.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
A look at the Big Ten West heading into week eight
The Wisconsin Badgers marched into Kinnick Stadium and won a hard-fought game against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday, 17-9. It kept Wisconsin’s Big Ten West and College Football Playoff hopes alive. It also will make it very hard for Iowa to finish above .500 in the regular season.
The Big Ten West had a lot of surprises this week, though. Minnesota and Nebraska both had to fight in games that many expected them to have won by halftime. It further proves that Wisconsin right now is clearly the best team in the division, although Nebraska will have a chance to prove everyone wrong this week.
In a battle between two top-25 teams, the Nebraska Cornhuskers travel to Camp Randall to take on Wisconsin this week. The seventh-ranked Cornhuskers are very much alive in the College Football Playoff picture, and a win for the 11th ranked Badgers would give them a big boost in the AP Poll after dropping one spot following a win.
After Penn State took down Ohio State, the two Big Ten divisions look more even. Michigan is now the new favorite in the Big Ten, and the West division could be decided this week.
Here’s a look at the Big Ten West after another week of football.
Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
No. 7 – Illinois Fighting Illini 2-5 (1-3)
Last Week: 6
No one expected Illinois to upset Michigan, especially since they went into the game with third-string quarterback Jeff George Jr. After seeing how easily Michigan beat Rutgers, a 41-8 loss isn’t terrible. Besides, the Illini managed to score eight points on an impressive touchdown, that nearly got intercepted, and held the Wolverines to 10 points in the second half.
Although, with Wes Lunt and Chayce Crouch both out, Illinois is in an even bigger hole than before. George completed just 4-of-15 passes for 95 yards and threw a touchdown and interception. However, George finished the first half with more interceptions (one) than completions (zero). He didn’t complete a pass until 8:41 left in the third quarter.
It’s a testament to the stifling defense Michigan has, but also shines a light on the struggles Illinois’ offense is facing with their top two quarterbacks hurt.
Want your voice heard? Join the Dear Old Gold team!
One positive is the Illini’s run game. Kendrick Foster and Ke’Shawn Vaughn combined to rush for 88 yards on 15 carries, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. It’s an impressive feat against a very good run defense, but it’s hard to win with no pass game.
Defensively, Illinois allowed Michigan to score a touchdown on each of their first four drives and score points on five of six drives in the first half. Wilton Speight didn’t play in the fourth quarter or it could have been much worse for the Illini.
When it comes down to it, Illinois has no identity on offense, and their defense isn’t good enough to win them games. Until Lunt or Crouch become healthy, the Illini will have a hard time winning. Illinois will be underdogs the rest of the season, but against Minnesota this week is their best chance to win the rest of the season.
Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
No. 6 – Purdue Boilermakers 3-4 (1-3)
Last Week: 7
Facing a top-10 team the week of firing your head coach usually never goes well. Purdue almost became the exception, though. The Boilermakers led Nebraska 14-10 at halftime before being shut out in the second half and losing 27-14.
hawkeyes
Dear Old Gold 1 dIowa Football: Eno Benjamin Reopens Recruitment
More headlines around FanSided:
1 d - Jarrod Uthoff: The Next Step for the Former Hawkeye1 d - Iowa Football: Three Takeaways From Loss to Wisconsin2d - AP Poll: Big Ten Remains Well-Represented After Hectic Week2d - Iowa Football: Unit Grades From Loss to Wisconsin2d - Wisconsin Football: Badgers stay alive in Big Ten West race, defeat Iowa 17-9More News at Dear Old Gold
Purdue has had their moments this season, but the inconsistency once again showed up against the Cornhuskers. The defense kept Tommy Armstrong Jr in check in the first half but needed the offense to continue scoring.
Purdue only averaged 1.1 yards per carry and David Blough threw his 11th interception of the year, also adding two touchdowns. Plus, Deangelo Yancey stepped up for a second straight week after replacing Domonique Young as Purdue’s top receiver. Purdue simply doesn’t have enough playmakers.
Still, they hung with a top-10 team and still have a chance to become bowl eligible. Sure, it’s a long shot, considering the remaining of their schedule, but Gerad Parker showed a lot during his first week as interim head coach.
Purdue’s problems won’t go away this season, but David Blough is only a sophomore and continues to prove that he’s a gun-slinger and someone they can rely on. He’s been turnover prone this year but it’s a fixable quality of young quarterbacks.
Darrell Hazell isn’t a terrible coach but he wasn’t the right man for the job at Purdue. The Boilermakers are headed in the right direction and have a chance to upset a team if they play a complete game.
Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
No. 5 – Minnesota Golden Gophers 5-2 (2-2)
Last Week: 5
Minnesota is quietly hanging around in the Big Ten West. With a 2-2 conference record, they still have an outside chance of winning the division and could be looking at a seven or eight win season. Their supposedly easy three game stretch almost got off to a rough start against Rutgers, though, as they barely escaped with a 34-32 win.
The Gophers aren’t a great team, although they handily beat Maryland the prior week and Rutgers is one of the worst teams in the nation, therefore a two-point win is a letdown. The Scarlet Knights haven’t been able to find any source of offense since losing Janarion Grant for the season but had 372 total yards against Minnesota and led 32-31 with 4:02 remaining in the game.
More from Dear Old Gold
The Gophers were a 28-yard field goal away from complete disaster.
Mitch Leidner did return for Minnesota, but it was clear that he needed to get back into form. He completed 11-of-18 passes and also threw an interception. The Gophers did average 4.6 yards per carry, with Rodney Smith gaining 111 yards on the ground, but their offense went stagnant after the first quarter. The Gophers scored 13 points in the last three quarters after scoring 21 in the first quarter.
The Gophers did sack Giovanni Rescigno four times but the inability to get off the field killed them. Rutgers converted 10-of-19 third downs, and it showed.
The Gophers have Illinois and Purdue before heading to Lincoln, Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers. Leidner needs to be better in the coming weeks, and Minnesota’s defense has to have a bounce back game. The Gophers aren’t bad, but they’re also not very good.
Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
No. 4 – Iowa Hawkeyes 5-3 (3-2)
Last Week: 3
2015’s 12-0 regular season seems like an eternity ago. The Iowa Hawkeyes have been a mess this season and it continued on Saturday. They didn’t play their worst game, although their offense couldn’t find the end zone, failing to complement the defense. It’s hard to blame Iowa for losing to a then top-10 team, but that’s the position the Hawkeyes were suppose to be in this season.
Now, Iowa sits at 5-3 with little confidence that their offense can score against good defenses. Simply put, if Iowa’s defense doesn’t score or force turnovers, the Hawkeyes will have a very hard time scoring enough to win. It’s shame, too, because the defense has done enough for Iowa to be better than 5-3.
With a bye week coming up, Iowa has a chance to get healthy before taking on top-25 teams such as Penn State, Michigan and Nebraska to end the season. Barring an upset, the Hawkeyes will finish the regular season 6-6, just a year after going undefeated.
There have been some questionable coaching calls and major injuries, but it boils down to Iowa simply not playing well enough. Their defense allowed Northwestern to score 38 points when the offense finally caught fire, and the offense ranks 69th in the nation in points per game.
The Hawkeyes should be bowl eligible, but will need to win their bowl game to finish above .500. At this point, Iowa is still technically not out of the Big Ten West race, but it’s extremely hard to picture a scenario they come out on top.
It’s not how many people envisioned the Hawkeyes’ season going, but a Desmond King return touchdown would definitely sweeten the season a little.
Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
No. 3 – Northwestern Wildcats 4-3 (3-1)
Last Week: 4
Don’t sleep on Northwestern, they’re back and have a legitimate shot at winning the Big Ten West. After a dreadful start to the season, the Wildcats bounced back nicely and are 4-1 in their past five games, with their lone loss coming to Nebraska. However, if Northwestern and Nebraska played today, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Northwestern won.
hawkeyes
Dear Old Gold 1 dIowa Football: Eno Benjamin Reopens Recruitment
More headlines around FanSided:
1 d - Jarrod Uthoff: The Next Step for the Former Hawkeye1 d - Iowa Football: Three Takeaways From Loss to Wisconsin2d - AP Poll: Big Ten Remains Well-Represented After Hectic Week2d - Iowa Football: Unit Grades From Loss to Wisconsin2d - Wisconsin Football: Badgers stay alive in Big Ten West race, defeat Iowa 17-9More News at Dear Old Gold
After two disappointing showings, Northwestern’s defense held Indiana to 14 points. If their defense catches fire, this is a very scary team with the way their offense has played as of late.
The key to their turnaround came from their offense. They don’t solely rely on Justin Jackson anymore with Clayton Thorson playing the best football of his career.
He threw three touchdowns in his third straight game against Indiana, and now has nine touchdowns and one interception over the past three games, including him completing at least 55 percent of passes in four straight games.
A big reason for his miraculous improvement has been Austin Carr, who had seven catches for 125 yards and a touchdown against Indiana. Northwestern still only ranks 84th in the nation in points per game, but they have scored at least 24 points in five straight games and their offense has led the team.
Northwestern has a huge test against Ohio State this week on the road before hosting Wisconsin. Two straight losses would seemingly end the Wildcats’ hopes of winning the West, but a win sets them up nicely. With Purdue, Minnesota and Illinois being their final three games, Northwestern would have a good chance to finish conference play with only two losses, which could be good enough to win the division.
It’s still a big if, and a lot will have to go right, but Northwestern isn’t dead yet.
Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
No. 2 – Nebraska Cornhuskers 7-0 (4-0)
Last Week: 2
Nebraska continues to win and will have their first test of conference play this week at Camp Randall against Wisconsin. That being said, the Cornhuskers’ past two wins have not been pretty, and it’s evident that they miss Devine Ozigbo and Jordan Westerkamp on offense.
After trailing at halftime to Purdue this past week, Nebraska’s defense stepped up and shut them out in the second half. Tommy Armstrong Jr and Terrell Newby did just enough on offense to win, but it wasn’t pretty. Losing two of their biggest playmakers has taken a serious toll on the Cornhuskers.
Armstrong has started to become more turnover prone over the past three games, throwing four interceptions. That can’t happen against a Wisconsin secondary this week that feasts off poor throws.
More from Dear Old Gold
Nebraska will lean on him again this week with Ozigbo and Westerkamp both likely out again. Nebraska desperately needs him to play like early 2016 season Tommy Armstrong, not 2015 Tommy Armstrong who threw 16 interceptions.
That being said, the Cornhuskers’ offense is still better on paper than Wisconsin’s. They rank 39th in the nation in points per game and gain an average of 447.4 yards per game. Armstrong can’t turn the ball over and needs to make plays for Nebraska if Newby only gains 3.7 yards per carry again, but it’s not like Nebraska has no chance.
Also, their defense ranks 14th in the nation in points allowed per game and have only given up more than 25 points once this season and more than 20 points once in conference play. It’s hard to sleep on a defense with three players with three or more interceptions and two players with seven and eight tackles for loss in 2016.
Ranked seventh in the AP Poll and still undefeated, it’s hard to see Nebraska not winning the West if they win this week. It’s their biggest test of the season, and the nation will finally see if they’re a legitimate top-10 team.
Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
No. 1 – Wisconsin Badgers 5-2 (1-2)
Last Week: 1
The latest AP Poll punished Wisconsin for winning on the road. They’re still clearly the best team in the Big Ten West, though, even with two losses. The Badgers continue to rely on their tough defense and their offense does just enough to come away with a win.
That being said, Corey Clement continued his sub-par season with 134 yards and a fumble on 35 carries. He also had a touchdown, but 34 yards came off one run and Iowa had no problem stopping the senior running back. He’s averaging a mere 4.3 yards per carry in 2016 and Wisconsin needs more from him this week against Nebraska.
Although, the quarterback controversy is back for Wisconsin. Bart Houston replaced Alex Hornibrook in the fourth quarter against Wisconsin, and the Badgers have an important decision to make heading into their game against Nebraska. Hornibrook didn’t play bad, completing 11-of-19 passes for 197 yards, but he never gave Wisconsin the spark they needed to pull away from Iowa.
Still, neither quarterback has been impressive this year, despite Wisconsin having three 20-plus reception receivers.
The Badgers’ defense also faces a dilemma. Linebacker Jack Cichy, Wisconsin’s leading receiver, has been lost for the season due to a torn pectoral muscle. They did get Vince Biegel back, but Cichy has been a vital part to the defense this year, and Wisconsin might also be without T.J. Watt.
The Badgers need a couple of breaks to win the West, but they’ll still be favorites if they win against Nebraska this week. Wisconsin has a quarterback controversy and needs to replace their leading tackler, but as long as their offense does just enough they’ll be fine.
This article originally appeared on 
