1) Penn State (7-0)
Penn State put Michigan in a blender last week. I wonder how puréed Wolverine tastes. Not sure I want to find out.
2) Wisconsin (7-0)
Freshman Jonathan Taylor ran for 200-plus yards in three-consecutive games this season, and he already has 1,112 yards rushing — more yards than Northwestern, Nebraska, Indiana, Iowa, Purdue, and Illinois have as teams. #facts
3) Ohio State (6-1)
I’m convinced J.T. Barrett scores touchdowns in his sleep.
4) Michigan (5-2)
Your khakis are getting a little too tight there, Jimmy.
5) Michigan State (6-1)
Iowa should have beaten Michigan State, but then again I could say this for Penn State and Northwestern, too. Carry on.
6) Northwestern (4-3)
According to Google, the average GPA at Northwestern is 4.11 — right at its win total for this season. Neat.
7) Iowa (4-3)
There’s a .gif of Brian Ferentz taking off his mask and underneath is Greg Davis. It’s nightmarish until you realize Iowa’s offense averages 13 points per game in its losses.
8) Purdue (3-4)
Purdue surprised people this year, including me, so it’s time to jump to conclusions. The Boilermakers will be a seven-win team this year.
9) Minnesota (4-3)
*Insert overused joke about a boat sinking.*
10) Maryland (3-4)
There’s an episode of “The Office” in which Kevin runs over a turtle and tries to nurse it back to help, but it turns out the turtle was dead the whole time.
11) Rutgers (3-4)
Rutgers has more wins in conference play this season than Iowa. Iowa State is ranked. What has this world come to?
12) Nebraska (3-4)
Iowa has better corn and football — barely, on the football comparison.
13) Indiana (3-4)
The Hoosiers have been hanging in there for most of their conference games this season (7-point loss to Michigan, 8-point loss to Michigan State). Tom Allen’s mentality of breaking through hasn’t broken through yet.
14) Illinois (2-5)
Not much love for Lovie Smith.
Offensive Impact
Name: Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
Position: Running back
Year: Freshman
Taylor surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in seven games — that’s nuts. The true freshman ran for 200-plus yards in three-straight games at one point this season. If that’s any indication of what Wisconsin fans can look forward to in the next year or two, the rest of the Big Ten should be worried. Taylor finds himself against a dreadful Illinois defense this weekend; there’s a very high chance he tops the 200-yard mark again.
Defensive Impact
Name: Joe Bachie, Michigan State
Position: Linebacker
Year: Sophomore
Bachie recorded a career-high 13 tackles in Michigan State’s 17-9 win against Indiana last weekend, earning him the title of the Big Ten’s Co-Defensive Player of the Week. The sophomore also recorded a sack, 1.5 tackles for a loss, and forced a fumble. Bachie leads an underrated Michigan State defense that could make some serious noise against Northwestern on Saturday.
Game to Watch
No. 2 Penn State @ No. 6 Ohio State
When: 2:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
Watch: Fox