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Big Ten Football: The Sunday Morning Recap

Posted By: DJ Hoyt

Ohio State romps over Michigan State, turning The Game into an East Division winner take all

The Lead

If you had told me that the match up of the week in #7 Michigan State at #4 Ohio State would be over by halftime, I probably would have called you a homer for whoever you picked.

However, that’s exactly what we got yesterday when Ohio State beat Michigan State, 56-7. At halftime, the score was 49-0 Buckeyes with no doubt who was winning the game.

A lot of attention by the media is focused on quarterback C.J. Stroud and his three receivers, Olave, Wilson, and Smith-Njigba. They certainly deserve the attention for the performance they had against Sparty.

Congratulations go out to Chris Olave who now holds the OSU career record for touchdown receptions with 35. Couldn’t have been broken by a more upstanding and humble player.

However, the biggest takeaway I had from this game was OSU’s defense. We knew that the offense for the Buckeyes could get rolling at any point, and if it did would be tough for anyone to slow down. The defense however was the Achilles heel to this team achieving success when the season began.

I wont go back through the changes that were made, as most probably know by now what was done internally to address the problems. However, I need to offer an apology to the Silver Bullets.

I figured that a successful defense after the changes would be a bend but don’t break style of unit. Give up your yards, and attempt to hold teams to three instead of seven. If you can, get a few stops in whatever manner you can to hand the ball back to your offense. What I didn’t expect was the Buckeyes holding an explosive MSU offense to 158 yards passing, and just 66 yards rushing.

Michigan State began the day with bad news when it was reported receiver Jalen Nailor wouldn’t play. It would be the first of many injury issues that hampered the Spartans all day. That doesn’t take away though Ohio State looking like a team that is far more sound on defense, compared to the way the unit looked to begin the year.

The Buckeyes were always going to be driven this season by their offense, but if they have a defense that can bring it like they did yesterday the rest of the way, they may end the season with a national championship.

Mel Tucker Is Still Worth His Extension

Any time news breaks of a large extension and then that team losses, the jokes go flying on social media.

There was no exception this past week when news broke that Mel Tucker was on the verge of a $95 million extension to stay at MSU, then got spanked by the Buckeyes on Saturday.

Obviously it’s not the ideal look to have a rumored payday of that magnitude coming, then play the way they did on Saturday. However, MSU has identified a coach that has Michigan State playing meaningful football in mid-November, and a coach that has begun flexing his recruiting chops at the school.

People around the program, and even fans heavily invested in the team, would tell you the rebuild has gone much faster than they expected. Now, Tucker and his staff need to build off the success they have achieved this season and turn it into a consistent title contender. That always starts with recruiting at a high level.

Mel Tucker knows this, and even alluded to it after the OSU game when asked about the gap between the two programs.

Michigan State has a guy who holds a vision for the school where they can achieve long-term success. He fits into the culture at MSU very well, knows the Big Ten from his playing and coaching days, and now will have financial resources to work with in bridging the talent gap.

People can make their jokes today about the extension, but I don’t think Spartan fans will care if they continue to find themselves talking about conference titles and CFP births in late November.

Wisconsin Leads The Pack Out West

What a turnaround for the Badgers.

After starting 1-3 on the year and looking close to disarray, Paul Chryst has rounded the Badgers into form and now has them poised to return to the Big Ten Championship. After surviving Nebraska, 35-28, Wisconsin now just needs to defeat Minnesota next week to lock up the West Division.

The Wisconsin-Minnesota rivalry is one of my favorite games to watch, as it is the oldest continuous rivalry game in the sport. Just like any rivalry though, when championship implications are on the line it just adds another layer to the game.

The Hawkeyes will be following the game closely though, as a Wisconsin loss and a win over Nebraska would put them into the championship game. If I am Iowa however, i’d be very concerned playing Nebraska. The Cornhuskers suffered another one score defeat to a ranked team this season, and if you believe in sports karma, you have to feel like this team is due for a big win. Iowa better be ready to handle business before watching how things unfold between UW and Minn.

Circling back to the top of this section though, if Iowa losses to Nebraska and Minnesota triumphs over Wisconsin, The Gophers will be the ones with the West title and on their way to play for the B1G Championship.

In a year that has seen some crazy things already, perhaps one more could be in store where Minnesota steals the division from their two most hated rivals at the end of the season.

Should The Big Ten Have Divisions?

With all this talk about the CFP and who should be in, one suggestion from expansionists has been brought up. Eliminate conference divisions.

When the Big Ten restructured the divisions from the dumb Legends and Leaders into East and West, I liked the move for a few reasons.

First, it put teams that were close geographically into a scheduling agreement that would ensure some sense of regional rivalry was always in focus. This especially would develop through recruits.

Penn State vs Nebraska is a fun match up, especially when viewed through a lens about the history each brings to the gridiron, but no regional rivalry for recruits would come from that. The on-field results don’t reflect this, but Penn State and Maryland have had a rivalry for years concerning recruits. This has only become amplified after Maryland joined the Big Ten.

In my mind, ensuring those recruiting battles then spill onto the field is beneficial for the sport.

Secondly, by keeping divisions, it allows for the potential that one or more schools will be able to elevate their program to another tier by appearing in nationally relevant games.

When divisions were split geographically in 2014, people bemoaned that balance of power resided in the East. At the time, the big three were OSU, Michigan, and Penn State. MSU and Wisconsin were debated for the fourth and fifth spots.

I would argue that since that time, taking in how each school has performed after the divisional split, the big three would look something like this. OSU, PSU, and Wisconsin. Michigan, Michigan State, and Iowa would all have a case to be considered for the next two spots if trying to make a top five list.

To me, having the divisions has helped elevate the programs of institutions like Wisconsin and Iowa. The Badgers for instance are seeing more recruiting success over the past few years, and I have to wonder if part of that isn’t driven by their success in the West.

I’m curious what you guys think, so leave a comment below your thoughts on Big Ten divisions.

Tweets of the Week

Players of the Week

Offense

C.J. Stroud – QB – Ohio State

The Buckeye QB ignited his Heisman hype by throwing 32 of 35, for 432 yards, and six touchdowns. Stroud’s play is one reason the Buckeye’s offense appears to be back on track.

Defense

Jack Campbell – LB – Iowa

Campbell helped ice the win for the Hawkeyes Saturday when he picked off a pass and returned it for the touchdown late in the fourth quarter. He would finish the day with eight tackles, four solo, and a QB hurry to go along with the pick.