'Round the Big Ten

It was a tough week for a couple Big Ten teams in-particular.

First and most obvious was Penn State. I was able to catch the 2nd half of this game. And from what I saw, Penn State was not able to contain their poise late in the game that they seemed to have for the first 9 games of the season. Iowa was able to capitalize on the late interception, and drive down the field to get well into field goal range.

Last week I said Penn State would win, but this game had all the marking of a traditional "trap" game. And that's exactly what happened.

The other team that had a woeful loss was Illinois. WTF??? Lose to Western Michigan? Not only is that just as bad as Michigan losing to Toledo, but they did it at Ford Field in Detroit?! How in the world did this game even come to pass? Why would a mid-level Big Ten team even schedule a game like this? MAC games should be played within the safe confines of your home field. Never should a B10 school have to travel anywhere to play a MAC school. Never.

The only good thing for Illinois is that this game was not televised. ESPN didn't cover it, and the Big Ten Network couldn't touch it because the game wasn't hosted at a Big Ten stadium...an odd bit of information that I learned last week.

Other than that (and Michigan's win over the Gophers), no big surprises around the league. Michigan State rolled just like they should have, Wisconsin won just like they should have, and tOSU ran all over NW, just like they should have. No surprises there.

So for Penn State fans...I poured out a shot for you on Saturday night (one for my homies), and said farewell to your BCS dreams. I also said farewell to tOSU's Rose Bowl dreams...sorry Buckeye's...not this year.

So in the spirit of speculation, let's do a little Big Ten bowl rundown. Now, these are simply my predictions...based solely on nothing.

Penn State - Rose Bowl
Michigan State - Fiesta Bowl
tOSU - Capital One Bowl
Iowa - Outback Bowl
Northwestern - Alamo Bowl
Minnesota - Champs Bowl
Wisconsin - Insight Bowl
Illinois - Motor City

Or...maybe Iowa losses to Purdue and Minnesota and falls to 6-6 and goes to the Insight or Motor City bowl. Very possible. And that would bump every one else up.

So all-in-all, I think we're all in a whirlwind final two weeks to the season. And if anyone is wondering why I pick Michigan State for the Fiesta Bowl and not tOSU...that has all to do with a certain game in Columbus in two weeks. Plus I think Michigan State - Penn State will be a huge game in Happy Valley...one that Penn State will win, but an effort by Michigan State to keep it close that will impress pollsters enough to grant Sparty a BCS bowl.

Of course, what do I know.