Indiana’s win at Oregon is the headliner of Week 7 in Big Ten football, but Ohio State’s casual dominance and Penn State’s continuing collapse also caught the eye.
Here are grades for every Big Ten team from this past weekend:
Indiana vs Oregon
Result: Indiana 30, Oregon 20
Indiana: A
Oregon: C-
Believe it or not, Indiana had won at Autzen Stadium before (in 2004, in one of the biggest outliers in Indiana football history). There was nothing fluky about Saturday’s Hoosiers win. A roster loaded with no-star recruits and Group of Five transfers out-muscled and outplayed one of the nation’s most talented and expensive rosters. IU had nine more first downs, nearly 100 more yards of offense and overcame a pick-6 to pull off the biggest win in program history. As Curt Cignetti told CBS afterward, ‘They couldn’t really get much done at all. It was almost like we had broken their will a little bit on that side of the ball.’
Ohio State vs Illinois
Result: Ohio State 34, Illinois 16
Ohio State: A
Illinois: C
It felt like the Buckeyes didn’t need to get out of first gear to knock off a top-20 team on the road. That’s a scary thought. “It’s a good sign when you have to go into the locker room after a win like this and make sure everybody understands what a great win it was,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said. “I think we all felt like we left a little bit on the field, but with all that being said, I thought the effort was excellent.”
Michigan vs USC
Result: USC 31, Michigan 13
Michigan: D
USC: A-
UCLA vs Michigan State
Result: UCLA 38, Michigan State 13
UCLA: A
Michigan State: F
It’s not just that the Spartans lost to 1-4 UCLA, it’s how they lost. At home, MSU got pushed around and embarrassed by the Bruins. Now, maybe Jerry Neuheisel and Nico Iamaleava figured some things out during last week’s upset win over Penn State, but this was just a beatdown, fresh with fake punts, trick plays and some flat-out, smash-mouth football.
The Spartans are 0-3 in Big Ten play with Indiana and Michigan up next. The Citrus Bowl folks were in town and probably wondering how many more wins UCLA needs to be bowl eligible. “Just not good enough. I’ll start with myself,’ said MSU coach Jonathan Smith afterward.
Iowa vs Wisconsin
Result: Iowa 37, Wisconsin 0
Iowa: A
Wisconsin: F
We’re officially on Fickell Watch. Not sure how much longer the Badgers coach can hold on after this utter embarrassment. ‘Well, that’s as low as it can be,’ Luke Fickell said afterward. ‘I apologize. I apologized to our guys. To not be ready, to not have them ready, I’m dumbfounded in a lot of ways. But that’s my job.’
Wisconsin entered with one of the best rushing defenses in the FBS, allowing just 75 yards per game on the ground this season. The Hawkeyes rushed for 210 yards Saturday, led by Kamari Moulton’s 96 yards.
Purdue vs Minnesota
Result: Minnesota 27, Purdue 20
Purdue: C
Minnesota: C+
Purdue was almost good enough to snap its 12-game conference losing streak. Almost. The Boilers led 10-0, 17-10 and 20-13, but Minnesota score the game’s final 14 points to get the home win. Purdue outgained the Gophers 456 to 262 and rushed for 253 yards compared to Minnesota’s paltry 30 rushing yards. But the Boilers were doomed by their four turnovers — three interceptions — including a pick-six by Koi Perich with under eight minutes to play gave the Gophers their first lead of the game.
Northwestern vs Penn State
Northwestern: B
Penn State: F
First off, kudos to Northwestern. OK, now that we have that out of the way… Penn State, woof! That’s three straight losses for the Nittany Lions and now QB Drew Allar is gone for the season. Penn State was ranked No. 2 in the country not too long ago. Now it’s winless in the Big Ten (0-3) and James Franklin’s only saving grace is that $50 million price tag on his buyout.
Nebraska vs Maryland
Result: Nebraska 34, Maryland 31
Nebraska: B+
Maryland: C
For the second week in a row, the Terrapins let a home game slip away. Last week it was a 20-0 lead over Washington (they lost 24-20). On Saturday, Maryland had a seven-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but were shut out in the final frame as Nebraska rallied for the road win. Emmett Johnson had a big day for the Huskers, rushing for 176 yards (8.4 per carry), helping out Dylan Raiola, who threw four touchdowns… but also three interceptions. Raiola’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Dane Key with a minute left gave the Huskers (5-1, 2-1) an important road win, especially considering how favorable the rest of the schedule looks (at Minnesota, Northwestern, USC, at UCLA, at Penn State, Iowa).
Washington vs Rutgers
Result: Washington 38, Rutgers 19 (Friday)
Washington: B+
Rutgers: D
Holy offense, Batman! The teams combined for 1,083 total yards. The Huskies (5-1, 2-1) put up 590 of those yards. They averaged 14.9 yards a pass and 6.0 yards per run. That’ll play. Washington’s Demond Williams Jr. threw for a career-high 402 yards and ran for a career-high 136 yards with four total touchdowns, making a case for Big Ten player of the week.
Rutgers (3-3, 0-3) got off to a hot start, up 10-0, before the wheels fell off. The Scarlet Knights ironically get a D in a game they showed very little of it.
‘What’s frustrating for Rutgers is that it had chances – it got into the red zone six times, but too often failed to capitalize,’ wrote Chris Iseman of the Asbury Park Press. ‘This was an important game to possibly accomplish a third-straight postseason appearance, but that’s looking more and more less certain.’
Big Ten football standings after Week 7
Big Ten football Week 8 schedule
Friday, Oct. 17
Nebraska at Minnesota, 8 p.m. (Fox)
Saturday, Oct. 18
Washington at Michigan, noon (Fox)
Purdue at Northwestern, 3 p.m. (BTN)
Ohio State at Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
Michigan State at Indiana, 3:30 p.m. (Peacock)
Oregon at Rutgers, 6:30 p.m. (BTN)
Penn State at Iowa , 7 p.m. (Peacock)
Maryland a UCLA, 7 p.m., (FS1)
USC at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. (NBC)