The big story of the weekend in the Big Ten was No. 11 Wisconsin’s merciless 30-6 beatdown of No. 8 Michigan State in East Lansing. Badgers fans everywhere are still trying to process the sight of a quarterback that can make big throws on third down. Elsewhere in the conference, Michigan obliterated Penn State, Nebraska escaped Evanston with a win, Indiana was the latest victim in Wake Forest’s inevitable national championship run and Purdue technically has a winning record as the calendar turns to October.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes, 58 points
The Buckeyes had a week off to rest after their thrashing of Oklahoma. They basically get another bye this weekend since they face Rutgers at home followed by another home game against Indiana. Assuming there are no catastrophic upsets over the next couple of weeks, Ohio State should still be undefeated when it makes the trip to Madison to play under the lights at Camp Randall Stadium.
2. Michigan Wolverines, 52 points
Khaki Jesus and his team of disciples welcomed Penn State into Ann Arbor and promptly smote the Nittany Lions. Penn State’s non-existent linebackers corps and Swiss cheese offensive line made for a long day. The Wolverines racked up 326 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Now, they turn their focus to a huge matchup with Wisconsin this weekend. A win for either team would be huge a boost for a potential College Football Playoff résumé.
3. Wisconsin Badgers, 40 points
If you’re a Wisconsin fan, Alex Hornibrook is your Lord and thou shalt have no other gods before him. The redshirt freshman quarterback was stellar in the first start of his career, helping guide the Badgers to a shocking 30-6 road win over Michigan State. Now comes the real meat-grinder part of Wisconsin’s schedule: a road game against Michigan this weekend, followed by a bye week and then a primetime matchup with Ohio State in Madison. But even a pair of losses to those two teams wouldn’t be too big of a deal. If you told any Wisconsin fan before the season that the Badgers would start the season 4-2, they would’ve taken it in a heartbeat. If the Badgers snag a win over either the Wolverines or the Buckeyes, they’ll still be in the hunt for a Rose Bowl spot and possibly more. Lose to them both, and Wisconsin still will be among the favorites in the Big Ten West.
4. Nebraska Cornhuskers, 29 points
Speaking of potential favorites to win the Big Ten West, Nebraska now sits at 4-0 and is up to No. 15 in the latest AP Poll following a 24-13 win over Northwestern. While the Wildcats may be in the midst of a down year, any Badgers fan can tell you that any trip to the mystical realm of Evanston that ends in a win is a good one. Quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. still looks solid and the next few games, against Illinois, Indiana and Purdue, should result in wins for the Cornhuskers, barring any slip-ups. It has been a while since there was this much optimism around Nebraska’s football program.
5. Michigan State Spartans, 21 points
The Spartans have won at least 11 games in five of the last six years, but that number will be awfully tough to reach this season after last Saturday’s blowout loss to the Badgers. Tyler O’Connor struggled mightily—going 18 for 38 with three interceptions against Wisconsin—leaving Michigan State with a potential quarterback controversy if his play doesn’t improve in a hurry. As of now, the Spartans appear to be a clear step behind Ohio State and Michigan in the Big Ten East.
T6. Iowa Hawkeyes, 5 points
Iowa followed up its deflating, last-second loss to North Dakota State with a woefully uninspired performance against Rutgers. The Hawkeyes did pull out a 14-7 win over the Scarlet Knights, but it was ugly. The less we say about Iowa, the better for now.
T6. Minnesota Golden Gophers, 5 points
The Gophers took care of Colorado State to move to 3-0 for the first time since 2013. A road game against Penn State this weekend and a home matchup with Iowa the following week should give us a better feel for how good Minnesota actually is. But this is still a favorable schedule for the Gophers and they could very well end up with eight or nine wins if they beat all the teams they should and pick up a win or two against some of the tougher teams they’ll face.
