It was a huge week for upsets in the Big Ten. It seemed Week 8 was a time for many contending teams to have their most humbling loss of the year, except the Indiana Hoosiers, who escaped a scare once again. Unfortunately, USC football was on the wrong side of that trend in a disastrous way.
Here are the scores from this weekend in Big Ten football, plus my breakdown for each team:
Northwestern 42-14 vs Rutgers
The Northwestern Wildcats had a complete offensive performance Saturday. Aidan Chiles had 5 touchdowns and 300 total yards in the game. Caleb Komolafe had his own day as well. This offense is turning the corner at the right time.
Indiana 13-6 vs Michigan
If the Michigan Wolverines had found an offensive rhythm in this game, they would have come out on top. This was a defensive battle all the way
through, and it came down to the team that was able to make the most field goals. Michigan's defense was lights out, but this has to be another week where Josh Hoover's play is examined. Indiana is going to be an early exit in the College Football Playoff if he keeps playing like this.
Illinois 21-10 vs Oregon
True freshman quarterback Michael Clayton pulls off the upset in his first start. He and the Illinois Fighting Illini put the nail in the coffin for the Oregon Ducks' College Football Playoff hopes. This was one of the most surprising results of the week; however, with how inconsistent Oregon's play has been, they were due for another loss.
Minnesota 13-10 vs Iowa
The Minnesota Gophers stun the Iowa Hawkeyes in another Big Ten defensive battle. The Gophers' defense put together their best performance and forced the Hawkeyes to play both of their quarterbacks. The run game for Iowa was also a huge disappointment. It took a block punt and defensive excellence for Minnesota to pull off a monumental upset and win the Floyd of Rosedale trophy.
UCLA 28-10 vs Michigan State
The UCLA Bruins' defense and run game led them to another victory. The formula is clear for this team, but it works perfectly each and every week.
Wisconsin 24-7 vs USC
The USC Trojans made the Wisconsin Badgers look like their opponent next week, the Ohio State Buckeyes. Getting played off the field like this is unacceptable. Jayden Maiava was a massive disappointment, and this has to be a game that stains Lincoln Riley's credibility. It is hard to have optimism about what Riley is building and how talented the team is when games like this always come at some point in the season.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football and Oregon Ducks suffer season-crushing losses
