Ohio State's Opponent Roundup: Week 6

Marshall was on a bye this week. They are 1-4.

Florida State Seminoles vs. Miami (FL) Hurricanes - Recap - October 09, 2010 - ESPN
Jimbo Fisher got his first celebratory water-cooler shower, shocked at how chilling it really was. On the other side of the field, Randy Shannon was boiling mad. Sums up a night Florida State wants to savor, and Miami surely wants to forget. Jermaine Thomas scored a career-high three touchdowns, all in the first 21 minutes, and Chris Thompson sealed the outcome with the longest run Miami has allowed in its illustrious history -- a 90-yard scoring jaunt -- as the 23rd-ranked Seminoles enjoyed a surprisingly easy 45-17 win over the 13th-ranked Hurricanes on Saturday night.

Miami was absolutely embarrassed and destroyed last night against FSU.They did not show up ready to play, and Randy Shannon just made his recruiting life much more difficult than it should be. The Hurricanes now look like the 3rd best program in the state of Florida.

Miami's Record: 3-2

Bowling Green Falcons vs. Ohio Bobcats - Recap - October 09, 2010 - ESPN
Boo Jackson threw three first-half touchdown passes and Phil Bates ran for two scores as Ohio defeated Bowling Green 49-25 on Saturday. Jackson was 9-for-14 for 76 yards and had TD passes of 5, 7 and 6 yards, the last two to Jordan Thompson. Jackson also rushed for 53 yards for the Bobcats (3-3, 2-1 Mid-American Conference).

Ohio's Record: 3-3

Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Vanderbilt Commodores - Recap - October 09, 2010 - ESPN
Quarterback Larry Smith threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another as Vanderbilt rolled to a 52-6 victory over Eastern Michigan on Saturday night.

EMU's Record: 0-6

Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Penn State Nittany Lions - Recap - October 09, 2010 - ESPN
Mikel Leshoure ran for 119 yards, Nate Bussey had a 16-yard interception return for a score and Illinois pounded injury-depleted Penn State in a 33-13 win on Saturday to spoil the Nittany Lions' homecoming in Happy Valley. Derek Dimke added four field goals and the Illini overcame three fumbles on special teams by return man Jack Ramsey by pounding away at a short-handed defense. The bruising 6-foot Leshoure and quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase softened the Nittany Lions on the run, and Scheelhaase took advantage of soft coverage over the middle with an 18-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to A.J. Jenkins.

Illinois did not just scrape out a victory over Penn State, they dominated them. Ron  Zook's new coaching staff is excellent, and this result should assuage the fears over last week's performance against Illinois. Ohio State beat a good team last week, not the Illinois of last season.

Penn State, on the other hand, looks like the 6th best team in the Big Ten, putting them at jeopardy of even making a bowl game. PSU has the resources and recruiting base to be a giant in college football, but instead they are at the mercy of Joe Paterno's retirement plans.

Illinois' Record: 3-2

Penn State's Record: 3-3

Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Wisconsin Badgers - Recap - October 09, 2010 - ESPN
Clay ran for three touchdowns and White added two more to lead No. 20 Wisconsin to a 41-23 win over Minnesota on Saturday, keeping Paul Bunyan's Axe for the seventh straight year. Wisconsin believes it is back on track after losing to Michigan State last week.

The game went as expected, but the real story came in the 4th quarter when Bret Bielema went for a two point conversion after scoring to go up 25 points.It was a poor move, but even poorer was Bielema's halfhearted defense of the decision in the postgame press conference, where he cited his "card" (the laminated page that every coach carries that holds the two point conversion math for the 4th quarter.) Bielema's decision was meant to embarrass Tim Brewster, and you'd have to be contextually tone deaf to not see otherwise.

Wisconsin's Record: 5-1

Minnesota's Record: 1-5

Purdue Boilermakers vs. Northwestern Wildcats - Recap - October 09, 2010 - ESPN
Dan Dierking scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 7-yard run and redshirt quarterback Rob Henry rushed for 132 yards in his first career start as Purdue rallied to beat Northwestern 20-17 on Saturday night. Purdue (3-2, 1-0) opened Big Ten play with a victory despite Henry's struggles in the passing game. He was 6-of-18 for 47 yards. Northwestern (5-1, 1-1) had a chance to match its best start in 48 years, but was doomed by poor special teams.

Purdue's Record: 3-2

Iowa was on a bye this week. They are 4-1.

Michigan State Spartans vs. Michigan Wolverines - Recap - October 09, 2010 - ESPN
Michigan State made Denard Robinson look close to normal for the first time this year, helping the program that has often been overlooked in the mitten-shaped state dominate rival Michigan in a way it hasn't in generations. The 17th-ranked Spartans intercepted three of Robinson's passes -- one in the end zone, one just outside of it -- and scored 24 unanswered points to break open a close game in a 34-17 rout of the 18th-ranked Wolverines on Saturday.

The Wolverines were dethroned in the state once again, losing to Michigan State for the third season in a row. Michigan's defense is horrible for the third season in a row, as well. You can click here for an in-depth look at the struggles of their secondary.

Michigan's Record: 5-1

Opponents' Record: 34-32 (52%)

Eastern Michigan is a real drag on the schedule strength, as they are forced to play BCS teams in out of conference games for the sake of a check. Vanderbilt demolished them this weekend, and they play Virginia two weeks from now.