Big Ten at Ten 9.12.12: A Perfect Weekend?

I still haven't thoroughly spoke about what happened last weekend and would prefer not to. Watching football on September 8th was like the first time I watched Magnolia. I just kept on asking myself: WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING? Now, all we can do is look forward to Saturday where the B1G plays a bunch of cupcakes and Notre Dame (of if you prefer, just a bunch of cupcakes). BTN.com’s Brent Yarina (@BTNBrentYarina) has the Big Ten going perfect for the week while Tom Dienhart (@BTNTomDienhart) has Penn State losing 29-21 to Navy. Yes, that Navy.

The reason why the Big Ten could go undefeated this weekend is because every school is at home and it's week three....which means some MAC teams are going to get slaughtered. Iowa and Illinois play FCS opponents, Michigan gets UMass (LOL) and Nebraska takes on Arkansas State. The only real game of note is Michigan State vs. Notre Dame. You'll recall that Sparty went full SPARTY NOOOOO in South Bend last season, losing 31-13 to the Domers. This season the Spartans have yet to give up an offensive touchdown and Notre Dame is having problems deciding on a quarterback. Dare I say that if Michigan State beats the Irish they shouldn't just be eyeing the Rose Bowl, but they should be eyeing the BCS National Title game as well? It's OK to dream Sparty. It's OK.

Here's the latest odds from Vegas Insider and a look at the teams the B1G is taking on:

A few notes:

• 5 Big Ten schools are double digit favorites including Michigan who is favored over UMass by a whopping FORTY SIX points.
• Indiana is only favored by 2.5 against Ball State. Minnesota is only favored by 2.5 against Western Michigan. Really?
• 9 out of the last 12 meetings between Michigan State and Notre Dame have been decided by 7 points or less.
• Considering how well Utah State has been playing I think 14 points for the Badgers is a little generous.

Maybe we could rebound by going perfect this weekend? Eh, probably not.

Team Links:

• Nate Scheelhaase hopes he's ready for the Fighting Illini's game against Charleston Southern.
• Indiana received a defensive tackle commitment from Jordan Heiderman of Iowa Western Community College.
• Kevin Wilson expresses confidence in Hoosier backup/now starter Cameron Coffman. And yes, he is the brother of Carson and Chase Coffman.
• Q&A with Kirk Ferentz on Iowa's upcoming game against UNI. Yawn.
• Right now, Iowa's offense is a fill-in-the-blank word-play riddle thingie.
• The transcript from Greg Mattison's Tuesday press conference.
• Frank Clark will soon be a convicted felon. Don't worry though, he won't be missing any more time on the football field.
• Brian Kelly says Le'Veon Bell is relentless and a complete back. He says he's so intimidated by Bell that he wants to put him up on a scissor lift in high winds. That's not funny. Then again, neither is involuntary manslaughter.
• Minnesota leads the B1G in white speed receivers. White Speed Receiver is impressed.
• The Daily Gophers Golden Gopher Power Rankings. Lots of gopher in there.
• The supply isn't meeting the demand for the Husker defense.
• Nebraska vs. UCLA: By the Numbers.
• Venric Mark is LTP's Wildcat of the Week (again).
• Cross-Country trips can impact games, from 11W.
• Ohio State v. UCF: Offensive Breakdown.
• We're talking breakfast? Breakfast? Yes, we're talking breakfast with tOSU defensive end John Simon.
• Penn State junior wide receiver Shawney Kersey has left the team for personal reasons. They didn't need him anyway. Snicker.
• BOB Presser: Navy Edition.
• Hammer and Rails looks forward at the QB position following Robert Marve's 13,505th injury.
• Wisconsin's gameday prep against Utah State.
• Will the Markuson firing jump start Wisconsin?

Conference Links:

• Bell and Ball appear on Pre-Snap Read's Week 3 Heisman list. T-Mart dropped out after he started throwing the ball like T-Mart.
• William Gholston comes in at #1 on Russ Lande's most draft eligible Big Ten players.
• Listen to your Big Ten football coach.
• Tom Dienhart's best of week 3.
• The numbers say the Big Ten isn't very good right now.
• Maize n Brew does a little predicting of their own.
• The latest ESPN B1G mailblog.