Even though Oregon and Northwestern kicked off conference play with their nationally televised matchup, the league’s Week 3 slate was mostly about Big Ten teams trying to avoid disaster in what amounted to a collective tune-up before everything ramps up in Week 4.
Indiana pummeled Indiana State by 73 to get things going on Friday night, assuring the Hoosiers of another undefeated non-conference slate under head coach Curt Cignetti, and then there were a series of blowouts on Saturday: Michigan thumped Central Michigan by 60; Penn State whacked Villanova by 46; Illinois smashed Western Michigan by 38; Nebraska shellacked Houston Christian by 52; Rutgers toppled Norfolk State by 50; Iowa blitzed UMass by 40 and Ohio State pulled away from Ohio for a 32-point win.
But the story of the weekend was UCLA, which suffered a second consecutive defeat to a non-conference opponent from outside the Power 4 leagues. And in the end, that was enough for the Bruins to fire head coach DeShaun Foster on Sunday afternoon.
For a team-by-team look at the league, here’s our newest edition of Big Ten Power Rankings:
The Top 10
Result: 37-9 home win over Ohio
The final score reflected a fairly comprehensive victory for Ohio State, which wrapped up the non-conference portion of its schedule on Saturday evening, but the performance itself was a mixed bag. On one hand, the Buckeyes held their third consecutive opponent to nine points or fewer under new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, and now they’ll enter a bye week with the No. 2 scoring defense in the country at just 5.3 points per game. On the other hand, a 67-yard touchdown pass from Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro to wide receiver Chase Hendricks trimmed Ohio State’s lead to 13-9
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