It's November, folks.
And there's less than a month to play in the regular season. It's a sad time, of course, but at the same time, it's exciting because this is the time of the year when college football teams compete for championships.
Around the Big Ten, the minds of fans have shifted to Nov. 26 when Ohio State hosts Michigan. The winner is likely headed to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game and with that, a berth in the College Football Playoff.
But there are two more Saturdays between no and that late-November afternoon. So let's see who is rising and falling as the calendar flips to this wild and wacky month we all love.
Stock Up/Stock Down returns with an Ohio State-heavy flavor this week because, well, when you beat a top-10 team by 59 points that tends to be the case. Without any further delay, let's jump right in, shall we?
Stock Up
Curtis Samuel — Ohio State wide receiver/running back
It’s so hard to put a label on Samuel and I never know what to call him when I mention him in a story. He simply does so many things for the Buckeyes’ offense.
After a 13-touch — five rushes, eight receptions — and 175 yard performance in Saturday’s 62-3 rout of Nebraska, Samuel is becoming more and more of a household name. He’s the only player in college football with at least 500 rushing and 500 receiving yards — he has 599 rushing and 676 receiving on the year — and has turned into one of the most dynamic players in the country.
Samuel caught a 75-yard touchdown pass against the Huskers on Saturday and it was just the latest example of his big-play ability. If Ohio State gets him the ball, good things tend to happen.
Ohio State’s secondary
When you have two pick-sixes in the same game, you get on this list. It’s that simple.
Ohio State’s defense had not been forcing turnovers like it did earlier in the season and, as a result, it had not been scoring points either. That changed against Nebraska when Damon Webb returned the third play from scrimmage for a touchdown and then Malik Hooker followed suit late in the third quarter with a pick-six of his own.
Like most teams, when the Buckeyes are forcing turnovers they’re a much better defense. Scoring points off those turnovers certainly helps, too.
Penn State offense
The Nittany Lions’ victory over Ohio State two weeks ago seems to have jumpstarted Penn State a bit. Iowa rolled into Happy Valley on Saturday and got curb stomped.
Penn State put up 41 points on the Hawkeyes and recorded 599 total yards of offense. Running back Saquon Barkley continued his hot stretch as he gained 167 yards on 20 carries and had one touchdown.
There’s a strong chance the Nittany Lions win out and finish the regular-season 10-2. It’s in large part because of a much-improved offense.
Wilton Speight — Michigan quarterback
"It was only Maryland!" you will surely let me know in the comments section below. And yes, Michigan played Maryland on Saturday and the Wolverines won by 100.
But the truth is, Speight has been pretty steady all season long leading the way for Michigan in his first year as the starting quarterback. He was named Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Week with Samuel on Monday and for the season Speight is completing nearly 65 percent of his passes and he's thrown for 2.053 yards with 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions.
Stock Down
Nebraska's defense
So, what happened to the Huskers on Saturday night?
Nebraska was certainly a little overrated all season for the simple fact it hadn't really played anybody until the Wisconsin game, but the Huskers' defense did enter Saturday's game against Ohio State as a top-20 unit nationally.
It was completely shredded against the Buckeyes' offense which, in case you hadn't heard, struggled a bit going into the game. Nebraska needs to figure this one out rather quickly.
Mark Dantonio — Michigan State head coach
Illinois? Really?
