We’re in the home stretch of the B1G college football season and there’s still plenty at stake in both divisions. Phil Harrison gives you five things we learned about Big Ten football last week.
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5. The Spartan program has fallen into a B1G valley
Who would have thought that Michigan State could sink so far down so quickly? And just when you think it can’t get any worse, the Spartans keep finding a new low. The running game has begun to take off a bit, but the defense is a shadow of the stellar units we’ve seen under Mark Dantonio?
It’s hard to believe, but Michigan State is still winless in the Big Ten with just three weeks to go. There are still tons of questions under center, and it’s hard to find a unit pulling its weight in East Lansing.
Adding insult to injury is the understanding that the Spartans just got beat by an Illini team that had only beaten a hapless Rutgers squad in the league. It can only go up right? With games still to go against Ohio State and Penn State, perhaps not.
4. Wisconsin gains B1G control in the West
With the win against Northwestern in combination with Nebraska’s loss at Ohio State, the Badgers now control their own fate in the Big Ten West, with the brutal part of their schedule in the rear-view window.
The eighth-ranked #Badgers exorcized a ghost and enhanced their Big Ten title hopes with a win over Northwestern. https://t.co/c7IHrL1aqG
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 6, 2016
Of course anything can happen in college football, but you like Wisconsin’s chances against Illinois and Minnesota at home, and Purdue on the road. Run the table and it’s a trip to Indy where even more might be on the line if things break correctly.
The defense continues to play lights out, and that will keep the Badgers in a tight affair with anyone that occupies the opposite sideline against them.
3. Nebraska’s B1G disappointment in Columbus
Who saw this coming? Ohio State had struggled to get out of its own way on offense over the last three weeks, and Nebraska showed the college football world that it could hang with a tough team by taking the Badgers the distance at night in Madison before sub-cumming in overtime.
Maybe the brutal injuries, emotional roller coaster and physicality of the season finally caught up to Nebraska, or maybe the ‘Huskers just aren’t the top ten team the pollsters thought. All phases of the game need work in Lincoln after what we say Saturday night and the sands in the hour-glass are running out.
It might be time to reset expectations after two-straight losses.
2. Ohio State’s B1G statement
Scoring was plentiful for the Buckeyes tonight.
No. 6 Ohio State dominates No. 10 Nebraska, 62-3 #OSUvsNEB pic.twitter.com/WndK6lSFE0
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 6, 2016
Well looky here. Not really left for dead, but rather forgotten about because of the loss to Penn State and subsequent troubles grinding out victories the last couple of weeks, Ohio State made a statement that it’s still, you know, Ohio State.
It’s not often that you get a top ten matchup where one team just white-washes another, but that’s exactly what we had in Columbus. The Buckeyes’ speed and athleticism was on full display as they did almost anything they wanted in all phases of the game against the Cornhuskers.
The Buckeyes seem to be on a collision course with a certain team up north for the right to play for some really special things this year.
1. Michigan still rollin’ in the B1G
Anything you can do, I can do better. That seems to be the case with Michigan when compared to Ohio State this year. The Wolverines are still undefeated and almost matched OSU’s performance by whipping up on Maryland 59-3.
Jim Harbaugh has turned this program around in just two short years, and Michigan has to be one of the odds on favorites to get a spot in the College Football Playoff. In fact, there’s still an outside chance that the Wolverines get in even with a loss in Columbus if things break just right.
The Maize and Blue have a great defense, big play offense, and nary any things that jump out on film to exploit. Good luck to opposing coaches going forward. Yes, even you Alabama.
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Phil Harrison is a frequent contributor to The Student Section. He is also a featured contributor to collegefootballews.com, and talking10.com. You can follow him on twitter @PhilHarrisonCFB or email him at pharrison28@gmail.com. If that doesn’t work, you can find him in the doghouse at home.
