The Pride.  Northwestern.  There isn’t a lot of chest thumping from the Big Ten this week.  Ohio State and Minnesota survived scares against lesser opponents, and many of the other teams played uninteresting games as well.  In the high profile games against the ACC, the Big Ten finished 2-3.  The best win was almost Nebraska over Miami, but that comeback was quashed in overtimes.

Either Iowa’s win over Pitt or Northwestern’s win over Duke is the apex of Big Ten pride this week.  Northwestern, now 3-0 and climbing in the polls, went on the road to defeat a respectable Duke team.  This game wasn’t high on the national radar, but it is a solid win that will age well.

The Shame. You could point to aforementioned close wins against bad competition, but winning, even ugly, is no cause for shame.  Being pantsed in Chapel Hill is another thing.  Illinois actually scored a late touchdown to make this game look better.  48-14 shouldn’t happen to teams with pride.

The Pride.  Ummm.  There was only one out of conference game against another Power Five conference (see below).  There isn’t a lot of glory in beating the likes of Northwestern State, Austin Peay or UConn, but since UConn is the highest profile of the out of conference foes, congrats Missouri; you’re the pride of the conference this week.

The Shame.  Arkansas.  Last week’s loss was supposed to be an aberration;  the Red Raiders were supposed to get the wrath of the Hogs.  This didn’t go as planned.  In fact, Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury summed up the season for Bret Bielema, “he just got his ass kicked.” 

The Pride.  Miami.  The Hurricanes had to hold on at the end, but there’s no denying who the better team was on Saturday.  Nebraska staged a violent comeback but were outclassed.  Kauai threw for 379 yards and Yearby rushed for 125 in the highest profile win for the conference in Week 3.

The Shame.  Pittsburgh.  The Panthers went on the road to play little, ole Iowa and lost.  Despite being down by 10 twice, it looked like the game was heading into overtime after the last Pitt comback.  A 57 yard field goal changed that, and sent the Panthers down.

The Pride.  California.  It’s becoming less common to take pride in beating Texas, but traveling half way across the country to beat the Longhorns in their stadium does still carry some weight.  The Golden Bears managed to just barely win on a missed extra point from at the end of the game.

The Shame.  No one lost in the Pac-12.  It took Colorado overtime to beat Colorado State; USC no longer looks like a Top 10 team, and Oregon gave up more points to Georgia State than expected, but it would be a stretch to call any of these results shameful.  Pac-12 is shame free in Week 3.

The Pride.  Texas Tech.  Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said if you play football the way the Red Raiders do, you’re going to get your ass kicked.  Turns out that wasn’t quite right.  The shoe was on the other foot for the ass kicking as the Hogs went down by double digits.

The Shame.  Iowa State.  This is why you don’t go on the road in search of MACtion.  The Cyclones overcame a 10 point 4th quarter deficit to force overtime, and then proceeding to lose the game.  Healthy programs don’t lose to MAC teams.