Big Ten Football: Most Surprising Storylines Thus Far in the Conference
After the first five weeks of the 2014 college football season, we're starting to get a clearer picture of just exactly how the Big Ten is going to shape up this season. Here's a shocker: It's not a perfect match to everyone's expectations from August.
Out-of-conference games are mainly in the rearview mirror for most teams, and we've already seen a number of in-conference tussles. And while some programs, like Michigan State and Nebraska, are pretty close to "as advertised," there have still been a number of surprises early in 2014.
So what has shocked us most about September? What are the most surprising stories to come out of the first month-plus of the Big Ten's 2014 season? We're glad you asked...
Nebraska Can't Get No Satisfaction
1 of 5
With Penn State's loss this past weekend, Nebraska remains as the lone unbeaten Big Ten team at 5-0. Yet, for some odd reason that absolutely no one can intelligently articulate, Nebraska isn't getting any respect from the pollsters.
Nebraska, at 5-0, is ranked No. 19 in the most recent Bleacher Report Top 25. That's the same ranking the Huskers earned in the most recent AP Poll. The only other team from a power-five conference sitting at 5-0 in the Top 25 is sitting at No. 7.
What's more, Nebraska has a legitimate Heisman candidate in Ameer Abdullah. Through five games, Abdullah leads the FBS with 833 rushing yards and is second nationally with nine touchdowns. Yet where is his national hype? ESPN's "experts" only recently noticed Abdullah's exploits, yet according to their own poll, he only received a single third-place vote, with everyone else ranking him fourth or lower.
A program with the history and stature of Nebraska deserves better, and the fact that the Cornhuskers aren't getting any love from a national perspective is certainly surprising to us.
Penn State Is Back...Sort Of
2 of 5
Penn State has been languishing under NCAA sanctions in the wake of the Sandusky scandal, but the light at the end of the tunnel is a lot closer than expected. The NCAA announced that it was lifting Penn State's bowl ban, effective immediately. The NCAA went even further and removed Penn State's scholarship limitations, effective for the upcoming recruiting class.
Penn State is back!
OK, well not quite back, but a whole lot closer than it was just a few weeks ago.
Penn State is also off to a better-than-expected 4-1 start under new head coach James Franklin, and that's sure to raise the Nittany Lions' stock with new recruits. We already know Franklin is a guy who can coach his players to maximum output. Can you just imagine what will happen when he starts bringing in Big Ten-leading recruiting classes?
Don't think that's in the cards? Penn State is currently ranked No. 1 among Big Ten 2015 recruiting classes by 247Sports.com.
Ohio State Was a One-Trick Pony
3 of 5
Ohio State has traditionally been a program with a depth of talent few others in the nation, never mind the Big Ten, could hope to match. In essence, Ohio State had an entire roster of potential starters not starting on Saturdays.
We're not quite ready to declare that Ohio State has fallen on hard times, but it's obvious the Buckeyes aren't national championship contenders these days.
Ohio State is still a team with plenty of talent, but when it came to Big Ten and national title hopes, Braxton Miller was the horse Buckeye Nation was going to ride all the way through Indianapolis and the College Football Playoff.
With Miller's season-ending injury, the Buckeyes suddenly fell from atop many Big Ten prediction lists, replaced by the then-close second and fellow East Division contender Michigan State. After Miller's true value to Ohio State was exposed in a rather shocking loss to Virginia Tech, people couldn't find the emergency exits from the Ohio State bandwagon quick enough.
Don't worry, Buckeyes fans: Ohio State will be just fine in the long run. Urban Meyer is one of the best coaches in the nation, and he's leading a program that almost recruits itself. But in terms of 2014, it appears Ohio State's chances were as fragile as Miller's shoulder.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Michigan State Loses to Oregon, Still Crawls Back into the Top 10
4 of 5
Heading into that Week 2 showdown with Oregon, Michigan State was facing a make-or-break game in Eugene. Win, and the Spartans could be anointed as an instant national championship contender. Lose, and it only added more fodder to the belief that the Big Ten wasn't quite up to snuff compared to the other four power conferences.
A few weeks removed from the MSU loss, and things aren't looking quite so bleak. MSU has dominated every other opponent, and despite a few high-profile losses, the Big Ten has just as many high-profile victories (Indiana over Missouri comes to mind).
The Spartans are overwhelming favorites to win the East Division this season, and MSU still has some important games left on the schedule (Nebraska, Ohio State and Penn State). Heck, even the battle for the Old Brass Spittoon in Bloomington takes on new life this season after the Hoosiers' victory over Missouri (and Mizzou's subsequent win over South Carolina).
With other Top 25-ers like Georgia, Stanford and LSU also stumbling, MSU's playoff chances aren't looking so dead after all.
Michigan Is Terrible
5 of 5
Is this Brady Hoke's make-or-break season?
If it is, Hoke's future is in significant doubt. The Wolverines weren't really expected to be spectacular this season, but they were supposed to be better than this, weren't they?
Sports Illustrated's Brian Hamilton had the Wolverines finishing fourth in the East Division with an 8-4 record and 5-3 in the Big Ten. They lost—badly—to both Utah and Minnesota en route to the program's first ever three-loss September and just second Big Ten opener loss since 1982.
Instead, Michigan may be lucky to reverse its projected record and finish 4-8; there aren't any "gimmies" left on the schedule.
The truly perplexing part of the debacle in Ann Arbor this season is the plethora of talent the Wolverines have at their disposal. In the end, Brady Hoke may end up being the "Michigan Man" who wasn't the man for Michigan.
Unless otherwise noted, quotes or references to quotes were obtained firsthand by the writer.
Follow Bleacher Report's National College Football Featured Columnist David Luther on Twitter!
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
