• Conference action continues this week, with six Big Ten contests highlighted by four divisional matchups. Action kicks off on Friday at 7 p.m. ET when Nebraska travels to Rutgers. Minnesota and Penn State will enjoy byes this week, with the complete schedule appearing to the right.
• A trio of Big Ten teams remain undefeated on the season, as Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State are all 5-0.
• Three Big Ten teams appear in the AP Poll this week, highlighted by two of the top five teams and three teams in the top 10. Ohio State leads the conference at No. 3, followed by No. 4 Michigan and No. 10 Penn State. Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota and Purdue are all receiving votes.
• Ohio State’s Miyan Williams ran for 189 yards and five touchdowns, tying a school record set by Keith Byars in 1984 and Pete Johnson in 1974, in the Buckeyes’ 49-10 win over Rutgers on Saturday. C.J. Stroud threw a pair of touchdown passes for the 10th straight game, the longest active streak in the FBS, and is one touchdown shy of tying Justin Fields for the second-most by an Ohio State player.
• The Buckeyes have won 27 straight Big Ten home games, the fifth-longest conference home winning streak nationally since 1990. They also have 68 home wins the last 10 years, tied with Alabama and Clemson for the most nationally.
• Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy made the first road start of his career on Saturday, completing 75 percent of his throws for 155 yards and a touchdown to help the Wolverines to their first win in Iowa City since 2005. Blake Corum ran for 100 yards for the second straight game, putting the game away with a 20-yard touchdown run in the final 90 seconds. Corum has a nation-leading 10 rushing touchdowns on the season.
• The Wolverines are outscoring their opponents by 169 points, the third-most in the nation behind Alabama and Ohio State. They are also one of five teams to outgain their opponents by more than 1,000 yards, joining Alabama, Ohio State, Minnesota and Georgia.
• Illinois improved to 4-1 on the season following a 34-10 victory against the Badgers in Madison. It is the first 4-1 start for the Illini since 2015 and the first Illinois victory in Madison since 2002, snapping an eight-game losing streak. Chase Brown rushed for 129 yards, adding to his nation-leading total of 733 yards. Brown has now rushed for 100 yards in six straight games, extending his program record, and is the first Illini running back to open a season with five consecutive 100-yard games.
• Michigan and Minnesota currently rank among the top 20 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Wolverines rank sixth nationally in scoring offense, averaging 45.4 points per contest, while ranking No. 6 nationally in scoring defense (11.6 points per game). The Gophers rank No. 3 nationally in scoring defense (8.8 points per game), while ranking 20th in scoring offense (38.6 points per game).
• Four additional Big Ten teams rank in the top 15 in terms of scoring defense: Illinois (2nd, 8.4 points per game), Iowa (4th, 10.0 points per game), Ohio State (14th, 14.8 points per game) and Penn State (14th, 14.8 points per game).
• The Big Ten boasts six top 25 FBS running backs in rushing yards per game, including four of the top 10: Illinois’ Chase Brown (2nd, 146.6), Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim (4th, 141.8), Michigan’s Blake Corum (6th, 122.2), Nebraska’s Anthony Grant (8th, 120.0), Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen (20th, 99.8) and Ohio State’s Miyan Williams (21st, 99.4).
• Nine Big Ten Conference students are among the 156 semifinalists for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy. Now in its 33rd year, the Campbell Trophy is presented annually to the nation’s top football scholar-athlete. Representing the Big Ten as this year’s Campbell Trophy semifinalists are Illinois’ Alex Pihlstrom, Indiana’s Beau Robbins, Iowa’s Jack Campbell, Michigan’s Jake Moody, Nebraska’s Travis Vokolek, Northwestern’s Charlie Mangieri, Ohio State’s Bradley Robinson, Penn State’s Jonathan Sutherland and Rutgers’ Adam Korsak.
• The 2022 campaign features 94 All-Big Ten honorees (first-, second-, third-team or honorable mention) selected by either the coaches or the media last season. Ohio State leads the way, welcoming back 17 All-Big Ten honorees this season. Each team has at least one All-Big Ten performer returning this season, with 56 of the 94 returning All-Big Ten players coming from the East Division.
• This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Saturday, December 31, 2022, at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The Los Angeles region will host the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 9, 2023, at SoFi 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.
