3 days Ago
CHAMPAIGN — As Illinois football enjoys its second free weekend of the season and the Big Ten enters its final month, seems like the perfect time to evaluate the conference. Knowing, of course, that so much can change depending on what comes next. Late-season awards doesn’t quite describe what you are about to read.
Instead, call these the observations of someone who has covered Big Ten football for parts of five decades. Wow, that makes me sound old when put that way. ➜ Best Big Ten Team: Oregon.
By a whisker. Dan Lanning’s guys have knocked down every challenger, some in a lopsided fashion. (ask Illinois).
The Ducks are the unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 and were at the top of the first College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday. The early scare against Boise State might have actually been a blessing, reminding Oregon it has to be at its best every game.
➜ Big Ten MVP: Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel. The former UCF and Oklahoma quarterback isn’t perfect, but close enough. He is seventh in the nation in passing efficiency and just third in the Big Ten.
But he has more than a 400-yard advantage over the other two. Gabriel has been everything that Lanning could have asked for in a first-time starter. ➜ Big Ten Newcomer of the Year: Kurtis Rourke, Indiana.
For the purposes of this column, it is one win per customer. Otherwise, it would have to be Gabriel again. That’s boring.
Rourke spent five seasons at Ohio before moving to Bloomington, Ind. Great call. He has thrown 19 touchdown passes with just three interceptions.
He is not the lone reason Indiana is undefeated, but he is a major factor in the stunning performance. Credit Indiana for winning when he was forced to miss a game and even better that he came back and fired four TD passes in a blowout win against Michigan State. ➜ Big Ten Coach of the Year: Curt Cignetti, Indiana.
I was surprised when he was jarringly cocky during the Big Ten media kickoff. Turns out, he knew what was coming. The ultra-confident first-year coach has won at every level.
It was a mistake by so many to take him and his team so lightly. Won’t do that again. The former West Virginia quarterback has been impressive as a head coach with a 128-35 record.
He went 52-9 at James Madison, guiding the team in its move from the FCS to the FBS. He wisely brought many of his JMU players with him to Bloomington. At 63, Cignetti is no spring chicken.
You’d bet that makes him unlikely to move on, but the job at his alma mater might open, so it could be a nervous December for Indiana officials. ➜ Big Ten Game of the Year, So Far: Oregon 32, Ohio State 31, Oct. 12 in Eugene, Ore.
Always great when a game lives up to the hype and this one delivered. Gabriel helped the Ducks rally to take the lead and some penalty shenanigans by Lanning allowed Oregon to fend off Ohio State’s final threat. Would have been nice to see if the Buckeyes could have made the winning kick.
At least a rule got altered because of it. A rematch in the Big Ten title game is possible and, if I’m being honest, preferred. ➜ Big Ten Game of the Year On the Way: Indiana at Ohio State, Nov.
23. If the teams don’t lose between now and then — they won’t — it becomes the most significant game in Indiana football history. Because a win almost clinches a spot in the College Football Playoff for the Hoosiers.
Can’t believe I just wrote that line. The question is: Does Indiana still make the CFP if it loses to Ohio State? Close call. Indiana has no wins against ranked teams.
➜ Big Ten Teams Going to the CFP: Oregon, Ohio State, Indiana and Penn State. That’s right, Tony Petitti’s league will have as many teams in as the SEC, which won’t likely go over very well in those parts. Tough.
Thanks to excellent play and fortunate scheduling, the Big Ten is in a great position as long as there aren’t any big upsets in the final month. ➜ Big Ten Heisman Finalists: Gabriel, Oregon and Rourke, Indiana. They are basically having the same season for undefeated teams.
In their first years at their schools. This seems to be a trend. Gabriel is a lock to make the cut and Rourke might need some slippage from a few of the other contenders.
➜ Big Ten Surprise Team Other Than Indiana: Minnesota. Left for dead earlier in the season, the Gophers have won four in a row to become bowl eligible. And this time, they deserve it.
In 2023, Minnesota went as a 5-7 team, which needs to never happen again. The last three games are challenging, especially a home matchup with Penn State, but eight wins seems in the cards. ➜ Big Ten Disappointing Team Other Than Purdue : Rutgers.
Remember all the preseason talk about the Scarlet Knights and their favorable schedule (no Oregon, Penn State or Ohio State)? Well, it hasn’t helped. After opening Big Ten play with a close win against Washington, Rutgers has dropped four in a row. The team can still sneak into a bowl with two more wins, but nobody will be fooled in the future by a supposed easy schedule.
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