Welcome to prime time, Dominik Riola! The national stage was set. The bright lights. Deion Sanders and his dog and pony show was on the other sidelines. All ingredients to make a freshman wide-eyed and maybe get a case of happy feet. Wow, was that further from the truth. Riola was the one with the swagger. He had the flash. He showed the cool, the poise. What a dominant performance. Not to mention the defense. They punked Colorado from the get go. a good team exploits the other teams weaknesses. And that is indeed what Matt Rhule did. Sheduer Sanders had absolutely no time to throw. And when he did, you could see him rattled more often than not. You could see the look of confusion in Deion's eyes all night, especially in the first half. He looked like he got punched in the mouth, as well. When I look at theses two teams, I see one that is a head coach, and one that is an entertainer. One coach that brings eyeballs and clicks, another that concentrates on wins. Riola is going to be fun to watch. Nebraska is going to be fun to watch in the coming years. I think the B1G Ten should take notice.
Aidan Chiles Makes a Statement
Last week, Aidan Chiles made his debut in a Michigan State uniform at 18 years old. He stumbled, looked like he was pressing a bit. Maybe a touch nervous. He benefited from a home game, a team they should have beaten in Florida Atlantic, and was able to help his team to the win. Fair to say the defense helped carry them to the win. Next brought Maryland. First road game in the B1G Ten for Chiles, and Michigan State this year. 9.5 point underdogs. 18 years old. No problem. Road game, no problem. All he did was pass for 363 yards. No problem. Now it may have not been the prettiest win, but it was a road, conference win. I do not care which team you are, those are hard to come by. Talk about a confidence builder. Chiles is going to be electric. And how about Nick Marsh! 8 catches, 194 yards. The B1G Ten better take notice of these two. East Lansing has its new dynamic duo, get your popcorn ready. I hope you took my advice and took the over at 5 wins before the season, like I did. They may have that by Halloween.
Michigan Gets Humbled and Humiliated at Home
The 2023 National Championship is now a distant memory. Getting a top ten ranking because of that was a definite mistake. Anything that resembles that team is long gone. Texas made sure to take care of that. They came in and put on a display against the Wolverines that has been done in a long long time. There was no doubt who is a championship caliber team, and who isn't. Texas flexed their muscle. Quinn Ewers showed why he should be in the Heisman conversation. Michigan has a dire quarterback and offensive line situation. They can have that top 5 defense, but they can only do so much. USC, Oregon, Ohio State. Their defenses have to be licking their chops. This was a beat down. We are going to see, now, how good of a coach Sherrone Moore is going to be. The honeymoon is over. The Wolverines will still probably be in The top 25, but they don't deserve it. That was an ugly reality check.
Elsewhere in the B1G Ten,
Ohio State did what they had to do. They are pummeling the MAC Teams. They are playing like they have a chip on their shoulder. Doing what they have to do. USC is looking more and more like they have a shot at a playoff berth. Penn State, ouch. Yes they won. Maybe a let down after a big win on the road last week. Well, they hung on and won, I will give you that. Notre Dame would take that. Oregon, I still do not know what to think. Boise St. isn't a push over. But giving up 34 at home? Not exactly giving a ringing endorsement.
Kudos to Illinois! They took care of a ranked opponent by beating 19th ranked Kansas. They looked good in doing it. Give them credit! They deserve it. Nice win for the Illini. Wisconsin and Washington slopped their way to wins, but wins nonetheless. Northwestern, oof. And then there's Iowa. Can't stand prosperity. Why am I not surprised.
B1G Ten Top 5
1. Ohio State--Two impressive wins. I know they are against MAC teams, but impressive, anyways. They are doing what they have to do, and that is win. Have to move them up.
2. Penn State--This was a toss up with Oregon and USC. Penn State gets the edge due to their win on the road, a true road win. They struggled but found the way to win. Will see from here. Still not sold they can win a big game under Franklin
3. USC-- An impressive win this week over Utah State, coupled with a big win over ranked LSU at a neutral site. They are very close to overtaking Penn State. Can't wait to see what they do playing in the eastern time zone.
4. Oregon-- Struggled at home with the ballyhooed team coming in and their hot shot quarterback. Probably should have lost this week. But didn't. They have to shore up that defense. This won't cut it against the big boys.
5. Nebraska-- Welcome to prime time, Dominik Riola. Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers have something special, here. They punked the clown show that is Colorado.
HM-- Michigan State and Illinois. Watch out for the Spartans, I am telling you. They have something special in Chiles and Marsh. And Illinois making noise.
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