B1G storylines for Week 10: Will Penn State break through against Ryan Day, OSU?

It was another drama-filled weekend in Big Ten country.

Week 9 saw Ohio State survive a scare against Nebraska, Michigan and Michigan State get involved in another scuffle, and No. 1 Oregon humble upstart Illinois.

Meanwhile, Indiana continued its dream season with a day to remember and remains unbeaten.

What’s in store for Week 10? Let’s take a look at the B1G’s biggest storylines …

The B1G showdown

No. 4 Ohio State at No. 3 Penn State. Enough said.

History won’t make plays Saturday, but Ohio State has won 7 straight in the series and is 9-1 vs. James Franklin. Ryan Day clearly has issues with Michigan, but he’s 6-0 vs. the Nittany Lions.

The Nittany Lions are coming off a costly win over Wisconsin. Quarterback Drew Allar has a left knee injury, and his status very much in question. Sophomore backup Beau Pribula completed 11-of-13 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown in the 28-13 victory, but Allar has been one of the best signal callers in the nation. Before leaving the game, he completed 14-of-18 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown.

This is the biggest game of the year for the Nittany Lions, so the timing of the injury is terrible. Meanwhile, Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard threw 3 touchdown passes in a sloppy 21-17 win over Nebraska. The victory was sealed with an interception by cornerback Jordan Hancock with 1:16 left. OSU converted just 1-of-10 3rd downs and punted 5 times. That sloppiness needs to be cleaned up this week.

Is it a must-win for Ryan Day’s crew with a loss already to Oregon?

No. 1 in a hostile environment

Top-ranked Oregon travels to Ann Arbor to play defending national champion Michigan, and the Ducks are clearly playing their best football. They demolished Illinois on Saturday, scoring 35 first-half points and securing a 38-9 win to remain undefeated. They have strung together their 2 best defensive performances in consecutive weeks, shutting out Purdue on the road and holding Illinois to 9 points. Meanwhile, the Wolverines had just 37 total yards in their first 3 possessions before picking up the pace with a no-huddle offense in their 24-17 win over Michigan State. How well will this offense be able to move the ball against the Ducks? Can the defense put it in overdrive and try to make this a 4-quarter game? It’s clear Oregon is the team to beat in this conference, but Sherrone Moore’s squad at home still poses a tough challenge.

Other notable B1G nuggets

Wisconsin at Iowa: The Badgers and Hawkeyes are renewing their Heartland Trophy rivalry at Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes are coming off a 40-14 victory over Northwestern at home, a game in which Cade McNamara was benched for Brendan Sullivan. McNamara completed 7-of-13 passes for 73 yards, but a pick-6 led coach Kirk Ferentz to make the change. The Badgers, meanwhile, are just 2-14 in their last 16 games against Top 25 teams after losing to Penn State, including an 0-5 mark under Luke Fickell. Wisconsin led 10-7 at the half and had been playing its best football of the season. This may not be the most glamorous of offensive games, but it should be a tight one.

Minnesota at Illinois: The Fighting Illini didn’t stand a chance at Oregon, which saw Dillon Gabriel throw 3 touchdown passes and run for another in a 38-9 win. The Ducks rang up 527 yards of total offense as Gabriel surpassed Timmy Chang (17,072) on the NCAA’s career passing yards list. Minnesota, meanwhile, is surging as quarterback Max Brosmer threw a season-high 4 touchdown passes in a 48-23 win over Maryland, its 3rd consecutive victory. Minnesota led 34-10 at half, so the Fighting Illini defense will have its hands full.

Indiana at Michigan State: After missing IU’s win over Washington, will star quarterback Kurtis Rourke be able to return? The team is optimistic … in the game against the Huskies, backup Tayven Jackson completed 11-of-19 passes for 124 yards with a touchdown and interception, while Justice Ellison recorded 29 carries for 123 yards and a score. The No. 13-ranked Hoosiers are a legit league conference and potential College Football Playoff contender. Meanwhile, Aidan Chiles had the Spartans at the Michigan 16 with 2 minutes left and on 4th-and-5, but he threw an incomplete pass in the end zone as MSU couldn’t beat “big brother.” The defense will have its hands full against this Indiana offense, which continues to cook.

UCLA at Nebraska: This is a big spot for the Cornhuskers, who are coming off back-to-back losses, most recently 21-17 against Ohio State on Saturday. The offense has struggled in league play, and quarterback Dylan Raiola finished 21-of-32 passing for 152 yards and an interception in the loss to the Buckeyes. The defense played very well, though, following the disastrous performance against Indiana. The Bruins, meanwhile, had a bye last weekend following their win over Rutgers in which quarterback Ethan Garbers threw for 383 yards and recorded 5 touchdowns.

USC at Washington: An old Pac-12 matchup is not so B1G with both teams out of the league and national race. The Trojans snapped a 3-game losing streak Friday when they beat Rutgers 42-20, while the Huskies have not been able to record back-to-back wins since the first game of the season. U-Dub has struggled away from home, but it will get the Trojans this week in Seattle.

Dave Miller

Dave Miller has covered the college football landscape nationally since 2009 with stops at National Football Post and Campus Insiders. In addition to contributing to Saturday Tradition, he can be seen on Stadium Network.