I recently heard through the rumor mill that a long era will be ending soon when the last of the remaining Blockbuster video rental stores will be closing.  In a fast paced digital world filled with instant rentals via your home cable box, movie app, or Netflix; it comes to no surprise that the days of driving to the local movie store to spend 45 minutes of your valuable Friday night picking through the bottom of the barrel "new releases" for a price of $4.99 are no longer an efficient use of anyone's time or money nowadays.  Of course if your typical rental experience was anything like mine you were paying twice as much thanks to those frustrating late fees for a movie you weren't particularly thrilled with anyways because you walked in the store five minutes too late. 

Looking back, I'm quite certain it was those late fees that kept movie stores in business as long as they did.  I alone helped fund some CEO to buy a new boat or convertible over the years of past due fees.   Although its for the best that these stores are closing considering my precious time and light wallet, theirs something about the process of skimming through all those movies one by one with your significant other after a 9-5 shift of work and ready to relax that I'm going to miss.  Let's take a walk through your local movie store one last time as we recap all of Saturday's Big Ten action.  

New Release 

By far the most anticipated game of the week; customers lined up outside the store to make sure they got a copy of the red hot Spartans traveling into Nebraska to face a Cornhusker team that was 4-1 in the conference and still alive in the hunt for a Big Ten title.  This film contained a villain Nebraska team that hurt many teams prior on the closing seconds of ball games as they beat the Wolverines on the last drive of the game and stunned Northwestern in walk off fashion with a game winning hail mary pass.  Meanwhile, Michigan State was winning games playing by the book with mistake-free, efficient offense and smash-mouth defense. 

This one played out just like the preview showed us.  The Spartans created five turnovers off Nebraska as the Cornhuskers created none.  A lopsided turnover ratio like that is a recipe for a lopsided game, and although Nebraska kept it close with all things considered, the Spartans running back Jeremy Langford and their defense was too much for the Cornhuskers.  On top of those five turnovers, Langford rushed for 151 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries (his fifth straight 100 yard game).  Not exactly the typical defensive performance we're used to seeing by the Spartans defense.  However, the offense is now averaging almost 31 points in their last ten games.  MIchigan State now controls its own destiny on its path to a Big Ten title game at 9-1 as it clinched at least a share of the Legends Division title while Nebraska falls to 7-3.   

Horror

Put the kiddies to bed before you put in your DVD copy of the Hoosiers playing Wisconsin.  Not a scary movie with much plot line just a lot of old fashion blood, guts, and gore.  The Badgers did a lot of murdering Saturday with their favorite weapon of choice; the run game.  The opening scene starts out with James White taking Wisconsin's first play from scrimmage 93 yards to the house and his team never looked back.  The Badgers had four different characters run into the end zone Saturday as White, Melvin Gordon, back up Corey Clement, and even wide out Jarred Abbrederis took a reverse hand off 49 yards for six points. 

By the time the credits started rolling the Badgers had produced 554 yards on the ground including seven runs of 30 yards or more.  On the other side the Hoosiers were playing without their main character running back Tevin Coleman and never had a chance.  A critical win for the Badgers who are on the outside looking in for a Big Ten title birth.  Hoping for a Michigan State stumble in the next two weeks, in the mean time dominating wins like this will help their cause in the polls.     

Drama

Some teams just can't get enough drama in their lives and the Wildcats are one of them.  Losing their last five games (all against Big Ten teams), they played the Wolverine's team struggling to find any identity as a team.  Up 9-6 the Wildcats were 12 seconds away from snapping their losing streak, ending the movie, and landing in the "feel good" section.  But that's just not how Northwestern rolls.  Michigan's Devin Gardner threw a 16 yards pass as the clock continued to tick, the field goal unit sprinted on the field, snapped the ball with one second on the clock and sent the game into overtime.  The sequel to the most dramatic finish in the Big ten this year following up Wisconsin and Arizona States week two ending.  The game eventually went into three overtimes when Gardner ran a five yard touchdown in to give the Wolverines an improbable 27-19 win. 

Northwestern continued to shoot themselves in the foot this year wasting a tremendous defensive effort for four quarters.  A series of debacles that cost the Wildcats leads to no surprise why they continually end up under the drama section.  A dropped interception on Michigan's final drive, a forced fumble they couldn't jump on in overtime, and even a horrific seven-yard punt that gave the Wolverines a first-and-goal.  Leaving no doubt, the Wildcats find more ways to lose than anyone else in the Big Ten.    

Comedy 

If you watched any of the Ohio State game you couldn't help but laugh out loud at the ridiculous attempts Illinois had to try and bring down running back Carlos Hyde.  Hyde had a comical day on the ground rushing for 246 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries while tacking on a receiving touchdown to give him five score on the day.  Illinois lingered around until Hydes final two runs with under five minutes remaining of 55 and 51 yards sealed the deal for the Buckeyes who have now won 22 straight games.  Things got silly on both sidelines but for different reasons.  After giving up a safety head coach, Tim Beckman and offensive coordinator Bill Cubit had to be separated after they engaged in a heated battle of words turning their leadership into a circus like display. 

On top of Hyde, another Buckeye turned in a fantasy stud-like performance, this time on the defensive side of the ball.  Linebacker Ryan Shazier had 16 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a safety.  A monster day for Shazier who improved his already high draft stock where he is projected in the later half of the first round.  Illinois has lost 19 straight games against Big Ten opponents making this team a comedy full of errors.    

$0.99 Bin

Keep digging and at the bottom of the clearance pile sits a Purdue team that no one cares to watch, and for good reason.  A "B" rated movie likely to end up on Netflix next to films like "Sharknado" and sequels to movies nobody new existed, the 1-9 Boilmakers are doing the best with what they can on the low budget they were given. They traveled to Penn State this week where Zach Zwinak ran all over them for three touchdowns and 149 yards.  Wide receiver Allen Robinson set the Penn State single season reception record after his fifth catch Saturday giving him 78 on the season, breaking his old record last year of 77.  On top of that, Robinson also owns the Penn State receiving yard record as well. 

At 6-4 and 3-3 in the conference, Bill O'Brien has a lot to be proud of when it comes to his team's fight.  Still suffering from NCAA sanctions from the Sandusky era, his team has had numerous scholarships taken away as well as being ineligible for a Bowl game for another three years.  Nonetheless they finished 8-4 last year and can do no worse than a .500 winning percentage this year.  They play Nebraska and Wisconsin to end their season.