While the Ohio State football team couldn't live up to its No. 2 ranking this weekend, there was at least another second-ranked team that successfully retained its position in the polls.
The Michigan women's swimming and diving team pulled out a tough, 178-118 victory at No. 24 Penn State on Friday.
Like the Buckeyes, the Wolverines (3-0 Big Ten, 4-0 overall) came into the meet as the overwhelming favorite against a team ranked at the bottom of the polls.
While the Lions had to overcome the odds of beating a superior team, the Wolverines had to contend with some difficult circumstances that complicated their ability to turn in a prime performance.
Penn State faced only part of an exhausted Wolverine squad which was further fatigued by a lengthy bus ride the night before.
"(Penn State) meant business," Michigan co-captain Melisa Stone said. "We were a lot more tired than we thought."
While the margin of the Wolverines' victory was decisive, Penn State (1-2, 2-2), made many of the races close because it was rested and prepared for Michigan.
"They always shave and taper for us and are prepared to swim fast, but we are in our tired stages," Stone said.
"This meet says that we can step it up a notch when we are dead and give it all that we have."
Michigan took the lead in the first two events with the 200 medley relay of Linda Riker, Jodi Navta, Stone and Shannon Shakespeare barely touching out the Penn State contingent.
In the second event, the 1,000 free, distance veteran Kerri Hale captured first place by more than two seconds.
Penn State gained control of the lead by winning the next two events, as it swept the 200 freestyle and took first and second in the 100 back stroke.
After five events, Michigan found itself with an eight-point deficit entering the 200 butterfly.
But just as soon as the Lions went ahead, Michigan took the lead away by sweeping back-to-back events.
Junior Karin Bunting, sophomore Cathy O'Neill and Hale swept the fly while Shakespeare, junior Kim Johnson and sophomore Jen Eberwein duplicated the feat in the freestyle.
The Wolverines dominated the rest of the way, as they won all of the rest of the events with the exception of diving.
Even though the diving squad failed to win either of the diving events, it did fare better than two weeks ago against Tennessee when it was swept in both.
In the one-meter diving, freshman Hanna Shin and sophomore Jill Unikel placed second and third while sophomore Valerie Pochron finished second in the three-meter.
While Navta ruled both breaststroke events and Shakespeare dominated two of the sprint freestyle events, senior Anne Kampfe emerged as the star of the second half of the meet.
Kampfe won three of the six individual events in the last half, cruising to victories in the 200 backstroke, 500 freestyle and the 400 individual medley.
With Thanksgiving break this week, the weary Wolverines will be able to rest their limbs in order to be ready for their next test.