CFB: Ohio State clinches division title
Power Rankings:
1. Ohio State (11-0, 8-0, +0)
2. Minnesota (10-1, 7-1, +0)
3. Wisconsin (9-2, 6-2, +1)
4. Penn State (9-2, 6-2, -1)
5. Michigan (9-2, 6-2, +0)
6. Iowa (8-3, 5-3, +0)
7. Indiana (7-4, 4-4, +0)
8. Illinois (6-5, 4-4, +0)
9. Michigan State (5-6, 3-5, +2)
10. Nebraska (5-6, 3-5, +0)
11. Purdue (4-7, 2-6, -2)
12. Maryland (3-8, 1-7, +0)
13. Rutgers (2-9, 0-8, +1)
14. Northwestern (2-9, 0-8, -1)
Breakdown: #1 Ohio State staved off #4 Penn State in a battle that eliminated the Nittany Lions from CFP contention and clinched the Big Ten West division title for the Buckeyes. #2 Minnesota ran over #14 Northwestern, 38-22, on the road. #3 Wisconsin moved up following their 45-24 win over Purdue behind another stellar performance from Jonathan Taylor. #5 Michigan hasn’t been able to move up because of the teams in front of them have the head-to-head advantage but they have been playing much better lately and they proved that with a 39-14 second half beat down versus #7 Indiana. #6 Iowa took down #8 Illinois 19-10 at home, while #9 Michigan State needs one more win the become bowl eligible. The same can be said for #10 Nebraska, who beat #13 Maryland 54-7 on the road.
Player of the Year:
1. Justin Fields (Ohio State)
2. Chase Young (Ohio State)
3. Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin)
4. Shea Patterson (Michigan)
5. Nate Stanley (Iowa)
6. Rashod Bateman (Minnesota)
7. Sean Clifford (Penn State)
8. Jack Sanborn (Wisconsin)
9. Stevie Scott III (Indiana)
10. Brandon Peters (Illinois)
11. Rodney Smith (Minnesota)
12. KJ Hamler (Penn State)
13. Adrian Martinez (Nebraska)
14. Brian Lewerke (Michigan State)
Breakdown: Justin Fields stayed at the top of our player rankings but it’s not as big of a lead as last week. He now has his own teammate, Chase Young, tracking him down. Both could realistically get invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation. Fields had 188 passing yards and two scores versus Penn State. Young totaled nine tackles, four tackles for loss, and three sacks. Taylor had 222 rushing yards and one touchdown for the Badgers. Shea Patterson threw for a season-high five touchdowns and 366 yards against Indiana. Nate Stanley rounds out the top five after a 308-yard performance versus Illinois. Rashod Bateman had three receiving scores and 75 yards on seven receptions for the Golden Gophers in their most recent victory.
Photo Credit: Sporting News.
