The Final Score - Your source for Big Ten Sports

Monday Morning QB ...
A rather ho-hum weekend in the Big Ten. Ohio State crushed Bowling Green, as expected. Iowa bounced back big with a resounding win over Purdue. Michigan dominated rival Michigan State. Wisconsin ran all over Northwestern. Really, the only games that brought some excitement were played by traditional cellar dwellars Indiana and Illinois and by Penn State and Minnesota.

Both games came down to a kick. One meant a win, the other a loss. Indiana finally got back in the win column by nailing a game winning field goal in Champaign and sending Illinois back to the familiar territory of a loss. Minnesota missed a PAT and watched Penn State convert a score and PAT in their part of overtime to avoid an upset and keep the Gophers winless in the conference.

This weekend sees another rivalry game involving Paul Bunyan (Minnesota at Wisconsin), an anticipated Saturday evening battle between two tremendous programs (Michigan at Penn State), a game that was once thought to be a trap game for the Buckeyes (Ohio State at Michigan State) and a couple of "so-what" games when Purdue hits the road for Evanston and Illinois entertains Ohio.

Team of the Week ...
Iowa could have been caught licking the wounds of a rather lopsided home loss to Ohio State in what was billed as one of the bigger games ever played in Kinnick. Instead, the Hawkeyes bounced back big and hammered the Boilermakers.

Player of the Week ...
P.J. Hill ran all over Northwestern for 249 yards and hit the century mark 10 minutes into the game. Also considered - Troy Smith and Mario Manningham, but frankly, they win every other week!

A look at my preseason predictions, halfway into the season...
Indiana - I had them at 4-2 (1-1) with losses to Western Michigan and Illinois; They are 3-3 (1-1) with losses to Southern Illinois, UConn and Wisconsin

Minnesota - I had them at 2-4 (0-3) with losses to Cal, Purdue, Michigan and Penn State; I have them nailed at this point

Northwestern - I had them 3-3 (0-2) with losses to Nevada, Penn State and Wisconsin; They are 2-4 (0-2) with an additional loss, to 1-AA New Hampshire

Illinois - I had them 3-3 (1-2) with losses to Rutgers, Iowa and MSU; They are 2-4 (1-2) with losses to Rutgers, Syracuse, Iowa and Indiana

Purdue - I had them 4-2 (1-1) with losses to Notre Dame and Iowa; I have them nailed at this point

Wisconsin - I had them 4-2 (1-2) with losses to Michigan and Indiana; They are 5-1 (2-1) with a lone loss to Michigan

Michigan State - I had them 4-2 (1-1) with losses to Notre Dame and Michigan; They are 3-3 (0-2) with those losses plus a loss to Illinois

Michigan - I had them 5-1 (3-0) with a loss to Notre Dame; They are 6-0 (3-0)

Penn State - I had them at 4-2 (2-1) with losses to Notre Dame and Ohio State; I have them nailed at this point

Ohio State - I had them at 5-1 (1-1) with a loss to Iowa; They are 6-0 (2-0)

Iowa - I had them at 6-0 (3-0); They are 5-1 (2-1) with a loss to Ohio State

Get Gamm Status ...
We actually had to go to the second tiebreaker this week. Five of us went 5-1 but may0170 and Buckeye Nation were each within three points of the tiebreaker. From there it goes to total points in the tiebreaker game, meaning the nod once again goes to Buckeye Nation (you know the drill). B.N. is, as Dan Patrick used to say "en fuego."

1 - mayo170: 43-9 (.827)
T2 - BuckeyeNation: 42-10 (.808), 3 GG Wins
T2 - phatsdawg: 42-10 (.808)
T2 - Dan Meyer: 42-10 (.808), 1 GG Win
T2 - flakcat: 42-10 (.808)
T2 - andrewj1313: 42-10 (.808)
7 - Gamm: 41-11 (.788), 1 GG Win
8 - BigTenSportsFan: 39-13 (.750), 1 GG Win
- AaronRoberts: 23-5 (.821)*
- PUFan: 21-9 (.750)*

* = Not eligible for final prize

This week...
Ohio at Illinois
Purdue at Northwestern
Iowa at Indiana
Minnesota at Wisconsin
Ohio State at Michigan State
Michigan at Penn State (Tiebreaker)