Only 12 Big Ten schools were in action this weekend, as we get into the part of the year where lots of teams have byes. That’s okay, though. The football we got to see this weekend was amazing, and the conference has four clear College Football Playoff contenders. But what else did the 12 teams that played show us this week? What did we learn? Let’s get a quick takeaway from every team this weekend.
The first true road game for a young team is always a tough one. The Buckeyes didn’t flinch. (Okay, maybe we can call the slow start to the game a slight flinch). The defense was dominant and the offense was efficient. That wins a lot of football games, even against good teams.
The Huskies were a bit of a question mark after blowout wins against bad teams. But the defense showed more in this game than in the first three weeks. This is probably not a Playoff team, but if the Huskies are 5-1 when they travel to Michigan, winning that game could start the conversation up.
I’m not buying any of this talk that James Franklin can’t win the big one. Did he make a bad call in double overtime? Sure. But Oregon is probably the best team in the country right now, and even getting to overtime in this game was a massive effort from the Nittany Lions. The defense slowed down an elite squad, and the offense was able to move the ball late. Both of these teams should make the playoffs, barring something disastrous, and there’s a decent chance they’ll meet again.
It’s one thing to blow out an unproven but talented team. It’s another to back that up by playing a very different style of football. Indiana controlled the game against Iowa (don’t let the final score fool you). That’s extremely difficult. Next up is a trip to Oregon following a bye. If the Hoosiers win that, they’ll have one foot in the Playoff already.
I feel like we learn the same thing about the Hawkeyes every single week, just in slightly different ways. It’s the same ball control/field possession offense, the same focus on consistency. The offense is slightly more dynamic, but it’s still FerentzBall at its core. And this year, it’s a few steps behind the top of the Big Ten. Which is fine. A 7-5 season looks in the cards, and that’s perfectly respectable.
A beatdown like Illinois took last week can derail a season all on its own. But the Illini regrouped and beat a good USC team this week. They’re still probably not getting in the Playoff without beating Ohio State, but this won’t be a lost season. Illinois probably has the inside track to head back to the Citrus Bowl–and wasn’t that fun last year?
This team is an offensive juggernaut, but mistakes slowed them down against a decent defense. And the defense needs to improve. Those are two small things preventing USC from being elite right now. The Trojans have a bye next week, and if they can win their following two games (against Michigan then at Notre Dame), they’re looking at an outside shot at making the College Football Playoff.
These are two decent teams playing solid football. Unfortunately for Rutgers, the schedules diverge from here. The Scarlet Knights will only be favored once more this season (at Purdue), so a bowl bid looks pretty unlikely. Minnesota, meanwhile, has a far more manageable schedule, though next up is a trip to Ohio State.
There isn’t too much to say about these teams at this point. Northwestern hosts Louisiana-Monroe next week, and there’ s a decent chance that that game will be the only remaining win on either of these two schedules this year. Ouch.
