Ohio State and Wisconsin punched their tickets to the Big Ten Championship Game, although they both come in as a fringe Playoff team.
If you want to eliminate the drama of rivalry week in the Big Ten, have the Championship Game get set beforehand. The Paul Bunyan Axe has been one-sided for over a decade, but after seeing Minnesota get shut out by Northwestern, there’s almost no chance they’ll ruin Wisconsin’s perfect season. And while it seemed like The Game would decide the Big Ten East winner every year once Jim Harbaugh got hired, it’s gone back to being meaningless outside of Columbus and Ann Arbor.
Week 12 was widely regarded as a write-off because of all the cupcake matchups that were on tap. But even in a week featuring so many traditional Big Ten rivalries, it’s hard to get excited about many of them when there isn’t a lot at stake. Even the most die-hard Big Ten fans will be glued to the Iron Bowl instead. For our sake, let’s hope the games are a lot closer than the oddsmakers have them at.
In two seasons at Illinois, Lovie Smith has just two Big Ten wins to his name. He wasn’t going to get his third at the Horseshoe, but at least act like you’re trying. Even though Smith was brought in to tear down the program and build a foundation, there are already articles up about replacing him at Illinois. That’s simply not going to happen, because how will Bert Bielema make things any better? But if they finish with a similar record next year, then questions should be asked.
Maryland may be down to their third and fourth-string quarterbacks, but it was Michigan State who looked hurt at the position. Brian Lewerke only completed two throws and had just 20 passing yards against the worst statistical defense in the Big Ten. That Maryland turned in their best defensive effort of the season and still lost says more about them, though, than Michigan State.