Big game ahead this week in Happy Valley
Oregon remains on top with a blowout win over Illinois, and Nebraska damn near pulled off a huge win in Columbus. It all sets up a big game in happy Valley this week between the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes that will have major Big Ten Championship game implications, and CFP seeding for sure.
#1 Oregon Ducks (Previously #1 — Win 38-9 vs Illinois)
Another week another Oregon win against supposedly a decent opponent. Dylan Gabriel has become the Heisman favorite and will look to continue it this week when the Ducks head to Ann Arbor for a game against the Wolverines that looked a lot tougher 2 months ago.
#2 Penn State Nittany Lions (Previously #2 — Win 28-13 at Wisconsin )
Penn State struggled for a half against the Badgers, and then their starting QB drew Allar got hurt. No fear as their backup Beau Pribula came in and went 11/19 for 98 yards and a TD and led the Nittany Lions to a win. This week we get probably the second most anticipated game on the Big Ten schedule this season as Penn State will host Ohio State on Big Noon Saturday. It’s a massive game for both teams.
#3 Indiana Hoosiers (Previous #4 Win 31-17 vs Washington)
The Hoosier train keeps on rolling don the track. Backup QB? No big deal as the Hoosiers find a way to get the job done and move to 8-0. Kurtis Rourke might be back this week as the Hoosiers head to East Lansing to face Michigan State and try to keep their undefeated season alive.
#4 Ohio State Buckeyes (Previously #3 — Win 21-17 vs Nebraska)
The Buckeyes did not look good out of the bye and damn near got upset by Nebraska. Were they looking past the Huskers to this week’s massive game at Penn State? It’s possible for sure. But if the Buckeyes play this week like they did last, the Nittany Lions are going to run all over them,
#5 #Illinois Fighting Illini (Previously #5 Lose 38-9 at Oregon)
No punishment for Illinois this week for losing to a really good team on the road. Also it helps them the teams directly behind them also lost. Can Bielema keep his perfect record against the Gophers going this week? Minnesota is a favorite on the road, but Bielema is a perfect 10-0 all time against the Gophers.
#6 Iowa Hawkeyes (Previously #7 — Win 40-14 vs Northwestern)
Iowa gets a jump this week for beating up on a terrible team. Good timing I guess as other teams around them lost. The Hawkeyes finally made a QB change in the second half and Brendan Sullivan took off and led the team to a huge third quarter—-but will Kirk and company stick with him? The Badgers come to down for a big night game kickoff. It’s gonna be a battle.
#7 Nebraska Cornhuskers (Previously #8 Lose 21-17 at Ohio State)
Nebraska climbs back up one spot after a near upset of Ohio State. The Husker fan were predictably not pleased with the officials, but that’s no shock there. UCLA heads to Lincoln this week in what should be a win for Nebraska, but we will see.
#8 Wisconsin Badgers (Previously #7 Lose 28-13 vs Penn State)
Wisconsin had a chance to make a huge statement with a win over Penn State and even got a backup QB to do it against in the second half….and failed. Penn State escaped to play in a huge game this week while Wisconsin needs to get psyched up for a night game in Kinnick against Iowa for the Heartland Trophy. Winner gets bowl eligibility.
#9 Michigan Wolverines (Previously #9 Win 24-17 vs Michigan State)
In a typical rivalry game between these two teams the Wolverines eeked out a win and then almost got in a brawl. The win gets Michigan to five wins, which is key as their November is scary starting by hosting the nation’s #1 school on Saturday in the Oregon Ducks.
#10 Minnesota Golden Gophers (Previously #11 Win 48-23 vs Maryland)
Minnesota moves up a spot with a huge homecoming win over the Terps. Max Brosmer is on a heater and the rest of the Gopher passing game is coming alive. Still some struggles on the ground game though. Can the Gophers finally get a win over Bret Bielema this week? It would be huge for Minnesota’s momentum and would lock up a bowl game that hopefully would not be Detroit…
#11 USC Trojans (Previously #12 Win 42-20 vs Rutgers)
USC finally figured things out and trounced the Scarlet Knights late on Friday night. It was a good win to get back in the W column and move to 4-4 on the season. They head to Washington this week in a must-win for both teams.
#12 Michigan State Spartans (Previously #10 — Lose 24-17 at Michigan)
The Spartans tried to pull off a big rivalry win this week in Ann Arbor but just couldn’t score enough points. The where was almost another brawl between the two teams. Not great. They will look to pull off a huge upset when Indiana comes to town this week.
#13 Washington Huskies (Previously #13 — Loss 31-17 at Illinois)
Washington headed into Bloomington where Indiana was hosting College Gameday and put up a fight, but didn’t pull off the upset. They fall to 4-4 and host USC in a massive game this weekend if they don’t want to pull off a major upset to earn a bowl game.
#14 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (Previously #14 Loss at USC 42-20)
Four losses in a row for Rutgers which is not great. USC took it to them early and often last Saturday night. The Scarlet Knights get a bye this week before Minnesota comes to town in what is sure to be an emotional game for the coaching staffs.
#15 UCLA Bruins (Previously #16 BYE)
UCLA moves up one spot on their bye week after other teams got trounced. They head to Lincoln this week in what should be a tough game.
#16 Maryland Terrapins (Previously #15 — Loss 48-23 at Minnesota)
Not a great week for Maryland as they went into Minnesota and got smacked. The Terps were never in the game and now have a long road to a bowl game. After a bye this week they will need to beat two of Oregon, Rutgers, Iowa and Penn State…
#17 Northwestern Wildcats (Previously #17 — Lose 40-14 at Iowa)
The battle to be Naperville’s favorite Big Ten team goes the way of the Hawkeyes after an explosive second half from a Northwestern transfer. Not great. Northwestern heads to Purdue this week for the basement bowl.
#18 Purdue Boilermakers (Previous #17 Lose 35-0 vs Oregon)
Purdue stays in the basement with their bye as Northwestern looked ok for a half before exploding. They host those Wildcats this week in the basement bowl….who will suck less?