While the rankings towards the top of the conference didn’t seem to change much, there were a few games that came down to the wire. Now, just two teams remain winless in the conference while two others
are still undefeated. With the College Football Playoff approaching, here’s what happened in the Big Ten in Week 12:
Bye Weeks:
Nebraska (7-3, 4-3 B1G), Rutgers (5-5, 2-5 B1G)
Friday
Minnesota 13 @ No. 8 Oregon 42
Just a week removed from barely beating Iowa, Oregon (9-1, 6-1 B1G) took care of business at home against Minnesota (6-4, 4-3 B1G). Dante Moore lit up the Golden Gophers, going 27-of-30 through the air for 306 yards and two passing touchdowns. Kenyon Sadiq was the main beneficiary in the receiving game, hauling in eight passes for 96 yards and a score. Additionally, Noah Whittington scored once on the ground while Jordon Davison scored twice. The Ducks’ defense held Minnesota to just 200 total yards (138 passing, 62 rushing), dominating from start to finish on Friday night.
Saturday
Wisconsin 7 @ No. 2 Indiana 31
Once again, Indiana (11-0, 8-0 B1G) got the job done. While Wisconsin (3-7, 1-6 B1G) had the Hoosiers knotted up at 7-7 in the second quarter, the Badgers wouldn’t score again as IU put up 24 unanswered points. The Hoosiers allowed just 168 total yards and put up 388 yards of their own, doing it without top wide receiver Elijah Sarratt for the seconds straight week. Charlie Becker once again stepped up as he led Indiana with five catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. Fernando Mendoza was sacked five times, which could be something to watch for as the playoffs approach, but he still had a stellar day: 22-of-24 passing for 299 yards and four touchdowns. With just Purdue remaining on the schedule, the Hoosiers look poised to play in their first ever Big Ten Championship game (since it began in 2011) and to win its first Big Ten Championship since 1967.
No. 18 Michigan 24 @ Northwestern 22
The battle for the George Jewett Trophy at Wrigley Field was a game for the ages. Michigan (8-2, 6-1 B1G) beat the odds by kicking a game-winning field goal as time expired, despite losing the turnover battle 5-0 to Northwestern (5-5, 3-4 B1G). Freshman wide receiver Andrew Marsh had a breakout performance, catching 12 passes for 189 yards while Jordan Marshall ran for 142 yards and two scores on 19 carries. The Wolverines defense held Caleb Komolafe to his lowest rushing yards in a game this season as they barely eked out the win to stay alive and keep gunning for a playoff berth.
No. 21 Iowa 21 @ No. 17 USC 26
Iowa (6-4, 4-3 B1G) has lost by one score in all of its losses. This game against USC (8-2, 6-1 B1G) was no different. The Hawkeyes have had their opponents in dogfights all season long, including some of the best teams in the country like Indiana, Oregon and now USC. Even though they led 21-10 at halftime, the Trojans held Iowa scoreless in the second half, including a big fourth-down stop with just two minutes to go. Mark Gronowski, despite a superman-like first half, couldn’t lead his team to the victory.
Makai Lemon once again showed the college football world that he is a force to be reckoned with as he hauled in 10 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown. He’s just one of three players in the FBS this season with over 1,000 receiving yards as he’s had over 60 receiving yards in all but one game this season so far, including five games with over 100 yards (four over 150 yards). The Trojans next travel to Eugene, Oregon to battle for that “third” potential Big Ten spot in the Playoff behind Ohio State and Indiana.
Penn State 28 @ Michigan State 10
For the first time this season, Penn State (4-6, 1-6 B1G) has won a Big Ten game. After losing six straight following a 3-0 start, Kaytron Allen came to play as he posted a career-high 181 rushing yards while averaging 7.2 yards per carry and scoring twice. Michigan State (3-7, 0-7) has yet to win a conference game as the Spartans’ losing streak is now up to seven. While this game has no playoff implications, the first win under interim head coach Terry Smith has got to feel good, especially when it’s a game for the Land Grant Trophy.
Maryland 6 @ Illinois 24
After starting the season 4-0 and losing to Washington by just four points, Maryland (4-6, 1-6 B1G) has now lost its sixth straight game. The Terps will be bringing back coach Mike Locksley and look to compete more with NIL funds as they do have a young and exciting quarterback in Malik Washington. Even so, Illinois (7-3, 4-3 B1G) proved to be too much to handle for Maryland. Hudson Clement caught two touchdown passes as the Illini took care of business as their remaining schedule looks very manageable (Wisconsin and Northwestern). For the second straight year, Illinois is now aiming to finish the season 9-3.
Purdue 13 @ Washington 49
With just one game remaining against an undefeated Indiana team, Purdue (2-9, 0-8 B1G) will likely finish winless in the Big Ten for a second straight year. As the Boilermakers made the trip to Seattle, Washington (7-3, 4-3 B1G) beat up on its opponent after being upset by Wisconsin the week prior. The Huskies offense had 506 total yards and scored seven touchdowns in their routing of Purdue. Despite their playoff hopes seemingly gone, they can still play spoiler to Oregon on rivalry week.
UCLA 10 @ No. 1 Ohio State 48
It feels like ages ago when UCLA (3-7, 3-4 B1G) went on its three-game win streak. The last three games for the Bruins has included matchups against the top two teams in the country though, so Ohio State (10-0, 7-0 B1G) winning in blowout fashion was no surprise. The reigning National Champions have looked as good as ever with Julian Sayin getting more and more comfortable each week. Freshman running back Bo Jackson has continued his impressive season, and Jeremiah Smith is still making mind-boggling catches.
However, as I’ve been saying every week, nothing matters if the Buckeyes can’t win The Game against Michigan.
