USC football got a front-row seat to a wild weekend. The Trojans watched the course of events unfold in their favor in Week 7. The Big Ten is shaping up to be up for grabs. The Indiana Hoosiers do not look like last year's team, and the Julian Sayin injury puts a halt to the Ohio State Buckeyes' clear place atop the conference.
Here are the scores from this weekend in Big Ten football, plus my breakdown for each team:
Friday: Washington 38-26 vs Purdue
Are the Huskies better without Demond Williams? Elijah Brown is not the most efficient quarterback, and 3 turnovers are unacceptable. However, he is taking more shots and being more aggressive than Demond Williams has been. The Huskies' offense had real juice against Purdue. It also helped that the Huskies' run game was not going
to be denied. Big game for the Huskies; unfortunately, this production would have been more successful a couple of weeks ago.
Saturday: Northwestern 24-21 vs Michigan State
It was not a very impressive win; however, the Wildcats got the job done. The Wildcats showcased that they can win the ugly games and did not allow a potential trap game to knock them off their run.
Ohio State 19-15 vs Indiana
Both quarterbacks missed the mark for elite play. Jeremiah Smith was bottled up for the majority of this game until the 4th quarter, when he and Julian Sayin connected for the game-winning play. Sayin went down with a serious injury, but the Buckeyes were able to hang on for dear life to their lead late in the game. The Hoosiers were just one play away from getting the best of the Buckeyes one last time as Nick Marsh was out of bounds on a potential touchdown. This game showed the Indiana Hoosiers are a very gettable team, and the Buckeyes are now vulnerable at the wrong time.
Rutgers 37-30 vs Maryland
In the battle of the worst teams in the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights came out on top. KJ Duff reminded everyone that he is one of the best receivers in college football with a dominant game. The Scarlet Knights had the most talent, and that carried them past a struggling Terrapins team. The time to panic for the Terrapins was a few weeks ago.
Michigan 21-18 vs Penn State
Another quarterback under center helped lead the Michigan Wolverines to victory in a must-win game. Rocco Becht's turnover woes continued to be a factor, while things for Michigan were clicking with Tommy Carr taking over. Carr is now the guy who could give Michigan a brand new outlook.
UCLA 17-7 vs Wisconsin
The UCLA Bruins controlled the entire game against the Wisconsin Badgers. In his first start, Ty Dieffenbach held his own, and the Bruins' run game did not let him down. The Bruins are a team that knows how to adjust and win each week. This game was another great example of that.
Oregon 17-14 vs Nebraska
If you stayed up for this game, you were not disappointed. After sitting on the bench for 3 quarters, Dylan Raiola came in and got the last laugh against his former team. Dylan Raiola got another huge moment in his tenure at Oregon in this comeback victory. He stayed composed and showed his great experience. This was another example of why it pays to have a great backup quarterback on deck. The Oregon Ducks' season gets saved by Raiola. Nebraska lets another game slip out of their hands.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football outlook is a lot more optimistic after crazy Week 7
