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Well, last week wasn’t quite as crazy as the one before, but it was still pretty good. We had a top-10 team lose to an unranked, but I think Oklahoma State was pretty overblown.
Sorry if you like them; I just keep thinking of their narrow escape from Tulsa. They are good enough to win the Big 12, though, if they don’t stumble against anyone but the rival Sooners. What a whiff by Michigan as well! They lost to a team that fumbled six times in a loss to Rutgers (!)
Yeah, it’s a rivalry game, but didn’t you just “assert yourself” in a dominating win over Minnesota to “make yourself a contender”? Not so fast. If you are a Michigan fan, don’t lose hope, but don’t get that hope up either.
Well, anyway, I’ll stop jabbing at the losers and give you the five winners from Week 9:
5. Ohio State
Yeah, I know. Put the championship contender Buckeyes in here after a double-digit win. Yawn. But nobody, at least before Penn State lost to Indiana, thought the Nittany Lions would be taken down rather easily. They only lost by 13, but they never seemed in it. The Buckeyes caught them at a good time and snagged a huge win for their hopes of getting back to the CFP and possibly scoring revenge on Clemson.
4. Northwestern
One of the Big Ten’s poorer teams last year, Northwestern is now 2-0 after a one point escape at Iowa. Things are looking up for the Wildcats, who now face winnable games against Nebraska and Purdue. This win makes a bowl bid very possible.
On paper, this was a monster upset. But I think we all knew this might happen, and weren’t all that surprised. That’s the state of things for the Michigan Wolverines right now. Still though, the team that lost to Rutgers by double-digits at home just won in the Big House (now known as the Cleaned House, as fans are few and far between). Good ol’ college football rivalries at their best.
2. Texas
Again, on paper, this one is a seismic shocker. But Oklahoma State and Texas are nowhere as far apart as the rankings indicate. Still, this is a huge ones for the Longhorns their fanbase will gladly take after losing to the most vulnerable Oklahoma Sooner team in recent years.
1. Maryland
Now this was an upset. I did not see this one coming at all. Maryland, the worst team in the Big Ten except for possibly Rutgers (but possibly not), found a way to sneak past Minnesota, the team favored by many to win the Big Ten West. That is crazy, ESPECIALLY after trailing by 21 points in the fourth quarter! Wow. This is an Indiana-over-Penn State size of huge win, but in the cellar-dweller beats hopeful kind of way rather than the hopeful beats monster powerhouse kind of way like the Hoosiers did. The Big Ten had delivered so far. I know which conference I want to watch this weekend!