Huge Ten Energy Rankings: Indiana Skyrockets, Michigan and Penn State Tumble

[ad_1] What a shocking weekend within the Huge Ten.

Not solely did No. 7 Indiana upset No. 3 Oregon on the highway with as spectacular a efficiency as there’s been this season. Not solely did unranked USC dominate No. 15 Michigan within the trenches to safe an enormous victory for embattled head coach Lincoln Riley. Not solely did No. 1 Ohio State construct an early 20-point lead over No. 17 Illinois and cruise to a different dominant win.

However Northwestern — Northwestern!!! — toppled Penn State at Beaver Stadium to immediate the Sunday afternoon firing of Nittany Lions’ head coach James Franklin, who will probably be paid the second-largest buyout in faculty soccer historical past. Franklin was one in every of three FBS coaches to be dismissed on the identical day because the teaching carousel rocketed into gear.

For a top-to-bottom have a look at the league, right here’s a contemporary batch of Huge Ten Energy Rankings:

The Prime 10

End result: 34-16 highway win over No. 17 Illinois

With all due respect to Illinois, which stays a really succesful soccer group below head coach Bret Bielema, this sport was over earlier than halftime. The 17-yard receiving landing for tailback Bo Jackson with 3:48 remaining within the second quarter pushed Ohio State’s result in 20 factors — a margin insurmountable for most likely each faculty within the nation given how miserly the Buckeyes’ protection has been up to now this season, not to mention an Illinois group that, whereas proficient, was additionally going through a big expertise deficit.

By means of six video games, the Buckeyes have nonetheless not surrendered a landing within the first half as defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s unit stays atop the nation in scoring protection (6.8 factors per sport) and is now tied for fourth in whole protection (229 yards per sport). Ohio State pressured three turnovers in opposition to the Illini — together with an interception of quarterback Luke Altmyer, who hadn’t tossed one all season, on Illinois’ first possession — and likewise stopped them twice on fourth down. The run protection was significantly spectacular by solely permitting 47 yards on 27 makes an attempt for a miniscule common of 1.7 yards per carry, aided by six tackles for loss.

At 6-0 general and 3-0 within the Huge Ten, an undefeated common season appears nicely inside attain for head coach Ryan Day now that none of Ohio State’s remaining opponents are ranked.

End result: 30-20 highway win over No. 3 Oregon

A assured, managed efficiency from Indiana started to wobble early within the fourth quarter when standout quarterback Fernando Mendoza underthrew a go that was intercepted by Oregon cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. and returned 35 yards for a landing, knotting the sport at 20-20 and igniting the Autzen Stadium crowd. It was the form of momentum-shifting play that may have doomed a lesser group with a lesser chief, particularly on the highway, however what occurred subsequent helped clarify why head coach Curt Cignetti is so darn spectacular.

Mendoza responded by main an excellent 12-play, 75-yard drive that drained greater than six minutes off the clock and ended with a stunning back-shoulder landing to vast receiver Elijah Sarratt, who completed with eight catches for 121 yards, each game-high totals. After which the Hoosiers’ protection, coordinated by rising star Bryant Haines, a former energy and conditioning coach, generated back-to-back takeaways by twice intercepting Oregon quarterback Dante Moore to safe what was arguably essentially the most spectacular victory in faculty soccer this season.

Not since 1967 had the Hoosiers overwhelmed a top-five opponent, and to take action in a venue the place the Geese have been driving an 18-game profitable streak — the longest lively run within the nation getting into Saturday’s sport — made the tip consequence much more spectacular. Indiana proved its ok and resilient sufficient to compete for a nationwide title. What a wild factor to say.

End result: 30-20 dwelling loss to No. 7 Indiana

Previous to Saturday, the season-long storyline surrounding Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, a former five-star recruit and switch from UCLA, was one in every of endurance, persistence and perseverance. Moore had made the tough determination to observe and wait behind former Geese quarterback Dillon Gabriel in 2024 — a marketing campaign that included each a Huge Ten Championship and the No. 1 general seed within the Faculty Soccer Playoff — earlier than lastly reemerging as a beginning quarterback on this, his redshirt sophomore marketing campaign.

Practically every part about Moore’s first 5 video games had been flawless: He’d thrown 14 touchdowns and just one interception, he’d accomplished at the very least 70% of his passes on 4 completely different events; he’d performed with sufficient poise and moxie — particularly on the highway at Penn State — to vault himself into the dialogue for greatest quarterback within the nation. However the matchup with Indiana introduced a distinct story, one which revolved principally round discomfort, inconsistency and the absence of rhythm.

Moore accomplished 21 of 34 passes for simply 186 yards, one landing and two interceptions, each of which got here within the fourth quarter, because the high-flying Geese’ offense was restricted to 267 whole yards. As a group, Oregon solely transformed thrice on 14 third-down tries and completed with six possessions of 4 performs or fewer, all of which ended with punts or turnovers.

The Geese transfer ahead with winnable video games in opposition to Rutgers and Wisconsin earlier than a tough journey to Iowa on Nov. 8.

End result: 34-16 dwelling loss to No. 1 Ohio State

Twice this season, Illinois has confronted groups which might be, unquestionably, among the many higher echelon within the Huge Ten and faculty soccer at massive. Its first such sport, in opposition to then-No. 19 Indiana, resulted in a humiliating 63-10 loss that left head coach Bret Bielema bewildered in his postgame information convention. The second such sport, which passed off Saturday in opposition to No. 1 Ohio State, ended with a considerably much less embarrassing ultimate scoreline, however nonetheless included a 20-0 deficit that mirrored the hole between good groups and nice ones.

Illinois’ first 4 offensive possessions in opposition to the Buckeyes produced one interception, one punt, one turnover on downs and one misplaced fumble as the sport shortly spiraled out of attain. These errors afforded Ohio State the chance to attain two touchdowns and a area objective on drives that every one measured 35 yards or shorter, a veritable demise sentence for Illinois when going through an offense with a lot expertise.

The Illini responded after halftime by placing collectively a formidable 12-play, 75-yard landing drive that narrowed the margin to 10 factors, however the Buckeyes reclaimed momentum with back-to-back scores in 4 minutes that broke the sport open for good. Illinois’ incapability to run the ball — 27 carries for 47 yards as a group — made the offense one-dimensional and put far an excessive amount of stress on quarterback Luke Altmyer, who was sacked 4 instances and threw his first interception of the season.

End result: 31-13 dwelling win over No. 15 Michigan

Given how comprehensively Illinois had pushed USC’s offensive and defensive strains round throughout a 34-32 win over the Trojans in late September — a sport USC trailed 31-17 early within the fourth quarter — it was honest to marvel if Michigan, one other Huge Ten program recognized for imposing itself within the trenches, would have the ability to do the identical on Saturday night time. The reply, considerably surprisingly, was a powerful "no" in a sport when USC bucked its popularity as a finesse group to bully the Wolverines alongside the road of scrimmage.

Even with out two beginning offensive linemen and electrical tailback Waymond Jordan, who dropped out within the first half with an ankle damage that reportedly required tight-rope surgical procedure, the Trojans nonetheless gashed Michigan for 224 dashing yards and two touchdowns whereas averaging a formidable 6.2 yards per carry. Reserve tailback King Miller, a walk-on freshman, loved the night time of his life with 18 carries for 158 yards and one rating — all whereas going through the nation’s seventh-best dashing protection — to steadiness an offense that additionally produced 265 yards and two further scores via the air.

USC’s protection stored Michigan off the scoreboard from the three:09 mark of the second quarter till the 9:17 mark of the fourth quarter. Head coach Lincoln Riley will now deliver his Twentieth-ranked Trojans on the highway for a showdown with No. 13 Notre Dame later this week.

End result: 38-19 dwelling win over Rutgers

The state of affairs for Washington appeared considerably bleak on Friday night time when the Huskies trailed Rutgers by 10 factors on the finish of the primary quarter. However what unfolded throughout the remainder of the night was an absolute masterclass from quarterback Demond Williams Jr., probably the most thrilling gamers in faculty soccer no matter place.

Williams, a sophomore, accomplished 21 of 27 passes for 402 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions whereas additionally dashing 13 instances for a game-high 136 yards and two further scores. He turned the sixteenth participant in FBS historical past to throw for at the very least 400 yards and rush for at the very least 100 yards in the identical sport, in response to Washington, and was the primary participant to perform that feat within the final two years. His ultimate tally of 538 whole yards established a brand new faculty report.

"Demond Williams is a famous person," head coach Jedd Fisch mentioned. "He's particular."

Williams’ heroics helped Washington rating 21 factors within the third quarter to push forward of the Scarlet Knights for good, securing this system’s fourth double-digit victory of the season.

A difficult two-game stretch in opposition to Michigan (highway) and Illinois (dwelling) begins this weekend when Washington, which most likely deserves to be ranked within the AP Ballot, travels to Ann Arbor for a nationally televised matchup (Midday ET Saturday on FOX).

End result: 34-31 highway win over Maryland

There are two methods to view Nebraska’s victory at Maryland on Saturday afternoon, which required the Cornhuskers to attain 10 unanswered factors within the fourth quarter to flee SECU Stadium unscathed.

The primary is {that a} program liable to taking pictures itself within the foot and inventing methods to lose shut video games in recent times executed very nicely down the stretch, scoring twice within the ultimate 8 minutes after which forcing a turnover on downs within the waning seconds. Quarterback Dylan Raiola, who tied his profession excessive with three interceptions, flashed sufficient resiliency to seek out vast receiver Dane Key for a 3-yard rating with 1:08 remaining that gave him 4 passing touchdowns general.

The opposite solution to view Nebraska’s win, nevertheless, is thru a considerably extra pessimistic lens however one that's legitimate nonetheless. Twice the Cornhuskers squandered 10-point leads earlier than falling behind late within the third quarter. Their offense solely transformed thrice on seven third-down makes an attempt. They misplaced the turnover battle, 3-0, and wanted a frantic rally to maintain their Faculty Soccer Playoff desires alive in opposition to an unranked, middling Huge Ten opponent. However when every part was mentioned and completed, Nebraska nonetheless discovered a solution to win. That’s what’s most necessary. And now the Cornhuskers, considerably improbably, are 2-1 in one-score video games up to now this season.

End result: 31-13 highway loss to USC

A lot of the goodwill Michigan had collected in bouncing again from an early-season loss to then-No. 18 Oklahoma with spectacular victories over Central Michigan (63-3), Nebraska (30-27) and Wisconsin (24-10) evaporated throughout an unsettling loss to USC.

The Wolverines’ offense, which had proven flashes of progress in current weeks, particularly at vast receiver, may solely produce factors as soon as in its first six possessions on Saturday night time. Star tailback Justice Haynes, the Alabama switch who had rushed for at the very least 100 yards and one landing in every of Michigan’s opening 5 video games, dropped out with a first-half damage and didn’t return. Quarterback Bryce Underwood, who had thrown for a career-high 270 yards and a landing final week in opposition to the Badgers, was restricted to simply 207 yards and tossed a expensive crimson zone interception late within the third quarter.

Maybe much more regarding was the efficiency of Michigan’s protection, which surrendered 224 dashing yards and two dashing touchdowns to a Trojans’ offense that performed many of the sport with out beginning tailback Waymond Jordan, felled by an ankle damage. Getting into Saturday night time, the Wolverines had solely allowed 197 dashing yards and one dashing landing over their earlier three video games mixed.

Issues gained’t get any simpler for Michigan this weekend when it hosts high-scoring Washington and high-flying quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who racked up 538 yards of whole offense in opposition to Rutgers on Friday night time.

End result: 37-0 highway win over Wisconsin

Even with a hobbled quarterback, Iowa turned the newest group to select from no matter is left of Wisconsin’s carcass with a dominant, shutout victory at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday night time. Quarterback Mark Gronowski entered as a game-time determination after injuring his knee throughout the Hawkeyes’ loss to then-No. 11 Indiana in late September. He wound up enjoying and accomplished 17 of 24 passes for 107 yards, no passing touchdowns and no interceptions, although he did add one rating together with his legs. Pedestrian as these numbers have been, Gronowski gave his group greater than sufficient to deal with the Badgers on an evening when Iowa led by 17 after the primary quarter and its protection pressured three turnovers within the first half.

The Hawkeyes pounded their solution to 210 dashing yards and 4 touchdowns as a group — led by the 15 carries for 96 yards and one rating from tailback Kamari Moulton — and scored factors on all 5 journeys to the crimson zone, together with three touchdowns.

Iowa will now host wounded, spiraling Penn State on Saturday night time in what needs to be a captivating sport following the firing of head coach James Franklin over the weekend. 4 of the Hawkeyes’ remaining six video games are at dwelling.

End result: 27-20 dwelling win over Purdue

For a lot of head coach P.J. Fleck’s tenure at Minnesota, which dates to 2017, the Gophers have constantly fielded one of many extra productive dashing offenses within the nation. Their common nationwide rating when it comes to yards per sport from 2017-23 was forty fourth, and Minnesota peaked with two top-30 finishes in 2021 (twenty seventh) and 2022 (sixteenth). However now, for the second straight season, Fleck’s group has drifted exterior the highest 100 nationally due largely to turnover alongside the offensive line and accidents on the operating again place. And so forth Saturday night time in opposition to Purdue, with its dashing offense sputtering as soon as once more, the Gophers leaned on their protection to safe the victory.

Star security Koi Perich, an All-American in 2024, returned an interception 27 yards for a game-winning landing with 7:40 remaining to make sure final week’s embarrassing loss to No. 1 Ohio State didn’t bleed right into a second straight defeat. Perich’s rating got here seven seconds after Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey threw a 4-yard landing to tight finish Jameson Geers, disorienting the Boilermakers when it mattered most. These touchdowns helped the Gophers offset a minus-194 discrepancy in whole yards. Minnesota will now host No. 25 Nebraska on Friday night time in a nationally televised sport (8 p.m. ET on FOX).

The Relaxation

End result: 38-13 highway win over Michigan State

Interim coach Tim Skipper challenged UCLA’s gamers to string collectively multiple eye-catching efficiency in an effort to keep away from being labeled "one-hit wonders" following their upset of then-No. 7 Penn State earlier this month. The Bruins responded with one other sterling effort in a complete victory at Michigan State over the weekend, reeling off 38 consecutive factors from the primary quarter via the third en path to a blowout. Skipper’s group outgained the Spartans 418-253 in whole yards and completed with a bonus of practically 13 minutes in time of possession. UCLA is now one in every of eight groups tied at 2-1 within the convention standings.

End result: 22-21 highway win over Penn State

Previous to Saturday, greater than a decade had handed since Northwestern’s final victory at Beaver Stadium in 2014, which occurred to be Penn State’s first season below head coach James Franklin. The Wildcats pounced on a rudderless, directionless opponent by constructing early leads of 3-0 and 10-7 earlier than roaring again with two fourth-quarter scores that proved an excessive amount of for the Nittany Lions to beat. A 9-yard landing run by tailback Caleb Komolafe with 4:51 remaining capped his group’s 12-play, 75-yard drive that lastly broke Penn State’s will. Northwestern has now gained three straight video games for the primary time since late within the 2023 marketing campaign.

End result: 34-31 dwelling loss to Nebraska

The Terrapins erased two separate 10-point deficits throughout Saturday’s sport to take an eventual 31-24 lead with 6:40 remaining within the third quarter when defensive again Dontay Joyner returned an interception 67 yards for a landing. It was one in every of three picks snagged by Maryland’s protection on a day when head coach Mike Locksley’s group gained the turnover battle 3-0. However the protection couldn’t maintain perpetually, and finally Nebraska mounted two fourth-quarter scoring drives of 80-plus yards to surge in entrance for good. The Terrapins have now dropped two in a row after starting the season with 4 straight wins.

End result: 22-21 dwelling loss to Northwestern

One week after dropping to UCLA as 25.5-point favorites within the Rose Bowl, the Nittany Lions reached the unquestioned nadir of head coach James Franklin’s tenure by falling to Northwestern at dwelling regardless of being favored by greater than three touchdowns. Penn State solely produced 274 yards of whole offense and turned the ball over twice in a sport it led 21-16 previous the halfway level of the fourth quarter. To make issues worse, quarterback Drew Allard exited late within the sport with what Franklin later described as a season-ending damage. The Nittany Lions, whose Faculty Soccer Playoff hopes are actually extinguished, responded by firing Franklin on Sunday afternoon in a shocking transfer that may require them to pay a buyout reportedly price near $50 million.

End result: 38-19 highway loss to Washington

Regardless of the challenges that include making a cross-country journey on a brief week, Rutgers appeared just like the more energizing group whereas constructing leads of 10-0 and 13-7 within the first half in opposition to Washington on Friday night time. However the identical defensive woes which have plagued the Scarlet Knights in high-scoring losses to Iowa (38-28) and Minnesota (31-28) resurfaced down the stretch because the Huskies exploded for 21 factors within the third quarter and 7 extra within the fourth. Head coach Greg Schiano’s group has now sunk to 89th nationally in whole protection (385.3 yards per sport) and 94th in scoring protection (27.5 factors per sport) after rating among the many prime 35 in each classes as just lately as 2023.

End result: 38-13 dwelling loss to UCLA

The issue for second-year head coach Jonathan Smith, who took over Michigan State forward of the 2024 marketing campaign after profitable 25 video games over his ultimate three seasons at Oregon State, is that indicators of reputable progress have gotten more durable and more durable to seek out. The Spartans have now misplaced 9 of 11 convention video games relationship to final season and can face an uphill battle to realize bowl eligibility given a comparatively tough remaining schedule that features video games in opposition to No. 3 Indiana (away), Michigan (dwelling) and Iowa (away). Beginning quarterback Aidan Chiles, who adopted Smith from Oregon State to East Lansing, dropped out of Saturday’s sport with 11:12 remaining within the third quarter and didn't return. His standing shifting ahead is unclear.

17. Purdue (2-4 general, 0-3 Huge Ten)

End result: 27-20 highway loss to Minnesota

The Boilermakers have been tied with Minnesota, 20-20, close to the halfway level of the fourth quarter when quarterback Ryan Browne tossed an ill-fated interception that was returned for a landing by Gophers’ security Koi Perich. It was Purdue’s third interception of the sport and gave Minnesota a second landing within the span of seven seconds, with the Gophers having scored on offense simply earlier than Browne threw the choose. Head coach Barry Odom’s group outgained Minnesota by practically 200 whole yards however couldn’t overcome 4 penalties and 9 turnovers. Purdue nonetheless has not overwhelmed an opponent from the ability conferences this season, with its solely wins coming in opposition to Ball State and Southern Illinois.

End result: 37-0 dwelling loss to Iowa

At this level, following 4 consecutive double-digit losses and a sub-.500 report throughout two-plus seasons as Wisconsin’s head coach, it’s tough to see a means ahead for Luke Fickell. The Badgers are regressing on either side of the ball: On offense, the place Fickell modified coordinators earlier than the season, they’ve plummeted to 131st in scoring (15.5 factors per sport) and 129th general (292.5 yards per sport). On protection, which was at all times one of many program’s calling playing cards throughout earlier regimes, the Badgers are actually tied for 58th in scoring (22.7 factors per sport) and thirty fourth general (317 yards per sport). Fickell acknowledged the truth of his state of affairs after Saturday’s loss.

"Effectively, that’s as little as it may be," Fickell mentioned. "I apologize. I apologize to our guys to not be prepared, to not have them prepared. I’m dumbfounded in a number of methods. However that’s my job."

Michael Cohen covers faculty soccer and faculty basketball for FOX Sports activities. Comply with him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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