Michigan Football: What we learned about Big Ten in Week 3

Michigan football was off during the third week of the season, but there was still plenty happening around the Big Ten and here’s what we learned.

Saturday was a nice day off for Michigan football fans who had no games on the slate and honestly, nothing to worry about it.

Sometimes, as fans, we become almost like head coaches. You know the ones that say they enjoy a sense of relief during wins more than enjoyment.

At least that is how it seems for Michigan football early in 2019, as expectations are through the roof and anything less than a Big Ten championship will be seen as a failure.

So yes, it was probably nice for Michigan fans to take a break and watch the rest of the Big Ten, which produced some interesting results.

Obviously, the most notable result comes from East Lansing, where No. 18 Michigan State lost a bizarre game at home to Arizona State. Say what you will about the Spartans, but they should have won the game, something Michigan football does often, but MSU just didn’t execute.

Mistakes were killer and none proved more costly than the 12-men on the field penalty that forced another game-tying field-goal try with just seconds to go. It missed and the Sun Devils scored a big win for the Pac-12.

In terms of what it means for the Big Ten, surprisingly, I’d say nothing.

Michigan State is a tough team with a great defense. That’s still true and beating them still won’t be a walk in the park. The offense is getting better and despite this bump in the road, Michigan can’t afford to take Michigan State lightly and neither can the rest of the Big Ten.

While the Spartans dropped the ball for the conference, Iowa and Penn State delivered solid wins. The Hawkeyes escaped Iowa State with an 18-17 win and Penn State survived against Pittsburgh.

The biggest surprise was how Maryland went from looking dominant against Syracuse to losing against Temple. Their short stint in the top 25 will come to an end and it will leave Michigan football with one less ranked opponent on the resume.

In Bloomington Indiana, Ohio State looked very solid and despite some suggestions that the Buckeyes would take a step back this season, they look like the same old juggernaut. Of course, they haven’t played anyone of note yet, but still, Ryan Day has them rolling.

The biggest takeaway at this point in the season might be that the Buckeyes are and should be the Big Ten favorite until proven otherwise. The other is that we will find out who the No. 1 contender is Saturday in Madison, as 10th-ranked Michigan travels to No. 14 Wisconsin.

We will find out a lot about the conference next Saturday and about the Wolverines.