Big Ten: Mich-Ohio St to settle East; Iowa win away in West

Issues to observe throughout Week 13 of play within the Huge Ten Convention:

GAME OF THE WEEK I

No. 3 Michigan (11-0, 8-0 Huge Ten, No. 3 CFP) at No. 2 Ohio State (11-0, 8-0, No. 2 CFP)

The stakes are at all times excessive in “The Sport,” by no means greater than on Saturday. The winner represents the East within the Huge Ten championship sport and stays in prime place for a Faculty Soccer Playoff bid. The loser nonetheless has a path to the playoff and, worst case, a spot in a New 12 months’s Six bowl. The Buckeyes have been stewing for a yr over their first loss to Michigan since 2011. The Wolverines are going for back-to-back wins over Ohio State for the primary time since 1999-2000. This would be the fourth time in 19 conferences that each groups are ranked within the prime 5 once they meet.

GAME OF THE WEEK II

Nebraska (3-8, 2-6) at Iowa (7-4, 5-3)

This Black Friday sport is nowhere close to as impactful as Michigan-Ohio State, in fact, but it surely spotlights what’s been a exceptional turnaround by Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes. Iowa will safe the West title and head again to the Huge Ten championship sport with a win over the swooning Cornhuskers. Iowa has reeled off 4 wins in a row since opening convention play 1-3. Enjoying within the worst division within the Energy 5, the Hawkeyes have been in a position to compensate for one of many nation’s worst offenses by having a protection that’s among the many finest.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Wisconsin enters the Paul Bunyan’s Axe sport in opposition to Minnesota having received 26 of its 31 video games performed with a touring trophy at stake. … Penn State’s Nick Singleton (863) and Kaytron Allen (748) are the primary pair of FBS freshman working backs on the identical staff to have greater than 700 yards speeding apiece Buffalo’s Jaret Patterson (1,013) and Kevin Marks (845) in 2018. … Of the three Huge Ten quarterbacks with 5 400-yard passing video games since 2000, two are energetic — Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell. The third was the late Dwayne Haskins, who had all 5 of his in 2018 for Ohio State. … Since 2018, Nebraska’s .279 successful proportion in Huge Ten video games (12-31) is second-worst behind Rutgers’ .136 (6-38). Ohio State is first at .950 (38-2).

LONG SHOT?

Indiana is a ten 1/2-point dwelling underdog in opposition to Purdue, in keeping with FanDuel Sportsbook. The sport for the Previous Oaken Bucket is the Hoosiers’ bowl — except they get to 5-7 and are wanted to fill a bowl slot — and there’s nothing they’d love greater than to squash their rival’s hopes of going to the convention championship sport within the occasion Iowa loses to Nebraska on Friday. The Hoosiers have some mojo after a double-overtime win at Michigan State ended a seven-game shedding streak.

IMPACT PLAYER

Illinois RB Chase Brown is poised so as to add considerably to his nation-leading complete of 1,582 speeding yards in opposition to a Northwestern protection permitting a Huge Ten-worst 4.64 yards per carry. The Doak Walker semifinalist is averaging a Bowl Subdivision-high 28.1 carries per sport and has had a minimum of 29 in 5 of the final six video games. The Illini have misplaced three straight and, to sneak into the Huge Ten title sport, must win the Land of Lincoln Trophy and have Iowa and Purdue lose.

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