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The list of B1G contenders continues to shrink.
Penn State eliminated Michigan from the B1G East race on Saturday night, taking down the Wolverines 42-13 in Happy Valley. That means the division race is down to the Nittany Lions, Ohio State and Michigan State. And in the next several weeks, those three teams will all battle one another for the top spot.
Out West, Wisconsin has a firm grip on that top spot. And with Iowa losing to Northwestern on Saturday, it doesn’t even look like there will be any of level of interest in that battle moving forward.
Here are some other notes from the eighth week of the season:
- Four B1G teams are officially bowl eligible now, as Michigan State joins Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State after beating Indiana on Saturday. Michigan can join that club next week with a win over Rutgers
- Indiana is better than its record suggests. Despite another loss to drop to 3-4 on the year, the Hoosiers have been defeated by Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State. Now that IU is out of that incredibly difficult stretch, don’t be surprised if it starts ripping off a couple consecutive wins to get headed back in a positive direction
- The B1G West is an absolute mess. The only potential challenger to Wisconsin in the division was Iowa, which lost to Northwestern on Saturday. Now the Badgers have a two-game lead on Nebraska and the Wildcats, and they own the head-to-head against both teams. Can Wisconsin just set up camp in Indianapolis already?
- Jeff Brohm has done some great things in West Lafayette, but the real version of Purdue reared its head against Rutgers. While the Boilermakers are playing harder and competing more regularly, this is still a team that lacks depth and talent and isn’t accustomed to winning in those critical moments.
- Speaking of Rutgers, it looks like Chris Ash finally has the Scarlet Knights turning the corner. Beating Illinois and Purdue aren’t unbelievable accomplishments, but they are steps in the right direction.
- Maybe it’s crazy, but I’m with the Penn State students. That “We want Bama” chant has me wondering how much of a fight the Nittany Lions would put up against the Crimson Tide. We can only hope we get to see that match-up this postseason.
- Jim Harbaugh is now 6-5 in his last 11 games at Michigan and his team is already out of the B1G East race. Is it too early to say that the season finale against Ohio State is a must-win for Harbaugh? Maybe he won’t lose his job after Year 3, but he could be on the hot seat if he doesn’t find a way to beat the Buckeyes at season’s end.
Week 9 is setting up to be a fun one, as Penn State travels to Ohio State for a clash of top six teams. The winner of that game will really separate itself in the B1G and be the frontrunner for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
But that’s still a week away. Here are Saturday Tradition’s bowl projections following Week 8:
Bowl Conferences Teams Heart of Dallas Bowl B1G vs. Big XII Indiana vs. Iowa State Pinstripe Bowl B1G vs. ACC Purdue vs. Virginia Foster Farms Bowl B1G vs. Pac-12 Northwestern vs. Stanford Holiday Bowl B1G vs. Pac-12 Michigan vs. Arizona Music City Bowl B1G vs. SEC Maryland vs. Kentucky Outback Bowl B1G vs. SEC Minnesota vs. South Carolina Citrus Bowl B1G vs. SEC Michigan State vs. Texas A&M Fiesta Bowl at-large vs. at-large Wisconsin vs. Washington Orange Bowl ACC vs. B1G/SEC Ohio State vs. Miami (FL) CFP Semifinal: Rose Bowl at-large vs. at-large (2) Penn State vs. (3) Georgia
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB