With zero ranked teams facing off this was supposed to be a rather sleepy week outside the quietly impressive Gopher team heading to Lincoln. What we got instead was a massive shift in the league and tournament race as Iowa stunned Michigan in Iowa City. Penn State can now represent the East if Ohio State knocks off Michigan. Michigan still controls their own destiny with winning out but the tie-breaking scenarios were not kind to Penn State in the outcome of a three-way 8-1 league mark.
Interestingly enough the CFP committee put Ohio State as the #2 team so if they don’t make Indy, it seems like the powers that be still really like the Bucks. Long story short, the league with 1-loss powers in OSU and Michigan and top-10 two loss teams PSU and Wisconsin, the Big Ten stands a decent shot at becoming the first conference to send two teams to the College Football Playoffs. That’s pretty damn cool.
Team of the Week – Iowa – A+ – Iowa’s defense was on fire with holding Michigan to just 201 yards and an awful third down day. The offense struggled but came up with some timely moments and how about that special teams?! Some clutch field goal kicking and a punt that pinned the Wolverines deep, leading to a safety.
Illinois – F – Want some ugly numbers? How does 0/9 on third down sound? How does 4 turnovers sound? How does 17:57 of TOP to 42:03 for Wisconsin strike you? It was that kind of day for Illinois as the young (and possible future) of Illinois football Jeff George Jr. had a rough day at the office with 4 picks.
Indiana – D+ – I have more about how well IU played in this game below in the PSU grade so I’ll sum up here why the Hoosiers lost. FIVE turnovers and 8 penalties for 80 yards is tough for any team to overcome. But when you are a so-so club like Indiana taking on a top 10 team, those will spell DISASTER! Hoosiers have to clean these aspects up for them to make the leap as a program.
Maryland – F – When healthy, Maryland’s offense is actually pretty respectable. But they weren’t healthy and they were facing Ohio State. It was a recipe for disaster. UM was held to 10 first downs, 1/15 on third, 176 yards, 43 rushing yards, 2 turnovers, and to add insult to injury had more penalties and penalty yardage than the Bucks.
Michigan – F+ – They get a plus because the defense was their usual brilliant unit. The rest? Not so much. The biggest concern has to be with the health of QB Wilton Speight who played the entire game. If he was that hurt, why in the world was he left in the game? Horrible coaching choice there.
Michigan State – A+ – The Spartans were never as bad as their 2-7 season would indicate. First they had narrow losses to Indiana and Illinois. The former is not a bad team. Second they had to take on a peak Maryland team when they were fully healthy. Lastly they scheduled tough with a pesky BYU team, crossovers with UW and Northwestern, and obviously had to play Michigan. Top it all off they had a rash of injuries. But they put it all together against Rutgers and the results were magnificent.
Minnesota – D+ – Can’t give a F because Minnesota was up at the half and played decent enough D for sixty minutes but there were some major issues. First, the idea that UM would bruise them with the running game? Nope, didn’t happen. UM had just 85 yards on a 2.5 average and a lot of that was because of 7 TFLs for the Huskers. Another issue is the defense couldn’t get of the field. They allowed Nebraska to go 7/15 on third and 2/2 on fourth. Finally losing the turnover margin didn’t help matters. Good team, just not a good performance.
Nebraska – A -In addition to all that I wrote about above, NU didn’t allow a point in the second half and a banged up Tommy Armstrong Jr delivered a solid game with 19/27, 217 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs and 9 carries for 61 yards with an extra touchdown. He was the best player on the field for either offense and it carried Nebraska to a crucial victory to keep their hopes for Indy alive for another week and keep the pressure on Wisconsin.
Northwestern – A – After a slow first half NU exploded for 31 in the second half. They had two runners hit the century mark and Clayton Thorson overcame a 2 pick day with 352 passing yards and 3 scores. The biggest thing is it gets the club to five wins and help their bowl hopes.
Ohio State – A – Another gem from J.T. Barrett as he had 253 passing yards and 47 rushing yards for a 300 all purpose day. He also had an Abe Lincoln as he racked up four scores. I’m not sure he can catch Lamar Jackson, but he is making a push for New York at least.
Penn State – C- – Talk about escaping. Penn State’s 14 point win hid a lot of advanced stats that favored the Hoosiers. IU outgained PSU. IU held PSU to just 77 rushing yards on a 1.7 average. PSU was awful on third down and they also turned it over twice. So how did they win? First they were +3 on the turnover margin because Indiana was even more sloppy than the Lions. Secondly, Trace McSorely’s arm bailed out his team. Yes, he had 2 picks but that hardly put a dent in the incredible stat line he put up.
Purdue – F – A bright spot in a long year for Purdue had been the play of QB David Blough but against Northwestern he really struggled with three picks and under 200 yards of passing. Now the defense giving up over 600 yards is pathetic, but the Boilermaker offense didn’t even come close to bailing out their leaky D in this one.
Rutgers – F – I said MSU wasn’t as bad as their 2-7 mark entering the game. Sadly Rutgers is really as bad as their 2-7, now 2-8 record. The biggest disappointment from the game was a big step back in the passing game. Gio Rescigno went just 6/16 for 40 yards and 2 picks.
Western Michigan – Idle
Wisconsin – A – In contrast to Illinois’s woeful numbers here are some good ones. 363 rushing yards! 455 total yards of offense! 7/13 on third! 23 to 11 on first downs! Wisconsin dominated every possible metric in this game.
Game of the Week – Iowa vs Michigan
Why Did I Watch This? Award – MSU vs Rutgers
Gambling Report Card:
- Illinois at Wisconsin, Points (UW -24.5), Under (39)
This is the third football season I have had the blog and the first two years I was well above .500 for my gambling picks. Every single thing that could go wrong has gone wrong this year, including this double sweep as Wisconsin DEMOLISHED Illinois, 48-3.
- Indiana vs Penn State, PSU (-7.5)
Well it took a fourth quarter point explosion and five turnovers by the Hoosiers but not only did PSU escape, but they won by 14.
- Iowa vs Michigan, UM (-21.5), Over (50.5)
My gut said it would be 56-0. My gut lied. Another double sweep.
- Maryland vs Ohio State, OSU (-29.5), Over (57)
Thank you, thank you, Ohio State! The Buck’s dominated the Terps 62-3 to give us a much needed double up at the casino.
- Michigan State vs Rutgers, Points (MSU -14)
RU had been competitive in their last two losses but MSU reminded people why there were a highly ranked team to start the year in a humiliating 49-0 win.
- Minnesota at Nebraska, Points (NU -6.5)
I picked the Gophers in an upset bid and honestly don’t feel that bad a bout this one. UM was up 17-10 at the break and looking good, Nebraska just had a ball game in the second half. My logic was sound though, that playing another physical team would be hard for the Huskers and the tight game reflects that. Doesn’t mean the casino gave me any money for sound logic though.
- Northwestern at Purdue, NU (-13)
Wildcat’s 21 point surge in the third quarter helped propel them to a massive 45-17 win, giving us the over but more importantly giving NU a great shot at a bowl game.
Week Record: 4-6-0
Season Record: 61-77-1
Big Ten and Counting 