The Big Ten’s Week 7 slate comes with plenty of sorting to do at both ends of the conference, and it starts at the top. Ohio State and Indiana are set for the league’s biggest game of the week, while Rutgers and Maryland are matched up in a battle to avoid the conference cellar. In between, Washington-Purdue shapes up as a points parade, Michigan is staring at more trouble, and Nebraska has a chance to make the kind of statement people in the conference have been waiting for.
The most entertaining game on the board could easily be Washington and Purdue. Washington’s defense has been slipping for the last few weeks, and the results have shown it.
Minnesota put together one of its best offensive outings against the Huskies, then Iowa’s offense ran right through them last week. Purdue should be able to find room too, but the Boilermakers’ defense is so shaky that Demond Williams and Washington should pile up points as well.
Washington has the bigger offensive punch and should win this one, but not before it comes down to a late touchdown in the fourth quarter. That matchup looks like the highest-scoring game in the Big Ten this week.
At the other end of the conference, Rutgers and Maryland are meeting in what amounts to a showdown between the Big Ten’s two weakest teams. Both defenses have shown they can’t consistently stop anyone, but Rutgers has a little more edge heading into this one.
Maryland has dropped three straight games by blowout, and that kind of stretch leaves less to cling to. Rutgers, meanwhile, has more fire, and KJ Duff and Antwan Raymond are expected to be major factors.
A loss here would stamp Maryland as the worst team in the Big Ten and put Mike Locksley in an even tighter spot.
Ohio State’s meeting with Indiana is the game that will say the most about the top of the league. The Buckeyes are getting their first real test since the loss to Texas, while Indiana has spent the last few weeks grinding through one competitive game after another.
Ohio State is the better team, and its offense looks stronger than it did against Texas, when it controlled that game for three quarters before the fourth-quarter collapse. Indiana has been pushing teams for most of the game lately, but this is a different ask.
To have a shot, the Hoosiers need their best version from start to finish. The most likely outcome is Ohio State landing the signature win over a top opponent.
Michigan, meanwhile, is coming off a much-needed bye, but the break hasn’t changed the larger picture much. There still isn’t much to suggest the Wolverines can go beat Penn State, and Bryce Underwood’s struggles continue.
The coaches charged with helping his development have not done much better. The slide could deepen fast, especially with Indiana waiting the following week.
A third straight loss would only make the situation uglier in Ann Arbor.
Nebraska is another team set up for a chance to change the conversation. The Cornhuskers showed something last week against Indiana and look like a legitimate Big Ten team.
Oregon enters the week without a clear starting quarterback after Dante Moore was ruled out, and Dylan Raiola hasn’t exactly inspired confidence after getting benched last week. That gives Nebraska the edge at the most important spot on the field.
It’s the kind of spot where the Cornhuskers can finally earn the signature win that people outside Lincoln have been slow to give them credit for.
In Other News...
USCs Midseason TV Numbers Say A Lot About This Team
USCs first half of the season has played out under an unusually bright national spotlight, and the Nielsen numbers help explain why. The Trojans have already been part of a handful of heavily watched games, including a Pac-12 rivalry matchup on NBC that drew the biggest audience of the group. Along the way, the TV ratings have mirrored the bigger storyline around this team: when USC is involved, people tend to tune in, whether it is for the brand, the stakes, or the chance to see how the Trojans handle a big-stage opponent.
The midseason viewership snapshot also offers a reminder of how often USC has been in games that carried real national interest, with key performances and defining moments helping drive those audiences. It is the kind of exposure that comes with being one of college footballs most recognizable programs, and it will only matter more as the schedule moves deeper into the year. The broader ratings picture is still taking shape, with more games ahead and other programs, including Wisconsin, showing their own audience draws in the same tracking. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Sent A Clear Message About Lincoln Rileys Future
USC president Beong-Soo Kim made it clear the school is looking at the football program through the lens of the season in front of it, not the price tag attached to Lincoln Rileys contract. With Wisconsin next on the schedule and a difficult stretch still ahead, the message from the top is to shut out the outside chatter and stay focused on the only thing that can change the conversation: winning.
It is an understandable stance for a team still trying to steady itself in a season with plenty of noise around it. The Trojans have ranked opponents looming and the usual championship and playoff talk hanging over the program, but Kims comments suggest USC is not interested in letting speculation about Rileys future drive the story right now. Instead, the coming weeks will be about performance, not panic, and whether the Trojans can play their way into a better place. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Bye Week Could Still Bring A Rankings Boost
USCs week 7 bye comes at a good time, even after the Trojans already grabbed a major win over Penn State. At No. 19, they are still sitting in the part of the rankings where every result around them matters, and this weekend offers a chance for movement without USC having to take the field. The ripple effects could start quickly, with several teams above and near the Trojans carrying uncertainty into the next round of games.
Texas, Florida, UCLA, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Missouri all have situations worth watching, and a few quarterback injuries could end up shaping the bracket of the poll more than anyone expected. If some of those teams stumble, USC could climb simply by holding steady during the bye, which makes this one of those quiet weeks that could still matter a lot in November-style ranking math. [Read more 🡒]