If you slept through Saturday and are just now checking in on yesterday's events, then welcome to the wonderful world of College Football Playoff chaos.
Clemson, Michigan, and Washington sure have made things interesting.
Three of the nation's top-four teams went down yesterday in what was one of the more memorable Saturday's in a long while. Tuesday's playoff rankings will be interesting to say the least, and things are only going to heat up over the next handful of weeks.
Alas, we move on to what went down in Big Ten country.
Iowa 14, No. 3 Michigan 13
Most Buckeye fans who were watching this game – myself included – probably didn't know exactly how to react. Ohio State needed Michigan to win against Iowa and Indiana if they wanted the chance to secure a spot in Indy. On the other hand, it's nearly impossible to root for the Wolverines and the Buckeyes may very well find themselves in the College Football Playoff even if they don't represent the Big Ten's East Division.
Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, this was a heck of a football game. It didn't feature a lot offense as the Wolverines managed just 201 yards and the Hawkeyes put up 230. Both quarterbacks struggled immensely on the night. Wilton Speight connected on 11 of 26 passes for 103 yards and an interception. C.J. Beathard finished 8 of 19 for 66 yards with a touchdown and one pick.
The Hawkeye ground game did find some success against the usually-stout Wolverine front. Akrum Wadley rushed for 150 yards on 23 carries while LeShun Daniels Jr. added another 54. For Michigan, Chris Evans led the way with 52 yards on eight carries. De'Veon Smith couldn't get anything going, rushing for just 28 yards on 12 carries.
NDSU and Michigan both occupied this locker room at Kinnick Stadium this fall. One team walked out with a win... pic.twitter.com/YvuuceRdRR
— NDSU Athletics (@NDSUathletics) November 13, 2016
The Iowa defense forced Michigan to punt with less than 90 seconds remaining in the game. A facemask penalty on the return set Iowa up with great field position. Wadley then led the way deeper into Michigan territory, setting up the game-winning 33-yard field goal from senior kicker Keith Duncan.
No. 10 Penn State 45, Indiana 31
Saquon Barkley didn't have his best outing on Saturday in Bloomington, but the sophomore's two scores did help Penn State escape in a game they actually trailed with less than four minutes to go in the final quarter.
Barkley rushed for just 58 yards on 33 carries which amounts to a measly 1.8 yards per tote. However, both of his fourth-quarter touchdowns led to Penn State recapturing the lead from a pesky Hoosier squad. Trace McSorley had an up-and-down day, throwing for 332 yards and two scores while also tossing a pair of interceptions. The sophomore was also able to find the endzone with his legs.
Tight end Mike Gesicki and wideout Chris Godwin were McSorley's go-to targets on the day. Gesicki hauled in five passes for 88 yards while Godwin caught five for 82 and a pair of touchdowns. The Nittany Lions did suffer what could be a major blow to an already thin offensive line. Starting left tackle Paris Palmer left the game early on and was later seen on crutches while sporting a knee brace.
The Hoosiers were led by quarterback Richard Lagow and tailback Devine Redding. Lagow threw for 292 yards and two scores while Redding added 108 rushing yards and two scores of his own. Camion Patrick led all wideouts with 91 yards receiving and Nick Westbook added 85 and a score.
It still feels weird seeing that little number 10 next to Penn State's name, doesn't it?
No. 7 Wisconsin 48, Illinois 3
This game wasn't close and nor was it expected to be. The Badgers ran for 363 yards and that was more than enough against a hapless Illini squad. Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale both surpassed the century mark and the former found the endzone three times. Clement would end the day with 123 yards rushing while Ogunbowale added another 103 on just seven carries.
The Illinois offense did not have a very nice little Saturday. Lovie Smith's squad totaled just 200 yards on offense while quarterback Jeff George Jr. threw for just 79 yards and four interceptions. Kendrick Foster led the Illini running game with 75 yards on 15 carries.
No. 19 Nebraska 24, Minnesota 17
It was great to see Tommy Armstrong Jr. back in action against the Gophs. The senior bounced back after being knocked unconscious last week and accounted for all three of the Huskers' touchdowns. Armstrong would finish the day with 217 passing yards and another 61 on the ground. Terrell Newby led the ground game with 85 yards on 16 carries.
Have you ever seen a punt go for –2 (negative two) yards? Well here you go:
We just had a minus-2-yard punt on BTN. https://t.co/OyvjGlv1Yy
— Brent Yarina (@BTNBrentYarina) November 13, 2016
The Gophs went into halftime with the lead but couldn't put up any points in the second half. Mitch Leidner was 18 of 27 for 180 yards and an interception. The senior did find the endzone on a five-yard touchdown run. Rodney Smith chipped in with 53 rushing yards and one score.
Michigan State 49, Rutgers 0
| Team | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 9-1 | 1 | 2 |
| Michigan | 9-1 | 2 | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 8-2 | 3 | 3 |
| Penn State | 8-2 | 4 | 4 |
| Nebraska | 8-2 | 5 | 5 |
| Iowa | 6-4 | 6 | 7 |
| Minnesota | 7-3 | 7 | 6 |
| Maryland | 5-5 | 8 | 8 |
| Northwestern | 5-5 | 9 | 9 |
| Indiana | 5-5 | 10 | 10 |
| Illinois | 3-7 | 11 | 11 |
| Michigan State | 3-7 | 12 | 12 |
| Purdue | 3-7 | 13 | 13 |
| Rutgers | 2-8 | 14 | 14 |
Mark Dantonio found the perfect recipe for avoiding an eight-game losing streak and earning his first conference victory: hosting the mighty Scarlet Knights.
In all honesty, we probably should have seen the Spartan struggles coming way back when they only topped Furman by a pair of touchdowns. That Notre Dame victory got a lot of people's hopes up and it's just been an absolute disaster ever since.
The Spartans outgained Rutgers by a total of 440 yards to 149. Something tells me that 149 yards of total offense is not conducive of winning football games. The Scarlet Knight offense was led by Giovanni Rescigno who completed 6 of 16 passes for 40 yards and two interceptions. Yes, he is the guy who "led" their offense.
The Spartans pretty much did whatever they pleased when they had the ball. Tyler O'Connor threw for 141 yards and three scores while L.J. Scott led the way with 122 rushing yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Madre London also found the endzone twice on the ground.
Defensive back Demetrious Cox jumped a Rescigno pass early on in the first quarter and took it back 30-yards for a score.
Northwestern 45, Purdue 17
Purdue was winning after a quarter, and then Northwestern scored 38 points over the next three and the game got out of hand. The Wildcat offense topped the 600-yard mark as Clayton Thorson and the two-headed backfield of Justin Jackson and John Moten paved the way for Pat Fitzgerald.
Thorson threw for a new career high 352 yards with three touchdowns and two picks. Jackson and Moten both surpassed the 100-yard mark with the former totaling 127 yards and two scores and Moten going for 119. Austin Carr continues to be one of the more overlooked receivers in the country as he hauled in five passes for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Purdue quarterbacks threw four interceptions on the day and that pretty much killed any chance they had of keeping this one close. David Blough threw for 184 yards and a score and was responsible for three of the picks. Redshirt freshman Elijah Sindelar threw added 80 yards and another interception. Markell Jones led the Boilermaker ground game with 47 yards on 11 carries.
So that was an interesting little Saturday. Now we get to spend the next few weeks discussing whether or not the committee will allow for a non-conference champion to make the four-team playoff. Personally, I see Ohio State being No. 2 in the rankings after the Michigan game, assuming the Buckeyes do win out.
Could the committee then have a Big Ten champion Badger or Nittany Lion team jump the Buckeyes? No, I really don't think so. What about a Pac12 champion Washington team? Highly unlikely. If they do win their conference, they'll still have only a single impressive win (at most) on their resume.
Lots of moving parts here, but it's always fun to speculate.
Next week Ohio State travels to East Lansing where they'll look to avenge last season's home loss to the Spartans. Michigan will host the Hoosiers and Penn State will look to do something the Buckeyes, Wolverines, and Spartans have already done: hold Rutgers to exactly zero points.
