Big Ten Superlatives: Week 5

Penn State, along with a good number of other Big Ten teams, was off on Saturday. However, the conference did have some interesting moments – including a ranked-on-ranked showdown that was nowhere near as competitive as anyone expected. Here are some of the highlights from this past weekend in the Big Ten.

Best Win of the Week: Indiana Makes a Statement

Indiana shocked the college football world last year with its 11-1 regular season and appearance in the playoffs. The off-season narrative seemed determined to find an under-the-radar power conferences team that might explode onto the scene and earn a playoff berth like the Hoosiers did last year. In the Big Ten, Illinois was mentioned as one of those teams. Well, Indiana went ahead and announced itself as a player in the Big Ten and as likely as anyone to play themselves into the conference race. The Hoosiers were dominant in a 63-10 prime time win against the Illini.

Worst Loss of the Week: The Seat Gets Hotter in Madtown

Wisconsin was pummeled at home on Saturday against Maryland. The Badgers have two quarterbacks who both looked injured and they did little in the way of offense. By the end of the game, few fans were left in Camp Randall and some of those had already chanted “Fire Fickell”. The Badgers are 2-2, but face a ridiculously tough conference schedule. The buyout is big for Luke Fickell, but things are looking dire in a hurry for the Badgers.

Offensive Player of the Week: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

The transfer quarterback looked in control from the start against Illinois. The Hoosiers, as mentioned already, would roll up 63 points and Mendoza was nearly perfect. He finished 21-of-23 for 267 yards and five scores.

Defensive Player of the Week: Michigan Defensive Line

Rayshaun Benny. Derrick Moore. Jaishawn Barham. They lived in the Nebraska backfield and helped the Wolverines to a 30-27 road win in Lincoln. While the final score didn’t necessarily reflect it, Michigan won the game with its front four as they hounded Dylan Raiola.

Offensive Play of the Week: Purdue’s opening touchdown

Look, the Boilers wound up losing big in a storm-delayed game in South Bend against Notre Dame, but Purdue tied the game early with this play that I had never seen executed before.

Defensive Play of the Week: Alex McLaughlin, Washington

McLaughlin had two interceptions as Washington won the Apple Cup against in-state rival Washington State. McLaughlin’s second pick ended in a touchdown and helped seal the deal.

Most Big Ten Moment of the Week: September Maryland is Back

Since 2014, Maryland is 36-10 in August and September games. That includes 4-0 this year after the win at Wisconsin over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Terrapins are off this coming week. So, what will happen in October?

Most Big Ten West Moment of the Week: Ranked wins? Nah.

Former Big Ten West members Illinois, Nebraska, and Purdue each played ranked teams on Saturday. The combined final spread? The former consolation bracket participants were outscored by 82 points.

Most Iowa Moment of the Week: Special Teams are Special

Iowa pulled away late for a Friday night win at Rutgers. Let’s go ahead and make sure that the Lions are ready to cover kicks when they had to Kinnick next month.

What We’re Looking Forward to the Most: WHITEOUT!

College GameDay will be in town and Penn State will be at the epicenter of the college football world. While some other teams have four games under their belt, in many ways this feels like opening day to the 2025 college football season for the Lions.