In a chaotic week full of upsets for the top-10 teams in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Big Ten conference hardly had any surprising results. Wisconsin used key defensive plays throughout the game to defeat Iowa for the Heartland Trophy and clinch the Big Ten West for the third time in four years. Ohio State all but secured the Big Ten East as they handily dealt with Michigan State. Michigan extended its winning streak to three games as they look to do the unthinkable over these next two weeks and win out to spoil Ohio State and Wisconsin’s dreams of going to the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State Rebounds from Disastrous Performance with Dominant Performance against Michigan State
After last week’s disappointing performance at Iowa, Ohio State looked to avoid back-to-back upsets as the Buckeyes looked to maintain their grip on the Big Ten East lead. Michigan State, meanwhile, looked to do the improbable by beating both Penn State and Ohio State in back-to-back weeks to coast to a Big Ten East crown.
Coming into the game against the Spartans, the Buckeyes were a 17-point favorite according to Las Vegas, and many thought that Ohio State could win by an even greater margin.
They were not wrong.
The Buckeyes in the first half were nearly flawless in every facet, and by halftime they were up 35-3.
When the second half rolled around, the Buckeyes defense pitched a shutout and the offense tacked on 13 more points, ultimately winning the game 48-3.
Impressive First Half Display Leads Michigan Into Vital Showdown
A common issue with many teams as they get deeper into conference play is that it becomes easier to start looking ahead to big games and overlook teams they should easily beat.
That was a legitimate fear for Michigan, as the Wolverines faced a Maryland team that has been erratic this year.
After the first quarter, it looked as if some of those fears might come to fruition, as Michigan only scored a touchdown in the opening frame.
Wolverine quarterback Brandon Peters, however, along with running back Chris Evans, put those fears to rest, as Michigan managed to score three touchdowns and ended the half up 28-0.
The offense, combined with the impressive defense of the Wolverines, would coast through the second half of the game.
Preview of Week 12: The undefeated Wisconsin Badgers welcome a hungry Michigan Wolverines team into Camp Randall for a vital late season Big Ten showdown. The game can be seen on FOX Saturday morning at 11 a.m. Across the border, the Minnesota Gophers look to become bowl-eligible for the sixth straight year as they travel to Northwestern. The game can be seen on the Big Ten Network Saturday morning at 11 a.m. Lastly, Ohio State looks to come away unscathed from an easy matchup against Illinois, which airs Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. on ABC.
