In week eight, three teams separated themselves in the Big Ten as Michigan, Ohio State, and Michigan State all stayed the same or moved up in the AP Poll. Illinois proved that anything can happen on any Sunday as they beat Penn State in one of the craziest games in college football history. The Big Ten West is shaping up to be a race of a couple of teams after Wisconsin now beat Purdue. Let’s dive into each game and get a good understanding of what occurred. Here we go. 

Illinois 20 at No. 7 Penn State 18

This game was one of the most interesting college football games of all time. The outcome wasn’t decided until the 9th overtime. Illinois went into Penn State’s house and upset the No. 7 Nittany Lions in a game that Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford played in. Penn State’s offense just didn’t show up on Saturday, they were flat all day. Illinois held Penn State to only 12 first downs all game and the Nittany Lions only had 227-total yards. Penn State couldn’t take advantage of the three turnovers they forced on defense but at the end of the day, the Fighting Illini played power football as they had 357 rushing yards. This is a huge program win for Illinois and maybe it will allow them to start playing better football going forward as the Illini take on Rutgers in week nine. Penn State has to go into Columbus and play maybe the hottest team in the country currently in Ohio State. 

Northwestern 7 at No. 6 Michigan 33

This game was a tale of two halves. The Wolverines found themselves in a slugfest early with Northwestern as Michigan only had a 10-7 lead at halftime. Later on in the second half, Michigan did what they do best: run the football. Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum combined for 229-yards rushing and 4 touchdowns as the Wolverines imposed their will on Northwestern. The Wildcats aren’t explosive enough to compete with Michigan, Northwestern quarterback Ryan Hilinski only had 114-yards passing and 1 interception. Michigan looks to keep rolling against a very good Michigan State team on Saturday. The Wildcats face a Minnesota team who is competing for a big ten West title. 

Wisconsin 30 at No. 25 Purdue 13

This game had some impact on the Big Ten West, Purdue was looking to run the table but with this loss, they hurt their chances of winning the West. The Badgers have realized their strengths, Graham Mertz only threw the ball eight times as the Badgers have turned him into a game manager. The running game of the Badgers had its way against Purdue, the Badgers ran for 297-rushing yards and three touchdowns, Chez Mellusi and Braelon Allen led the charge. Wisconsin took the ball away from Purdue, they forced the Boilermakers into five turnovers and held them to only 13 rushing yards. Watch for the Badgers to keep rolling against Iowa next week while Purdue plays Nebraska in week nine.

Maryland 16 at Minnesota 34

Minnesota helped themselves with a victory against the Terrapins on Saturday as they set up for success in the Big Ten West. The difference in the football game was the outstanding play of Minnesota’s running game. The Golden Gophers rushed for 326-yards and three touchdowns as Ky Thomas was the featured back. Maryland’s offense wasn’t sharp and Minnesota was getting the Terrapins off the field holding them to only 14 first downs. Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa was naturalized by the Golden Gophers as he had 189-yards and only one touchdown. Head coach P.J. Fleck has his team playing well headed into week nine versus Northwestern. Maryland will face a struggling Indiana team next week.

No. 5 Ohio State 54 at Indiana 7

Well, the Buckeyes are back and they look good heading into the last quarter of the season. Ohio State went into Bloomington, Indiana and they looked buttoned up. Ohio State has something to prove since the Oregon loss. The offense put up 539-total yards which included three rushing and four throwing touchdowns. Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud is working his way into the Heisman Trophy race, Stroud was 21-28 with four touchdowns. The Buckeyes defense was once their issue, but they held Indiana to 128-total yards of offense. Ohio State has Penn State on Saturday, they will try to prove that they can compete with top teams while Indiana faces a hungry Maryland team.

References: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/

Writer

-By: Justin Howard

Entering week seven of college, we are halfway through the year and multiple teams in the Big Ten have their bye weeks. However, there are still undefeated teams that compete this weekend as Iowa and Michigan State attempt to keep their win streaks alive. Currently, I am 16-4 in predicting the outcome of games, let’s try and build upon that record and continue to make the correct picks. Here we go. 

Michigan State at Indiana

Both of these teams entered the year with completely different expectations, Indiana was supposed to contend for the Big Ten title while Michigan State wasn’t considered a good program. However, that narrative has changed, Michigan State is now ranked No. 10 in the country while Indiana is struggling to stay afloat. The Spartans are scoring about 37 points per game and averaging 488-total yards on offense. Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III and quarterback Payton Thorne have turned out to be an elite duo that is causing many issues for opposing defenses. Indiana’s is having offensive struggles as they are turnover prone but the issue is the defense. They are giving up 351-total yards on defense and 128-rushing yards, I believe that Walker III will cause too many issues for the Hoosiers. The Spartans trounce Indiana in Bloomington on Saturday. 

Michigan State 35 Indiana 14

Nebraska at Minnesota 

The Cornhuskers will dominate this ballgame, the spread has Nebraska as a four-point favorite but I anticipate a bit of a rout. Nebraska is 1-3 in their last four games, the three losses have come to top 10 teams in Oklahoma, Michigan State, and Michigan. All games have been within a touchdown. Minnesota is not playing good football in the middle of the season. Tanner Morgan is showing that he can’t compete at a high level as Head coach P.J. Fleck is not trusting him, Morgan is averaging 18 throws a game and only has four touchdowns through five games. Nebraska’s offense will continue to roll, they are averaging 493-total yards per game. I like Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez to lead his team into a hostile environment and get the Cornhuskers back in the win column. 

Nebraska 31 Minnesota 17

Purdue at Iowa

Iowa is coming off their toughest game of the year after they beat Penn State in week six. The Hawkeyes need to have a one-game a time mentality because their second half of the schedule doesn’t feature a ranked opponent. Unfortunately for Purdue, they are going into Iowa City and playing an Iowa team that prides itself on defense. The Hawkeyes will shut down any sort of threat Purdue has on offense and they will force turnovers. However, I think this is a low-scoring game as Purdue will show up.

Purdue 13 Iowa 23

Rutgers at Northwestern 

Rutgers is coming off two losses in a row and they now have to travel to Evanston, Illinois to face Northwestern. The Wildcats are coming off a bye week and they are recovering from a blowout loss to Nebraska. Rutgers is hungry after getting humiliated by Ohio State and Michigan State. Northwestern’s defense is normally their strength but in 2021 it is the Wildcats weakest unit. Northwestern is giving up 451-total yards on defense and I think Rutgers will take advantage through the passing game with quarterback Noah Verdal. Look for a close game on Saturday but I have no trust in the quarterback situation for Northwestern. 

Rutgers 30 Northwestern 24

References: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/

Writer

-By: Justin Howard

Week six provided a massive amount of insight in terms of how the college football playoff could turn out. Let’s take a look at all the action from week six and get a better understanding of how the rest of the year could be impacted. Here we go.

Maryland 17 at Ohio State 66

You have to take into account the team that they beat but the Buckeyes are starting to play like the nation expected them to. Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud appeared to silence critics with his performance on Saturday catapulting him into the Heisman conversation. Stroud went 24-33 with five touchdowns and 406-yards. The Maryland Terrapins just gave up too many points here, they couldn’t contain the Buckeyes offense. Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa had two picks in the fourth quarter and he sometimes tried to extend plays, getting the team in trouble. Maryland wasn’t supposed to win this game and they will need to put this one behind them as they get right during their bye week. The Buckeyes also have a bye in week seven.

Michigan State 31 at Rutgers 13

Now ranked No. 10, the Spartans are for real. They beat a solid Rutgers team convincingly on Saturday behind the efforts of running back Kenneth Walker III and quarterback Payton Thorne. Walker III is making noise in the run for the Heisman trophy, he is dominating and looking elite as he rushed for 233-yards and a touchdown. The offense is humming and the Spartans look to be a real contender as they put up 600-yards against a real Rutgers team. On the other hand, the Scarlet Knights are coming off two losses from some of the best teams in the conference. At this point, I believe Rutgers will handle the teams they are supposed to beat and lose to the top, making them a middle-of-the-pack team. Next week the Spartans face Indiana as they try to stay undefeated while Rutgers goes up against Northwestern.

Wisconsin 24 at Illinois 0

If you are a Wisconsin fan you are relieved after finally getting a win on Saturday. The Badgers cruised to victory on Sunday and proved that their defense is the strength of this football team by holding Illinois to zero points. The Badgers have no trust in quarterback Graham Mertz, he only had 100-yards throwing on 19 attempts. They run the football and that is their recipe for winning, running backs Chez Mellusi and Brandon Allen combined for 276-yards and two touchdowns. Illinois’ offense is just not at the caliber to compete with the defense of Wisconsin, the Fighting Illini had a total of 93-yards.

Penn State 20 at Iowa 23

This game was one of the most anticipated games the Big Ten has witnessed in five years. It was a tale of two games, one with a healthy Sean Clifford and one with an injured Sean Clifford. The Penn State quarterback left the game early into the second quarter with an undisclosed injury as the Nittany Lions were up 17-3 and it looked like they were going to blowout Iowa. Iowa ended up finishing the game on a 20-3 run as Penn State’s backup quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson looked lost out there. Credit to Iowa, they took the ball away from Penn State multiple times showing why they can win ball games. Both teams set themselves up well in terms of the college football playoff. Iowa’s schedule is not too tough in the second half so if they win out, the Hawkeyes could be looking at a playoff berth. The Nittany Lions need to win out and win the Big Ten to get into the playoff but the close loss to Iowa helps their case. Next week, Iowa faces Purdue as they look to stay undefeated while Penn State has a bye. 

Michigan 32 at Nebraska 29

This was Michigan's biggest win all year, going into Lincoln, Nebraska, and facing a solid Nebraska team is a hard task. The game was super balanced in terms of stats. Michigan had 459-total yards while Nebraska had 431. Nebraska’s quarterback Adrain Martinez out-dueled Michigan’s quarterback Cade McNamara but it was the rushing game for the Wolverines that led them to the victory. Running back Hassan Haskins had 123-rushing yards and two touchdowns for the Wolverines. Michigan’s identity is running the ball and they are having success with this new formula. Michigan kicker Jake Moody drilled two field goals in the fourth quarter giving the Wolverines the victory. Next week, Michigan has a bye while Nebraska faces Minnesota.

Reference: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/

Writer

-By: Justin Howard