September 10, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Associated Press)

It was a kick in the pants for Wisconsin.  The 19th ranked Badgers, traveling 1,700 miles to become the first non-conference Power 5 team to visit Washington State in 25 years, took on the chin 31-22 by one of the two teams left behind in the Pac-12 exodus.

https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-badgers-washington-state-cougars-7417b1d878e61f1b63349d7360a8f6fb

Nebraska was hoping for national attention and greater success when it hired Matt Rhule as head coach and they got it with back to back games on national TV to open the Rhule era.  Unfortunately, Saturday was for the other first year head coach on the field.  The klieg lights are always on Deion Sanders, but son Shedeur Sanders is rightfully stealing those away with his play.  Another outstanding performance in the Buffs' 36-14 rout of the Huskers.

https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-colorado-deion-sanders-matt-rhule-01eac1f375f591e3723b99c8672330ae

Good things come to those who wait.  A week after losing their home opener to Fresno State, Purdue then waited through a bizarre 5-hour-plus weather delay to finally resume their game and beat Virginia Tech 24-17 to get Ryan Walters his first victory as a head coach.

Purdue football refuses to lose during long Saturday at Virginia Tech (indystar.com)

How did Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh spend his Saturday?  While his 2nd ranked Wolverines were dismantling UNLV 35-7, the suspended head coach worked the chain gang at a youth football game.

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2023/09/09/michigan-wolverines-game-score-vs-unlv-live-updates-ann-arbor-big-house/70810221007/

Good teams win.  Very good teams put away the teams they're supposed to with ease and that's what #7 Penn State did Saturday.  The Nittany Lions posting a 63-7 win over Delaware before hitting the road for the first time next week with their Big Ten opener at Illinois.

https://www.centredaily.com/sports/college/penn-state-university/psu-football/article279135274.html

After months of being the center of a gambling probe and days after several players entered guilty pleas, both Iowa and Iowa State were happy to renew their rivalry.  The Hawkeyes reclaim the CyHawk Trophy with the 20-13 victory that was the 200th in coach Kirk Ferentz's career.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/gametracker/recap/NCAAF_20230909_IOWA@IOWAST/

The toughest tests are yet to come, meanwhile #5 Ohio State rolled through another overmatched opponent Saturday.  The Buckeyes beat Youngstown State 35-7 at Ohio Stadium while continuing to work on maturing some key young players.

https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2023/09/ohio-state-football-labors-through-35-7-win-over-youngstown-state-in-home-opener.html

No Big Ten team needed a win more than Northwestern and the Wildcats finally got it.  A 38-7 victory over UTEP in their home opener to snap a 12-game losing streak and their first win on American soil since October 2021.  Northwestern has lost 18 of its last 20 games overall.

https://dailynorthwestern.com/2023/09/09/sports/football/rapid-recap-northwestern-38-utep-7/