Creeping the B1G: Order Remained

We’ve known the Big Ten championship game participants for a week, so this weekend was as uneventful as it comes. The only game worth watching was between Indiana and Purdue, who were playing for bowl eligibility.

Iowa 56, Nebraska 14

A number of Nebraska fans got offended at the mention of their team only scoring in garbage time against Penn State. I’m sure this result was much more preferable.

What this means for Iowa: Kirk Ferentz is about to get paid.*
Up Next: Bowl game to be determined.
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What this means for Nebraska: From all accounts, they’re going full in to get Scott Frost. Hope that works for them, as having Wisconsin win the West nearly every year is getting annoying.
Up Next: Season over.

No. 9 Ohio State 31, Michigan 20

Michigan roared to a 14-0 lead early in the game, but Ohio State would answer back to tie it at halftime. The Wolverines took another lead in the third, but Quinn Nordin missed the extra point to make life more difficult for Jim Harbaugh. It wouldn’t matter in the end, as the Buckeyes scored the next 17 points of the game and that was that. J.T. Barrett went down with an injury that was apparently caused by a camera person hitting him on the sidelines, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll be out for long. Dwayne Haskins did fairly well in his stead.

What this means for Ohio State: The dream of being the first (or second?) 2-loss team to make the playoff is still alive.
Up Next: Big Ten Championship Game vs Wisconsin
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What this means for Michigan: Jim Harbaugh is in bad company. He’s the second coach to start his tenure 0-3 against Ohio State. Rich Rodriguez was the first. Ironically, quarterback play was the reason Michigan didn’t end up winning this game.
Up Next: Bowl game to be determined.

Purdue 31, Indiana 24

Both teams were fighting for their postseason life, and for most of the game it looked like Purdue was going to bury the Hoosiers. Indiana came back to life in the last minutes of the game, however, but a furious comeback from 21 down didn’t materialize as they weren’t able to convert the onside kick.

What this means for Purdue: Jeff Brohm took the boilermakers to a bowl game in his first season as coach. Joe Tiller was the last person to accomplish that feat. I’ve been told that guy turned out to be OK for the program. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD PURDUE PAY THE MAN!
Up Next: Bowl game to be determined.
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What this means for Indiana: The schedule did come back to bite them after all. All the close losses added up in the end, and like the individual games, a bowl game slipped away at the last second.
Up next: Season likely over. Too many bowl-eligible teams.

No. 22 Northwestern 42, Illinois 7

This was actually a competitive game in the first half. Illinois opened up the scoring and turned Northwestern over to hold on the 7-0 first quarter lead. The Wildcats would score twice in the second quarter to go up 14-7 at half. A number of second half mistakes, however, spelled doom for the Illini.

What this means for Northwestern: They could, once again, win 10 games in a season.
Up Next: Bowl game to be determined.
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What this means for Illinois: Season is finally over. The experience they gained, however, could come in handy next season, given how many freshmen saw the field.
Up Next: Season over.

No. 16 Michigan State 40, Rutgers 7

Score actually looks worse than it was, but the game was never in doubt. Michigan State took a 16-7 lead to the half, and was fully content with grinding it out from there. Rutgers kept throwing interceptions on their own end of the field, however, which led to quick Spartan scores. A respectable loss turned into a laugher in a matter of minutes.

What this means for Michigan State: From 3-9 to 9-3 in a year, with a second-place Big Ten finish to boot. Not bad at all.
Up Next: Bowl game to be determined.
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What this means for Rutgers: It’s still two more wins than last season, and three more Big Ten wins than a year ago. Progress is progress.
Up Next: Season over.

No. 5 Wisconsin 31, Minnesota 0

Then there was that. I didn’t look this up, but Wisconsin has to hold some sort of record for having a turnover in every single regular season Big Ten game. They in fact had a turnover in 11 of its 12 games this season. None of it would matter though, because nobody has been able to move the ball on the Badgers all season long. Minnesota wasn’t about to be the first team to do so.

What this means for Wisconsin: They know who they are, and if they’re able to execute their game next week —and there’s no indication that they won’t be, a College Football Playoff spot is waiting for them.
Up Next: Big Ten Championship Game vs Ohio State
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What this means for Minnesota: After 14 straight wins, the all-time series lead now belongs to Wisconsin.
Up Next: Season likely over. Too many bowl-eligible teams.

*Ferentz gets a bonus when he wins his seventh game. Because why wouldn’t he?