Brandon Zimmerman
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Around the B1G! Week 13 Edition
Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Just like that, our regular season has come to a close. It seems like just yesterday we were worried about how bad the Big Ten was and now we are seriously debating which three teams from our conference may make the college football playoffs. We know for sure the winner between Michigan State and Iowa will be in (spoiler alert: It’s MSU) but what about the loser or the Buckeyes? Meanwhile, eight teams qualified to make a bowl appearance (MSU, OSU, UM, PSU, Indiana, Iowa, NU, and UW) and three others could possible get in with 5-7 records (Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois). With six teams ranked in the Top-25 and three in the Top-6, this has been a successful year for the Big Ten. Let’s take a look to see how things finished up.
Illinois (5-7 overall, 2-6 conference)
Last Week: Lost to Northwestern, 14-24. The Illini needed the big upset win to become bowl-eligible but came up short. The Illini offense was able to put up over 300 yards of offense but could not manage an offensive score after their first drive. Wes Lunt led the valiant effort by throwing for 241 yards but he had zero touchdowns and one interception. Josh Ferguson struggled on the ground running for 40 yards on 14 carries but picked up the slack receiving the ball hauling in seven receptions for 100 yards.
This Week: After settling on a horrible head coach, probably going on a team outing to a Taco Bell located across from Chipotle.
This Week in Recruiting: Illinois received a commitment from 2-star running back Devin Singletary. They now sit at 18 commits for the 2016 class.
Indiana (6-6 overall, 2-6 conference)
Last Week: Beat Purdue, 54-36. Indiana needed this victory to become bowl-eligible and came through with a dominant offensive performance racking up 659 yards of total offense. Nate Sudfeld had 350 yards and four touchdowns through the air. He also added one touchdown on the ground. Devine Redding added 144 rushing yards on the ground and one touchdown.
This Week: Waiting to see what crappy bowl game the athletic department will lose millions to go to.
This Week in Recruiting: Indiana did not have any commits this week. They sit at 10 commits for the 2016 class.
Iowa (12-0 overall, 8-0 conference)
Last Week: Beat Nebraska, 28-20. Iowa was able to knock off Nebraska and keep their playoff hopes alive. They now look to their first real match-up of the season when they take on Michigan State. Iowa’s offense was chugging along at the tune of 250 total yards against the stout Nebraska defense who gives up over 400 yards a game. Truly a Top-4 team in the country performance by anyone’s standards. Jordan Canzeri had a great day on the ground and managed all but 110 yards of the Hawkeyes offense rushing for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
This Week: vs Michigan State
This Week in Recruiting: Iowa received a commitment from three-star TE Shaun Beyer. They sit at 24 commits for the 2016 class.
Maryland (3-9 overall, 1-7 conference)
Last Week: Beat Rutgers, 46-41. In a battle to see who was the worst addition to the Big Ten, Maryland pulled out the victory and properly deemed Rutgers as the worst. Maryland came out very slow and gave Rutgers a 24-3 head start before their offense kicked it into high gear. Running back Brandon Ross put on a show rushing for 173 yards and three touchdowns.
This Week: For the sake of competition, hopefully hiring Mark Richt.
This Week in Recruiting: Maryland did not have any commits this week. They sit at 18 commits for the 2016 class.
Michigan (9-3 overall, 6-2 conference)
Last Week: Received a beat down at the hands of Ohio State, 42-13. Another year of Michigan trash talk has come and gone. We now look for the annual tradition of Michigan fans saying “Wait till we play next year” which is always a sign that Christmas is right around the corner. The vaunted Michigan defense was slashed for 369 yards rushing at the hands of Ohio State. Wide Receiver Jehu Chesson was a constant pain in the side of Buckeye Nation as he hauled in eight receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown.
This Week: Watching “little brother” play in another conference championship game.
This Week in Recruiting: Michigan received a commitment from 3-star DT Jordan Elliott. They sit at 22 commits for the 2016 class.
Michigan State (11-1 overall, 7-1 conference)
Last Week: Beat Penn State, 55-16. For all of a minute, Buckeye Nation felt like we really had a chance for our beloved Buckeyes to go to the B1G championship game. We all forgot how bad Penn State was at football and were riding the euphoria of dominating our rivals. Then the game started and Michigan State rolled up 436 yards of offense and 55 points. Connor Cook returned and threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns.
This Week: vs Iowa.
This Week in Recruiting: Michigan State did not have any commits this week. They sit at 18 commits for the 2016 class.
Minnesota (5-7 overall, 2-6 conference)
Last Week: Lost to Wisconsin, 21-31. With their last chance to become bowl-eligible, the Golden Gophers came up short against the Badgers. Wisconsin held the Minnesota ground game in check only allowing 53 rushing yards and forcing the game to be won by Mitch Leidner. This did not work out well for Minnesota as Leidner threw three interceptions and 223 yards.
This Week: Waiting to see who else Tracy Claeys fires from the old coaching staff. So far, the offensive coordinator and QB coach has been let go.
This Week in Recruiting: Minnesota did not have any commits this week. Minnesota sits at 18 commits for the 2016 class.
Nebraska (5-7 overall, 3-5 conference)
Last Week: Lost to Iowa, 20-28. The season has finally come to an end for Nebraska. Sure they may get a bowl invite but they really shouldn’t take it. Coach Mike Riley should use that time to work on recruiting and getting the program in better shape. The B1G West is there for the taking, they just need Nebraska to step up. Playing in some bowl game on December 17th will do nothing to better the program. In this game, Nebraska racked up 433 yards of offense but could not convert those drives into enough points. Tommy Armstrong had another horrific game throwing four interceptions. Unfortunately for fans of the corn, he is only a junior.
This Week: RECRUIT!!!!!!!!!!
This Week in Recruiting: Nebraska received commitments from 3-Star DB Brandon Drayton and unranked kicker Caleb Lightbourn. They now sit at 16 commits for the 2016 class.
Northwestern (10-2 overall, 6-2 conference)
Last Week: Beat Illinois, 24-14. Northwestern rattled off another victory and secured themselves a nice bowl game in Florida. RB Justin Jackson ran for 172 yards and one touchdown on 37(!!!) carries to pace the Wildcats offense.
This Week: Waiting to see what SEC team they get on January 1.
This Week in Recruiting: Northwestern did not have any commits this week. They sit at 19 commits for the 2016 class.
Penn State (7-5 overall, 4-4 conference)
Last Week: Lost to Michigan State, 16-55. We wanted you to win so badly but you failed us. The Nittany Lion offense continued to be dreadful and ultimately cost their offensive coordinator his job. As always, Saquon Barkley was a joy to watch as he ran for 103 yards. Christian Hackenberg was his normal inconsistent self, throwing for two touchdowns and two interceptions.
This Week: Sits around and waits for their bowl match-up.
This Week in Recruiting: Penn State did not have any commits this week. They sit at 19 commits for the 2016 class.
Purdue (2-10 overall, 1-7 conference)
Last Week: Lost to Indiana, 36-54. Well, Purdue was finally taken out back and put out of their misery. They finish the season with two wins and one of those was to Indiana State an FCS school. Purdue will keep their coach because they don’t want to win football games. QB Austin Appleby threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
This Week: Heading down to the local Denny’s to ask Martha, the best server in the state, to give them some new plays. She tells them they should try the triangle offense and play 2-1-2 zone on defense. Coach Darrell Hazell thinks that is a great idea.
This Week in Recruiting: Purdue received a commitment from unranked DB Christopher Parker. They now sit at whopping 8 commits for the 2016 class. Purdue is now feeling stupid; they thought they were getting Peter Parker and that he was Spiderman because Martha never lies.
Rutgers (4-8 overall, 1-7 conference)
Last Week: Rutgers lost to Maryland, 41-46. The Scarlet Knights finally made the move and fired their head coach Kyle Flood. It was a long time coming and they now have the horrible task of finding someone to take over this dumpster fire of a program. QB Chris Laviano had a great game throwing for 344 yards and four touchdowns.
This Week: Hoping Greg Schiano comes back. Maybe making a phone call to Youngstown State…
This Week in Recruiting: Rutgers did not have any commits this week. They sit at 17 commits for the 2016 class.
Wisconsin (9-3 overall, 6-2 conference)
Last Week: Beat Minnesota, 31-21. Wisconsin got back to playing true Stanford football as they ran for 257 yards against the Gopher defense. Dare Ogunbowale led the way rushing for 155 yards.
This Week: Wisconsin waits around to see where they will be going bowling. Probably Jacksonville, if I had a guess.
This Week in Recruiting: Wisconsin did not have any commits this week. They sit at 21 commits for the 2016 class.
Standings
EAST CONF. RECORD OVERALL WEST CONF. RECORD OVERALL
Michigan State 7-1 11-1 Iowa 8-0 12-0
Ohio State 7-1 11-1 Northwestern 6-2 10-2
Michigan 6-2 9-3 Wisconsin 6-2 9-3
Penn State 4-4 7-5 Nebraska 3-5 5-7
Indiana 2-6 6-6 Minnesota 2-6 5-7
Maryland 1-7 3-9 Illinois 2-6 5-7
Rutgers 1-7 4-8 Purdue 1-7 2-10
The post Around the B1G! Week 13 Edition appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Just like that, our regular season has come to a close. It seems like just yesterday we were worried about how bad the Big Ten was and now we are seriously debating which three teams from our conference may make the college football playoffs. We know for sure the winner between Michigan State and Iowa will be in (spoiler alert: It’s MSU) but what about the loser or the Buckeyes? Meanwhile, eight teams qualified to make a bowl appearance (MSU, OSU, UM, PSU, Indiana, Iowa, NU, and UW) and three others could possible get in with 5-7 records (Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois). With six teams ranked in the Top-25 and three in the Top-6, this has been a successful year for the Big Ten. Let’s take a look to see how things finished up.
Illinois (5-7 overall, 2-6 conference)
Last Week: Lost to Northwestern, 14-24. The Illini needed the big upset win to become bowl-eligible but came up short. The Illini offense was able to put up over 300 yards of offense but could not manage an offensive score after their first drive. Wes Lunt led the valiant effort by throwing for 241 yards but he had zero touchdowns and one interception. Josh Ferguson struggled on the ground running for 40 yards on 14 carries but picked up the slack receiving the ball hauling in seven receptions for 100 yards.
This Week: After settling on a horrible head coach, probably going on a team outing to a Taco Bell located across from Chipotle.
This Week in Recruiting: Illinois received a commitment from 2-star running back Devin Singletary. They now sit at 18 commits for the 2016 class.
Indiana (6-6 overall, 2-6 conference)
Last Week: Beat Purdue, 54-36. Indiana needed this victory to become bowl-eligible and came through with a dominant offensive performance racking up 659 yards of total offense. Nate Sudfeld had 350 yards and four touchdowns through the air. He also added one touchdown on the ground. Devine Redding added 144 rushing yards on the ground and one touchdown.
This Week: Waiting to see what crappy bowl game the athletic department will lose millions to go to.
This Week in Recruiting: Indiana did not have any commits this week. They sit at 10 commits for the 2016 class.
Iowa (12-0 overall, 8-0 conference)
Last Week: Beat Nebraska, 28-20. Iowa was able to knock off Nebraska and keep their playoff hopes alive. They now look to their first real match-up of the season when they take on Michigan State. Iowa’s offense was chugging along at the tune of 250 total yards against the stout Nebraska defense who gives up over 400 yards a game. Truly a Top-4 team in the country performance by anyone’s standards. Jordan Canzeri had a great day on the ground and managed all but 110 yards of the Hawkeyes offense rushing for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
This Week: vs Michigan State
This Week in Recruiting: Iowa received a commitment from three-star TE Shaun Beyer. They sit at 24 commits for the 2016 class.
Maryland (3-9 overall, 1-7 conference)
Last Week: Beat Rutgers, 46-41. In a battle to see who was the worst addition to the Big Ten, Maryland pulled out the victory and properly deemed Rutgers as the worst. Maryland came out very slow and gave Rutgers a 24-3 head start before their offense kicked it into high gear. Running back Brandon Ross put on a show rushing for 173 yards and three touchdowns.
This Week: For the sake of competition, hopefully hiring Mark Richt.
This Week in Recruiting: Maryland did not have any commits this week. They sit at 18 commits for the 2016 class.
Michigan (9-3 overall, 6-2 conference)
Last Week: Received a beat down at the hands of Ohio State, 42-13. Another year of Michigan trash talk has come and gone. We now look for the annual tradition of Michigan fans saying “Wait till we play next year” which is always a sign that Christmas is right around the corner. The vaunted Michigan defense was slashed for 369 yards rushing at the hands of Ohio State. Wide Receiver Jehu Chesson was a constant pain in the side of Buckeye Nation as he hauled in eight receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown.
This Week: Watching “little brother” play in another conference championship game.
This Week in Recruiting: Michigan received a commitment from 3-star DT Jordan Elliott. They sit at 22 commits for the 2016 class.
Michigan State (11-1 overall, 7-1 conference)
Last Week: Beat Penn State, 55-16. For all of a minute, Buckeye Nation felt like we really had a chance for our beloved Buckeyes to go to the B1G championship game. We all forgot how bad Penn State was at football and were riding the euphoria of dominating our rivals. Then the game started and Michigan State rolled up 436 yards of offense and 55 points. Connor Cook returned and threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns.
This Week: vs Iowa.
This Week in Recruiting: Michigan State did not have any commits this week. They sit at 18 commits for the 2016 class.
Minnesota (5-7 overall, 2-6 conference)
Last Week: Lost to Wisconsin, 21-31. With their last chance to become bowl-eligible, the Golden Gophers came up short against the Badgers. Wisconsin held the Minnesota ground game in check only allowing 53 rushing yards and forcing the game to be won by Mitch Leidner. This did not work out well for Minnesota as Leidner threw three interceptions and 223 yards.
This Week: Waiting to see who else Tracy Claeys fires from the old coaching staff. So far, the offensive coordinator and QB coach has been let go.
This Week in Recruiting: Minnesota did not have any commits this week. Minnesota sits at 18 commits for the 2016 class.
Nebraska (5-7 overall, 3-5 conference)
Last Week: Lost to Iowa, 20-28. The season has finally come to an end for Nebraska. Sure they may get a bowl invite but they really shouldn’t take it. Coach Mike Riley should use that time to work on recruiting and getting the program in better shape. The B1G West is there for the taking, they just need Nebraska to step up. Playing in some bowl game on December 17th will do nothing to better the program. In this game, Nebraska racked up 433 yards of offense but could not convert those drives into enough points. Tommy Armstrong had another horrific game throwing four interceptions. Unfortunately for fans of the corn, he is only a junior.
This Week: RECRUIT!!!!!!!!!!
This Week in Recruiting: Nebraska received commitments from 3-Star DB Brandon Drayton and unranked kicker Caleb Lightbourn. They now sit at 16 commits for the 2016 class.
Northwestern (10-2 overall, 6-2 conference)
Last Week: Beat Illinois, 24-14. Northwestern rattled off another victory and secured themselves a nice bowl game in Florida. RB Justin Jackson ran for 172 yards and one touchdown on 37(!!!) carries to pace the Wildcats offense.
This Week: Waiting to see what SEC team they get on January 1.
This Week in Recruiting: Northwestern did not have any commits this week. They sit at 19 commits for the 2016 class.
Penn State (7-5 overall, 4-4 conference)
Last Week: Lost to Michigan State, 16-55. We wanted you to win so badly but you failed us. The Nittany Lion offense continued to be dreadful and ultimately cost their offensive coordinator his job. As always, Saquon Barkley was a joy to watch as he ran for 103 yards. Christian Hackenberg was his normal inconsistent self, throwing for two touchdowns and two interceptions.
This Week: Sits around and waits for their bowl match-up.
This Week in Recruiting: Penn State did not have any commits this week. They sit at 19 commits for the 2016 class.
Purdue (2-10 overall, 1-7 conference)
Last Week: Lost to Indiana, 36-54. Well, Purdue was finally taken out back and put out of their misery. They finish the season with two wins and one of those was to Indiana State an FCS school. Purdue will keep their coach because they don’t want to win football games. QB Austin Appleby threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
This Week: Heading down to the local Denny’s to ask Martha, the best server in the state, to give them some new plays. She tells them they should try the triangle offense and play 2-1-2 zone on defense. Coach Darrell Hazell thinks that is a great idea.
This Week in Recruiting: Purdue received a commitment from unranked DB Christopher Parker. They now sit at whopping 8 commits for the 2016 class. Purdue is now feeling stupid; they thought they were getting Peter Parker and that he was Spiderman because Martha never lies.
Rutgers (4-8 overall, 1-7 conference)
Last Week: Rutgers lost to Maryland, 41-46. The Scarlet Knights finally made the move and fired their head coach Kyle Flood. It was a long time coming and they now have the horrible task of finding someone to take over this dumpster fire of a program. QB Chris Laviano had a great game throwing for 344 yards and four touchdowns.
This Week: Hoping Greg Schiano comes back. Maybe making a phone call to Youngstown State…
This Week in Recruiting: Rutgers did not have any commits this week. They sit at 17 commits for the 2016 class.
Wisconsin (9-3 overall, 6-2 conference)
Last Week: Beat Minnesota, 31-21. Wisconsin got back to playing true Stanford football as they ran for 257 yards against the Gopher defense. Dare Ogunbowale led the way rushing for 155 yards.
This Week: Wisconsin waits around to see where they will be going bowling. Probably Jacksonville, if I had a guess.
This Week in Recruiting: Wisconsin did not have any commits this week. They sit at 21 commits for the 2016 class.
Standings
EAST CONF. RECORD OVERALL WEST CONF. RECORD OVERALL
Michigan State 7-1 11-1 Iowa 8-0 12-0
Ohio State 7-1 11-1 Northwestern 6-2 10-2
Michigan 6-2 9-3 Wisconsin 6-2 9-3
Penn State 4-4 7-5 Nebraska 3-5 5-7
Indiana 2-6 6-6 Minnesota 2-6 5-7
Maryland 1-7 3-9 Illinois 2-6 5-7
Rutgers 1-7 4-8 Purdue 1-7 2-10
The post Around the B1G! Week 13 Edition appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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