INSIDE ONE OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S PREMIER CONFERENCES | COMPiLeD BY PAtRiCk steVens, sPeCiAL tO ... be the least heralded
this week in the INSIDE ONE OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S PREMIER CONFERENCES | COMPiLeD BY PAtRiCk steVens, sPeCiAL tO GAtehOUse MeDiA
BiG ten ChAMPiOnshiP NO. 8 OHIO STATE (10-2, 8-1 BIG TEN) vS. NO. 3 WISCONSIN (12-0, 9-0)
When: 8 p.m. EST Saturday Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis TV: Fox
First and Ten
POweR RAnkinGs Breaking down the Big Ten 1. Wisconsin (12-0): The Badgers have to be the least heralded Big Ten team to get 12-0 in … forever, really. A victory over Ohio State in the conference title game would change that. (Last week: 1) 2. Ohio State (10-2): The Buckeyes picked off Michigan for the sixth time in as many seasons under Urban Meyer, but QB J.T. Barrett left in the second half with an injury suffered before the game. Could Ohio State win a Big Ten title with a backup QB for the second time in four years? (LW: 3) 3. Penn State (10-2): The 66-3 thumping of Maryland had to feel good for the Nittany Lions, but no matter how many points they scored, they weren’t going to win the conference title again. A New Year’s Six bowl invite likely awaits. (LW: 3) 4. Michigan State (9-3): It’s not easy for a program that craters to return to something resembling its previous level. There’s a case to be made Mark Dantonio is the Big Ten’s coach of the year. (LW: 4) 5. Northwestern (9-3): The Wildcats matched their longest winning streak since 1996 by finishing the regular season with seven victories in a row. They claimed the Land of Lincoln Trophy with a third consecutive defeat of Illinois. (LW: 5)
6. Michigan (8-4): The losing streak continues against Ohio State, and Jim Harbaugh’s now a combined 1-5 in three seasons against the Buckeyes and Michigan State. Might want to hold off on even the hint of that “lifetime contract” talk, folks. (LW: 6)
Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins (7) scrambles during the second half against Michigan Nov. 25 in Ann Arbor, Mich. [DUANE BURLESON/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS]
Badgers, Buckeyes face off for conference title KEYS FOR OHIO STATE Barrett’s health. It’s the looming question in this year’s Big Ten title game, moreso than whether Wisconsin’s defense can pass its toughest test yet or if Ohio State can make it to the playoff with a victory. Barrett and a cameraman collided just before kickoff of the Buckeyes’ victory last week at Michigan, and the ensuing knee injury prompted Barrett to depart in the second half. Dwayne Haskins will start if Barrett is out. Taming Taylor. It’s going to be a long night for the Buckeyes if they can’t contain Wisconsin TB Jonathan Taylor, who has rushed for 1,806 yards in the regular season and managed 155.3 yards per game in November. The freshman is the latest in a long line of stout Badger rushers, and he and the imposing
Wisconsin line will be difficult for anyone to slow down. KEYS FOR WISCONSIN Defensive stands. Wisconsin leads the country in total defense (236.9 yards per game), rushing defense (80.5 yards per game) and pass efficiency defense. It is second in pass defense (156.4 yards per game) and scoring defense (12 points per game). At the same time, it faced only one team that ended the regular season in the national rankings (Northwestern). If the defense measures up against Ohio State, the Badgers will be in good shape. Keep the Buckeye offense off the field. As good as Wisconsin’s defense is, it controls the game by dominating possession and letting its rugged rushing attack take over. The Badgers are second nationally
in time of possession, and their best bet of handling Barrett (or Haskins), TB J.K. Dobbins and the rest of the Ohio State offense is to keep them parked on the sideline. A thirddown conversion rate of 50.6 percent that ranks second nationally could help, too. PREDICTION Wisconsin 27-20. An Ohio State team coming into the Big Ten title game and possibly starting a backup evokes shades of 2014, when Cardale Jones and the Buckeyes smoked the Badgers 59-0. Still, this is a better Wisconsin defense. Plus, it still seems as though Paul Chryst’s Badgers are being overlooked. One thing’s for sure: The questions about how good Wisconsin really is will finally be decided in what could turn out to be a play-in game for the playoff.
stARs OF the week
• LB Ryan Connelly, Wisconsin: Had six tackles (three for loss) and two sacks as the Badgers shut out Minnesota to retain Paul Bunyan’s Axe
• TB Markell Jones, Purdue: Rumbled for 218 yards to help the Boilermakers reclaim the Old Oaken Bucket and clinch a bowl bid
• TB Tommy Stevens, Penn State: Rushed 12 times for 113 yards and three TDs in the Nittany Lions’ demolition of Maryland
• TB Akrum Wadley, Iowa: Rushed 19 times for 159 yards and three TDs in the Hawkeyes’ 56-14 drubbing of Nebraska
stAt OF the week
47:50 Time of possession for Michigan State in its 40-7 victory over Rutgers. The Spartan defense was on the field for only 31 plays and gave up just 112 yards to the Scarlet Knights.
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7. Iowa (7-5): Capped a typical Iowa regular season in atypical fashion --- rolling into Lincoln and dropping more than 500 yards on Nebraska. The Hawkeyes have won at least seven games in nine of the last 10 years. (LW: 7) 8. Purdue (6-6): Jeff Brohm is going to get some Big Ten coach of the year votes --and interest from some of the SEC schools with vacancies --- for the work he did with the Boilermakers this year. (LW: 9) 9. Indiana (5-7): All the early losses to the conference’s powerhouses proved too big a hole to climb out of for the Hoosiers, who took losses in the second half of the season to Maryland and Purdue. They’ll look to get back to the postseason in 2018. (LW: 8)
10. Minnesota (5-7): It was an ugly conclusion to 2017 for the Gophers, who were outscored 70-0 in their last two games while managing just 315 total yards (including just 83 through the air) in losses to Northwestern and Wisconsin. (LW: 10)
11. Rutgers (4-8): The Scarlet Knights scored 13 points in their last three games. There’s no sugar-coating the fact Rutgers needs to develop its offense --- both the scheme and the personnel --- moving forward. (LW: 11)
12. Nebraska (4-8): The final numbers of the Mike Riley era --- 19-19, two bowl bids, one winning season. It’s now up to someone else to solve the Cornhuskers’ problems, and that will start on rebuilding a tattered defense. (LW: 12) 13. Maryland (4-8): The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Terrapins have lost by 63 to Penn State in the Nittany Lions’ last two trips to College Park --- 70-7 in 1993, 66-3 in 2017. (LW: 13) 14. Illinois (2-10): The Illini wrapped up the regular season ranked 126th both in total offense and scoring offense. Lovie Smith went 5-19 in his first two years in Champaign, and there’s little sign Illinois will approach any sort of relevance soon. (LW: 14)
