Big Ten Superlatives: Week 10

Penn State earned a win in Seattle for the first time in more than 100 years on Saturday. There were some other historical things happening around the conference on the day.

Best Win of the Week: UCLA Stays Unbeaten

Minnesota has been mercurial and almost knocked off Indiana last weekend. At home against an unbeaten UCLA team, there was talk of the Gophers as a trendy upset pick. It didn’t happen. Ty Dieffenbach passed for 300 yards and the Bruins earned a 34-20 win, moving to 9-0 for the first time since 1998. The Bruins can afford to drop one of their final three and still be a playoff lock. But, it seems more and more likely that UCLA will be playing in Indianapolis for a chance at the conference title.

Worst Loss of the Week: Ohio State Sees it Slip Away

For all intents and purposes, Ohio State’s national title hopes ended when Julian Sayin was injured against Indiana. The death certificate wasn’t signed until Saturday, however. For the first time since 2011, Ohio State has lost back-to-back games. The Buckeyes are 6-3 and it’s not impossible to see this ending as an 8-4 or MAYBE even 7-5 season for Ryan Day’s crew. Oh, yea, we so badly wanted to put Michigan here – but more on them later.

Offensive Player of the Week: Collin Dixon, Illinois

Dixon has had an amazing season in Champaign, mostly in the shadows of some other great receivers in the conference. On Friday night, Dixon caught two touchdown scores, making him the single-season leader in Illinois history. His 129 yards helped the Illini become bowl eligible.

Defensive Player of the Week: NiJhay Burt, Michigan State

Burt forced a couple fumbles, recovered one, and had an interception in Michigan State’s 15-6 win in the Big House against Michigan. It was the first Big Ten win of the season for Sparty, and the first one at MSU for first-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald. Meanwhile, the Wolverines had four turnovers and less than 200 yards of total offense.

Offensive Play of the Week: Jacob Harris, Wisconsin

In Wisconsin’s 31-10 win against Rutgers, Harris put the finishing touches on the win with this beautiful sideline maneuver for a 66-yard score. Plus, this low angle view is pretty sweet.

Defensive Play of the Week: Ibn McDaniels, Penn State

As always, this is a Big Ten-centered post. But, we do like to include the home team when it seems to fit. McDaniels’s first interception of the season was a big one as Penn State held on for a three-point win at Washington.

Most Big Ten Moment of the Week: Maryland Snaps Long Losing Streaks

It’s a new month and it’s about time that the Terrapins won a conference game. Maryland is now 3-6 and snapped a six-game losing streak this season and a stretch of 13 consecutive losses in Big Ten play with a 34-29 win at Purdue. It was also the first win for interim coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim.

Most Big Ten West Moment of the Week: “Fiur” Everyone After a Close Loss

Nebraska didn’t fire everyone, but Matt Rhule did fire offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen after another disappointing defeat. The Huskers lost Friday night at Illinois, their fourth straight defeat and their fourth straight game with 17 points or fewer.

Most Iowa Moment of the Week: Hawks Stay Hot

Iowa became the first road team to win at Northwestern’s new Ryan Field – could have been us! Hank Brown was efficient and the Hawkeye defense controlled the Wildcat offense that was without starting quarterback Aiden Chiles.

What We’re Looking Forward to the Most: Bowl Eligibility?

Penn State needs to win one of its final three games to reach bowl eligibility and they’ll get their first shot on Saturday night against Minnesota. Hey, how about instead, we just go ahead and win out? The Lions are likely to be favored in their three final games.