Another week in the Big Ten has come and gone.  Before I begin looking foward to week 9 matchups, Heisman Talk, and BCS standings, let's take one last look at the games from week 8.

NORTHWESTERN over Purdue 48 - 26

What can I say?  This was a typical Purdue game.  Thier offense put up solid points, but thier defense sucked.  Northwestern is a very good team (and they're only going to get better), but Purdue has to think that with a solid defense, they may have had a shot.  Any time you can put that many points on the board, you should have a shot, but they were only close for maybe a quarter.

Northwestern did a great job of bouncing back from thier loss to MSU.  They needed a big win to make a statement that they still should be considered for the top 25.  At 7-1 there's no doubt they're going to a bowl, and a much better one than anyone predicted at the beginning of the season.

OHIO STATE over Michigan State 45 - 7

Whoda thunk?  I wasn't the only one picking MSU to win that game.  Given how OSU looked in the two weeks leading up to this game, I didn't think I was going out on too big a limb by picking the Spartans. 

OSU had been taking  a ton of flack (and still are, in many circles) and needed a huge win to make a statement.  I hope JoePa was paying attention over in Pennsylvania.  For a couple of weeks now, PSU has looked like the elite team in the Big Ten.  I'm not so sure anymore.  Everything that was wrong with OSU was righted.  The play calling was much better, the execution was crisp, and the players looked like they were hungry again.  Much better Buckeyes.

As for Michigan State, Javon can only do so much and against a team like OSU, it just wasn't enough.  Watching that game, I thought the offense looked thoroughly confused.  They started beating themselves early and often and never were able to shake the jitters.  They were just out-played from top to bottom.

PENN STATE over Michigan 46 -17

This one was a tale of two halves.  In the first half, Michigan rolled early and looked like they were ready and poised to upset the last remaining undefeated team in the Big Ten.  Then came the second half.  PSU rolled like PSU does and stomped the Wolverines into the ground pretty much like everyone expected them to.

Michigan fell apart when things started going poorly.  I don't for a minute believe they could have avoided a loss, but it didn't have to be that bad.  They'll learn, but for the remainder of this season, Michigan fans may want to wear a bag over thier head....hey I'm an Iowa fan...it's not so bad once you get used to it...

Michigan did wake PSU up.  They looked flat coming into the game.  Looking ahead to OSU a little early were we??  It's probably a good thing for Michigan, or the score might have been much worse.

ILLINOIS over Indiana 55 - 13

Talk about going from bad to worse.  Indiana had flashes of brilliance, but for the most part looked like a high school team trying to play college ball.  They missed tackles, fumbled away the ball, made one mistake after another and beat themselves as much as Illinois beat them.  Time to get back to basics in Indiana and build the program from the ground up.

Illinois needed this win.  With a 3-3 record coming into the game, they were a million miles out of the Big Ten picture.  They're not really any threat to win the conference, but they can sure shake a few things up in the remaining weeks.  They needed the big win for pride.  Illinois football is alive and well, they just needed to be reminded.  I was feeling pretty good about Iowa's chances against the Illini, now I'm pretty nervous.

IOWA over Wisconsin 38 - 16

Iowa steamrolled a wounded Badger team.  Just when Wisconsin started to pull themselves back into the game (14-9), Iowa laid the smack down on them.

I can't say enough about Shonn Greene.  Week in and week out, this young man has produced.  Shonn humbly gives all the credit to his offensive line and he's right to.  The line has been great this year and has done a wonderful job of making big holes for Shonn to run through.  Still, he's done a fantastic job of getting yards after initial contact.  With 8 straight 100 yard games and over 1100 yards, he's a madman.  Iowa puts the fortunes of the offense on his shoulders and he delivers. 

Ricki Stanzi is growing up before our very eyes, and he's going to be a good QB for the Hawks.  He showed a lot of poise and made great decisions. 

Wisconsin showed some heart in that game.  Down 14-3 early, they battled back to make it a close game.  I have to question the play calling a little though.  Surely they had to have read the scouting reports.  Iowa had one of the best defenses against the rush, yet they kept trying to run it up the middle.  WTF???  How about trying to move the ball outside?  They finally gave it a shot later in the game and found some success. 

PJ Hill was injured in the second quarter and that had to hurt a little, but this team showed why they're 3-4 overall, 0-4 in the B10.  They lacked a balanced attack and didn't pay attention to what Iowa was giving them.  I don't know if they could have won this game or not, but they sure could have kept it closer.

Wisconsin needs to get back to basics.  All props to Shonn Greene, but Wisconsin was doing a terrible job of tackling.  Their blocking up front was less than spectacular as well.  Iowa's front 4 may not have put a lot of pressure on the QB, but did anyone see how far off the line of scrimage the line was being pushed?  Lock down the basics and the rest will start to fall in line.

Well, those are my thoughts on the games.  My Hawks get a bye week this week, but I still look forward to the rest of the games.  Sadly, there're only five weeks left in the regular season.  Can we go back to September and do it all over again?????

As a rule of thumb, I don't like whiners and go out of my way to avoid being one.  However, I'm going let off a little steam here, and if it sounds like sour grapes.....tough.

Week after week, I keep an eye on the Heisman watch.  Week after week, I'm disappointed.  Disappointed that not once, not even as an honorable mention, does Shonn Greene's name appear.  What's worse, Scout.com put together a nice little list of the top 150 players they pick to go in the next NFL draft (all seniors) and Shonn doesn't appear anywhere on that list either.

Are you friggin' kidding me?!?!  Not picked to go in the draft either?!?

(catching breathe)

Okay, let's look at this rationally for a moment.

Shonn has carried the ball 152 times for 937 yards in seven games.  That's a pretty little 6.2 yards/carry.  That alone puts him 3rd in the nation in total yards, but that's not all.  He also has managed seven consecutive 100 yards games, top in the nation in that category.  He's a bruising back that carries his team's offense on his broad shoulders.

I can appreciate that explosiveness of Michigan State's Javon Ringer, but Ringer can't boast the kind of raw power Shonn Greene displays week in and week out.  I get really sick of seeing Ringer's name high on the list and Greene not even getting a mention. 

Yes, Ringer has two hundred yards more than Greene, but he has also carried the ball nearly 200 more times than Greene.  Once Shonn establishes the run, Iowa opens up the passing game and Jewel Hampton gets carries once in a while too.  Who knows how many yards Shonn would have if he carried the ball 195 extra times?

I know there are several people out there who will say....but Iowa sucks.  A Heisman candidate should lead thier team to victory.  Hey, a man can only do so much.  Is it his fault that his QB fumbles the ball every other snap?  Is it his fault the team tends to turn the ball over near the goal line?  When he's handed the football, he gets the job done!  When he doesn't get the call, he can't be held accountable for what the rest of the team does.  That's why I hate Heisman voting.  It's not so much about the player as about the team he plays for.

What really aggrivated me was the omission from the list of draft candidates.  How can a running back who runs so consistently, so powerfully and in the mold of the great pro running backs not be considered a top draft choice?!?!   I'm sure there are pro teams out there who are keeping thier eyes on Shonn, but it still makes me angry that Scout.com can't recognize what this young man has accomplished this year.

It is my sincerest hope that Shonn Greene is drafted high in the first round next spring and ends up being an All-Pro.  The Powers-That-Be still wouldn't admit that they overlooked a wonderful talent, but at least his fans would be able to say "I told you so".