COLUMBUS, Ohio – The third week of the college football season was not kind to the Big Ten conference. Teams went 6-4 on the weekend, and upsets against No. 18 Michigan State and No. 21 Maryland hurt the conference's national perception. Some teams were able to impress, however, so let’s take a look back at the mixed bag week three brought.

With no ranked matchups on the weekend, this game had a lot of eyeballs on it, and a lot of people expected the visiting Hawkeyes to struggle against their rivals. The game was extremely well fought, but Iowa was able to grind out a win in enemy territory.

The lead would change hands three times in the fourth quarter. No. 19 Iowa, who had trailed since halfway through the first quarter, regained the lead with their first and only touchdown on a Nate Stanley keeper with 12 minutes left.

Iowa State would take a two-point lead after a 26-yard field goal, but the Hawkeyes would march back down the field and hit a 39-yard field goal to go up one point with just under five minutes left in the game.

After both team teams were unable to sustain drives, Iowa State would receive one last chance with a minute and a half left. A collision by two Iowa State players on the punt would lead to a fumble, however, and the Iowa recovery would seal the game.

The win kept Iowa undefeated on the season.

No. 18 Michigan State played host to Arizona State, who entered the game has 15.5-point underdogs. The Michigan State defense showed up in full force, holding the Sun Devils to only 216 total yards and 10 points.

This would not be enough, however. The Michigan State offense struggled mightily to put points on the board. The offense would accumulate 404 total yards, but kicker Matt Coghlin would miss all three field goal opportunities, including one to tie the game at the end of regulation.

Arizona State was able to take a 10-7 lead on a touchdown with 50 seconds left in the game. The Spartans were able to get into field goal range and make a field goal to tie the game, but a review showed that Michigan State had 12 men on the field.

On the retry, the kick was missed, and Arizona State was able to complete the upset.

The Buckeye defense is the real deal. Led by Chase Young, the front line has stifled opponents’ rushing attacks so far this season, and the game against Indiana was no different.

The Hoosiers would gain only 42 yards on the ground on 31 attempts. The linebackers are moving with an increased purpose, and tackles are being made with great consistency.

The passing attack did not fare much better for Indiana, and Damon Arnette was able to return an interception 96 yards for a touchdown.

The team only surrendered 10 points on the day, and it feels like the defense is only beginning to realize its true potential.

J.K. Dobbins returned to the place where he started his collegiate career, and he would run all over the Hoosiers. Finishing the game with 193 rushing yards on 22 carries, Dobbins would have broken his career-high of 203 yards if not for having been pulled in the third quarter of a blowout.

The offensive line performed at a high level all day for Dobbins, and he ran hard to shed off tacklers and gain yards after contact. Dobbins finished the game with two touchdowns, and he is on pace to have his best season as a Buckeye.

Only nine teams are in action this week, but where the conference misses out in quantity of games, it makes up for in quality.

The game of the week will be the matchup between No. 11 Michigan and No. 13 Wisconsin. The Wolverines will have their hands full going into the Camp Randall, and the game could very well decide who is the biggest threat to Ohio State’s reign as the best team in the conference.

The other intriguing game will be held at Northwestern when Michigan State rolls into town. The Spartans are looking for a bounce-back win, and the Wildcats are trying to gain some momentum in the conference.