Is the Big Ten finally on the rise?

It was a good weekend for the conference -- the best it’s had so far this season -- as it went 12-1 Saturday, with its lone loss coming in the Michigan-Utah contest. Indiana rallied to upset No. 18 Mizzou, Iowa came back to surprise Pitt, and Rutgers overcame an early deficit to beat Navy.

It might be premature to say the Big Ten has bounced back since its record against Power 5 opponents is still pretty dismal. But it’s on the right track, and Saturday’s performance allowed the conference to gain back some respect.

The Big Ten might be down but, after this weekend, it’s certainly not out.

Team of the week: There’s really no controversy at all to this pick -- Indiana. The Hoosiers entered the game against No. 18 Missouri as two-touchdown underdogs, and no one gave them much of a chance. But Indiana’s defense recorded 11 tackles-for-loss and stepped up in key times, and Tevin Coleman and the offense turned in another solid performance. If Indiana’s defense can keep this up, it could surprise in the East. This was the best non-conference win of the season for the Big Ten.

Game of the week: The answer could just as easily be Indiana again, but let's look elsewhere. For 53 minutes, the Hawkeyes couldn’t manage to gain a lead in their game against Pitt. But all that changed in the final minutes. Backup quarterback (at least for now) C.J. Beathard helped Iowa orchestrate a key fourth-quarter touchdown drive by making two critical third-down passes and converting a fourth-down run. The Hawkeyes ate up nearly eight minutes on the drive, and the defense held firm on the next drive when Pitt reached the 29-yard line. It was a great game to watch, a great win on the road and some great play-calling by Greg Davis.

Biggest play: It wasn’t the most exciting play Saturday, and it wasn’t the best highlight. But no big play came at a more critical time than Coleman taking a short Indiana swing pass and parlaying it into a 44-yard gain. With a little more than a minute left in regulation, Coleman broke two tackles and marched to the Missouri 7-yard line after a facemask penalty was tacked on to the end of the pass. Indiana scored the game-winning touchdown two plays later. Without Coleman’s play, maybe this comeback comes up short.

Big Man on Campus (offense): No, the opponent wasn’t a tough one. But when you put up crazy numbers like Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, the choice is still an easy one. In case you don’t know these numbers by now -- and, really, you should feel embarrassed if this is news to you -- Gordon rushed for 253 yards and five touchdowns on just 13 carries. You won’t find a more dominating rushing performance this season, unless you fire up your console and slide the difficulty settings to "Freshman." As we said earlier, Gordon ran like Bo Jackson straight out of Tecmo Bowl.

Big Man on Campus (defense): Lead the team in tackles? Check. Make a stop in the backfield? Check. Record an interception? Check. Maryland defensive back William Likely came up big Saturday as, not only did he force a turnover, but he also returned the interception 88 yards for a touchdown. It wasn’t a garbage-time play, either. Likely’s play came just as Syracuse was about to pull within a score. Instead, Likely’s score basically put the game away.

Big Man on Campus (special teams): There are a few good candidates here -- such as Kenzel Doe and his 165 returning yards or Iowa’s Marshall Koehn and his 52-yard field goal -- but let’s go outside the box a little bit. Know who else deserves some props? Northwestern punter Chris Gradone. He averaged 44.1 yards a punt, but the real reason he’s on this list? Six of his seven punts landed inside the 20, and none bounced into the back of the end zone. The Wildcats were outgained by nearly 100 yards on the day, so field position was a big friend of Northwestern. After Gradone’s first punt, which wasn’t great, Western Illinois managed just six total return yards on the next six punts. Western Illinois was forced to start within its own 10-yard line three times and didn’t get past the 17 the other three times. And, for Gradone’s grand finale, he booted a 45-yard punt out of bounds on the 1-yard line. Doe was good, but Wisconsin would have won anyway. Koehn was good, but it was just one play. Gradone was solid throughout the game.

Biggest face plant: Really, there’s only one choice here, so it’s an obvious one. Michigan fell to Utah in the Big House, and there really wasn’t a lot to build on. Michigan’s special teams allowed a punt return for a touchdown, the offense turned the ball over four times, and quarterback Devin Gardner once again looked lost. Backup quarterback Shane Morris didn’t look much better and, right now, this team looks like one of the worst in the conference. The Wolverines need to regroup, but Brady Hoke’s time in Michigan might already be up.

Numbers and facts to know: Wisconsin rushed for 644 yards, the most in school history and the fourth-most in Big Ten history ... Hoke started off his U-M career 19-0 in Michigan Stadium but has since gone 2-3 -- with an 0-3 record against Power 5 teams ... Michigan State’s 73-14 win was the school’s largest since 1989, when it defeated Northwestern 76-14 ... Purdue’s 22-point win against Southern Illinois was its largest victory since the 2012 season, against Eastern Michigan (54-16) ... Indiana won its first game against a ranked opponent since 2006; it had lost its previous 18 ... The Hoosiers did not turn the ball over against Missouri, the first time in 47 straight games that Mizzou did not force at least one turnover ... James Franklin is the first Penn State coach to start 4-0 since Dick Harlow went 5-0 in 1915.