One of the most surprising stories in the Big Ten this season, is UCLA. The Bruins fired DeShaun Foster after an 0-3 start, then relieved offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri of his duties after a fourth-straight loss, and they haven’t lost since.
With Tim Skipper as the interim head coach and Jerry Neuheisel calling plays, UCLA has gotten up off the mat and ripped off three straight wins. Penn State, one of the three taems they’ve beaten along this shocking turnaround, didn’t quite have the same bounce back after moving on from James Franklin.
The Nittany Lions, under interim head coach Terry Smith and without quarterback Drew Allar, lost an ugly one in Iowa City. Redshirt freshman QB Ethan Grunkemeyer, threw for 93 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start, and Jim Knowles’s defense allowed a two-play 75-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. It was another ugly showing, and probably, with a 21-10 lead in the third quarter, another game Penn State should’ve won.
For now, Penn State stays slotted at the top of Tier 4, as Northwestern escaped to Tier 3 with a shutout win over Purdue. The Nittany Lions might reach new depths with back-to-back matchups with Ohio State and Indiana after a Week 9 bye.
The Big Ten lost its two best shots at putting 4 teams in the CFP
Maybe the most consequential result of Week 8 for the Big Ten came on Friday night as Minnesota pounded Nebraska 24-6. PJ Fleck’s Golden Gophers sacked Dylan Raiola nine times, and completely stifled Dana Holgorsen’s offense. Now that Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan, Washington, and USC all have two losses, the Big Ten doesn’t have a great chance of sending four teams to the CFP.
USC, after beating Michigan in Week 7, was likely the conference’s best chance, but Lincoln Riley folded in another big road game, falling 34-24 to Notre Dame in South Bend on Saturday night. The Trojans gave up over 300 rushing yards to the Fighting Irish, including over 200 to Jeremiyah Love. Just a week after taking it to Michigan at home, USC’s trench play is in question once again.
Tier 2 has thinned out in the Big Ten with Minnesota pulling Nebraska down, and Michigan proving that Washington is not on its level. The Huskies hung around for a while in Ann Arbor, but they struggled to move the ball and Demond Wiliams compounded those issues with three interceptions.