knocking off Penn State in Happy Valley for the first time in team history. But few could see something like this going down in JoePa's town. Illinois is undoubtedly better than we thought entering the season, and Penn State is undoubtedly worse. Ron Zook's team executed extremely well on both sides of the ball and overcame two special-teams turnovers that Penn State couldn't convert into touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase picked apart a banged-up Nittany Lions defense, completing 15 of 19 passes for 151 yards and a score, and running back Mikel Leshoure continued his strong season with 119 rush yards. Penn State had too many injuries on defense to overcome, but the offense continues to be a total mess for Joe Paterno. Freshman Rob Bolden seems to be regressing, and an underachieving offensive line couldn't generate any room for the running backs. I worried that Penn State had a leadership issue entering the season, and it's showing up. The Lions are a rudder-less ship right now.

Wisconsin 41, Minnesota 23: The Badgers needed a strong response after a poor performance in East Lansing, and aside from the second quarter, they delivered it. Wisconsin produced a complete offensive performance as Scott Tolzien displayed tremendous accuracy in the pocket (17-of-23), tight end Lance Kendricks continued to look like the John Mackey Award winner and running backs John Clay and James White both eclipsed 100 rushing yards. There's no reason the Badgers can't be dominant on offense all the time, and they have to feel better about themselves heading into next week's showdown with No. 2 Ohio State. Minnesota quarterback Adam Weber threw three touchdown passes in his final chance to hoist Paul Bunyan's Axe, but he got little help from a defense that surrendered 30 first downs and 473 total yards. The run game never got going after showing a spark last week against Northwestern. It'll be a long bus ride home for Tim Brewster's crew, and at 1-5, the final six weeks of the season could resemble a slow death march.

Ohio State 38, Indiana 10: Jim Tressel called off the dogs and Indiana scored a garbage-time touchdown, but make no mistake: This was an extremely impressive performance for a Buckeyes team needing style points after last week. While Ohio State's 24-13 win against Illinois looks a lot better today after what the Illini did in Happy Valley, the Buckeyes helped themselves by torching Ben Chappell and Indiana. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor dissected the Hoosiers' secondary, tossing touchdown passes to Dane Sanzenbacher, DeVier Posey and Brandon Saine, who looks more and more like a weapon at receiver instead of running back. Ohio State ran the ball decently, but it didn't need to with all of the holes in IU's pass defense. Indiana couldn't afford turnovers and Chappell had two of them, as Buckeyes linebackers Ross Homan and Brian Rolle teamed up on an interception. The Hoosiers missed running back Darius Willis (groin) and became one-dimensional, but their problems on defense didn't give them a chance.

Let's look back at Week 3 before gearing up for a riveting slate of games Saturday in the Big Ten (sarcasm, people).

Team of the Week: Michigan State. After suffering a series of close losses in the past three years, Michigan State finally turned the tables -- against one of its top rivals, no less. A seesaw game featured some offensive fireworks on both sides, and for certain stretches, Michigan State achieved the type of offensive balance that could make it very dangerous when Big Ten play rolls around. But the Spartans once again seemed to wilt in the clutch as quarterback Kirk Cousins took some costly sacks. Notre Dame regained the momentum late in regulation and in overtime, but Michigan State changed everything with a gutsy fake field goal call that resulted in the game-winning 29-yard touchdown pass. Although coach Mark Dantonio's health setback put the celebration on pause, Michigan State has an opportunity to build off this win.

Best game: Notre Dame at Michigan State. The game featured four lead changes, 938 yards, 65 points and the most memorable play of the young college football season, as punter/holder Aaron Bates found tight end Charlie Gantt for a 29-yard touchdown on the fake field goal try in overtime. Quarterbacks Cousins and Dayne Crist both had their moments, as did receivers Michael Floyd and B.J. Cunningham. Just a very entertaining game between rivals. Honorable mentions go to Wisconsin-Arizona State, which featured several wild special-teams plays, and Iowa-Arizona, which featured a furious Hawkeyes rally from a 27-7 halftime deficit and an Arizona counterpunch in the clutch.

Biggest play: Isn't it obvious by now? No one expected the fake field goal, especially from a typically conservative coach like Dantonio. It was the right call at the right time and Bates, a former high school quarterback, deserves credit for going to his second read after Le'Veon Bell was covered. If Michigan State goes on to have a big season, we'll all point to this play. Wisconsin also received two huge special-teams plays from safeties Shelton Johnson and Jay Valai. Johnson tripped up Arizona State kick returner Kyle Middlebrooks at the 1-yard line as the second quarter clock expired, saving six points and a huge momentum swing going into halftime. The 5-foot-9 Valai showed off his hops by blocking the potential game-tying PAT attempt with 4:09 left as Wisconsin won 20-19.

Specialist spotlight: Bates had a huge night against Notre Dame, and his game-winning pass to Gantt overshadowed his prowess as a punter, as he averaged 45.4 yards on eight punts. Illinois punter Anthony Santella leads the nation in punting average (48.9 ypg) after averaging 48.7 yards per boot on Saturday against Northern Illinois. Northwestern kicker Stefan Demos went 3-for-3 on field goal attempts against Rice, and Wisconsin punter Brad Nortman averaged 43 yards on four punts and had one downed inside the 5-yard line against Arizona State.

Game balls (given to players from winning teams not selected for helmet stickers):

• Wisconsin TE Lance Kendricks: Kendricks knew he'd have to step up Saturday as Wisconsin played without two of its top receivers (Nick Toon and David Gilreath). The senior tight end looked like a wide receiver again as he hauled in seven receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown, even though he was interfered with in the end zone. He shares the game ball with quarterback Scott Tolzien (19-25 passing, 246 yards, 1 TD).
• Michigan RB Michael Shaw: Denard Robinson didn't have to do it all against UMass as Shaw racked up career highs in both rushing yards (126) and touchdowns (3) on only 12 carries. He shares the game ball with Robinson, who had another big day, and receiver Darryl Stonum (3 receptions, 121 yards, 2 TDs).
• Ohio State LB Ross Homan: Homan has carried over his stellar play from 2009 and continues to become one of the league's top defensive playmakers. The senior had seven solo tackles, a forced fumble and an interception against Ohio. Kudos also go to fellow Buckeyes defender Tyler Moeller, who recorded his first career interception, a forced fumble and 1.5 tackles for loss.
• Michigan State RB Le'Veon Bell: Bell is the early leader for Big Ten Freshman of the Year after recording his second 100-yard rushing performance in his first three collegiate games. The big man rumbled for 114 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries against Notre Dame. He shares the game ball with receiver B.J. Cunningham (7 receptions, 101 yards, TD) and fellow back Edwin Baker (14 carries, 90 rush yards, TD).
• Northwestern LB Quentin Davie: The senior leads the Big Ten in interceptions after recording his third -- a pick-six, no less -- in Saturday night's blowout win at Rice. Davie recorded a game-high 10 tackles, including 1.5 for loss and a pass breakup. He shares the game ball with defensive linemen Vince Browne, Corbin Bryant and Jack DiNardo, who combined for 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
• Purdue WR Cortez Smith: The Boilers need a No. 1 receiver to emerge after losing Keith Smith, and Cortez Smith looks reads to fill the void. He recorded five receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns against Ball State. He'll share the game ball with defenders Gerald Gooden (5 tackles, forced fumble, pass breakup), Kawann Short (two pass breakups, blocked PAT) and Jason Werner (INT, 1 TFL).

How bizarre: The league-wide special teams struggles as well as a few odd highlights stood out in Week 3. Who can remember the last time the Big Ten had so many meltdowns with punting, kicking, kickoff coverage and punt coverage? Then again, the three biggest plays on Saturday came in the kicking game: Michigan State's game-winning fake field goal, Johnson's touchdown-saving tackle on a kickoff return and Valai's PAT block to preserve a 20-19 lead.

OK, moving on to Week 4. Do we have to? I know it's my job to get your excited for Big Ten football 24-7-365, but this week provides a major challenge, to say the least.

Northern Colorado (2-1) at Michigan State (3-0): Spartans offensive coordinator Don Treadwell takes over the head-coaching duties from Mark Dantonio, who suffered a mild heart attack following the Notre Dame win. The Spartans look for a more complete defensive performance before Wisconsin visits on Oct. 2.

Central Michigan (2-1) at Northwestern (3-0): Northwestern aims for its second perfect nonconference mark in the past three seasons after going 35 years with at least one non-league loss. Central Michigan should test Davie and the Wildcats' defense, which has forced nine turnovers in the first three games.

Bowling Green (1-2) at Michigan (3-0): The Wolverines' sputtering defense likely won't face Falcons starting quarterback Matt Schilz, who isn't expected to play because of a shoulder injury. Michigan's offense will light up the scoreboard, but the D has to get better before Big Ten play.

Austin Peay (2-1) at Wisconsin (3-0): Yawn. If Wisconsin can't dominate the Governors (ello, guvna!), Badgers fans should get worried. This provides a good chance for the Badgers to assess their depth on both sides of the ball.

Ball State (1-2) at Iowa (2-1): Although the Cardinals hung in there at Purdue, Iowa should have no trouble Saturday. The bigger question is whether the Hawkeyes can clean up their play in the kicking game, on the offensive line and in the secondary after the Arizona loss.

Toledo (2-1) at Purdue (2-1): Quarterback Robert Marve's left knee injury doesn't appear to be serious, and the Boilers need to get No. 9 through this game and into the bye week without further setbacks. Arizona shredded Toledo's defense in the season opener, and Purdue should have opportunities to further develop a receiving corps missing star Keith Smith.

Eastern Michigan (0-3) at Ohio State (3-0): The Buckeyes could score 70 in this one. I'm not kidding. Eastern Michigan has surrendered 111 points in its first three games.

Temple (3-0) at Penn State (2-1): This is the most interesting game in the Big Ten. Temple heads to State College with a ton of confidence as coach Al Golden might be auditioning for the Nittany Lions' faithful. Penn State's running back race now is open as slumping senior Evan Royster tries to hold off junior Stephfon Green and dynamic freshman Silas Redd. Should be a good one in Happy Valley.

Akron (0-3) at Indiana (2-0): Ben Chappell and the Hoosiers' offense likely will carve up another bad team Saturday, as Akron has been blown out by Syracuse and Kentucky and lost at home to Gardner-Webb (ouch). The bigger question is whether the Hoosiers' defense can shut down the Zips.

Northern Illinois (1-2) at Minnesota (1-2): It's must-win time for embattled coach Tim Brewster and his Golden Gophers, who performed a lot better Saturday against USC but still couldn't finish off a good team. Northern Illinois will test Minnesota's new-look defense with quarterback Chandler Harnish, and Minnesota needs to reignite the run game despite Duane Bennett's ankle issues.

Bye: Illinois (2-1)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Week 2 is packed with appealing matchups, but there's nowhere I'd rather be than right here.

Miami and Ohio State. Jacory Harris and Terrelle Pryor. The U at the Shoe. 'Nuff said.

No. 12 Miami and No. 2 Ohio State meet for the first time since the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, which decided the national championship in entertaining and controversial fashion. But let's forget about the past. This year's matchup gives us plenty to chew on.

Great atmosphere around the stadium today and along High Street last night. I'm surprised how many Miami fans are here. Saw a vanload of them getting heckled at the airport, and some more checking out Ohio Stadium on Friday afternoon. Brave souls.

OK, the weather. It's overcast right now but no rain yet. There's a 40 percent to 50 percent chance of thunderstorms, probably in the second and third quarters. Ohio State probably has a slight edge in the rain because of its power run game, but not a huge advantage on the other side.

A few thoughts on the Canes-Buckeyes matchup:

• This game likely comes down to which quarterback handles pressure better. Neither Harris nor Pryor faced much of it in their openers, but the heat will be turned up today. Ohio State wants to rush only four and allow linebackers Ross Homan and Brian Rolle to be factors in pass coverage. Keep an eye on Buckeyes star D-lineman Cameron Heyward. He was a little quiet last week, but the All-America candidate has played his best games against top competition (USC, Penn State). Pryor showed good patience against Marshall, but it'll be interesting to see how often he'll take off and run against Miami. Ohio State's offensive line is experienced and deep, but Miami boasts tremendous speed in its defensive front seven.
• Who holds the edge in the kicking game? If there's a weakness for Ohio State, it might be special teams, which is amazing to say given Jim Tressel's reputation. The Buckeyes allowed Oregon's Kenjon Barner to go nuts on returns in the Rose Bowl, and Marshall scored its lone touchdown Sept. 2 on a blocked field goal return. Miami has a good kicker/punter in Matt Bosher, and the Canes can be dangerous on returns.
• I think I can speak for a lot of folks in Big Ten country in saying my view of Miami might be clouded by the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl. Wisconsin really dominated the Canes and made Harris look bad. But this Miami team is different, and better. If Harris can avoid interceptions -- he had 17 last year -- and challenge a somewhat unproven Buckeyes secondary, he should have some success. But opportunistic play has been the calling card for Ohio State's defense, which tied for third nationally in takeaways with 35 in 2009.