Spartans, Not Gophers, Still Not Bowl Eligible
Michigan State's season hasn't played out the way the Spartans, or any of their opponents, expected.
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Michigan State's season hasn't played out the way the Spartans, or any of their opponents, expected.
Taylor Martinez threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns to Kenny Bell while becoming No. 16 Nebraska's all-time passing leader in a 38-14 victory over Minnesota on Saturday.
Minnesota will enter Nebraska's raucous stadium on Saturday with a third-string center making the line calls for a makeshift group in front of freshman quarterback Philip Nelson.
It wasn't pretty, but Minnesota was good enough in a 17-3 win over Illinois on Saturday.
Some think Minnesota is the nation's top wrestling team this season. Others believe Penn State is primed for a third straight NCAA championship.
Some think Minnesota is the nation's top wrestling team this season. Others believe Penn State is primed for a third straight NCAA championship.
Minnesota had plenty of legitimate opportunities to beat Michigan last week. The bad news for the Gophers was that they still lost by 22 points.
Devin Gardner replaced Denard Robinson in a surprise quarterback switch by Michigan right before kickoff, throwing two touchdown passes and running for another score to lead the Wolverines past Minnesota 35-13 on Saturday.
Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson has been ruled out of the game at Minnesota.
Freshman Philip Nelson threw three touchdown passes in the first half of his second college start for Minnesota, and the Gophers breezed to their first Big Ten victory of the season by beating Purdue 44-28 on Saturday afternoon.
The Big Ten's strength has been questioned all season after some ugly wins and bad losses for several of its top-tier teams. Purdue and Minnesota have found the league to be plenty challenging.
Minnesota freshman quarterback Philip Nelson has made his college debut at Wisconsin.
Just three weeks ago, Minnesota looked like it would be more than ready to challenge Wisconsin.
The second half of the season couldn't arrive fast enough for the Big Ten Conference. With most everyone having six games under their belts, the official second half of the season is beginning this week.
The rough-and-tumble Big Ten can put up gaudy score lines, too. Ohio State scored 63 points last weekend, Michigan 44.
The Minnesota Gophers (4-0) will be facing Iowa (2-2) at Kinnick Stadium. Kickoff is 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Minnesota begins Big Ten play as one of only three undefeated teams left in the conference, enjoying a 4-0 start for the first time since the 2008 season.
For all the Big Ten bashing going on, there are a couple feel-good stories playing out at Minnesota and Northwestern.
A.J. Barker is third in the Big Ten with 231 yards receiving through three games. He's tied for third in the league with four touchdowns.
Big Ten coaches had just one request for those ripping the conference after a rough weekend. Wait. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini cautioned against making "snap judgments" so early in the season, no matter how rough things looked.
The Big Ten takes a step up in competition this week, with seven games against opponents from BCS conferences. Five are on the road, including three trips to the West Coast.
Minnesota coach Jerry Kill hasn't hesitated to single out the position that's the most critical toward the team's improvement this season.
The Big Ten and Pac-12 have scrapped their plan to schedule games against each other in all sports.
The Big Ten Conference announced on Friday that the 2013 Big Ten baseball tournament will be held at Target Field in Minneapolis, the home of the Minnesota Twins, marking the first time that the event will be held at a Major League Baseball facility.
When talking Gopher rivals at the University of Minnesota campus, Wisconsin and Iowa top the list.
