“10 things in the Big Ten” Week 8

Welcome back to “10 Things in the Big Ten.” I honestly can’t believe we’re already 8 weeks into the season. My best pal asked me this morning, “Is this the greatest college football season of all time?!” While I’m not ready to say it’s the best season in CFB history, it’s been one hell of a start, and it’s on pace to be one of the best seasons we’ve had in recent memory. Let’s dive into Week 8’s action-packed recap.

1. Indiana + Oregon stay Unbeaten

Both teams move to 7-0 and are ranked in the top 15 nationally. Oregon picked up an easy win on Friday and is now #1 in the country for the first time since 2012. Indiana is 7-0 for the first time since 1967 and remains one of the best stories of the year in the Big Ten. (Penn State was on a bye this week, they are also undefeated.)*

2. Illinois Signature Win

Illinois hasn’t beaten Michigan since 2009, but over the weekend, they broke the 15-year losing streak with a 21-7 win over the Wolverines, all while wearing some of the coolest college football helmets I’ve ever seen. Most of this game featured good old Big Ten football. Michigan actually outgained Illinois in yards, but Illinois’s defense held strong throughout the game when it mattered most. Michigan is truly missing J.J. McCarthy and looks lost without him. It’s still surprising to me that Donovan Edwards hasn’t done a single thing this year after the season he had in 2023.

3. Hoosier Train is Rolling

I’m not the only college football fan who has questions about this Indiana Hoosiers football team. It’s been great to see the resurgence of Indiana football compared to last year, but we still had questions about who they are. With their schedule not being the strongest so far, this was a huge matchup for them. Needless to say, Indiana passed the test in a big way, absolutely dominating the Cornhuskers. Kurtis Rourke did get hurt in the game, but they still put up nearly 500 yards and were able to pick off Raiola three times.

4. Big Performances of the Week

Ethan Garbers (UCLA) • 4 td, 383 yd, 23/38 c/att.

Billy Edwards Jr. (Maryland) • 2 td, 373 yd, 39/50 c/att.

Kaleb Johnson (Iowa) • 1 td, 120 yd.

Justice Ellison (Indiana) • 2 td, 121 yd.

5. Upsets – USC / Rutgers

USC has been a major disappointment in the Big Ten this season. They’ve lost four close games in a row and have looked bad doing it. They lost to a struggling Maryland team this weekend when it shouldn’t have been close. Out East, Rutgers lost to one of the worst teams in college football, UCLA, and made Ethan Garbers look like a Heisman front-runner. I had such high hopes for Rutgers, and it really sucks to see them fall off so hard over the last few games.

UPCOMING B10 GAMES

6. Illinois at Oregon

Coming off the signature win of their season, the #20 Fighting Illini travel to face #1 Oregon. I’m still not sold on Oregon as the best team in the country and believe Illinois should be more respected, but either way, it’s another huge test for Illinois. Dillon Gabriel has another great opportunity to showcase his Heisman campaign, as Oregon is currently a -21.5 point favorite, with kickoff at 3:30 PM on CBS.

7. Penn State at Wisconsin

Kickoff is at 7:30 PM on NBC as #3 Penn State heads west to Camp Randall to take on the Wisconsin Badgers. I’ll be watching my Nittany Lions live in the Cheese State on Saturday night. It’s my first time going to Wisconsin, and I’m super excited to see the campus and witness “Jump Around” after the third quarter. Penn State is a -6.5 favorite over Wisconsin as they look to secure a big road win after their bye.

8. Washington at Indiana

College GameDay will be live on Saturday morning for the first time ever from Indiana, which is well-deserved and pretty cool. #13 Indiana will have to face Washington without their star QB, Kurtis Rourke, after he exited Saturday’s game with a thumb injury. Despite missing Rourke for this matchup, Indiana is a -6.5 favorite. Kickoff is slated for 12:00 PM on the Big Ten Network.

9. Nebraska at Ohio State

Even with Nebraska getting blown out last weekend, Nebraska at #4 Ohio State is still an interesting matchup and one that I’ll have my eye on. Ohio State is coming off a loss to Oregon (they did have a bye week to fix some things), and my bet is on Ohio State showing out against the Cornhuskers. The Buckeyes are a -25.5 favorite, and Big Noon Kickoff is headed to Columbus, so it’ll have a noon kickoff, which you can watch on Fox.

10. Michigan State at Michigan

The rivalry has had more meaningful matchups in previous years, but it’s still going to be a fun one to watch. I wouldn’t be surprised if Michigan blows them out, but I can also see Michigan State keeping it close. I’m really excited to see MSU’s true freshman Nick Marsh match up against Will Johnson (assuming he plays through his injury). Michigan is a 4.5-point favorite at home. The Spartans and Wolverines will be under the lights with a 7:30 PM kickoff on the Big Ten Network.

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