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Is the Big Ten back on the rise?

The Big Ten had a chance to pound its collective chest last weekend after it went 12-1, a feat two weeks removed from a 3-6 mark that had critics and cynics dismissing the conference as the worst among the power five.

Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini. (Bruce Thorson/USA Today Sports)
Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini. (Bruce Thorson/USA Today Sports)Read more

The Big Ten had a chance to pound its collective chest last weekend after it went 12-1, a feat two weeks removed from a 3-6 mark that had critics and cynics dismissing the conference as the worst among the power five.

But the coaches decided to be low-key about it.

"Some weeks are going to be better than others," Nebraska's Bo Pelini said on the weekly Big Ten conference call. "I think all the stuff of people making judgments on anybody - on any team, any conference - after two or three weeks is ludicrous. That's why you play a full season."

The Big Ten is 35-14 in nonconference play, including 5-9 against power-five teams.

Love the H.B.C.

At 69, South Carolina's Steve Spurrier, a.k.a. The Head Ball Coach, remains as feisty and as quotable as ever. After Vanderbilt returned two kickoffs for touchdowns last week in what turned out to be a 48-34 win for the Gamecocks, Spurrier described the performance as "embarrassing" and added, "We've all seen good football teams. We ain't one."

On Tuesday, he called lopsided scores involving SEC teams "misleading" and added, "Most of these teams play somebody like Lamar," a reference to a past Texas A&M opponent.

Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin replied: "I keep hearing people think we haven't played anybody. I think they forgot about the first week," a reference to A&M's 52-28 rout of South Carolina.

Golden's tough times

Miami coach Al Golden has had a tough week. The former Temple head man was away from his team all day Monday while tending to what was termed "a family medical emergency," the details of which have been kept private. He later returned to the Hurricanes to prepare them for Duke, a game they must win Saturday night to keep them from falling to 0-2 in the ACC Coastal Division.

"He's going through something right now but he does a great job of being able to continue to get the message across to the team, be positive with the team," said defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio, Golden's former Temple assistant.

Hundley rolling again

After three victories by a combined 18 points over unranked opposition, UCLA got big plays in all three phases of the game Thursday night and won, 62-27, at No. 15 Arizona State.

Quarterback Brett Hundley, who was day-to-day with a left arm injury, passed for 355 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 72 yards and a score. The Bruins' Ishmael Adams scored twice - on a 95-yard interception return and a 100-yard kickoff return. Playing without injured quarterback Taylor Kelly, the Sun Devils still managed 626 total yards and ran a staggering 105 plays, not a positive for UCLA.

Bearcats' heavy hearts

After spending much of the week focused on upsetting mighty Ohio State, Cincinnati is making the drive up Interstate 71 mourning the death of walk-on running back Chamoda Kennedy-Palmore. The redshirt freshman, who had not yet played in a game for the Bearcats, was killed Thursday in a motorcycle accident in Cincinnati.

"I'm a father first and a coach second, and it's always hard to put your thoughts into words during times like these," UC coach Tommy Tuberville said in a statement.

It marked the second time in as many years that a Bearcats player was killed in a traffic accident.

Those Wisconsin days

Bret Bielema, the former Wisconsin coach, has brought his brand of ground-and-pound football to Arkansas, a style that will get a big test against Texas A&M on Saturday in the house that former Razorback Jerry Jones built.

The Hogs, trying to break a streak of 13 SEC losses, are eighth in the nation in rushing at 324.5 yards per game, and Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams have combined for 881 rushing yards. An effective ground attack also keeps the ball away from the high-powered Aggies, who are 117th in the FBS in time of possession, yet second in total offense (612.5 yards per game).

Terps' new home

We know it's still hard to believe for some of you, but Maryland will be making its Big Ten debut Saturday at Indiana. Coach Randy Edsall said that while everyone associated with the Terrapins knows the importance of the game, "We also understand that we have to treat this just like any other game."

The Hoosiers, who upset No. 18 Missouri last week on the road, have an explosive offense headed by Tevin Coleman, who leads the FBS in rushing yards per game. That's bad news for the Terps, who yielded 694 total yards to West Virginia and 370 yards on the ground to Syracuse the last two weeks.

Expatriate of the Week

Syracuse's Dyshawn Davis, a senior outside linebacker from Woodbury High School, is fourth in tackles for the Orange as they prepare for Saturday night's game against No. 8 Notre Dame at MetLife Stadium.

Davis is one of the key performers on a Syracuse defense that has allowed just 104 rushing yards per game and ranks 25th in the nation with an average of 7.3 tackles for loss.

Games to Watch

Top choice

Texas A&M vs. Arkansas at Arlington, Texas, 3:30 p.m., CBS3: Talk about a clash of styles - the Aggies average 405 yards through the air while the Razorbacks rush for more than 324 yards per game. A&M averages 55 points, the Hogs 49.

Pick Six

Tennessee at Georgia, noon, ESPN

Bad news for the Volunteers: Georgia's Todd Gurley carried the ball only six times last week, and a fresh Gurley usually means triple digits in yards.

Florida State at North Carolina State, 3:30 p.m., 6ABC: The focus will be on Seminoles QB Jameis Winston, returning after his one-game suspension, but the Florida State defense had better be sharp against the ACC's top-rated offense.

Stanford at Washington, 4:15 p.m., Fox29

It's the season's first road game for the Cardinal, and the first Pac-12 game for Huskies coach Chris Petersen, who would like to attract some attention to his team.

Cincinnati at Ohio State, 6 p.m., Big Ten Network

Cincinnati's excitement over having a chance to defeat the big dog in its state was depleted by the death of a walk-on running back in a motorcycle accident.

Missouri at South Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN

Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier could get riled up once again this week as the Tigers set out to make amends for last week's home loss to Indiana.

Notre Dame vs. Syracuse at East Rutherford, N.J., 8p.m., 6ABC: The Irish prepare for a difficult October stretch and try to get a running game going against a surprisingly stingy Orange defense.

- Joe Juliano

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