B1G storylines for Week 9: Wisconsin, Illini rolling into stiff tests

It was another intriguing week in Big Ten country.

Week 8 saw Indiana thrash a Nebraska defense that was expected to at least provide some resistance, UCLA win its first B1G game and Wisconsin continue to surge.

Meanwhile, is Illinois a legit conference and national contender?

What’s in store in Week 9? Let’s take a look at the B1G’s biggest storylines …

Nebraska at Ohio State: Who bounces back?

Nebraska travels to Ohio State (11 am, CT, FOX), which had a bye this past weekend one week after coming up short against Oregon in Eugene. In that contest, the Buckeyes lost starting left tackle Josh Simmons to a lower leg injury, and head coach Ryan Day fell to 1-7 against teams ranked in the top 5. Now OSU must bounce back against Nebraska, which was annihilated by Indiana 56-7 in Bloomington Saturday. The Cornhuskers came into the game as the lone defense nationally to not allow a rushing touchdown; it gave up 5 to IU.

Meanwhile, Huskers true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola completed 28-of-44 passes for 234 yards with 3 interceptions and a lost fumble. It was the Cornhuskers’ most lopsided loss since Ohio State beat them 62-3 in 2016. IU is enjoying a dream season, but the optics this past weekend leave a lot to be desired for the Huskers, who will have to face an angry Buckeyes squad.

Contender or pretender?

Illinois will travel to Oregon (2:30, CBS) for a game that puts Bret Bielema’s squad in a huge spotlight at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks crushed Purdue on Friday, showing no hangover after a thrilling victory over Ohio State the week prior. The offense was clicking on all cylinders from the get-go, and the defense allowed just 9 completions for 93 passing yards. Meanwhile, Illinois won its 3rd game over a ranked opponent (most since 2007) as it defeated Michigan 21-7. (Michigan fell to 4-3 and out of the polls.) It was the program’s first win over the Wolverines since 2009. Gabe Jacas had 13 tackles and 2.5 of the Illini’s 5 sacks of Jack Tuttle and forced a fumble. Quarterback Luke Altmyer was just 9-of-18 for 80 yards but added 48 yards on the ground. A complete performance will be needed in all phases of the game if the Illini have a chance to compete with the No. 1 Ducks, who cemented themselves as the team to beat in the league with the win over Ohio State.

B1G spot for the Badgers

Penn State travels to Madison to take on a resurgent Wisconsin squad (6:30, NBC). The Nittany Lions were off this past weekend following their thrilling comeback victory over USC in overtime. Quarterback Drew Allar made some mistakes, but he was clutch when he needed to be and found tight end Tyler Warren for an FBS single-game record-tying 17 times. PSU came back 3 times to tie it in the final 20 minutes before winning it in overtime to knock USC out of the B1G and national races. Now James Franklin’s squad will get set to play a Wisconsin team that took care of Northwestern 23-3 on the road behind the legs of Tawee Walker (126 rushing yards) and the arm of quarterback Braedyn Locke (a passing and rushing touchdown). Luke Fickell’s team is clearly peaking at the right time and will continue to be a dark horse like Illinois and Indiana if it can find a way to take care of business at home.

Other notable B1G nuggets

Rutgers at USC (Friday 10 pm, CT, FOX): Nothing spells out B1G football more than Rutgers at USC on a Friday night. All kidding aside, Lincoln Riley and the Trojans will host a Rutgers squad that allowed UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers to set career-highs with 4 touchdown passes, 383 passing yards and a 49-yard scoring run in the Bruins’ first-ever B1G victory last week. Greg Schiano’s squad suffered its 3rd straight loss despite quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis having one of his better efforts and running back Kyle Monagai logging 106 yards on 19 carries and scoring 3 times. The Trojans, meanwhile, blew another late lead in a loss to Maryland and have lost their four games by a combined 14 points — all after being ahead in the second half.

Washington at Indiana (11 am, BTN): The Huskies were off last weekend following their blowout loss at Iowa. Jedd Fisch’s squad actually didn’t show any signs of fatigue playing two time zones from home and having a morning kickoff. Offensively, they strung together two 14-play drives early, but turnovers and poor run defense did them in. U-Dub has a huge challenge on its hands this week as it has to prepare for an IU squad that destroyed Nebraska 56-7 to stay unbeaten and continue its best start in 57 years, matching its most lopsided B1G win in program history. However, star quarterback Kurtis Rourke injured his right (throwing) hand and was on the sideline in street clothes in the second half. Tayven Jackson replaced him for the rest of the game. The Hoosiers have yet to trail this season, but how serious is Rourke’s injury? The schedule will continue to be more challenging, but this is a legitimate conference title contender.

Northwestern at Iowa (2:30, BTN): The Wildcats were unable to muster much offense in a 23-3 home loss to Wisconsin last week, though they did have some opportunities they couldn’t take advantage of in the final game this year at their temporary lakefront stadium. Quarterback Jack Lausch was just 9-of-24 for 82 yards as the Wildcats bit themselves in the foot and could not sustain drives. Meanwhile, star Hawkeyes rusher Kaleb Johnson was held in check in a loss to Michigan State, and they netted only 150 passing yards. Cade McNamara was just 11-of-23 passing with an interception.

Maryland at Minnesota (2:30, FS1): The Gophers enjoyed a bye this past weekend following their back-to-back victories over USC and UCLA. Quarterback Max Brosmer once again delivered in the clutch, ultimately connecting with Darius Taylor on a 4-yard score for a 21-17 victory at the Rose Bowl. The Terrapins, meanwhile, came back from a 14-point deficit to beat USC 29-28 at home. Billy Edwards Jr. went 39-of-50 for a career-high 373 yards and scoring passes to Octavian Smith Jr. and Tai Felton. Mike Locksley’s 4-3 Terps still have a tough schedule remaining, but a postseason berth looks a little more realistic now after the win over the Trojans.

Michigan State at Michigan (6:30, BTN): Turnovers and a lack of an even average passing game did in the Wolverines, who were essentially knocked out of the B1G and College Football Playoff race in a road loss to Illinois, which snapped a 6-game losing streak in the series. The Wolverines now need to pull themselves together for their in-state battle with a Michigan State team that logged a 32-20 win over Iowa this past weekend behind Jonathan Kim’s school-record 6 field goals. Quarterback Aidan Chiles threw for 256 yards and a touchdown on 22-of-30 passing, and he chipped in 51 yards on the ground as the Spartans snapped a 3-game losing streak. It was arguably their best performance of the season. The Wolverines are going to need more from quarterback Jack Tuttle, who missed several open receivers and threw a costly 4th-quarter interception in the loss to the Fighting Illini.

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.