WEEK 5 SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, OCT. 1
MICHIGAN at IOWA
12 p.m. | FOX
PURDUE at MINNESOTA (HC)
12 p.m. | ESPN2
ILLINOIS at WISCONSIN
12 p.m. | Big Ten Network
MICHIGAN STATE at MARYLAND
3:30 p.m. | FS1
RUTGERS at OHIO STATE (HC)
3:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
NORTHWESTERN at PENN STATE
3:30 p.m. | ESPN
INDIANA at NEBRASKA (HC)
7:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
All times Eastern
BIG TEN. BIG NEWS.
• Seven Big Ten conference games are on the docket this weekend, including four divisional matchups. The action kicks off on Saturday afternoon as Michigan travels to Iowa, Purdue heads to Minnesota, and Wisconsin welcomes Illinois. The complete schedule appears to the right.
• Four Big Ten teams appear in the AP Poll this week. Ohio State leads the conference at No. 3, followed by No. 4 Michigan, No. 11 Penn State and No. 21 Minnesota.
• Michigan and Minnesota currently rank among the top 15 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Wolverines rank second nationally in scoring offense, averaging 50.0 points per contest, while ranking No. 7 nationally in scoring defense (11.0 points per game). The Gophers rank No. 2 nationally in scoring defense (6.0 points per game), while ranking 11th in scoring offense (45.75 points per game).
• Junior running back Blake Corum set a career best with 243 rushing yards on 30 carries for the seventh-best single-game rushing performance in Michigan history in Saturday’s 34-27 victory over Maryland. Corum added two touchdowns, his NCAA-leading eighth and ninth touchdowns of the season, while recording a rushing touchdown in his fourth straight game this season. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy completed 18-26 throws for 220 yards and two touchdowns, setting career-highs in completions and attempts.
• Five additional Big Ten teams rank in the top 20 in terms of scoring defense: Iowa (1st, 5.8 points per game), Illinois (4th, 8.0 points per game), Ohio State (21st, 16.0 points per game), Penn State (23rd, 16.8 points per game) and Rutgers (25th, 17.2 points per game).
• The Big Ten boasts five top 10 FBS running backs in rushing yards per game: Illinois’ Chase Brown (1st, 151.0), Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim (2nd, 141.8), Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen (5th, 124.2), Michigan’s Blake Corum (7th, 119.5) and Nebraska’s Anthony Grant (10th, 116.0).
• Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns and Mohamed Ibrahim rushed for 103 yards and a score to lead Minnesota to a 34-7 rout over Michigan State, the Gophers first win against the Spartans since 2009. Minnesota leads the nation in time of possession (40:35 per game), three minutes and 58 seconds more than any other FBS team. The Gophers are also 1 of 3 teams that have yet to trail in a game this season, joining Georgia and Washington.
• The Buckeyes scored 50 points for the 17th time under Ryan Day in Saturday’s 52-21 victory over Wisconsin. Ohio State has won 26 straight Big Ten home games, the longest streak in Big Ten history, and leads the nation with a .925 winning percentage in conference play since 2014. The Buckeyes are now 62-5; Alabama is second at .909 in the SEC.
• With five touchdown passes against Wisconsin, C.J. Stroud is now in sole possession of third place on the all-time touchdown pass leaderboard at Ohio State with 60. He passed Joe Germaine (56), Terrelle Pryor (57) and Bobby Hoying (57) on Saturday and is now within striking distance of second-place Justin Fields (63). Stroud ended the game 17-for-27 for 281 yards, extending his record for multiple touchdown passes thrown to nine straight games and has thrown for at least 200 yards in 13 straight games.
• With running back Kaytron Allen’s 111-yard rushing performance against Central Michigan on Saturday, Penn State has had two true freshmen running backs post 100-yard games in a single season for the first time since 2019. Allen finished with 13 carries, including a career-long 37-yard run in the fourth quarter, and has yet to have a negative-yard rush in his career.
• Iowa used two defensive touchdowns to pave the way to a, 27-10, victory at Rutgers on Saturday night. Senior Kaevon Merriweather recorded a third quarter interception, the second of his career, and returned it 33 yards into Rutgers territory. Merriweather had three tackles and a pass breakup at the goal line in the fourth quarter, helping the Iowa defense hold opponents to 23 points in four games, the team’s fewest points allowed since 1956. It’s also the first time since 1935 that Iowa has held its first four opponents to 10 points or fewer.
• Four Big Ten teams remain undefeated on the season, as Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State and Penn State are all 4-0.
• The 2022 campaign features 94 All-Big Ten honorees (first-, second-, third-team or honorable mention) selected by either the coaches or the media last season. Ohio State leads the way, welcoming back 17 All-Big Ten honorees this season. Each team has at least one All-Big Ten performer returning this season, with 56 of the 94 returning All-Big Ten players coming from the East Division.
• This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Saturday, December 31, 2022, at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The Los Angeles region will host the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 9, 2023, at SoFi Stadium. The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 ranked team vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game.
