Week 13 in the Big 10
Let’s take a look at everything that happened on the field in the Big Ten in the last week of the regular season!
Week 13 Results
Penn St. 42 @ Michigan St. 0
Iowa 13 @ Nebraska 10
Ohio St. 24 @ Michigan 30
Indiana 31 @ Purdue 35
Northwestern 45 @ Illinois 43
Wisconsin 28 @ Minnesota 14
Maryland 42 @ Rutgers 24
Top 3 Notable Games of Week 13
3) Indiana 31 @ Purdue 35
The Boilermakers rallied from a 10-point deficit entering the 4th quarter to beat Indiana in this Hoosier State rivalry game to end the season. Purdue QB Hudson Card threw for 3 TDs and ran for another to help his squad end a rough season on a high note. Indiana heads into the offseason with a loss and even more questions at QB as starter Brendan Sorsby entered the transfer portal after the game.
2) Northwestern 45 @ Illinois 43
The Wildcats held off a late Illinois rally to win a shoot out and head into bowl season with a win. The Fighting Illini needed to win this one to make a bowl game themselves, but couldn’t pull it off despite WR Casey Washington’s monster 218-yard, 3-TD game. Northwestern’s defense forced 4 turnovers which led to 24 points as they came away with their 4th win in 5 games. They finish the regular season with 7 wins, far exceeding expectations after being rocked by a hazing scandal that saw their head coach fired right before the season.
1) Ohio St. 24 @ Michigan 30
This one certainly lived up to the hype as the Wolverines proved they still have Ryan Day’s number even with an interim head coach leading the way. Day’s conservative playcalling cost the Buckeyes, forcing them to play from behind all game, and Michigan RB Blake Corum had 2 TDs to lead the Wolverines. Michigan heads into next week’s Big Ten Championship Game controlling their own destiny in the College Football Playoff as Ohio St. waits to see which bowl game they’ll be headed to and regroups from a 3rd straight loss to a bitter rival.
Top Individual Performances of Week 13
Passing:
Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland - 24/31 for 361 yards/3 TDs/1 INT vs. Rutgers
Rushing:
Braelon Allen, Wisconsin - 26 carries/165 yards/2 rushing TDs vs. Minnesota
Receiving:
Casey Washington, Illinois - 9 rec/218 yards/3 TDs vs. Northwestern
Defense:
Dillin Thieneman, Purdue - 8 tackles/1 TFL/2 INTs vs. Indiana
Power Rankings After Week 13
Michigan
Ohio St.
Penn St.
Iowa
Northwestern
Maryland
Wisconsin
Rutgers
Nebraska
Minnesota
Illinois
Purdue
Michigan St.
Indiana
Big Ten Championship Game
Who: Michigan (12-0) vs. Iowa (10-2)
When: Saturday, December 2nd at 8:00pm Eastern Time
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh returns from suspension to try to lead Michigan to another Big Ten title and the College Football Playoffs against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa comes out of the Big Ten West after a much-maligned season that saw the offense struggle mightily. I don’t expect the yards and points to come easily in this one either. The question is whether their defense can once again carry them to victory.
Unfortunately for Iowa fans, this will be the toughest offense they’ve seen all year. QB J.J. McCarthy is one of the best in the Big Ten and RB Blake Corum has been a TD machine during his time at Michigan. He has 22 TDs on the year, more than the entire Iowa offense combined. Also, the Wolverine defense is the #1 scoring defense in the nation, allowing just 10.3 points per game.
While I expect Iowa to hold Michigan under their 37.6 points per game on the season, my imagination is not wild enough to envision a scenario where the Hawkeyes can cobble together enough points to win this one. QB Deacon Hill has looked better in recent weeks, but that’s only taken him from awful to merely bad. That’s not going to cut it against a Michigan team on a mission, and I think the Wolverines win a relatively uneventful game handily as they head to yet another College Football Playoff appearance.