Big Ten Football Week 3 socreboard

Each and every team in the Big Ten football world is gearing up for conference play. Some teams are heading into the critical weeks of the season with their season already over, such as UCLA and Northwestern. Most teams are heading into these next weeks ready to prove themselves.

Here are the scores from this weekend in the Big Ten for Week 3 and my analysis on each team:

New Mexico 35-10 vs UCLA

If you thought the first two weeks of the season were bad, Week 3 had to be the final straw for some Bruins fans. It definitely was the nail in the coffin for DeShaun Foster as he got fired just 15 games in his tenure. The next person to lose his job should be Nico Iamaleava.

Oregon 34-14 vs Northwestern

Northwestern talked a big game about their opponent the Oregon Ducks before the game but failed to back it up. Most coaches don’t believe in moral victories, but Northwestern thankfully did not give up 69 points like the ducks previous opponent Oklahoma State. The achilles heel for the Wildcats last season was their poor offense. That weakness still remains for Northwestern, if their offense had any kind of juice just maybe they have a shot to upset the mighty Ducks.

Alabama 38-14 vs Wisconsin

The Badgers defense is one of the biggest brightspots about this team this season. Unfortunately for Wisconsin the Crimson Tide’s offense had their way all game long. Ty Simpson put up an all-time performance throwing 4 touchdowns and 382 passing yards. Simpson had a 238.9 quarterback rating on the day. The Badgers have no shot against highs scoring offenses, even with a solid defense due to a lack of stability at the quarterback position. I was high on the Badgers coming into this game, but this team can’t even run the ball the one thing they could always hang their hat on. It is going to be yet another disappointing season this year for the Badgers.

Michigan 63-3 vs Central Michigan

Bryce Underwood was fully unleashed Saturday. This was the perfect bounce back performance for Underwood. The Wolverines completely maximized his skill set and allowed him to burn Central Michigan in so many ways. Underwood passed for 235 yards, ran for 114 yards, and had 3 total touchdowns. Using Underwood’s legs could be the exact factor needed to make this Wolverines team a potential contender.

USC 33-17 vs Purdue

It was not the dominance USC displayed in the two previous weeks, but the Trojans got the job done on the road versus their first Big Ten matchup. USC showed their pass rush is a force to be reckoned with and they have one of the most dangerous offenses in college football.

Ohio State 37-9 Ohio

Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate both put up stat sheet stuffing performances. Ohio State had some shaky redzone sequences and weren’t as overpowering as expected. The Buckeyes still should remain the number 1 team in college football. This is a football team you can trust on every level.

Illinois 38-0 vs Western Michigan

Bret Bielema has a well balanced football team that can get themselves a bid to the college football playoff if they keep up their great play. The Fighting Illini’s offense is scoring 45 points per game currently and they have yet to register a turnover 3 weeks into this season. Illinois’ defense continues to stifle opponents and Western Michigan was the latest victim failing to register any points in the entirety of the game. Illinois looks like the real deal.

Iowa 47-7 vs UMass

For the first time in quite a while, the Hawkeyes offense’s biggest success in a game is their passing attack. Mark Gronowski displayed for the first time this season that he is a threat as a passer. Iowa as always has a great oline and a good rushing attack. If the Hawkeyes can get a consistent passing attack maybe they can win more than their usual 8-9 games.

California 27-14 vs Minnesota

The Gophers gift wrapped a victory to California on Saturday night. This game was neck in neck all game long until a muffed punt by the Gophers completely shifting the momentum. The Gophers have one of the best defenses in the country but true freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was still phenomenal and found a way. Once it is his time Sagapolutele will be a top pick when he declares. The Gophers have a lot of talent but this still seems like a year where the Gophers will just remain an 8 win team at best. If the Gophers want to make noise in the Big Ten they have to win games like Saturday night until then they will remain just a middle of the pack team.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big Ten football Week 3 analysis and big developments — UCLA crashes

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