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The Big Ten regular season all comes to an end on Saturday and, just like every year, there’s all sorts of craziness about to ensue across the Big Ten. It should be a fantastic finish to the season, where there are still plenty of things to be determined.
The biggest prize at stake, of course, is the Big Ten East division title, which will be decided Saturday (Noon ET; TV: Fox) in Columbus when No. 4 Michigan meets No. 10 Ohio State. Michigan is a 4.5-point and is looking for its first-ever win against the Buckeyes in the Jim Harbaugh era.
There’s much more to still be decided, as well. Indiana and Purdue are battling for the Old Oaken Bucket in Bloomington, with an added bonus — a bowl bid — on the line for these two 5-6 teams. Maryland (at Penn State) and Minnesota (at Wisconsin) are also 5-win teams hoping to earn a bowl bid.
Here are the 5 juiciest storylines in the Big Ten this week.
1. Is Urban Meyer coaching his final game at Ohio State on Saturday?
This has been a weird year at Ohio State. First, coach Urban Meyer sat through a three-game suspension for his mishandling of the Zach Smith domestic violence situation, and the once-vaunted defense decided to basically take the year off. The Buckeyes are 10-1, but they are the lowest-ranked 10-1 Power 5 team in the country and they are 4.5-point underdogs Saturday to arch-rival Michigan. Urban Meyer doesn’t look healthy on the sidelines, and he sure looks stressed out. It is all eerily similar to his final year at Florida in 2010, when he quit on the Gators after six seasons, citing health concerns. He’s been at Ohio State seven years, and that’s long enough. The guess here is this will be his final game as coach of the Buckeyes.
2. Does a Michigan win flip the dominance in this rivalry?
Michigan has really struggled against Ohio State this century, losing 13 of the last 14 games and not winning in Columbus since 2000. That’s probably going to change Saturday, and when it does, Jim Harbaugh can be pleased that he’s finally gotten Michigan over the hump in his fourth season. Michigan finally has better talent than Ohio State, with more to come. If the upheaval does indeed hit in Columbus, will that mean Michigan will start to take control of this rivalry again? It’s certainly looking that way, especially if Meyer heads out of town.
3. How will Purdue respond to Jeff Brohm-to-Louisville rumors?
It seems likely that Purdue coach Jeff Brohm is about ready to bail out the Boilermakers and return to his alma mater at Louisville. That’s a huge disappointment in West Lafayette, where they thought they had finally found their coach after a decade of horrible football. You can’t blame Brohm for going home, but I’ll be curious to see how the players react to their coach turning his back on them. It’s a rivalry game with Indiana in Bloomington on Saturday, but the Hoosiers might come with more energy and desire. Purdue might be ready to fold its tent.
4. Trace McSorley says goodbye to Happy Valley with a big win
If anyone has provided more joy and excitement in the past three years than Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley, it would certainly be a short list. He’s been a great QB in Happy Valley for the past three years and he’s won a lot of big games — and a Big Ten title — as the Nittany Lions have returned to prominence. He plays his final game Saturday against Maryland, and here’s to hoping he goes out in style. Thanks for the memories, Trace.
5. Michigan State adds to Rutgers’s season-long misery
Michigan State finished out its season at home, looking for a seventh victory and a win to end what’s been a somewhat disappointing season. For Rutgers, it just wants a win. The Scarlet Knights have lost 10 games in a row and are 0-8 in the Big Ten this year, being outscored 259-90. Expect thousands of empty seats in East Lansing for this one.
Tom Brew has been a recognized reporter in Big Ten sports for decades. Among other projects, he writes about Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.