Things to watch this week in the Big Ten Conference:
No. 1 Ohio State (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) at No. 15 Michigan (9-2, 7-1), Saturday, noon ET (Fox)
Michigan needs to beat the top-ranked Buckeyes for a fifth
straight time to have any hope of reaching the College Football Playoff. Michigan also could reach the Big Ten championship game if it beats Ohio State and either No. 5 Oregon loses to Washington or No. 2 Indiana falls to Purdue.
Ohio State would clinch a spot in the Big Ten championship game by beating Michigan. There's a tiny chance Ohio State could lose and have a rematch with Michigan in the Big Ten championship game, but it would involve Washington upsetting Oregon and Purdue stunning Indiana.
BetMGM Sportsbook has Ohio State as a 10-point favorite.
Oregon (10-1, 7-1) at Washington (8-3, 5-3), 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
Oregon could essentially lock up a playoff spot and would have an excellent chance at a first-round home game if it wins. The Ducks also could reach the Big Ten championship game if they beat Washington and either Michigan upsets Ohio State or Purdue surprises Indiana. The Ducks carry a Bowl Subdivision-leading 11-game road winning streak into this matchup.
Oregon is a 6 1/2-point favorite, according to BetMGM.
— Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson has rushed for a Big Ten-leading 1,234 yards, and he also has caught 44 passes. He's the first Big Ten player to have at least 1,200 yards rushing and 40 receptions in a season since 2017, when Penn State's Saquon Barkley and Northwestern's Justin Jackson both accomplished the feat.
— Northwestern QB Preston Stone completed all 15 of his second-half passes and went 25 of 30 for 305 yards with two touchdowns as the Wildcats rallied from 15 points down to beat Minnesota 38-35 and become bowl eligible.
Penn State RB Kaytron Allen became the Nittany Lions' career leading rusher after running for 160 yards in a 37-10 blowout of Nebraska. Allen has rushed for 3,954 yards to overtake Evan Royster, who ran for 3,932 yards from 2007-10. ... Wisconsin is the first Big Ten team to collect five sacks in three straight conference games since Penn State in 2007. ... Only three FBS teams have won at least 10 games each of the last five seasons, and two of them are Big Ten members: Ohio State and Oregon. The other is Georgia. ... The Ohio State-Michigan series is tied 22-22-4 the 48 times they've faced off when both teams were ranked. ... Oregon has 23 touchdowns scored by true freshmen this season, matching North Texas atop the FBS. ... A victory Friday would mark the seventh straight time Iowa has won at Nebraska.
Penn State's coaching search may be overshadowing anything the Nittany Lions do on the field as the season winds down after James Franklin was fired amid a six-game skid, but freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer is making the most of his opportunities that followed a season-ending ankle injury to Drew Allar.
Grunkemeyer went 11 of 12 for 181 yards with a touchdown pass in a win over Nebraska. He was the first Penn State quarterback to complete at least 90% of his passes in a game while making at least 10 attempts since Todd Blackledge went 10 of 11 in a 41-16 triumph over Syracuse in 1981.
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