Having grown up deep in the heart of Big Ten country as a Big 12 fan, nothing is more pleasing to me than to see the supposed cream of the Big Ten crop crumble so thoroughly this weekend.

The first real tests for any of the Big Ten’s powerhouse teams showed me, the state of Iowa and America the mettle of this conference’s best.

First, hats off to Charlie Weis, for taking over a bad team and making it respectable. Even though I am not particularly impressed with Notre Dame or Michigan, it took some intestinal fortitude to walk into the “big house” and beat the Wolverines.

That said, I suspect most Michigan fans and Big Ten stalwarts would agree with me that Michigan beat themselves more than anything else. I guess the Chad Henne and Mike Hart show wasn’t as exciting as their fans had hoped. Ranked No. 3? Not anymore, and good riddance.

I think most of you are with me, and will smile and laugh every time you think of the Iowa game for a long time to come. Iowa strutted into Ames, ready to destroy a team that barely beat a 1-AA team (which, incidentally, routed Drake over the weekend) the week before. Instead, the Hawkeyes’ offense looked completely inept, both before and after Drew Tate’s concussion. Iowa State completely manhandled the Hawkeyes, and its offense put together enough points to win. Thus, in less than six hours, two amazingly overrated teams were put in their place by low or unranked squads.

In a gloriously satisfying nightcap, Ohio State did something its Big Ten brethren failed to do: play a respectable game. After Vince Young and the Longhorns stormed to an early lead, Troy Smith actually held Ohio State together, splitting time at quarterback with Justin Zwick.

Although the game was close and both teams played well, it was truly a feather in the cap of not only Texas, but the Big 12 as a whole, that they were able to walk into Columbus and walk out with a win over No. 4 Ohio State.

I have noticed the sportswriters have been somewhat quiet about the ISU win. I have a hunch the Cyclones will have to do some more winning before anyone will pay attention to them, which is somewhat ironic given that Notre Dame beat Michigan, a lousy Pitt team that is ranked tenth. The Cyclones are No. 24 on The Associated Press poll and remain unranked in the coaches poll.

Lastly, I would like say, Lou Holtz, perhaps you should go back to violating NCAA rules and tanking inconsequential football programs, and keep your mouth out of the analyst’s booth.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only person who noticed Holtz was remarkably quiet during the Iowa State-Iowa highlights on ESPN on Saturday night. I know there are a lot of brilliant sports analysts out there who are watching this fossil waste TV time, and that is a shame. Holtz’s remarkable miss on the game here in Ames was not the first in a litany of journalistic gaffs by him since joining the ESPN cast. Retire, Lou. Please.