The landscape of the Big Ten has changed after the conference schedule began in earnest. But through five weeks, Ohio State and Michigan are the clear-cut favorites.
After Week 5 of the college football season, every team has kicked off their Big Ten campaign. While there are no changes to report at the top, there was some major shuffling everywhere else. It was an exciting week for the Big Ten, as two top 10 teams squared off, and two major upsets occurred.
With Michigan State’s conference record dropping to 0-2, it appears the Big Ten East is now a two-horse race. And before the season started, a lot of people thought the clash between Northwestern and Iowa would have massive implications on the West division. It did, but not in the way anyone thought, as the defending West champions have fallen dramatically.
Meanwhile, plenty of surprise contenders in Maryland and Indiana have now emerged. But how long will their success last beyond Week 5? Read on to find out.
Purdue’s Big Ten campaign got off to a rotten start, as DJ Durkin’s team routed them 50-7. David Blough put up some awful numbers, finishing 18-of-41 with 132 yards passing. He tried to make up for it on the ground, but ended up with -26 rushing yards on 11 carries.
And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the Boilermakers may have lost their starting left tackle for the season after he was arrested on battery charges. It’s no wonder Darrell Hazell’s team has four FBS wins in as many years.
Illinois came up against a tough team in Nebraska, and fought hard. Were it not for a fourth-quarter explosion by the Cornhuskers, we could’ve been talking about a big upset. And while they now have three straight losses, they’re showing signs of improvement.
The biggest standout for Illinois was safety Patrick Nelson. In what was his first career start, he logged 16 tackles. This team is heading in the right direction, but they need to improve their third-down defense and limit the penalties.
As crazy as it might sound, Rutgers actually had a chance to upset Ohio State. Head coach Chris Ash is a year removed from being the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator, so if anyone knows their system, and potential weak spot, it’s him.
But while there’s no shame in losing to the Buckeyes, there’s a lot of shame in getting curb stomped 58-0. Rutgers ran three whole plays in Ohio State’s territory all game, and had three completions between two quarterbacks – all three of those came in the first quarter, too.
And while Rutgers was already banged up heading into this game, it got even worse when stud linebacker Greg Jones got carted off. Up until that point, he had 18 tackles, a sack, and a pass break-up. It doesn’t get any easier for them either as they take on Michigan next.