In terms of entertainment value, Week 4 of the Big Ten season brought the goods. We witnessed two overtime games. The ending to Ohio State-Notre Dame was as thrilling as any contest we’ve seen thus far. Ryan Day went on a tirade against Lou Holtz in the postgame presser. Northwestern overcame a 21-point fourth quarter deficit to upset Minnesota.
Although not every game was a marquee matchup, it might’ve been the most fun weekend yet. And that always leaves us hungry for the next week on the schedule. We’ll admit, though, this isn’t exactly the most highly-anticipated weekend on the Big Ten schedule. Maybe we’ll still get some fireworks?
Before kickoff of Week 5, let’s take a look around the Big Ten.
Jim Harbaugh, James Franklin go off-topic
We love to hear football coaches go off-the-cuff every now and then. That’s what Jim Harbaugh and James Franklin did during their weekly pressers. Harbaugh is thoroughly enamored with the idea of YouTube TV, while Franklin wanted to get everyone’s coffee preference.
Let’s start with Harbaugh’s quote about this wild innovation:
“My wife got this YouTube TV. Like half the price of DirecTV, no offense DirecTV. We’re over there at YouTubeTV now. There must be 150 games to watch, so I’m in hog heaven Saturday night watching those games. Watching a lot of them. And then you can go back and watch them again, if you didn’t watch the one, it’s taped for you right there.”
Welcome to 2023, Jim.
Traveling away from Ann Arbor, Franklin went from head coach to Starbucks barista during his weekly press conference, asking every reporter for their preference. The primary question? Do you drink your coffee black or do you prefer it to taste like an ice cream sundae (excess cream and sugar). Franklin’s conversations can’t be summed up in a quote, so enjoy this entire clip:
Is Penn State currently the Big Ten’s best team?
While we’re in Happy Valley, let’s stick with Penn State for a few more minutes. After a 31-0 thrashing of Iowa in the annual White Out game and a perfect 4-0 record, it’s fair to start asking if the best team in the Big Ten reside in State College.
It’s only four games and the Nittany Lions haven’t played the greatest schedule to date. However, Penn State does appear to have the most well-rounded team in the league right now. It leads the Big Ten in takeaways (11), passing defense (138 yards per game), and total defense (219.5 ypg). The Nittany Lions rank third in rush defense (81.5 ypg), scoring defense (8.8 points per game) and sit second in sacks (13).
Offensively, Penn State is the only Big Ten team averaging over 40 points per game, has two running backs over 200 yards in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen and quarterback Drew Allar has thrown for 903 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions.
No, Penn State’s schedule hasn’t been the most daunting, but the evidence is there to support that the Nittany Lions are the real deal. We won’t learn too much more about Franklin’s squad over the next two weeks with matchups against Northwestern and UMass. But that Oct. 21 date with Ohio State? That should be fun.
Wisconsin loses a power puncher in Chez Mellusi
Just as Wisconsin was starting to find that balance offensively, the Badgers lost a key contributor in the rushing attack. Chez Mellusi is expected to miss the remainder of the season after an ugly injury suffered against Purdue. It’s a tough pill to swallow for the running back and a big hit to Wisconsin’s rushing attack.
Mellusi had rushed for 306 yards and four touchdowns on 51 carries prior to his injury. He formed a dynamic one-two punch out of the backfield with Braelon Allen, who’s piled up 371 yards and six rushing touchdowns for the Badgers. Now, a lot of the workload will likely fall on Allen’s shoulders.
The good news for Luke Fickell’s team is that it has a better passing attack than it’s had in previous seasons. That’s not to say it’s the most dynamic in the Big Ten — far from it. But it is serviceable. And that could potentially ease some of the burden off Allen’s shoulders over the next eight games.
Still, losing a dynamic player like Mellusi from the offense is a huge blow for the Badgers.
The 60-minute challenge for Maryland
Mike Locksley came into the 2023 season allowing his team to finally start using the word “championship.” While that might still be a tad ambitious, there’s little question that Maryland has taken massive steps in the right direction. Are the Terrapins capable of beating the likes of Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State? It’s doubtful they could defeat all three in one season. Could they pull off an upset against one of those teams, though?
It’s a question we’ll have an answer to at some point (not to state the obvious). But the one thing Maryland must to in order to knock off one of the big boys in the Big Ten East is complete a full 60 minute game.
Maryland is 4-0 and owns an average margin of victory of 25 points. But the Terps got down 14-0 in consecutive games against Charlotte and Virginia. Last week, the Terrapins had a chance to step on the gas with a 21-3 lead over Michigan State but went scoreless in the third quarter.
These lulls seem to occur in every game for Maryland. Hey, it happens. But if the Terrapins want to prove themselves worthy of championship conversation, they’re going to have to make sure those droughts are few and far between.
Iowa needs to move on from Brian Ferentz
This section is brought to you by the number “4.” Not to get too Sesame Street-y with you, but do you know the significance of that digit? It’s the number of first downs the Iowa offense had in Saturday’s blowout loss to Penn State. That’s also the number of times the Hawkeyes turned the ball over.
In a year in which the offense was supposed to make considerable progress, it’s taken a giant step in the wrong direction. And believe me, I understand that Cade McNamara’s offseason injury might still be lingering. Losing tight end Luke Lachey for the year is a big blow. But this type of performance was inexcusable.
Could Iowa still turn things around offensively? Sure, I guess. But at this point, it’s time to pull the plug on Brian Ferentz as the offensive coordinator. The Hawkeyes rank 131st in total offense, 106th in rushing offense and 126th in passing offense. And those figures include games against two of the bottom 15 defenses in college football — Utah State and Western Michigan.
Kirk Ferentz is one of the greats in college football. His methods have proven effective over the last two decades. And, because the Big Ten West is in such bad shape, there’s still a legitimate shot Iowa reaches Indianapolis. But you can’t help but wonder how good the Hawkeyes could’ve been if a change had been made at the OC spot.
An uninspiring Big Ten slate in Week 5
Let me just state this at the jump: ANY football is better than no football. But, if there was a weekend in which you needed to drive out to the pumpkin patch or apple orchard this fall, this might be the best Saturday to do it. At least if you’re a Big Ten fan.
This weekend’s slate of games is far from inspiring — and the spreads show it. A total of 12 teams are in action, with five league games and two teams (Rutgers and Minnesota) stepping outside of conference play. Every game is set with a double-digit spread with the exception of Illinois-Purdue … which is set at even. And those two teams have the worst scoring defenses in the Big Ten currently, so … there’s that.
Here’s a look a this weekend’s schedule and the spread for each game — and again, if you need a weekend to get some chores done, this might be your best chance:
- #6 Penn State (-27) vs. Northwestern: 12 p.m. ET, BTN
- Louisiana vs. Minnesota (-11): 12 p.m. ET, BTN
- Illinois (E) vs. Purdue (E): 3:30 p.m. ET, Peacock
- #2 Michigan (-17) vs. Nebraska: 3:30 p.m. ET, FOX
- Indiana vs. Maryland (-14): 3:30 p.m. ET, BTN
- Wagner vs. Rutgers: 3:30 p.m. ET, BTN
- Michigan State vs. Iowa (-12.5): 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC
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