Notables from Week 7 in the Big Ten
Ohio State remains the dominant team in the conference, while other teams look to rebound from disappointing losses.
Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer addresses the media during Big Ten Football Media Days in Chicago on Tuesday, July 24, 2018.
October 10, 2018
It’s now Week 7 of the college football season, which means we’re about halfway through, and the Big Ten standings are starting to take shape.
Last week saw all but two Big Ten teams in action, with the most notable game being Northwestern upsetting Michigan State, 29-19, in East Lansing.
The rest of the games went to the favored teams, and that has given way to some interesting matchups for the upcoming weekend. All 14 Big Ten teams will be in action this time around with the most notable matchup being Wisconsin at Michigan.
RELATED: Hawkeye injuries create uncertainty for Indiana matchup
Here are some of the notable storylines heading into this weekend.
Ohio State continues to dominate despite injuries
Ohio State started the season mired in controversy and without Urban Meyer for the first three games.
Now, the Buckeyes sit at 6-0 and at No. 3 in the AP poll with some of their tougher games behind them, and they’re in great position to take the Big Ten East and play for a playoff spot.
Meyer noted in his press conference on Monday how big it was for the Buckeyes to be in this spot despite some significant injuries.
“We’ve overcome significant injuries,” he said. “Most notable is Nick Bosa. And we’re still finding ways to win games.”
This weekend, Ohio State will host Minnesota.
How will Penn State respond after Ohio State loss?
After a bye week, Penn State is back in action for the first time after a heartbreaking 1-point loss to Ohio State on Sept. 30.
Penn State head coach James Franklin came under fire after the loss after he chose to run the ball on fourth-and-5 with a little over a minute left in the game.
Franklin said in Tuesday’s press conference that he hopes his team can learn from the game and go ahead with the season.
“Obviously it hurts,” Franklin said. “It hurts our fans. It hurts our players. I know we did not finish the game the way anybody wants us to finish. But we study that. We learn from that. We grow from that.”
Penn State takes on Michigan State, another team coming off a tough loss, this Saturday in Happy Valley.
Michigan State looking to prove itself this weekend
Speaking of Michigan State, the Spartans are also coming off a very disappointing loss at home to Northwestern, a team that only had one win at kickoff.
Now, they have to prepare for the toughest stretch of the schedule as they will take on Penn State this weekend, then host in-state rival Michigan on Oct. 20.
Most pundits have already cast away the possibility of Michigan State making any noise in the Big Ten East this season, but it hopes to prove everybody wrong this weekend in Happy Valley.
“I think you’ve got to look forward to playing away [games],” head coach Mark Dantonio said in his Tuesday press conference. “It’s a little bit us-against-the-world type mentality. It will serve us well. Got to go over and play well.”
