This Week in the Big Ten Conference
WEEK 9 SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, OCT. 30
RUTGERS at ILLINOIS
Noon | Big Ten Network
INDIANA at MARYLAND
Noon | Big Ten Network
MICHIGAN at MICHIGAN STATE
Noon | FOX
IOWA at WISCONSIN
Noon | ESPN
PURDUE at NEBRASKA
3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
MINNESOTA at NORTHWESTERN
3:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
PENN STATE at OHIO STATE
7:30 p.m. | ABC
All times Eastern
BIG TEN. BIG NEWS.
• Five Big Ten teams appear in the Associated Press Poll this week, highlighted by four of the top 10 teams in the country. Ohio State leads the conference at No. 5, followed by No. 6 Michigan, No. 8 Michigan State, No. 9 Iowa, and No. 20 Penn State.
• There are just nine undefeated teams remaining in the FBS, including two Big Ten teams: Michigan and Michigan State (7-0). The Spartans and Wolverines will face off this Saturday at Noon ET on FOX. Earlier today, FOX and ESPN both announced that Big Noon Kickoff and College GameDay will be live from Spartan Stadium in East Lansing for Saturday’s clash between the Big Ten’s two undefeated teams.
• No. 5 Ohio State improved to 6-1 on the season and 4-0 in the Big Ten with a 54-7 win over Indiana on Saturday. Ohio State has scored more than 50 points in its last four games and leads the nation in total offense (559.7 ypg), while ranking second in scoring offense (49.3 ppg). The Buckeyes are one of just four teams in the nation to average more than 45 points per game this season and lead the No. 2 scoring offense, Alabama (45.9), by 3.4 points per game. The Buckeyes are averaging 57.8 points in the last four games and are giving up just 11.0 in that span. The Buckeyes have outscored their last three opponents, 231-44.
• Defensively, Ohio State has only allowed six touchdowns in the last four games and has not allowed a rushing touchdown since Week 2 against No. 7 Oregon. In their last four wins, the Buckeyes are surrendering just 72.8 rushing yards per game.
• No. 6 Michigan defeated Northwestern 33-7 to improve to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten. The Wolverines are now 7-0 for the first time since 2016, when the team started 9-0. The Wolverines rank second in the country in scoring defense and are allowing just 14.3 points per game. The Wolverines have allowed more than 17 points just once this season and have only trailed in one game in 2021.
• Offensively, Michigan ranks 15th in the country in scoring offense (37.7 points per game, No. 2 Big Ten). Michigan leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth in the nation in rushing offense (253.3 ypg), with a ground game powered by RBs Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins who have each scored 10 rushing touchdowns this season. Corum and Haskins are the only running back duo in the country that features two players with 10-plus rushing touchdowns. Additionally, Corum leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth in the country in all-purpose yards per game (160.0).
• Illinois defeated then-No. 7 Penn State 20-18 in a game that went to nine overtime periods, marking the longest game in college football history. In the ninth overtime period, senior QB Brandon Peters connected with sophomore WR Casey Washington in the end zone to win the game for the Fighting Illini. Sophomore RB Chase Brown was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 223 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries (6.67 avg.). Brown, who rushed for 257 yards vs. Charlotte earlier in the season, joins Howard Griffith and Rashard Mendenhall as the only players in program history to record multiple 200-plus yard rushing games in a single season. Freshman RB Josh McCray added 142 yards on the ground to help the Illini rush for 357 yards on the day. The win marked the 100th career victory for head coach Bret Bielema.
• No. 8 Michigan State is 7-0 for the first time since 2015. Overall, this is the eighth time the Spartans have started 7-0 to begin a season. Additionally, the Spartans are 4-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2017. The Spartans are just one of nine remaining unbeaten teams in the FBS. The Spartans rank 16th in the country in team passing efficiency (160.03) and rank in the top 20 in scoring defense (t-19th, 18.7 ppg). Junior RB Kenneth Walker III is a contender for this year’s Heisman Trophy and leads the FBS in rushing yards per game (142.4).
• Minnesota extended its winning streak to three games and improved to 3-1 in conference play with a 34-16 win against Maryland on Saturday. The Gophers have excelled in the rushing game on both sides of the ball this season, ranking fifth in the nation in rushing defense (85.7 yards allowed per game) and 24th in rushing offense (209.9 yards per game). Five different Gophers have rushed for 100 yards in a game this season, with freshmen Ky Thomas and Mar’Keise Irving becoming the latest in the victory against Maryland. Minnesota now has five running backs with rushing touchdowns this season. This is the first time the Gophers have had five running backs with a touchdown since 1985. The rushing game has been lead by an experienced Gophers offensive line that has more combined starts at the FBS level than any team in the country.
• Wisconsin defeated then-No. 25 Purdue, 30-13, to improve to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten. Badgers head coach Paul Chryst earned his 60th win at Wisconsin to become just the fourth coach in program history to win at least 60 games. Junior RB Chez Mellusi and freshman RB Braelon Allen led the running game with 149 rushing yards and 140 rushing yards, respectively. The Badgers outgained Purdue 290 yards to -13 yards on the ground. Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Leo Chenal led the Wisconsin defense with nine tackles and career highs in sacks (3.5) and tackles for loss (5.5). Chenal’s sack and tackles for loss totals marked the most in a single game by a Big Ten player this season. The Boilermakers -13 rushing yards tied for the second-fewest rushing yards that the Badgers have surrendered in program history. The only time that the Wisconsin defense has held an opponent to fewer rushing yards was in November 1951 when they held Iowa to -18 rushing yards.
• Iowa (6-1 overall) has three wins over ranked opponents this season (vs. #17 Indiana, 34-6; at #9 Iowa State, 27- 17; vs. #4 Penn State, 23-20) and has won six straight against ranked opponents overall. The Hawkeyes are tied for third in the nation in scoring defense this season, allowing just 14.6 points per game. Iowa’s defense continues to lead the nation in interceptions this season, recording 16 interceptions in just seven games for an average of 2.3 interceptions per game. Iowa has turned its conference-leading 20 turnovers into 78 points this season.
• Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State have all secured bowl eligibility by reaching six wins this season, while Minnesota and Penn State need just one more win to become eligible. The Big Ten will continue to feature the largest bowl lineup in conference history.
• The Big Ten boasts four teams who rank among the top 10 in the nation in scoring defense: Michigan (2nd, 14.3 ppg), Iowa (t-3rd, 14.6), Penn State (6th, 14.7) and Purdue (9th, 16.3). The conference has three teams in the top 10 in terms of defensive passing efficiency: Penn State (3rd, 97.04), Iowa (4th, 101.70) and Purdue (7th, 104.02). Additionally, three Big Ten teams rank in the top 10 in the nation in run defense: Wisconsin (1st, 53.3 ypg), Minnesota (5th, 85.7) and Iowa (7th, 89.7).
• In 2021, the Big Ten has seen top-five single-game FBS rushing-yard performances from Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson (2nd, 270 vs. Tulsa), Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III (3rd, 264 at Northwestern) and Illinois’ Chase Brown (4th, 257 vs. Charlotte). The Big Ten has three additional 200-plus yard rushing performances this season: Walker III’s 233 yards at Rutgers on Oct. 9, Brown’s 223 yards at Penn State on Oct. 23, and Northwestern’s Evan Hull’s 216 yards vs. Ohio on Sept. 25.
• Additional top-five single-game FBS performances in the Big Ten include: Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud (5th, 266.174 passing efficiency; and 5th, 484 passing yards vs. Oregon), Purdue’s David Bell (2nd, 240 receiving yards at Iowa), and Northwestern’s Brandon Joseph (4th, 111 punt return yards vs. Indiana State). Michigan State’s Jayden Reed recorded the sixth-most all-purpose yards in a single game this season with 285 vs. Western Kentucky on Oct. 2.
• On October 10, for the first time in the history of the Associated Press college football poll (established in 1936), the Big Ten has five teams ranked in the top 10. Iowa leads the conference at No. 2, followed by No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State, No. 8 Michigan, and No. 10 Michigan State.
• Eight Big Ten standouts were named candidates for the 2021-22 Senior CLASS Award: Illinois’ Blake Hayes, Indiana’s Ty Fryfogle, Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson and Andrew Vastardis, Minnesota’s Conner Olson, Nebraska’s Ben Stille, Ohio State’s Chris Olave and Penn State’s Sean Clifford. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and
Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior students in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during foot- ball bowl season in December.
• The 2021 Big Ten Football Championship Game will be played at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 4, at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium and will be televised nationally on FOX. The winner will earn the Amos Alonzo Stagg Championship Trophy and a chance to play in one of the six bowls that comprise the College Football Playoff, including the Rose Bowl Game.
