Big Ten Football: Winners and Losers from the Week 6 Action

The Big Ten season started to hit its stride this week. With five conference games occurring in Week 6, fans started to get a better idea of how things will shape up at the end of the season.

A few Big Ten teams took massive strides in convincing the nation they're worthy of their ranking while others took a step backwards in terms of credibility. As the college football season nears its halfway point, it's becoming apparent where the Big Ten's strengths and weaknesses lie.

It'll be interesting to see which teams can keep up the good work and which teams can become a factor by improving from here on out. 

Here are the Big Ten's winners and losers from Week 6.

Loser: Everything About Minnesota

The Minnesota Golden Gophers haven't looked like a Big Ten quality football team this year. If relegation occurred in college football, Minnesota would be on the chopping block.  

Minnesota's has allowed 103 points in the last two weeks alone. During that time they've only scored 17 points. Given, the much welcomed 17 points came against the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday, but until they kicked a field goal shortly before the end of the first half, the Gophers had 89 straight points scored on them. 

Minnesota looks by far the worst team in the conference. It's possible that they won't win an in-conference game all season long. 

Up Next: Nebraska

Winner: Purdue Kicker Carson Wiggs

Purdue kicker Carson Wiggs booted a 53-yard field goal against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday. That's his longest of the season. 

Wiggs, a senior, now has the top five longest field goals in Purdue history—59 yards being his longest, which came in 2009.

Expect to see Wiggs play on Sundays next year. 

Up Next: at Penn State

Loser: Indiana's Offense

The Indiana Hoosier offense wasn't very good on Saturday.

After returning the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, the Hoosier offense had to settle for two field goals after their defense forced two early Illinois turnovers. The Hoosiers lack a touchdown threat.

This proved detrimental to the Hoosiers for the fact that the Illini offense was too much and put away the Hoosiers by the end of the third quarter. 

The team used quarterbacks Dusty Kiel and Tre Roberson to try and put points on the board, but the two young men were only 17-of-36 through the air. The team also went a measly 5-of-18 on third down. 

Up Next: at Wisconsin

Winner: Illinois Wide Receiver A.J. Jenkins

Illinois is now 6-0 to begin the season for the first time since 1951.

The Fighting Illini have a weapon in wide receiver A.J. Jenkins that deserves national praise.

Jenkins had six receptions for 182 yards and two touchdowns versus the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday. In the last two weeks Jenkins has a whopping 450 yards on 18 catches. He's proving himself to be a dark-horse Heisman candidate as he's become arguably the best receiver in the Big Ten.

Keep your eye on Jenkins the rest of the season. He's worth a watch.

Up Next: Ohio State

Loser: Iowa's Lack of Offense

The Iowa Hawkeyes' offense looked atrocious on Saturday against an impressive Penn State defense. Iowa didn't score a touchdown for the first time since 2007.

In what was an ugly games, the Hawkeyes only trailed 6-3 heading into the fourth quarter. Three straight turnovers in the quarter did the Hawkeyes in as the Nittany Lions won, 13-3.

The lack of Hawkeye offense was a bit of a surprise and should bring a bit of concern for fans. Quarterback James Vandenberg only through for 169 yards the entire game. Iowa will need a strong performance next week to win back some believers.

Up Next: Northwestern

Winner: Penn State Running Back Silas Redd and Time of Possession

Silas Redd led the way for Penn State with 142 yards on 28 carries against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday. He presented old-school Big Ten "pound the rock" football as the Nittany Lions held possession for 35:54 during the game. 

Redd brought a sigh of relief to Penn State fans as the team is still undecided on a No. 1 quarterback. The Nittany Lions need him to continue to be their work-horse the rest of the season.

Although the Penn State only scored 13 points, they earned the victory due to their stout defense and the earnest effort of Redd. 

Up Next: Purdue

Loser: Northwestern's Pride

For the second time is as many weeks the Northwestern Wildcats blew a double-digit lead and lost. This time, the Michigan Wolverines outscored Northwestern 28-0 in the second half.

On a good note, Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa looked solid in his second game this season after an Achilles injury shortened his 2010 season. On a bad note, Northwestern got worked over in the second half, and Persa's 331-yard performance was all for not. The team is known for its up-and-down play and right now, it's down.

Up Next: at Iowa

Winner: The Michigan Wolverines Validated Themselves with a Road Win

Once again Denard Robinson carved up the opposition. Northwestern was his latest victim as the Michigan quarterback had 454 total yards. Despite throwing three interceptions, Robinson led his team to victory on the road.  

The Michigan Wolverines moved to 6-0 with a 42-24 victory over Northwestern. Some thought that Michigan was overrated coming into Saturday's game but the Wolverines proved their critics wrong. The team was down 24-14 at half before ripping off 28 straight to finish the game on top. 

The team still has improvements to make but fans have to be elated with the progress the team has made under new head coach Brady Hoke and staff. 

Up Next: at Michigan State

Loser: Ohio State Actually Created Some Offense but Still Lost

The Ohio State Buckeyes' offense was ranked 108th in the nation coming into the game versus the Nebraska Cornhuskers. No one expected much of anything from the Buckeyes on offense but they surprisingly put up 351 total yards. 

Ohio State even led the game 27-6 at one point before crumbling. Last week the team struggled on offense while the defense played quite well against Michigan State. This week, the offense builds a lead before the defense shatters in the second half.

This shows that Ohio State is still in dismay after the fallout of the scandal that shook the program this summer.

The Buckeyes are now 0-2 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2004. As fans know, the Big Ten schedule can be grueling and it won't lighten up for Ohio State.

Up Next: at Illinois

Winner: Nebraska Saved Themselves from Being Embarrassed Two Straight Weeks

After getting thumped by Wisconsin last week in their inaugural Big Ten game, the Nebraska Cornhuskers marched from 21 points down to earn their first Big Ten win against Ohio State.

During the game Nebraska fans had to be scratching their heads. Ohio State's offense is notoriously bad right now and they were moving the ball with ease against the Nebraska defense. Fans had to be worried about embarrassment of a gloomy 0-2 start in the Big Ten.

Crisis was avoided as the team saved themselves from national scrutiny with a 34-27 comeback win. Quarterback Taylor Martinez and running back Rex Burkhead willed to the Cornhuskers to a win with a combined 412 yards and four touchdowns. 

Nebraska should breath a little easier now but shouldn't get complacent.

Up Next: Minnesota