Big Ten Football Weekly Release

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BIG TEN FOOTBALL RELEASE - WEEK 4 | STANDINGS | MEDIA GUIDE
SCHEDULE | BIG TEN MAILING LIST | AVAILABILITY REPORTS

• Week 4 of the 2023 Big Ten season features nine games, highlighted by five conference matchups. Purdue will host divisional foe Wisconsin on Friday, while Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern and Penn State welcome Rutgers, Maryland, Minnesota and Iowa, respectively. The complete schedule appears to the right.

• Four Big Ten teams appear in the AP Poll this week. Michigan leads the conference at No. 2, followed by No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State and No. 24 Iowa. Maryland and Wisconsin are both receiving votes.

• Six Big Ten teams remain undefeated on the season, as Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers are all 3-0.

• Ohio State and Penn State currently rank among the top 20 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Buckeyes rank second nationally in scoring defense, allowing an average of 6.7 points per game, while ranking No. 20 in scoring offense (40.3 points per game). The Nittany Lions rank No. 13 nationally in scoring defense (11.7 points per game), while ranking 14th in scoring offense (43.7 points per game).

• Four additional Big Ten teams rank in the top 25 in terms of scoring defense: Michigan (1st, 5.3 points per game), Rutgers (7th, 10.0 points per game), Iowa (18th, 12.3 points per game) and Maryland (21st, 13.3 points per game). 

• The Nittany Lions are set to hold their 15th full-stadium Penn State White Out on Saturday against Iowa. The tradition stretches back to a student section White Out in 2004. Penn State’s first full-stadium White Out was against Notre Dame in 2007. Penn State meets Iowa for the 32nd time in the series. Penn State holds a 17-14 advantage in the series. However, the teams are tied 11-11 as Big Ten foes.

• Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. hauled in the 100th reception of his career in Saturday’s 63-10 victory against Western Kentucky. He entered the game with 97 career catches and finished with five catches for 126 yards and one touchdown. His 75-yard touchdown reception was the longest of his career, surpassing a 71-yard catch against Youngstown State last week. Additionally, junior running back TreVeyon Henderson became the 28th Buckeye to join the Ohio State career 2,000-yard rushing club after rushing for 88 on Saturday.

• Wisconsin’s Hunter Wohler led the Badgers defensively last weekend, picking off two passes in a 35-14 win over Georgia Southern. The junior made a team-high 10 tackles, including a sack, to become the first Badger to pick off two passes in a game since John Torchio vs. Purdue on Oct. 22, 2022. Wohler is just the second player in the country and first in the Big Ten this season to record two interceptions and a sack in the same game. 

• Michigan is building on an 18-game home winning streak dating back to 2021. It is the longest home winning streak under Harbaugh and the program’s best since a 21-game streak from 1998-2001 under coach Lloyd Carr. This weekend against Rutgers, the Wolverines have a chance to build on a 14-game Big Ten win streak, the program’s longest since a 16-game conference streak spanning 1996-98.

• Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai rushed for 143 yards and a career-high three touchdowns on 16 carries (8.9 yards per carry) in the Scarlet Knights’ 35-16 win against Virginia Tech, marking the first time a Scarlet Knight topped 100 rushing yards in consecutive games since 2016. The junior ripped off a 55-yard touchdown in a one-score game in the fourth quarter, his longest career carry and longest by a Scarlet Knight since 2020. 

• The 2023 campaign will feature 99 All-Big Ten honorees (first-, second-, third-team or honorable mention) selected by either the coaches or the media last season, with Ohio State leading the way with 16 all-conference returnees. The East Division welcomes back 56 all-conference players, while the West returns 43. Illinois is the only West team with double-digit all-conference returnees with 10, while each team has at least one All-Big Ten performer returning. 

• The Big Ten finished last season with three teams ranked in the AP Top 25, tying for the third-most of any conference. All three teams finished in the Top 10, marking the second straight year that the conference had three top 10 teams at the end of the season. The 2023 AP Preseason Poll also featured five Big Ten teams in No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State, No. 19 Wisconsin, and No. 25 Iowa, while Illinois and Minnesota are both receiving votes.

• Last season, the Big Ten posted the fifth-highest single-season attendance total in conference history with 6,333,196 fans attending home games. Excluding 2020, this marked the ninth consecutive season and 10th time in 11 seasons that more than six million fans have attended Big Ten home football games.

• This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Monday, January 1, 2024, at the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl. Houston will host the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 8, 2024, at NRG Stadium. The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 ranked team vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game.

BIG TEN FOOTBALL RELEASE - WEEK 3 | STANDINGS | MEDIA GUIDE | SCHEDULE | BIG TEN MAILING LIST | AVAILABILITY REPORTS

• Twelve Big Ten schools will continue their non-conference schedules this weekend, while Illinois hosts Penn State in conference action on Saturday at noon on FOX. The complete Week 3 schedule appears to the right.

• Four Big Ten teams appear in the AP Poll this week. Michigan leads the conference at No. 2, followed by No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State and No. 25 Iowa. Maryland, Minnesota and Wisconsin are each receiving votes.

• Eight Big Ten teams remain undefeated on the season, as Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers are all 2-0.

• Penn State currently ranks among the top 20 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Nittany Lions rank sixth in scoring offense, averaging 50.5 points per contest, while ranking No. 17 nationally in scoring defense (11.0 points per game). 

• Six additional Big Ten teams rank in the top 20 in terms of scoring defense: Michigan (2nd, 5.0 points per game), Ohio State (2nd, 5.0 points per game), Rutgers (8th, 7.0 points per game), Minnesota (10th, 8.0 points per game), Michigan State (16th, 10.5 points per game) and Maryland (23rd, 13.0 points per game). 

• Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy completed 13 consecutive passing attempts to open Saturday’s game against UNLV, a record for quarterbacks under Harbaugh. Previously, the longest streak occurred when McCarthy went 8-for-8 to open last season’s Indiana game. Through two games, McCarthy has completed 48-of-55 pass attempts (26-of-30 in week one). McCarthy has the fourth-highest completion percentage through two games in NCAA Division I history and currently leads the country in completion percentage (87.3 percent).

• Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz won his 200th career game on Sept. 9 when the Hawkeyes won a 20-13 Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series matchup at Iowa State. Ferentz is the 27th head coach to reach the milestone at an FBS institution and just the 99th college coach across all divisions since 1890.  

• Michigan State’s Noah Kim went 18-for-22, passing for 292 yards and three touchdowns in the 45-14 win over Richmond, completing 15-straight passes to close out the game. His 292 yards marked a career-high for the second week in a row, topping last week’s 279 yards in his starting debut vs. Central Michigan, while the 18 completions match last week’s 18-for-31 passing. The 15 consecutive completions set a new school record and tied for the sixth-longest single-game streak in Big Ten history.

• Minnesota running back Darius Taylor rushed 33 times for 193 yards and one touchdown in Minnesota’s 25-6 win against Eastern Michigan. His 193 yards were second most in school history for a true freshman, behind only Darrell Thompson who rushed for 205 yards against Bowling Green in 1986. Taylor rushed eight times for 44 yards in the first half before logging 25 carries for 149 yards in the second half. His lone touchdown of the game was a two-yard burst in the second quarter. 

• Michigan and Purdue will look to repeat as division champions this season, as the Wolverines finished 9-0 to win the East Division and the Boilermakers finished atop the West Division standings at 6-3 in conference play.

• The 2023 campaign will feature 99 All-Big Ten honorees (first-, second-, third-team or honorable mention) selected by either the coaches or the media last season, with Ohio State leading the way with 16 all-conference returnees. The East Division welcomes back 56 all-conference players, while the West returns 43. Illinois is the only West team with double-digit all-conference returnees with 10, while each team has at least one All-Big Ten performer returning. 

• The Big Ten finished last season with three teams ranked in the AP Top 25, tying for the third-most of any conference. All three teams finished in the Top 10, marking the second straight year that the conference had three top 10 teams at the end of the season. The 2023 AP Preseason Poll also featured five Big Ten teams in No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State, No. 19 Wisconsin, and No. 25 Iowa, while Illinois and Minnesota are both receiving votes.

• Last season, the Big Ten posted the fifth-highest single-season attendance total in conference history with 6,333,196 fans attending home games. Excluding 2020, this marked the ninth consecutive season and 10th time in 11 seasons that more than six million fans have attended Big Ten home football games.

• This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Monday, January 1, 2024, at the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl. Houston will host the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 8, 2024, at NRG Stadium. The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 ranked team vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game.

BIG TEN FOOTBALL RELEASE - WEEK 2 | STANDINGS | MEDIA GUIDE | SCHEDULE |

• All 14 Big Ten schools will be in action this weekend, highlighted by a pair of teams hosting non-conference opponents in their home openers: Northwestern and Ohio State. 

• Four Big Ten teams appear in the AP Poll this week. Michigan leads the conference at No. 2, followed by No. 3 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State, No. 19 Wisconsin and No. 25 Iowa. Illinois and Minnesota are both receiving votes.

• Iowa travels to Ames to take on in-state rival Iowa State this Saturday for the 70th meeting of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. The Hawkeyes have won six of the last seven Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series matchups over Iowa State. Iowa has won the last five games in Ames dating back to 2013, including a 27-17 victory over the ninth-ranked Cyclones in 2021. The five wins have come by an average of 6.8 points and two of the victories have been by three points or less. A win would give head coach Kirk Ferentz his 200th career victory, becoming just the 24 Division I coach to reach the 200-win mark. 

• Michigan scored on five straight drives against East Carolina, with four of them being touchdowns, as J.J. McCarthy had his best performance in the Big House, throwing for 280 yards and three touchdowns. He completed 86.7% of his throws, which was the second highest in a single game in Michigan history, trailing only Elvis Grbac’s 20-for-22 performance against Notre Dame in 1991. The Wolverines are building on a 16-game home winning streak dating back to 2021. It is the longest home winning streak under head coach Jim Harbaugh and the program’s best since a 16-game streak from 2002-05 under coach Lloyd Carr.

• Ohio State defeated Indiana 23-3 on Saturday, marking the Buckeyes’ 28th consecutive victory over Indiana in the series, the longest winning streak in a series in the nation. The win was also the 16th consecutive for Ohio State in a season-opening game against a Big Ten Conference opponent, improving to 16-0 in such games.

• Minnesota’s Dragan Kesich kicked the game-winning 47-yard field goal with zero time remaining on the clock to break a 10-10 tie and lift the Gophers to a three-point victory against Nebraska. It was his second field goal of the game, as he opened the scoring for Minnesota with a 34-yard field goal in the second quarter. Kesich’s game-winner was Minnesota’s first walk-off field goal in regulation since 2003 when Rhys Lloyd kicked a last-second field goal to beat Wisconsin.  

• Wisconsin’s Chez Mellusi ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns, Braelon Allen added 141 yards and two more scores and the Badgers started the first season of Luke Fickell’s coaching tenure with a 38-17 victory over Buffalo on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. The Badgers have won 27 of their last 28 home openers and 48 of their last 50 non-conference home games overall, with their only losses coming in 2018 against BYU and last year against Washington State. It was the first sellout for a season opener at Camp Randall Stadium since 2009. 

• Michigan and Purdue will look to repeat as division champions this season, as the Wolverines finished 9-0 to win the East Division and the Boilermakers finished atop the West Division standings at 6-3 in conference play.

• The 2023 campaign will feature 99 All-Big Ten honorees (first-, second-, third-team or honorable mention) selected by either the coaches or the media last season, with Ohio State leading the way with 16 all-conference returnees. The East Division welcomes back 56 all-conference players, while the West returns 43. Illinois is the only West team with double-digit all-conference returnees with 10, while each team has at least one All-Big Ten performer returning. 

• The Big Ten finished last season with three teams ranked in the AP Top 25, tying for the third-most of any conference. All three teams finished in the Top 10, marking the second straight year that the conference had three top 10 teams at the end of the season. The 2023 AP Preseason Poll also featured five Big Ten teams in No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State, No. 19 Wisconsin, and No. 25 Iowa, while Illinois and Minnesota are both receiving votes.

• Last season, the Big Ten posted the fifth-highest single-season attendance total in conference history with 6,333,196 fans attending home games. Excluding 2020, this marked the ninth consecutive season and 10th time in 11 seasons that more than six million fans have attended Big Ten home football games.

• This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Monday, January 1, 2024, at the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl. Houston will host the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 8, 2024, at NRG Stadium. The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 ranked team vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game.