Big Ten Football Wrapup: Week 14
It was a particularly ugly weekend of football if you are a fan of either one of the Big Ten teams from the "Mitten State". U of M got trounced by Ohio State (which I am a little happy about), but MSU was barely able to snag a win from Maryland.
Here is the breakdown:
Iowa v. Nebraska
I actually knew this was going to be a really good game and it really didn't disappoint. There was an instance that I was going to switch over to this game and watch it because it was much more exciting and less disappointing than any of the other games that were on.
The outcome of the game really had no impact in the standings, but it will help Iowa pull a pretty decent bowl matchup.
Northwestern v. Illinois
I probably wouldn't have been able to call this game if I had done my pre-weekend predictions. Northwestern has been pretty horrible most of the season so the fact that they were able to beat an Illinois team that has spoiled several other big ten teams seasons is pretty impressive. It wasn't even a close game either with a 29 to 10 blowout win on the road. Well done Wildcats.
Ohio State v. Michigan
Despite the score, this wasn't the bloodbath I was hoping for. The fact that Michigan was able to score 27 points is a testament to the team that they have. Even though they have moved down in the rankings they will still get a good bowl match-up. They pretty much always do because their fanbase travels well and the NCAA always seems to favor them despite their record.
Ohio State moves on to the Big Ten Championship game next weekend.
Indiana v. Purdue
I think this game actually took place on a Friday night instead of Saturday, but I didn't get to catch all of it. I wish I had though. Two overtimes and a win by a field goal tells me it was a pretty awesome game. Especially for college whose overtime policy is much better than what the NFL has.
Maryland v. Michigan State
This game was pretty much horrible. I am not going to be sad to see Brian Lewerke move on to whatever comes next. It is sad to say that because he had so much potential, but this season has just been horrible with him at the helm of the Michigan State team. This should have been a blowout win on Senior Day against a very weak Maryland team. Instead the Spartans barely scratched out a win and will move on to play in some bowl game that has pretty much zero significance.
Wisconsin v. Minnesota
I actually expected this game to be much closer, but hats off to Wisconsin for grabbing the win on the road and moving on to face off next week against Ohio State for the Big 10 championship. Everything was on the line this game and Wisconsin was able to pull through. I don't think the outcome next week is going to be much different from the last time they played Ohio State this year, but miracles can happen...
Rutgers v. Penn State
Early on this was actually a much closer game than it should have been. Despite the win, I think Penn State should move down in the polls given how well Rutgers managed them the first half of the game. The score was 7 to 3 going into half time and it wasn't until the fourth quarter that Penn State really started to pick up some momentum. This should have been a much easier win for the Nittany Lions.
Only one more game left in the Big 10 regular season. Who do you think will win the matchup between Ohio State and Wisconsin?