The theme of the week was close games and strange endings. There were 8 of 11 games decided by a touchdown or less...and many were decided in the final minutes of the game. The only problem is that most of the opponents were not good, and the Big Ten lost 3 games it shouldn't have. (OSU, MSU, Purdue...I'm talking to you, but not so much Purdue, nice try there)

Indiana 23 - Western Michigan 19
Indiana narrowly escaped against a lesser foe for the second week in a row. The Hoosier did everything they could in the fourth quarter to blow the lead (had a 22 yard field goal blocked, let the Broncos drive down to the 5, and after a fumble recovery took a safety with 17 seconds left). Indiana definitely ran the ball better out off the Pistol offense, but still have a ways to go if they want to win any games in the Big Ten.

Prediction: Wrong (Western Michigan wins narrowly)

Michigan State 27 - Central Michigan 29
I didn't expect MSU to lose this game, but I didn't buy that they were a contender for a second and to those who were saying the Spartans are better than Iowa, you were and still are just plain wrong. Anyway, the Spartans blew this one big time giving up 16 4th quarter points. The Chippewas drove down the field and scored a touchdown with 32 seconds to play. Instead of kicking a game tying PAT, CMU opted to go for the win and were thwarted on their 2-point conversion attempt. CMU then kicked and converted one of the most perfect onside kicks I've ever seen. They got in field goal range and with 8 seconds to go attempted a 42 yard field goal for the win. Miss...but wait, MSU is dumb enough to line up off sides! Now 3 seconds left, and the kicker put it right through.

Prediction: Very wrong (Michigan State wins by a couple of scores)

Northwestern 27 - Eastern Michigan 24
Another nail biter against a much lesser foe. Northwestern blew a 21 point lead and needed a last second field goal to down the Eagles. The Wildcats had a little bit of the turnover bug (1 interception and 2 lost fumbles) that kept the Eagles in the game late.

Prediction: Kind of correct (Northwestern wins easy for the second week in a row)

Penn State 28 - Syracuse 7
Penn State beats another mediocre team...same old story. Penn State wasn't exactly an offensive juggernaut in this game only gaining 318 yards, but the defense completely shut down the Orange. Syracuse on gain 200 yards all day and only 65 on the ground.

Prediction: Correct (Penn State rolls again)

Wisconsin 34 - Fresno State 31 (2OT)
Another game that came down to the wire as Wisconsin needed to come from 14 down to tie it and take it to 2 overtimes to put away the Bulldogs. It finally ended when safety Chris Maragos intercepted a Fresno State pass in the second OT.

Prediction: Sort of correct (Wisconsin pulls away in the second half)

Michigan 38 - Notre Dame 34
I'll give credit to Michigan for that game winning 4th quarter drive. That was impressive. But both the defenses were not very good this game. The Michigan secondary had an absolutely terrible performance. I still can't figure out if Michigan is good or if Notre Dame is just that bad. We'll find out soon enough, I guess, and I was happy to see Notre Dame lose.

Prediction: Correct! (Michigan capitalizes on its home-field and wins in a close game)

Illinois 45 - Illinois State 17
Juice was squeezed a little to tight (sorry) and backup QB Eddie McGee led the Illini to an easy win over FCS foe, Illinois State. The outcome of the game was never in question as Illinois was up 24-0 at half time.

Prediction: Correct (Illinois takes its frustration out and wins big)

Minnesota 20 - Air Force 13
Minnesota had a somewhat shaky day in the debut of TCF Bank. The defense did well against the Air Force's crazy rushing attack, but the offense needed 17 4th quarter points to pull away for the win. Eric Decker had a big day with 10 catches for 113 yards.

Prediction: Sort of correct (Minnesota holds off a comeback by Air Force to win)

Ohio State 15 - Southern California 18
Ugh. I really thought OSU would pull this game out. You can blame Tressel's decision making or Terrelle Pryor's complete lack of QB mechanics, but plain and simple OSU just can't win the big games lately. The defense played outstanding completely shutting down the USC offense for about 53 minutes. I'm already sick of the Matt Barkley coverage. The kid was equally as a bad as Prior. He finished completing less than 50% of his pass and had a QB rating of less than 100, and yet he is the next great quarterback? Ugh.

Prediction: Close but no cigar (Ohio State wins in a close game)

Purdue 36 - Oregon 38
I stayed up late for this game!...only to be disappointed. Purdue's offense has been very good the first two weeks, and if you haven't heard of Ralph Bolden yet, you will. He's only leading the country with 357 rushing yards. Anyway, Purdue gave this game away having an interception and fumble returned for touchdowns against them. Also, a missed PAT led to a needed and failed 2-point conversion to tie the game in the closing minutes.

Prediction: Shoot out yes, Purdue no (Purdue wins in a shoot out)