Week 14 in the Big Ten: Rivalry Week
Week 14 is the final week of the regular season and it certainly did not disappoint. This week is also the traditional rivalry week which made for an entertaining game slate, even if there was not a great deal to play for in terms of playoff fortunes.
In theory, Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon and Michigan were still in the running for the Championship Game. But it would have been far-fetched to not envision a Championship Game not including Indiana and Ohio State.
After 4 years, Ohio State finally wins “The Game”
In Ann Arbour, Ohio State once again took control of the Game and beat Michigan in a 27-9 win. Michigan have come out on top in the previous 4 years but the Buckeyes would not be denied this time around.
The Buckeyes’ defense dominated from start to finish, limiting Michigan to 163 total yards (63 of those passing) and restricting them to only 20 minute of possession. Buckeyes QB Julian Sayin threw for 233 years on 19 completions of 26 attempts with 3 TDs and 1 INT. Freshman QB Bryce Underwood completed on 8 of 19 passing attempts with 1 INT.
Michigan will finish with a record of 9-3 and 7-2 in the Big Ten. Given some of the disruption this season, they should be able to view this as progress.
For Ohio State they do keep the undefeated record and take good momentum into the Championship game.
Embed from Getty ImagesOregon best Washington to Solidify their Playoff Place
Oregon picked up an important victory beating Washington away 26-14. The Ducks were probably already in playoff contention but a good win on the road helped cement an initial home game in the first round of the playoffs. A bad loss at Washington could have spelt trouble for their rankings so the pressure was on.
A very entertaining game all round but one that the Ducks had tight control of. They totalled up 392 yards to Washington’s 283. Both defenses stuffed the run game with Oregon only totalling 106 yards on the ground and the Huskies 154.
Embed from Getty ImagesOregon showcased their deep receiving room (which is still suffering injuries) with Malik Benson collecting 102 yards on 5 receptions for 1 TD and Jeremiah McClellan and Jamari Johnson collecting 78 and 60 yards respectively.
The Huskies have been solid this year and their losses to Ohio State and Oregon were both competitive. However they will look back at their losses to Wisconsin and Michigan as the difference-makers. They will go bowling with a record of 8-4 (5-4 in the B1G) and reload for next season.
Indiana blasts through Purdue
Indiana prepared for their inevitable slot in the Big Ten Championship game with a 56-3 blowout of Purdue. The Hoosiers were simply far too good for Purdue who end their season at 2-10 and 0-9 in the Big Ten. Indiana walk away from the game as the proud recipients of the Old Oaken Bucket.
Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza waltzed through the game with 8 completions on 15 attempts for 117 yards and 2 TDs. There was even time for Fernando’s brother, Alberto Mendoza, to take 2 snaps, completing on both and scoring a TD! To be clear, Alberto is a freshman for the Hoosiers and has taken 24 snaps this season.
This was a gentle warm up for Indiana ahead of greater tests next week.
Embed from Getty ImagesElsewhere around the Big Ten
The remaining games this week were as follows;
Wisconsin defeated Minnesota 17-7 to win Paul Bunyan’s Axe.
Penn State defeated Rutgers 40-36 in a high scoring game.
Iowa defeated Nebraska 40-16 to win the Heroes’ Trophy
USC overcame UCLA 29-10
Michigan State beat Maryland 38-28
Illinois beat Northwestern 20-13 to win the Land of Lincoln Trophy
How they Finished
Another entertaining season in the Big Ten comes to a close and final standings looked as follows:
| Team (National Ranking) | Overall Record | Conference Record |
| 1. Indiana Hoosiers (1) | 12-0 | 9-0 |
| 2. Ohio State Buckeyes (2) | 12-0 | 9-0 |
| 3. Oregon Ducks (5) | 11-1 | 8-1 |
| 4. USC Trojans (16) | 9-3 | 7-2 |
| 5.Michigan Wolverines (18) | 9-3 | 7-2 |
| 6. Iowa Hawkeyes (23) | 8-4 | 6-3 |
| 7. Washington Huskies | 8-4 | 5-4 |
| 8. Illinois Fighting Illini | 8-4 | 5-4 |
| 9. Minnesota Golden Gophers | 7-5 | 5-4 |
| 10. Nebraska Cornhuskers | 7-5 | 4-5 |
| 11. Northwestern Wildcats | 6-6 | 4-5 |
| 12. UCLA Bruins | 3-9 | 3-6 |
| 13. Penn State Nittany Lions | 6-6 | 3-6 |
| 14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights | 5-7 | 2-7 |
| 15. Wisconsin Badgers | 4-8 | 2-7 |
| 16. Michigan State Spartans | 4-8 | 1-8 |
| 17. Maryland Terrapins | 4-8 | 1-8 |
| 18. Purdue Boilermakers | 2-10 | 0-9 |
But we are not quite done yet, with a Championship Game to come (Indiana v Ohio State) in Indianapolis and the playoffs, there is still much to look forward to!
