UNDATED (AP) — No. 5 Michigan State visits Purdue in the game of the week in the Big Ten. The unbeaten Spartans have won eight straight against Purdue and three in a row in West Lafayette since 2007. But this is a tricky game. Michigan State is coming off the high of beating rival Michigan, and the Boilermakers have a habit of beating ranked teams. Mel Tucker has his team on alert. Penn State visits Maryland looking to snap a three-game losing streak. No. 6 Ohio State is a two-touchdown favorite at Nebraska. The Gophers host Illinois, down another running back.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Ohio State coach Ryan Day doesn’t want his players looking at the recent history against Nebraska. The Buckeyes have outscored the Cornhuskers by an average of 53-18 while winning the last six meetings. Day says his players better not expect an easy Saturday in Lincoln. With the Buckeyes No. 5 in the season’s first College Football Playoff rankings, they have no margin for error. No two-loss team has ever made the playoff. Nebraska has lost three straight and five of its last six. But none of the Huskers’ six losses has been by more than eight points.
UNDATED (AP) — No. 5 Michigan State will try to keep its unbeaten season on track Saturday when it visits Purdue. The Spartans are playing for more than just a conference crown. They’re the Big Ten’s last unbeaten team and the conference’s top playoff contender. Purdue already has beaten one top-five team and a second would make them bowl-eligible for the first time in three years.
UNDATED (AP) — Michigan’s drive for perfection ended in agonizing fashion. Coach Jim Harbaugh doesn’t believe his players will dwell on that second-half collapse. The No. 9 Wolverines gave away a 16-point lead to in-state rival Michigan State on Saturday in a 37-33 defeat, their first loss of the season. Michigan will need to recover emotionally by this Saturday night, when they host unranked Indiana. “I’ve seen the team for a long time now, the way they respond,” Harbaugh said.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Maryland hosts No. 22 Penn State this weekend at the start of another tough stretch in the schedule. After facing Penn State, the Terrapins meet Michigan State and Michigan. Maryland won its first four games this season before stepping up in class to face Iowa and Ohio State. The Terps were drubbed in those two games by a combined score of 117-31. Penn State is coming off a hard-fought 33-24 loss at Ohio State last weekend.
UNDATED (AP) — Iowa was rolling along, unbeaten at No. 2 in the AP poll and with its sights set on a spot in the College Football Playoffs just a few weeks ago. The 19th-ranked Hawkeyes will try to steady themselves after back-to-back losses when they visit Northwestern on Saturday. Iowa has been outscored by a combined 51-14 against Purdue and Wisconsin since knocking off then-No. 4 Penn State to improve to 6-0. Northwestern is coming off back-to-back blowout losses to Michigan and Minnesota.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota linebacker Jack Gibbens always wanted to play Big Ten football. He grew up more than a thousand miles away in south Texas. Gibbens is a graduate transfer from Abilene Christian. He’s getting his chance this year to relish trying to defend against powerful running teams in the conference. The Gophers are more than holding their own. They rank second in the Big Ten in fewest rushing yards allowed. Minnesota hosts Illinois on Saturday. Stopping Chase Brown is the top priority. Brown is the third-leading rusher in the Big Ten.
