In a week of Big Ten football that seemed predictable, many games went in a totally different direction. Minnesota fumbled away a fifth road loss this week versus Northwestern. Penn State and Wisconsin both returned to prime form and blew out their opponents. USC, as many expected, took a humbling defeat at the hands of rival Oregon.

Michael Robinson a Penn State great who was a captain on the Lions' 2005 Big Ten title team, was part of NBC's coverage of the Penn State-Nebraska game.

Penn State's coaching search moved into a new phase this weekend, as the school is set to conduct a formal interview with interim head coach Terry Smith for the full-time job.

With both sides bidding to make a bowl game, it will be the most consequential game Rutgers has played in years. Add in the fact it has not defeated Penn State in 37 years, has lost the last 17 meetings and has only beaten the Nittany Lions once in the past 107 years, and there should be plenty of buzz in the lead up to the game.

Penn State defensive linemen Zane Durant, left, and Dani Dennis-Sutton celebrate Durant’s fourth-down sack in the third quarter of the Nittany Lions’ 37-10 win over Nebraska Saturday night. (AP Photo/Jared Freed)

Penn State's Terry Smith lobbied for a job, while Nebraska's Matt Rhule called the night "about as miserable as it gets."

And, of course, Penn State was straight up dominating. The defense was flying around and making stops, Ethan Grunkemeyer looked as comfortable as ever, and the Nittany Lions’ run game was back in full swing.