If you were told that Duke, Kentucky and Kansas were all 3–0, you might assume that it is mid-November and basketballs are flying into hoops.
Oh, but no! The Blue Devils, Wildcats and Jayhawks are a combined 9–0 in the sport of football. Indiana is 3–0, too, and so is Syracuse, Maryland, Tulane and Rutgers! It’s a smorgasbord of not-so-football schools playing well in football, and it’s a great thing for the sport. In fact, two of these teams meet next week, when the Dukies travel to Lawrence, Kansas.
Meanwhile, the super conference that is the Big Ten took it on the chin in a few nonconference bouts. The Orange beat Purdue, Washington drubbed Michigan State, Oklahoma pounded Nebraska and FCS Southern Illinois shocked Northwestern, plus the Hoosiers needed overtime to beat Western Kentucky. The Salukis became the first FCS team to get a win over the Power 5 this year, and they walked away with a $550,000 guarantee check, too.
