Well there it is folks, one half of the Big Ten title game is set. Northwestern took care of business against Iowa and then Purdue and Wisconsin lost to give NU the division. They can lose the next two weeks by a combined 800 points and it won’t matter. With all the issues they have had offensively, this has to be one of Fitz’s best coaching jobs and let’s give credit to the Wildcats, they won the games they absolutely had to against the western division and are a worthy divisional champ as a result.
Team of the Week – Minnesota – A+ – Sitting at 4-5 with the bowl hopes dimming rapidly, Minnesota needed to find a way to knock off some folks in the final three weeks and they did just that with a dominating 41-10 win over Purdue. The UM defense had struggled all year, even costing the DC his job, but played great against the Boilers. Offensively Minnesota ran all over Purdue for 265 yards as a team and Mohamed Ibrahim putting up 155. Ibrahim by the way is a freshman who still has a 1000 yard season in play so I think we have found one part of a young UM team that Fleck can build his boat around.
Illinois – D – The offense continues to show signs of life but the defense continues to struggle. How much improved is this team in year three of Lovie’s rebuild? The wins are up and the offense is a bit better overall and much better at rushing but he was supposed to be a defensive coach so the continued issues on that side of the ball is troubling.
Indiana – B+ – It was an unusual win to say the least. Indiana was up big then gave it all back and even trailed, 32-31, before a fourth quarter field goal and defensive takeaway wrapped up the game for the Hoosiers. Hats off to Peyton Ramsey for putting together a big game to help his club when the running attack was very workmanlike and had to grind out every yard they got.
Iowa – F – So much to pick apart about this game but I’m going to focus on just two things: the rushing days each club had and Noah Fant. Iowa is a lousy running team and has been for a while. They produced just 64 yards on 22 carries and had their best back in the “three headed monster” ran the ball just 10 times. Dumb. On the flip side, Iowa’s running defense is really good yet they let NU’s really bad rush O rack up a ton of yards, including 165 from Isaiah Bowser. As for Fant, the staff had him play nine snaps the second half, that’s it. For the game he was targeted once and had one catch for a whopping zero yards. That is not a smart game plan.
Maryland – C – A bitter way to drop to 5-5. Clinching a bowl was right there for the Terps but after an amazing comeback down 21-6 (and 31-15) to get the lead, Maryland couldn’t quite hang on. Still, this team plays with a lot of passion for Matt Canada and barring a major name getting drawn to Maryland, I think Canada has done enough to earn a contract and see this rebuild another step, especially the way the offense can look despite not a lot coming from the passing game.
Michigan – A – Eh, I’m sure some die hard Michigan fans are complaining about the rushing yards (see RU’s grade) but they won 42-7 and the Wolverine O had a field day. This was basically a good old fashioned TCOB game as UM marches closer and closer to a date with destiny against the Buckeyes.
Michigan State – D+ – The final score doesn’t look great but remember, the MSU defense did their job keeping it a 9-6 game heading into the fourth quarter. There is only so much the D can do when their counterparts on offense have three turnovers and eight punts.
Nebraska – B – 54 points and another explosive day for Adrian Martinez. NU has turned into quite the exciting 3-7 ball club because WOW, their offense is good and yet at the same time, WOW, their defense is bad.
Northwestern – B – They won, that’s the important thing. They played some solid D, that’s the big takeaway but the 14-10 final does little to persuade most observers to buy into NU. Yes they are the champs but no, they aren’t the best team…at least that is the opinion most Big Ten folks have of the plucky Wildcats.
Ohio State – B – A tad ho-hum of a 26-6 final but the Spartan defense is a tough nut to crack. At least the up and down running game got a nice performance out of Mike Weber against an extremely good rushing D. Could be something to build on as OSU tries to get out of their funk before the Michigan tangle.
Penn State – A- – Can’t go too crazy because Wisconsin was without their starting quarterback and Jack Coan is so far away from being a competent starter that it makes one wonder, just what is this staff doing? But that is more for the Badger grade. PSU wasn’t in a great rhythm offensively but it was more than enough, especially the way defense let Jonathan Taylor get his and then prevent UW from doing anything else. Solid game plan.
Purdue – F – Look, the division was always a long shot thanks to the tiebreaker scenarios and league records but Purdue was technically alive and at 5-4 was trying to lock down a bowl. This was nothing short of a disastrous game for the Boilermakers.
Rutgers – D- – A lot went wrong obviously given the final but I’m not giving it an F purely because of Isaih Pacheco who had 142 yards on 16 carries and an eighty yard TD run. Just like the Gophers, perhaps RU has found a freshman to really build around for the future.
Wisconsin – F – Well I tossed so much out on PSU’s grade that now I don’t know what to write, other than to reiterate that Jack Coan is miles and miles away from being a competent college starter. With zero bite through the air, it made Penn State’s day defensively pretty easy.
Game of the Week – Tons of drama with Indiana and Maryland as the Terps stormed back, only to see Indiana rally both offensively and defensively late in the game to pick up a key road victory for IU’s bowl hopes.
Why Did I Watch This? Award – Difficult to watch Rutgers even against evenly matched teams. Against Michigan they were over-matched and it showed, falling behind 21-7 at the half. With zero upset potential, there was no point in watching the second half.
Gambling Report Card:
- Illinois at Nebraska, Over (71.5)
Two struggling defenses pay off as two good offenses combined for a whopping 89 total points in Lincoln.
- Indiana at Maryland, Over (55.0)
I thought there was a good shot at one or both of these clubs getting into the 30s and as it turned out they both did, resulting in 64 total points and a win at the sports book.
- Iowa vs Northwestern, Points (UI -11.0), Under (46.0)
Anyone who knows this series or seen Iowa this year was stunned to see the hawks as double digit favorites. Factor in Iowa’s hot and cold offense against NU’s solid defense and the under was also an intriguing pick. As a result went with both and it paid off big.
- Michigan at Rutgers, UM (-37.0), Over (45.0)
Picked up a split because Michigan won by a ton of points but even 35 wasn’t quite enough. The lone TD Rutgers put up though was enough to make the grand total 49, giving us the over.
- Michigan State vs Ohio State, OSU (-3.5)
I knew MSU’s defense would make things interesting – and they did – but felt OSU could pull away and win by a touchdown or two – which they did.
- Minnesota vs Purdue, PU (-10.5)
I think everyone and their brother had this one wrong. Not only did PU fail to cover, they failed to even compete as the Gopher’s dominated this game.
- Penn State vs Wisconsin, PSU (-7.5)
Wrap up the best week of the season with the Lions taking care of business against a Wisconsin team that is struggling on defense and in the passing game…not a good mix.
Week Record: 7-2-0
Season Record: 56-57-1
Big Ten and Counting 