Few who have covered Big Ten football can say they haven’t been guilty of ribbing Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel for his conservative ways. Following the team’s September 12 loss to USC, I challenged Tressel for not staying on the attack in the second half.

Some groups, in and outside of Columbus, have gone beyond criticism, suggesting the coach’s methods have cost Ohio State national title opportunities in recent years and have called for his dismissal.

Three things can be said about Tressel:

• He’s predictable
• He’s conservative
• He wins

Thanks to last week’s win over Iowa, Tressel’s Buckeyes have now won a share of the Big Ten title in each of the past five seasons. For Tressel, it was the sixth time in nine seasons his team has finished on top — something only two other Big Ten coaches can claim. And if Tressel wins another Big Ten title in 2010, he’ll become only the second coach to have the distinction of winning six straight (the other guy was Ohio State legend Woody Hayes).

Saturday’s win over Iowa made it likely that the Buckeyes will finish among the top 10 in the country, so long as they take care of Michigan this Saturday. The Big Ten is down, sure, but the only thing keeping it respectable on a national scale is what that conservative coach is doing in Columbus.

So what’s all the fuss?

Conservative football is boring, but do fans really care about excitement, or do they care about wins? Does anyone really believe there is a more qualified coach to take the reins in Columbus? Doubtful. Without Tressel, the Buckeyes may have won a tight game or two that they lost, but it’s unlikely this program would have reached the level of success it has over the past decade.

Don’t forget that before Tressel, Buckeye fans suffered through the mediocrity of Earle Bruce and John Cooper. Only one Ohio State coach (Carroll Widdoes) has maintained a better winning percentage at the school, and he coached for just two seasons (1944-45). Boring or not, any search committee would drool at the thought of bringing such a reputation to its school.

No matter what happens in Ann Arbor, or in the Rose Bowl, Jim Tressel will never please everybody. He doesn’t hope to. And because of this some fans will remain unhappy next season, and the season after that, and the season after that.

It’s the fans’ right to criticize Tressel, and to call him conservative. They can call him whatever they like … just so long as they call Jim Tressel a winner above all else.

The Week That Was

In game lacking offense, Minnesota edges South Dakota State

The only two touchdowns in the game pitting Minnesota with South Dakota State came on defensive returns — one for each club. South Dakota State gained nearly as many yards as Minnesota but coughed up the football four times and managed just 1.7 yards on rushing downs. With just more than two minutes remaining, the Gophers Eric Ellestad nailed a 25-yard chip shot to give Minnesota its bowl-qualifying sixth win of the season.

Thanks to Bowman, Penn State avoids upset

With the score tied 10-10, and Indiana driving deep in Penn State territory, linebacker Navorro Bowman picked off a Ben Chappell pass and returned it 73 yards to give the Nittany Lions their first lead of the game. The play helped to work Penn State out of its funk, and the team scored touchdowns on its next two drives to extend its lead. Prior to the interception Chappell had completed passes on the previous four plays for a total of 51 yards.

Kafka leads Northwestern past Illinois

Quarterback Mike Kafka completed passes to 10 different Northwestern receivers in the team’s 21-16 road win over Illinois. Kafka, who recorded his fourth 300-yard performance of the season, completed the longest pass of his career when he tagged Andrew Brewer for a 52-yard strike in the third quarter to set up the Wildcats second touchdown of the day.

Scoreboard

Minnesota 16, South Dakota State 13
Penn State 31, Indiana 20
Wisconsin 45, Michigan 24
Northwestern 21, Illinois 16
Michigan State 40, Purdue 37
Ohio State 27, Iowa 24

Team of the Week: Ohio State

The Buckeyes nearly gave the game back to Iowa, but prevailed in overtime to earn a trip to the Rose Bowl.

Disappointment of the Week: Purdue

It didn’t take Purdue long to blow an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter — just less than five minutes, actually. So much for Danny Hope doing a bowl dance in his debut season.

Offensive Player of the Week: Scott Tolzien, QB, Wisconsin

Wisconsin hasn’t beaten Michigan much through the years. Tolzien helped to make up for the forgotten years by passing for four scores and rushing for another in the 45-24 pull-away win in Madison.

Defensive Player of the Week: Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan

The Wolverines’ loss had nothing to do with Graham’s contributions. The defensive end was in Tolzien’s face all afternoon, recording four tackles for loss (two sacks). Graham also popped free a fumble in the second quarter that Ryan Van Bergen returned for a touchdown to give the Wolverines a brief lead.

Freshman of the Week: Chris Borland, LB, Wisconsin

Borland will make a serious run at freshman of the year honors in the conference. On Saturday he registered 11 tackles and forced a fumble.

The Week Ahead

Upset Alert: Penn State

The Nittany Lions stumbled out of the gate against Indiana, only to be saved by a 21-point second half. The Spartans have been one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten as of late, and they come into this game fresh off a come-from-behind win at Purdue. One thing to keep an eye on: Michigan State’s top ranked conference passing offense facing off against the Nittany Lions’ secondary.

Player to Watch: Brandon Saine, RB, Ohio State

Last week against Michigan, Wisconsin’s John Clay gained 151 yards on 26 carries. The week before, Purdue’s Ralph Bolden gained 136 yards of total offense and scored three touchdowns. Saine could dominate this game single-handily for Ohio State, and after averaging 9.4 yards per carry against Iowa’s defense, this game might feel like a breeze for the junior back.

Additional Notes

• One of the conference’s biggest surprises this season has been Northwestern’s senior receiver Zeke Markshausen. The former walk-on has made the long journey to stardom, and up to this season had just one reception to his credit (a six-yard catch in 2008). Through 11 games this year he’s caught 76 passes — second most in the conference — including two double-digit reception games (he also has a pair of 100-yard games). Markshausen has given the Wildcats the target they’ve been lacking in the passing game.

• Nearly half of Wisconsin’s 311 points scored this season have come from two players: kicker Philip Welch and running back John Clay. The duo rank second and fourth, respectively, in the conference in total scoring, and Clay leads all position players with 72 points.

• The most famous pig of Big Ten country will celebrate his 75th anniversary this week. The Floyd of Rosedale was introduced in 1935 when Minnesota beat Iowa. Per a pre-arranged bet between the two men, the governor of Iowa sent Minnesota governor Floyd Olson a champion caliber pig. Since then the teams have played for a bronze pig, with Minnesota leading the series 39-33-2.

Predictions

Ohio State 31, Michigan 7
Iowa 24, Minnesota 23
Wisconsin 27, Northwestern 20
Purdue 35, Indiana 28
Penn State 21, Michigan State 17