Big Ten Recap: Chaos Across the Midwest As the Conference Could Now Face an Uphill Battle Toward College Football's Playoff

By Andrew Ellis on November 5, 2017 at 7:05 am
The Spartans are now tied atop the Big Ten's East Division standings.
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Chaos consumes the Big Ten.

This is one of those weekends that the college football world will be talking about for a while. If you're a fan of the Buckeyes or Nittany Lions then there's a lot to be upset about as both teams fell on the road and are all but eliminated from the College Football Playoff race. 

The Badgers have the Big Ten West on lockdown, but the East Division is an entirely different story as the Buckeyes and Spartans are now tied at the top. Ohio State had an absolutely abysmal weekend, but next weekend's showdown will still have major implications. 


No. 24 Michigan State 27, No. 7 Penn State 24

My early afternoon itinerary was wiped clean when East Lansing got hit by what was apparently the biggest lightning storm in the history of meteorology. Fortunately, this one ended up being worth the watch if you tuned in during the massacre in Iowa City.

Penn State was on top by a score of 14-7 before the inclement weather added a 3.5-hour delay to a long afternoon at Spartan Stadium. Brian Lewerke and Trace McSorley both had big outings. Lewerke threw for 400 yards and two scores while adding another 25 with his legs. McSorley threw for 381 and three touchdowns, though he also was plagued by three interceptions. 

Michigan State kicker Matt Coghlin nailed two field goals in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner as time expired. The Spartans' final drive was aided by Penn State safety Marcus Allen. The senior is the leader of James Franklin's defense, but his roughing the passer penalty – on a third down no less – may have cost the Nittany Lions the game and any hopes of a playoff berth.

Saquon Barkley's Heisman campaign took another hit in East Lansing. The junior ran for just 63 yards on 14 carries with another 33 coming via receptions. Barkley failed to find the end zone against a tough Spartan defense. DaeSean Hamilton and DeAndre Thompkins both topped the century mark and hauled in touchdown passes

Outside of Lewerke, it was Felton Davis III and L.J. Scott doing a lot of the damage for Mark Dantonio's offense. Davis hauled in 12 passes for 181 yards and a score. Scott only ran for 43 yards, but the junior did find the end zone in the third quarter.  

No. 9 Wisconsin 45, Indiana 17

The Badgers found themselves trailing 10-0 in the second quarter, but as the score would indicate, Indiana didn't bring a whole lot to the table after that. Per usual, it was the Wisconsin ground game and defense that led the charge.

Jonathan Taylor left last week's game with a left leg injury, and there was some uncertainty surrounding his status for this one. The true freshman was able to go and his return provided a spark to the Wisconsin offense. Taylor rushed for 183 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. He didn't see much action late in the game or he almost certainly would have surpassed 200 yards for the fourth time this season.

Alex Hornibrook completed 13 of 20 passes for 158 yards with a pair of scores and one interception. A.J. Taylor was his favorite target on the day, hauling in three passes for 63 yards. Quintez Cephus added an eight-yard touchdown reception. Fullback Alec Ingold found the end zone three times. Two of those came on the ground and one via an 18-yard touchdown catch. 

The Hoosiers only managed 40 rushing yards on the day, but Richard Lagow was able to put up some decent numbers. Lagow threw for 226 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. Simmie Cobbs Jr. hauled in five passes for 62 yards and a score. Luke Timian added five for 64. 

B1G POWER RANKINGS: WEEK TEN
Team W-L Rank Prev
Wisconsin 9-0 1 3
Ohio State 7-2 2 1
Michigan State 7-2 3 4
Penn State 7-2 4 2
MICHIGAN 7-2 5 5
Iowa 6-3 6 7
Northwestern 6-3 7 6
Minnesota 4-5 8 9
Rutgers 4-5 9 12
Maryland 4-5 10 8
Nebraska 4-5 11 10
Purdue 4-5 12 13
Indiana 3-6 13 11
Illinois 2-7 14 14

Michigan 33, Minnesota 10

The Wolverines employed a crazy strategy against the Golden Gophers: they found that the running game was working and elected to stick with it. 

Michigan had 37 carries on the day and amassed a whopping 371 rushing yards and four touchdowns. That's probably the #StatOfTheWeek in the conference. Props to Harbaugh for finding a weakness and continuing to exploit it.

Karan Higdon is becoming a star for the Wolverines. The junior was the player they turned to when they lost Mike Weber back in the Class of 2015, and right now he's one of the hottest players in America. Higdon had 16 carries for 200 yards and a pair of scores on Saturday; including a 77-yarder. Chris Evans added 191 yards on the ground and two scores of his own. 

Brandon Peters made his first career start, but he wasn't asked to do a whole lot. He connected on 8 of 13 passes for 56 yards. Peters hit tight end Sean McKeon for the game's first touchdown.

Michigan's defense was up to its old tricks and allowed just 164 yards of total offense. Rodney Smith scored the Gophs' lone touchdown, but the junior finished with just 38 yards on 18 carries.

Northwestern 31, Nebraska 24 (OT)

Three straight overtime wins for the Wildcats. That is a new first in the Football Bowl Subdivison (FBS). The most recent effort came on the road in Lincoln as the Huskers were unable to match Northwestern's overtime touchdown. 

Clayton Thorson scored from one yard out in what would prove to be the game-winner for Pat Fitzgerald's Wildcats. Thorson ran for two scores on the day but didn't have his best performance through the air. The junior completed 19 of 35 passes for 233 yards with two interceptions. Justin Jackson led the way with 154 rushing yards and a score. Jeremy Larkin found the end zone as well and Mecan Wilson hauled in five passes for 107 yards. 

Tanner Lee threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns but also took some crucial sacks – including one in overtime – and tossed a trio of interceptions. Devine Ozigbo rushed for 72 yards while Stanley Morgan Jr. was held in check with just four receptions for 38 yards. 

Rutgers 31, Maryland 24

The Scarlet Knights scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns in executing the come-from-behind win against the Terps. 

Gus Edwards was the star of the show for Rutgers as the senior tailback recorded over 100 yards rushing and caught the game-winning 23-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Giovanni Rescigno threw for 107 yards and rushed for 54 while finding the end zone twice. Robert Martin pitched in with 69 yards including a score. 

Maryland's quarterback issues continued on Saturday when Max Bortenschlager exited the game following a big hit in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Ryan Brand took over and saw his first action of the season. He completed 8 of 12 passes but failed to tie things up late in the game. Lorenzo Harrison III, Jake Funk, and Ty Johnson led the Terps' ground attack. Harrison and Johnson both scored touchdowns for D.J. Durkin. 

Ash and the Scarlet Knights have now one three of their last four conference games.

Purdue 29, Illinois 10

There's not a whole lot to say about this one. Two of the Big Ten's worst teams squared off in West Lafayette and the team that is slightly less bad came away victorious. 

Purdue's defense put the clamps down on the Illini and allowed just 250 yards of total offense. The main storyline, however, involved Boilermaker quarterback David Blough. The junior was carted off the field with what appeared to be a significant leg injury. To his credit, Blough maintained his composure and even celebrated while getting hoisted into the ambulance.

Blough completed 16 of 24 passes for 194 yards before exiting in the fourth quarter. Elijah Sindelar took over under center and tossed a touchdown pass despite only attempting two passes. D.J. Knox and Richie Worship led the way on the ground for the Boilermakers. Knox rushed for 85 yards and a score while Worship chipped in with 44 and a touchdown of his own. 

Purdue's defense recorded nine tackles for loss and sacked Illini quarterbacks five times on the day. Lovie Smith's ground game managed just 80 yards on 35 carries.


So the Badgers still haven't beaten anyone, but we're to the point where they are deserving of the top spot in the power rankings. If it comes down to it, it's hard to imagine Wisconsin being favored over Ohio State in Indy (I think?). The Badgers and Spartans butting heads would probably be a different story, but there's still a few weeks left and who knows what will transpire.

It feels a little weird having Michigan State ahead of Penn State, but that's the move following yesterday's rain-filled game in East Lansing. The fact that Saquon Barkley told Spartan linebacker Chris Frey about the Ohio State loss – while they were still playing a game against one another – is a little bit comical. I'm not sure what standings the Heisman candidate has been following, however.

The Buckeyes and Spartans are tied atop the East Division, and next week's matchup may very well determine who represents the East in Indianapolis. The Nittany Lions are now on the outside looking in with two conference losses.

The big one will take place at noon in Columbus. Elsewhere the Badgers take on the Hawkeyes, Michigan heads to Maryland, and Penn State will play host to Rutgers.

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