Three Power Four programs enter Week 9 still waiting for their first win over a Power Four opponent, and all three happen to come from the Big Ten.
Penn State, Maryland and Michigan State are the only Power Four teams in the country without a Power Four victory. Together, they’ve gone 0-13 in conference play, a grim collective mark that underscores how rough this stretch has been.
Penn State sits at 3-4 after wins over Marshall, Temple and Buffalo, but the Nittany Lions haven’t won since Sept. 19 against Buffalo. Since then, they’ve taken a 24-20 home loss to Wisconsin, fallen 34-13 at Northwestern in the debut of the new Ryan Field, dropped a 31-23 White Out game to USC and lost 21-18 at Michigan.
Quarterback Rocco Becht turned the ball over three times in Ann Arbor, and those mistakes led to 21 Michigan points. Even so, first-year coach Matt Campbell said during his bye-week news conference that he is sticking with his quarterback.
“We have complete faith in Rocco Becht,” Campbell said.
Penn State hosts Purdue at 4:15 p.m. ET Saturday on BTN. The Nittany Lions have beaten the Boilermakers 11 straight times, a run that dates to 2005.
Maryland’s search for a breakthrough has already cost its coach. The Terrapins fired Mike Locksley on Oct. 21, four days after a 37-30 home loss to Rutgers.
That defeat was Maryland’s 12th straight Big Ten loss and its 13th straight loss to a Power Four opponent, a skid that also includes a 35-26 home loss to Virginia Tech and former Penn State coach James Franklin on Sept. 19.
The second half has been especially brutal for Maryland. In its four Big Ten games, the Terrapins were outscored 92-13 after halftime.
“Following thoughtful conversations with Coach Locksley, we agreed that a coaching change was in the best interest of Coach Locksley and the Maryland football program,” athletic director Jim Smith said.
Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, the co-defensive coordinator, takes over as interim coach for Saturday’s noon ET home game against Illinois on FS1. Maryland will also host Penn State on Nov. 28, meaning one of those two teams is guaranteed to pick up a Power Four win before the regular season ends.
Michigan State’s path has looked different, but the result is the same. The Spartans started 2-0, then dropped six straight under first-year coach Pat Fitzgerald. The slide began with a 27-10 loss at Notre Dame, and two of the Big Ten defeats came down to the wire: a 38-37 overtime loss to Illinois, when Fitzgerald went for two instead of trying to tie it with an extra point, and a 24-21 loss to Northwestern, which got a late rally from former Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles.
In Saturday’s 28-10 loss at No. 9 UCLA, injuries to Alessio Milivojevic and Cam Fancher forced third-string quarterback Kayd Coffman into his first start.
“It is not easy getting your first start against the No. 9 team in the country,” Fitzgerald said.
Michigan State is off this week before heading to Michigan on Nov. 7.
In Other News...
Michigan State Just Made An Early Push For A Top Defensive Piece
Michigan States staff has already started laying groundwork for the future on defense, and one of the first names to surface is Kaleb Woseley. The highly rated cornerback from Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia is part of the 2028 recruiting class, and the Spartans have now joined a growing list of programs showing early interest in a prospect who already carries a four-star composite rating.
For a program trying to build out its defensive pipeline through high school recruiting, getting in early on a player like Woseley matters. He has multiple offers on the board, which only adds to the competition, and Michigan States push is an indication that the Spartans are not waiting around to identify the next wave of secondary talent. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Rivalry Could Be Headed For Another Jarring Change
The latest round of coaching chatter around the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry has more to do with instability than the game itself, and that is becoming a familiar theme. A CBS report suggested Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham could be facing a one-and-done run because of the programs struggles and the criticism piling up around him, another reminder that the rivalry has been shaped as much by turnover on the sidelines as by what happens on the field.
From Michigan States perspective, Pat Fitzgerald does not appear to be in the same kind of danger right now, even with the usual pressures that come with the job. Still, the possibility of another abrupt change at Michigan would add another layer of uncertainty to a rivalry that has already seen plenty of movement in recent years, and it would be another storyline the Spartans would have to navigate whether or not the on-field matchup changes with it. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Brings A Real Test To College Hockeys Biggest Stage
Michigan State is stepping into one of college hockeys biggest showcase moments with plenty of attention already attached. The Spartans, ranked No. 4 nationally, will have their game carried across NCHC.tv, Midco Sports and Fox 47.2, giving a wider audience a chance to see a roster that has quickly built real credibility. This is also the kind of stage where a young team can either look like a contender or get exposed, and Michigan State arrives with enough talent to make it a compelling watch.
One of the biggest reasons for that confidence has been freshman goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen, who has been strong early and sits near the top nationally in save percentage and goals against average. Add in a roster that features a significant number of NHL draft picks, and the Spartans are not just showing up for a showcase event, they are bringing the kind of firepower and poise that can make this game feel like more than a one-night exhibition. The question now is how well that talent holds up against a true test on a bigger stage. [Read more 🡒]