Knecht had eight points in a pivotal four-minute stretch when Tennessee (6-3) rallied from a four-point deficit to a six-point lead with just over 13 minutes to play. The Illini were held scoreless in the stretch.

“This was the most focus, knowing what we had to do on the defensive end, all season,” said Tennessee coach Rick Barnes. “(The Illini) challenge everything you do.”

“Dalton’s really good,” said Illinois coach Brad Underwood. “Let’s be real. He does a good job getting fouled.”

Guard Santiago Vescovi added 12 points and nine rebounds against the much-taller Illini. Jonas Aidoo scored 14 and Josiah-Jordan James had 12 points and seven assists and Zakai Zeigler scored 11. Tennessee commanded the boards, 43-34.

“(Tennessee) whooped our butt on the glass in the second half,” said Underwood.

“(Vescovi) is such a big part of who we’ve been,” Barnes said. “I’m really proud of him and the older guys. They were prepared for this.” (Vescovi) had an aggressive mentality. He was able to have the ‘fix-it’ plays that are so important.”

Quincy Guerrier and Terrence Shannon scored 22 each to lead Illinois (7-2). Coleman Hawkins had 12. The Illini were limited to 35% shooting from the field.

“We’re really good,” said Underwood. “We’ve got a really high ceiling. We just missed some shots and were out of sorts.”

Tennessee went more than four minutes without scoring in the first half, allowing Illinois to build a 36-34 halftime lead behind 12 points by Guerrier. Knecht, who was limited to 11 minutes by foul trouble, led the Vols with eight.

“This group is hungry to continue to improve and finish this thing together and understand what an incredible opportunity is in front of us,” said David Braun, who had the interim tag removed when he was named head coach Nov. 16.

The Wildcats (7-5) will make their first bowl appearance in three years when they play the Utes (8-4) on Dec. 23 at Allegiant Stadium in Vegas.

Three months ago, a bowl would have seemed an impossibility.

Days after last season ended, Northwestern’s administration received a complaint of players being hazed by teammates. An investigation found there were significant opportunities for coaches to know hazing was occurring and longtime coach and alumni Pat Fitzgerald was fired in July, with Braun named interim coach.

Braun, 38, had been hired as defensive coordinator Jan. 17 after four years in the same position at North Dakota State. Northwestern was his first job at the Bowl Subdivision level.

The Wildcats won just three games two years ago and went 1-11 last season. They were picked last in the West in this year’s preseason media poll. Ben Bryant and Brendan Sullivan split the quarterback job because of injuries to Bryant, and the Wildcats ranked in the bottom half of the Big Ten in most statistical categories.

Still, they won every other game before reeling off three straight victories to end the regular season 7-5 overall and 5-4 in Big Ten play. Braun was named Big Ten coach of the year in media and coaches’ voting coordinated by the conference office.

Northwestern has been bowl-eligible since Nov. 18, so a postseason game has been on the horizon for a while. But Braun said he could tell from his text traffic Sunday that it hit home with the official announcement.

“You can tell through the buzz on these group chats that we have a group that is excited about where we’re going, who our opponent is and getting to work,” he said.

Braun said he hasn’t been able to enjoy the moment, at least not yet.

“I think it’s really important that myself and others that have been involved in this reflect on what this group has achieved and the story they’ve written together,” he said.

After all, that format will have plenty of at-large bids to sort out, and as a result even more teams could have arguments to get into the final 12 spots.

How would a 12-team playoff have looked with the full final College Football Playoff ranking guiding the way?

For those who aren’t familiar with the structure that will go into place next season, currently the top-six conference champions will automatically get berths in the playoff, along with six at-large bids to the highest ranked non-conference winners.

The first round will feature the teams seeded fifth through eight hosting games, with the top-four teams all receiving byes in the playoff.

The quarterfinals and semifinals will all take place in bowl games, while the championship will continue to be a stand-along game.

Here is how the playoff would have shaken out in 2023:

Bye Weeks –

Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama all would have earned byes into the quarterfinal round. According to the CFP’s rules, the four teams will get to choose the bowl game they will play in, with Michigan getting the first choice as the top-seed.

The First Round Matchups –

Florida State, who was kept out of the playoff this year despite winning the ACC with a 13-0 record, would have taken on Liberty, the undefeated winners of Conference USA.

The winner of that game would then have taken on Alabama.

Georgia would have also earned a home game, taking on No. 11 Ole Miss. The winner of that game would then have taken on Texas in the quarterfinals.

Ohio State would also have gotten a rematch in Columbus, welcoming No. 10 Penn State. The winner of the game would then have taken on Washington in the quarterfinals.

Finally, Oregon would have gotten a home game in the first round, taking on Missouri in a big matchup at Autzen Stadium.

The winner of that game would take on Michigan in the quarterfinals.

And the No. 1 Wolverines got a daunting matchup for the 110th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All.

Top-seeded Michigan will face Southeastern Conference champion Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal to be played as the Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1.

The CFP committee announced the lineup for the final four-team playoff Sunday, and the unbeaten Wolverines (13-0) — who got to choose their semifinal destination as the No. 1 seed — booked another bowl appearance in the Southern California sun against the Crimson Tide (12-1).

Jim Harbaugh’s team is finally making its long-anticipated return to Pasadena, which has been Michigan’s home for so many New Year’s Days in the past. The Wolverines will be playing in their 21st Rose Bowl, more than any school except USC, but Michigan hasn’t been to the archetypal bowl game since 2007.

“It’s going to take all those days, all those hours, all those minutes,” Harbaugh told ESPN. “We played Alabama before. Haven’t beaten them. We know it’s going to take our best. We’re going to have to play really good, but before that, we’re going to have to plan. We’re going to have to practice and get in a position to execute against really good football teams.”

Michigan’s fans hope the Rose Bowl berth is the penultimate step in a tumultuous season featuring incredible play, but also two suspensions for Harbaugh. The Wolverines haven’t faltered amid the chaos, even ascending to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time in 26 seasons earlier Sunday after shutting out Iowa in the Big Ten championship game.

Michigan is in the CFP for the third time, looking for its first victory. The Wolverines are two wins away from their first national title since 1997.

But Michigan drew a formidable foe in the fourth-seeded Crimson Tide, which is coming off a spectacular upset victory over No. 1 Georgia in the SEC title game on Saturday. Alabama returned to the CFP and earned its eighth appearance in the Rose Bowl by ending the Bulldogs’ 29-game winning streak.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said he had a long Saturday night while hoping his Tide would earn a spot in college football’s final four.

“I didn’t sleep a lot, because there’s a lot of good teams out there,” Saban told ESPN. “It’s unfortunate that some good team had to get left out, but I really think our team earned the right to be here.”

The Crimson Tide played in the COVID-19 version of the Granddaddy just three years ago, routing Notre Dame 31-14 in a CFP semifinal “Rose Bowl” game played in Arlington, Texas, because of California’s safety restrictions. Alabama has been to the Rose Bowl more times than any school not in the Big Ten or the Pac-12.

Alabama’s previous Rose Bowl Game appearance was in 1946, although Saban’s Crimson Tide also won the national championship at the Rose Bowl in January 2010 when they beat Texas in the BCS title game.

Alabama is led by a top-notch defense and by quarterback Jalen Milroe, who has settled into the starting job. He passed for 192 yards and two touchdowns without an interception while beating Georgia.

“He’s got it,” Harbaugh said of Milroe. “He’s got that ‘it’ factor. Surrounded by a lot of really superior athletes that are really well-coached and know what they’re doing. That’s a vital, critical combination.”

Alabama is in the CFP for the eighth time in its 10 years of existence. After missing out on the playoff last season and then losing to the Longhorns in the second game of this season, the Tide reverted to their peerless form and reeled off 11 consecutive victories, capped by their 27-24 victory over two-time defending national champion Georgia on Saturday.

The national championship game will be played Jan. 8 in Houston.

Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama were selected Sunday and Florida State became the first unbeaten Power Five conference champion to be excluded from the field.

Michigan will face Alabama in the Rose Bowl, Washington will play Texas in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 and the winners will meet for the national championship Jan. 8 in Houston.

Before the CFP grows to 12 next year — an expansion that was delayed by a year because of infighting among the conference commissioners who manage the postseason system — the selection committee faced the toughest decision in the 10-year history of the format.

“Florida State is a different team than they were through the first 11 weeks,” explained Boo Corrigan, the selection committee chairman who is also the athletic director at North Carolina State, Florida State’s Atlantic Coast Conference rival.

The Seminoles (13-0) lost star quarterback Jordan Travis to a season-ending injury two weeks ago, but continued to win with a backup and then a third-string quarterback. The committee, though, is instructed to judge teams for what they are heading into the playoff and decided FSU without Travis is not among the best four in the country.

“I am disgusted and infuriated with the committee’s decision today to have what was earned on the field taken away because a small group of people decided they knew better than the results of the games. What is the point of playing games?” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said.

He added: “What happened today goes against everything that is true and right in college football. A team that overcame tremendous adversity and found a way to win doing whatever it took on the field was cheated today. It’s a sad day for college football.”

Travis is a sixth-year player whose development into one of the best quarterbacks in college football has fueled Florida State’s resurgence over the last three years.

“Devastated. heartbroken,” Travis posted on the social media platform X. “I wish my leg broke earlier in the season so y’all could see this team is much more than the quarterback. I thought results matter. 13-0 and this roster matches up across any team in those top 4 rankings. I am so sorry.”

Whichever team was left out had a good argument to get in. That created unprecedented controversy and the committee passed over FSU to pick Alabama, which upset Georgia to win the Southeastern Conference championship, and Big 12 champion Texas, which beat the Crimson Tide on the road in September.

The SEC had never missed the playoff. Alabama, which is in for the eighth time, kept that streak alive. The Crimson Tide have won the playoff three times, most recently in 2020.

Texas would have been just the second Power Five conference champion with only one loss to be left out. Instead, the Longhorns will be making their first appearance in the CFP in their last season as a member of the Big 12. Texas moves to the SEC next year.

Texas and Alabama were ranked seventh and eighth, respectively, in the committee’s penultimate rankings and are now the first teams to jump from outside the top six in the second-to-last rankings into the playoff field. Georgia became the first team to enter championship weekend No. 1 and fail to make the field.

“We’ve never had a year with eight teams at the top as good as these are. And the five conference champions (ranked) one through five, we’ve never had it come out that way,” CFP executive director Bill Hancock said. “My feeling is it probably was the toughest (decision ever for the committee).”

Big Ten champion Michigan is making its third straight appearance in the CFP, still looking for its first playoff victory. The Wolverines, who have stayed unbeaten amid an NCAA investigation into allegations of in-person scouting and sign-stealing, are the favorites to win the national title, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Michigan, looking for its first national title since 1997, opened as a 1 1/2-point favorite against Alabama. The Tide have won six national titles under coach Nick Saban.

“We’re not going to go in there saying, ‘Oh, this is Alabama, a team that’s won and won and won and won and won. No. We’re that team,” Michigan running back Blake Corum told reporters.

Washington is in the CFP for the second time, breaking the Pac-12’s playoff drought after six years, and doing so the year before it leaves the conference for the Big Ten. The Huskies opened as a 4 1/2-point underdog to Texas and former Washington coach Steve Sarkisian. The two played last season in the Alamo Bowl and Washington won.

Georgia’s slim hopes of trying for a third consecutive national title also came to an end. The Bulldogs (12-1) had a 29-game winning streak snapped by the Crimson Tide, but leaving them out of the CFP didn’t seem nearly as controversial as snubbing the Seminoles — even in a system ripe for criticism.

In 2014, Ohio State, playing with its third-string quarterback, vaulted over Baylor and TCU and into the playoff with a Big Ten title game blowout of Wisconsin. The Big 12 teams still haven’t gotten over it, but the Buckeyes went on to win it all. Ohio State has been on the short end a couple of times, too, winning the Big Ten in 2017 and ’18 and not getting in. But this year, the committee faced a truly vexing problem.

Florida State, which was No. 4 in the previous CFP rankings, appeared to be on the way to its second playoff appearance in mid-November when Travis suffered a serious injury in the first quarter against North Alabama and was lost for the year.

The Seminoles beat rival Florida last week with backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker, who then missed the ACC championship game against Louisville with a concussion. Florida State stayed unbeaten with a strong defensive performance, but scored only one touchdown.

“To eliminate them from a chance to compete for a national championship is an unwarranted injustice that shows complete disregard and disrespect for their performance and accomplishments. It is unforgivable,” Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said.

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, who was among conference leaders who helped slow down the expansion process by a year after the SEC’s plan to add Texas and Oklahoma was revealed in 2021, called leaving out the ‘Noles “unfathomable.”

“Their exclusion calls into question the selection process and whether the committee’s own guidelines were followed, including the significant importance of being an undefeated Power Five conference champion,” Phillips said.

As the ACC champion, Florida State will head to the Orange Bowl for a showdown with Georgia.

“It’s unfortunate that some good team had to get left out,” Saban said on ESPN, “but I really think that our team earned the right to be here.”

Here is how things are stacking up so far, and we will update the list as information becomes available.

Rose Bowl – Jan. 1

Michigan earned the No. 1 seed in the final College Football Playoff rankings, and will place in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 against the Alabama Crimson Tide, who beat Georgia in the SEC Championship game on Saturday.

The Wolverines clobbered Iowa 26-0 to earn their third consecutive Big Ten championship, and rolled to a 13-0 record on the regular season.

Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. on Jan. 1, and the game will air on ESPN.

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl – Dec. 23

The Northwestern Wildcats are heading back to a bowl game after a 7-5 season, and they’ll take on Utah at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Central, and the game will air on ESPN.

After winning one game in 2022 and firing head coach Pat Fitzgerald, the Wildcats had a 7-5 season under David Braun, naming him the full-time coach later in the season.

The Wildcats picked up wins over Minnesota and Maryland, while scoring road wins over Wisconsin and Illinois late in the season.

In their final season of Pac-12 play, Utah got off to a 6-1 start, including wins over Florida and Baylor, but faltered down the stretch, losing three of their final five games. They did beat Colorado in their season finale.

Quick Lane Bowl – Dec. 26

The Minnesota Golden Gophers will get a chance for a sixth win on the season when they take on Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl at Detroit’s Ford Field.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Central, and the game will air on ESPN.

The Gophers failed to win their final four games, thus denying them a sixth win that would have made them automatically bowl-eligible, but since there were not enough six-win teams to fill out the bowl schedule, Minnesota earned a berth thanks to their academic performance this season.

Minnesota has the distinction of being the only team to defeat Iowa at Kinnick Stadium this season, and also earned wins over Michigan State and Nebraska in conference play.

Bowling Green got off to a rough start, posting a 2-4 record through six games, but they won five of their final six games to become bowl-eligible at 7-5 on the year.

Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl – Dec. 28

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-6) are heading to New York’s Yankee Stadium to play in the Pinstripe Bowl against the Miami Hurricanes (7-5). This will be the Scarlet Knights’ third appearance in the Pinstripe Bowl and the Hurricanes’ second.

Kickoff is set for 1:15 p.m. Central and the game will air on ESPN.

Miami has an 11-0 record against Rutgers, but this is the first time these two teams will face off since 2003.

The coaching matchup for this game is an interesting one. Current Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano was the defensive coordinator for the Hurricanes before becoming the captain of the Knights. Miami’s head coach, Mario Cristobal, was mentored by Schiano for three seasons when he was the offensive line coach for the Knights.

This marks the Scarlet Knights’ 12th bowl game appearance, eight under head coach Greg Schiano. They hold a 6-6 record since their first appearance in 1978.

The Hurricanes have made 42 bowl game appearances but have lost their last four bowl games. They hold a 1-10 record since 2008.

Cotton Bowl – Dec. 29

The Ohio State Buckeyes will be headed to Dallas’ AT&T Stadium, where they will take on the Missouri Tigers in a 7 p.m. kickoff.

The Buckeyes went 11-1 on the season, losing their finale against Michigan in Ann Arbor. They also boasted wins over Notre Dame and Penn State this season.

The Tigers earned wins over several ranked teams, including Kentucky and Kansas State. Their lone losses came to LSU and Georgia.

Peach Bowl – Dec. 30

The Penn State Nittany Lions are heading to Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where they will take on Ole Miss in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

The Nittany Lions went 10-2 in the regular season, with their lone losses coming to Ohio State and Michigan. They shut out Big Ten West champion Iowa, and also defeated West Virginia in Happy Valley.

Ole Miss had two wins over ranked teams, beating No. 24 Tulane in New Orleans and No. 13 LSU at home. Their only two losses came to the participants in this year’s SEC title game, losing to Alabama and Georgia.

Transperfect Music City Bowl – Dec. 30

The Maryland Terrapins will head to Nashville’s Nissan Stadium for the Music City Bowl against Auburn. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Central, with the game airing on ABC.

The Terrapins started the season with a 5-0 record, but after a loss to Ohio State they dropped four consecutive contests. They did rebound to win two of their final three games and very nearly beat Michigan in College Park.

Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa is expected to play in the game, according to reports.

Auburn was 3-4 after a loss to Ole Miss, but reeled off three straight wins to become bowl-eligible. They did drop their last two games at home to New Mexico State and then to Alabama, losing the Iron Bowl in heartbreaking fashion.

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl – Jan. 1

The Iowa Hawkeyes, who won the Big Ten West but fell to Michigan in the conference championship game, will head to Orlando’s Camping World Stadium for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against the Tennessee Volunteers on New Year’s Day.

Kickoff is set for noon, and the game will air on ABC.

Iowa was completely decimated by injuries all season long, and also had one of the worst offenses in America, but their stellar defense still helped them to a division title and another 10-win season under Kirk Ferentz’s leadership.

Tennessee had an interesting season of its own, with four losses and some blowout victories in nonconference games, including a 45-14 win over the University of Texas at San Antonio. They also won at Kentucky in late October before late-season defeats against Missouri and Georgia.

ReliaQuest Bowl – Jan. 1

The Wisconsin Badgers are heading to Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium for an 11 a.m. kickoff on New Year’s Day against LSU.

The game will air on ESPN.

Under first-year head coach Luke Fickell, the Badgers earned road wins over Minnesota, Illinois and Purdue. They struggled at Camp Randall at times, but they did earn wins over Nebraska and Rutgers on their home field.

LSU had some impressive wins this season, taking down Missouri in Columbia and beating Florida handily, but their three losses against Florida State, Ole Miss and Alabama landed them in this bowl instead.

It is not known if Heisman Trophy frontrunner Jayden Daniels will play in the game.

Cignetti spent the last five seasons with the Dukes, including their last two in the FBS. During those two seasons, James Madison has gone 19-4 in 23 games, including an 11-1 record this season.

Prior to joining the Dukes, Cignetti was the head coach at IUP and Elon, and served as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Alabama under Nick Saban. He was instrumental in recruiting Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram to the Crimson Tide, and also coached future first-round pick Julio Jones at the school.

Cignetti will have a steep task ahead of him in Bloomington, as the team is looking at some big changes to its roster. Top among those will be navigating the transfer portal, as the team has seen numerous players already declare their intentions to explore options, including quarterback Brendan Sorsby and others.

The Hoosiers were left without a head coach after Allen was fired following the team’s loss to Purdue. In parts of eight seasons with Indiana, Allen put together a record of 33-49, leading the team to two bowl berths.

The 2023 season was a rough one, as Indiana finished with a 3-9 record and lost seven of its last eight games.

After one season as a walk-on linebacker, he switched positions, earned a scholarship in 2020, shared the team lead for sacks in 2021 and 2022, returned this year as a team captain, and wound up earning third-team all-conference honors.

It’s been quite a ride for the Hawkeyes’ vocal leader, and Evans believes he can help No. 16 Iowa exceed expectations once more on Saturday when his team plays No. 2 Michigan for the Big Ten championship.

“We love that narrative of being the underdog,” Evans said. “I don’t think anybody thought we were going to be in this situation after we lost 31-0 at Penn State. I said, ‘You know, we still have all of our goals in front of us. We can still win the Big Ten West and we can win the Big Ten championship.’ I know a lot of people kind of laughed at that, so we love being the underdog.”

The Hawkeyes (10-2, No. 16 CFP) certainly fit the model this week, winning the Big Ten West despite losing their starting quarterback against Penn State, changing kickers in their regular-season finale, and being unable to top the 20-point mark six times in their final eight games.

Michigan (12-0, No. 2 CFP), on the other hand, looks virtually unbeatable.

Two weeks after celebrating the program’s 1,000th win and one week after beating rival Ohio State for the third straight time, the Wolverines are chasing a school first — their third straight outright league title — and a second straight playoff bid.

How good are the Wolverines? They’ve won a school-record 24 consecutive conference games, lead the nation in scoring defense (10.3) and have J.J. McCarthy and Blake Corum, the Big Ten’s quarterback and running back of the year.

The result: Michigan enters the game in Indianapolis as a 22 1/2-point favorite in a contest where the over-under is 34 1/2 points, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Still, the Wolverines will take nothing for granted, even as coach Jim Harbaugh returns to the sideline following his second three-game suspension of this season, this one for allegedly stealing signs.

“It gets the hair sticking up on my arms, gets me ready to run through a wall,” Corum said, referring to Harbaugh’s presence. “I’ve definitely missed hearing that.”

Two years ago, the Hawkeyes faced a similar predicament when they last met the heavily favored Wolverines in Indianapolis. Michigan won that title game 42-3, and Evans hasn’t forgotten anything about that game.

It’s an experience he and his teammates don’t want to relive this weekend, even if nobody else believes in the Hawkeyes.

“We all remember at the facility how much we lost that game by,” Evans said. “Being the captain, it’s my duty and my job to let the guys know what that felt like, coming off the field losing by 39 points. And another thing is to make sure the guys understand we’re there to win a football game.”

Last season, an injured Corum watched the Wolverines capture the league crown from a California hotel room following knee surgery. This year, he’ll play a key role, and Corum can’t wait.

“I wanted to be there so bad, but everything happens for a reason, and look at me now,” the senior said.

Corum leads the FBS with a single-season school record of 22 rushing TDs, and his 53 career scoring runs are two short of Anthony Thomas’ school record (1997-2000).

Two years ago, Cade McNamara led Michigan to its first Big Ten title since 2004. On Saturday, he’ll be watching from the other sideline as part of the Hawkeyes.

McNamara transferred after McCarthy took over as the Wolverines’ starter last season. But the Iowa quarterback suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 5. Former Wisconsin quarterback Deacon Hill replaced McNamara, who has some inside information about his former team — even if coach Kirk Ferentz won’t listen.

“I don’t even want to know because all it does is clutter your mind,” Ferentz said. “All that does is screw up my thought process. Quite frankly, I’d rather just look at the film.”

Michigan will be missing one key player, all-conference guard Zak Zinter, who had surgery last Saturday after breaking his leg in two places against Ohio State. Trente Jones is expected to replace Zinter. Jones made nine starts in five seasons as an extra offensive lineman.

“What an opportunity for Trente to show what he can do,” Harbaugh said.

This is the final meeting of the Big Ten division champs for the conference title. Divisional play is being scrapped next season when four Pac-12 teams join the league, and the top two teams will meet in the championship.

Wisconsin won the first two games, representing the Leaders Division, and Michigan State gave the Legends Division its first title in 2013. If Michigan wins Saturday, the East Division champ will be 10-0 since the conference went to its current East-West format.

Newton was also named the conference’s Defensive Lineman of the Year, and earned Big Ten First Team honors in both the coaches and media polls, according to the conference.

Newton is the first Illinois player to earn the top defensive prize since Dana Howard earned the award in 1994.

Keith Randolph was also named to the Third Team for his defensive exploits this season.

It was another stellar season for Newton, who is expected to be a first round pick in the NFL Draft after declaring that he would be making himself eligible for the NFL. In 12 games with the Illini, Newton registered 52 total tackles, including 8.5 for loss. He had a career high 7.5 sacks, and defended two passes while forcing a fumble this season.

Unfortunately for Newton and the Illini, a loss to Northwestern kept the team from reaching a second consecutive bowl game, with a 5-7 record on the year.

Partridge posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he steered clear of making any public statements since he was fired 11 days earlier because he did not want to distract from the team’s goal of an unbeaten regular season.

Michigan beat Ohio State on Saturday 30-24 to clinch a third straight trip to the Big Ten championship game with its third consecutive victory against the Buckeyes. With a victory against No. 18 Iowa on Saturday in Indianapolis, No. 2 Michigan will secure a third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance.

Partridge said in his post that reporting on why he was let go has been inaccurate.

“Additionally, at no point did I destroy any evidence related to the ongoing investigation,” he said.

Partridge was fired the day before Michigan played Maryland, and the day after, the school dropped a lawsuit against the Big Ten that challenged the conference’s three-game suspension of head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Harbaugh was not with the team for games against Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State.

The former staffer at the center of the investigation, Connor Stalions, resigned two weeks ago. He is accused of purchasing tickets to scout future Michigan opponents and sending people to those games to digitally record teams signaling in their plays. In-person scouting is banned by the NCAA, which is trying to determine how organized the scheme was and who knew about it.

Partridge said a termination letter he received on Nov. 17 from athletic director Warde Manuel explained he was fired because he failed to abide by a university directive not to discuss an ongoing NCAA investigation with anyone associated with the Michigan Football Program.

“While I am extremely disappointed in the University’s decision to terminate my employment, their decision does not change my continued love and support of Coach Jim Harbaugh, the coaches, and the players of Team 144 as they continue their quest for a National Championship,” Partridge said.

This was Partridge’s first season of his second stint at Michigan.

He previously worked for Harbaugh from 2016 to 19 before leaving for Mississippi. He was initially hired to be the team’s director of player personnel before being promoted to assistant coach for four years during his first stint with the Wolverines.

Those three teams round out the 82 available spots because only 79 teams achieved the six wins necessary for bowl eligibility.

James Madison (11-1) and Jacksonville State (8-4) are still transitioning to full FBS status and would not be eligible if there were enough six-win teams.

James Madison, after having two appeals of bowl eligibility rules rejected by the NCAA, had threatened legal action to be allowed to play in a bowl. The school backed off last week with the hope a bid would come if not enough teams reached the six-win threshold.

The inclusion of James Madison and Jacksonville State still left one opening for Minnesota, which had a 992 Academic Progress Rate score in 2021-22 for the best of the five-win teams. Mississippi State (985) would have been the next 5-7 team in line.

The Gophers finished the regular season 5-7 after losing to rival Wisconsin on Saturday, their third consecutive defeat. NCAA rules allow five-win teams to fill spots, with the order determined by the Academic Progress Rate (APR) score from the most recent reporting period.

The only FBS teams with better scores than Minnesota either had six wins or more (Northwestern, Wisconsin, Clemson, Alabama, Mississippi, and Ohio State) or fewer than five wins (Cincinnati).

“We’ll always accept a bowl bid — always,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said after the game on Saturday. “There’s so many beneficial things to a bowl game, with practices, with development. To be honest, we might be our best football team in a month if we get everybody back.”

Minnesota also qualified for a bowl in 2015 with a 5-7 record on the strength of its APR score. The Gophers had to wait this year until the wee hours Sunday to learn their fate because Colorado State took a 5-6 record into the final game of the day at Hawaii, four time zones behind.

The Rams tied the game on a 70-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-8 and a 2-point conversion with 54 seconds left. But the Rainbow Warriors won 27-24 on a 51-yard field goal as time expired.

Bowl matchups will be announced Dec. 3. Minnesota’s most likely destinations, based on Big Ten tie-ins, are the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit on Dec. 26 or the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 23.

According to Zach Osterman of the Indy Star, Allen was fired after the team slogged through a 3-9 season, including a loss to in-state rival Purdue:  

Allen has spent the last eight seasons at Indiana, posting a record of 33-49 in 82 career games. He helped guide the team to bowl games in 2019 and 2020, winning Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in helping Indiana to a 6-2 record and an Outback Bowl appearance during the 2020 campaign.  

Since then the Hoosiers have struggled, going 9-27 in the last three seasons. The team was 2-2 after a win over Akron on Sept. 23, but lost seven of their final eight games as they struggled with their identity on both sides of the ball.

According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Allen is owed a buyout of $20.8 million by the university following his firing.

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John Paddock completed 24 of 34 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns, all to Casey Washington, and Reggie Love III ran for 106 yards for Illinois. Washington had nine catches for 218 yards.

It was the fourth win in five games for the bowl-bound Wildcats (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten Conference) while Illinois (5-7, 3-6) lost its fourth of seven home games.

Two fourth-quarter turnovers that resulted in two Northwestern touchdowns in nine seconds hurt Illinois before the Illini made the game close on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Paddock to Washington and an 80-yard pass from Paddock to Washington with 55 seconds left.

A two-point conversion try after the second Paddock-to-Washington TD was no good.

Bryant scored on an 8-yard touchdown run after Isaiah Williams fumbled a punt and it was recovered by Northwestern’s Raymond Niro III at the Illini 18-yard line.

Illinois’ Kenari Wilcher fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Garner Wallace returned it 18 yards for a touchdown.

Illinois had gone ahead 31-28 early in the fourth quarter on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Williams, a former quarterback turned receiver, to a wide-open Pat Bryant in the end zone.

It was Williams’ fifth career touchdown pass, but his first since 2020, before he switched to receiver.

Northwestern led 21-20 at halftime and struck early in the second half on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Bryant to A.J. Henning.

Illinois’ Caleb Griffin kicked his third field goal, a 40-yarder, then Northwestern’s Jack Olsen missed a 45-yarder, leaving the Wildcats ahead 28-23 after three quarters. Olsen kicked a 46-yard field goal with 2:56 left in the game.

The teams traded touchdowns in the final 1:09 of the first half.

Illinois took the lead briefly on a 55-yard interception return by Miles Scott, who picked off an overthrown pass by Bryant and raced up the sideline into the end zone. It was the second pick-6 this season for the converted receiver.

Northwestern responded with a touchdown on a fumble recovered in the end zone by offensive lineman Dom D’Antonio. Illinois’ Dylan Rosiek stripped the ball away from Anthony Tyus III near the goal line, and D’Antonio fell on the ball.

The Wildcats got an early turnover when a Paddock pass slipped through the hands of Hank Beatty and was intercepted by Jaheem Joseph, who returned his first career pick to the Illinois 26. Northwestern scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Bryant to Johnson.

Illinois responded with a 42-yard field goal by Griffin, but the Wildcats extended their lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Tyus.

The Illini scored on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Paddock to Washington, who swiped the ball away from Theran Johnson in the end zone, and a 24-yard field goal by Griffin before Scott’s interception.

THE TAKEAWAY

Illinois: A season that started with high expectations ended with a bitter defeat and no bowl game.

Northwestern: A season that began with a hazing-and-abuse scandal and coaching change will continue on for the Wildcats with a bowl game.

UP NEXT

Northwestern: The Wildcats will play in a bowl game for the first time since 2020.

Illinois: The Illini will pack up their gear and get ready for next season.

No rivalry has produced more games matching Associated Press-ranked teams (No. 49 on Saturday), top-10 matchups (26), and top-five games (13).

The Game is filled with lore and legends and thrilling performances.

Even before the second-ranked Buckeyes and third-ranked Wolverines kick off Saturday in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the 119th meeting will be historic.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh will not be on the sideline as he serves the final game of a suspension handed down by the Big Ten for an alleged in-person scouting and sign-stealing scheme that is under investigation by the NCAA.

The animosity between the heated rivals has probably never been higher, and the stakes are massive with Big Ten and national championship implications. One day it will make the list of the six most memorable Ohio State-Michigan games (in chronological order).

A winter storm swept through Columbus, Ohio, covering the field with snow and dropping temperature into the teens for the game on Nov. 25, 1950. The weather was bad enough that canceling the game was considered. That would have given No. 8 Ohio State the trip to the Rose Bowl.

“One of the worst days for football we’ve ever had,” a broadcaster said as the game began.

They played, and the teams slipped and slid through 45 punts and a total of three first downs. Michigan scored a touchdown and a safety, and Ohio State a field goal. All came off botched punts.

The Wolverines pulled the 9-3 upset and went to the Rose Bowl. The loss was the fourth straight for the Buckeyes under coach Wes Fesler, who resigned soon after. Ohio State hired Woody Hayes, who went on to become the winningest coach in school history.

No. 1 Ohio State and No. 4 Michigan were unbeaten when they met in 1973 at the height of what is known as the 10-Year War in the rivalry between Hayes and Michigan coach Bo Schembechler, his protege.

A 10-10 tie played on a rain-soaked field produced unforgettable drama — Ohio State players famously swarmed the M Club banner before kickoff — and controversy. The Big Ten only sent its champion to the postseason at the time. To determine which team got the Rose Bowl bid, Big Ten athletic directors voted, and Ohio State won. Schembechler was furious and never fully got over being snubbed.

The theme of The Game in the mid-1990s was Michigan ruining Ohio State’s season and making life miserable for Buckeyes coach John Cooper (2-10-1 vs. the Wolverines). In 1995, No. 2 and unbeaten Ohio State’s heart was broken by one of the greatest individual performances in the history of the sport: Tim Biakabutuka ran for 313 yards against the Buckeyes, and No. 18 Michigan won 31-23.

No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Michigan in 2006 came with a spot in the BCS championship game on the line. The buildup was enormous — and then the day before the game, Schembechler died unexpectedly at 77.

The game lived up to the hype and played out like nothing Woody and Bo would have recognized during their battles. Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and the Buckeyes traded big plays with the Wolverines. Ohio State won 42-39 and played for the national championship.

There was a debate about whether the two should have been rematched for the national title. That didn’t happen and that BCS title game didn’t work out well for the Buckeyes against Florida, but Ohio State and Jim Tressel were about to go on a long run of dominating the Michigan rivalry.

Urban Meyer took over for Tressel in 2012 at Ohio State, and Michigan was mired in mediocrity in the post-Lloyd Lloyd era.

Michigan hired former star quarterback Jim Harbaugh as coach to turn around the program in 2015, and quickly, he had the Wolverines in position to win the Big Ten title in 2016.

That year, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan played the first overtime game in the history of the series, and the Wolverines took a three-point lead on their first possession.

The Buckeyes had a fourth-and-1 on their possession, and Meyer went for it instead of kicking for a tie. J.T. Barrett just barely made the line to gain, and the spot was upheld on review. Moments later, Curtis Samuel scored a walk-off touchdown, and Harbaugh said he was “bitterly disappointed with the officiating” after the 30-27 loss.

By 2021, Ohio State had won eight straight and 14 of 15 against Michigan. The Game was canceled in the 2020 pandemic season, prompting suggestions that the struggling Wolverines were ducking the Buckeyes.

Harbaugh faced enormous criticism for not being able to beat Ohio State. That ended on a cold day two years ago amid light snow in Ann Arbor. Michigan bullied Ohio State 42-27 and went on to win the Big Ten and make the College Football Playoff.

The game was a rematch of last year’s championship, won by the Tar Heels 2-1, a game that marked the end of Karen Shelton’s 42-year run as the coach and the fourth title for senior Erin Matson. Matson is now the Tar Heels coach and the championship was played in Karen Shelton Stadium.

“There are no words for this,” Matson said. “I thought being on the field, rushing to celebrate with your teammates, was great. Then we hoisted the trophy with the ACC championship a couple weeks back, and I thought that was great seeing it as a coach.

“Nothing tops a national championship on your home field. … It’s special.”

Northwestern beat the Tar Heels for the 2021 championship. North Carolina is now 11-11 in title games.

“It doesn’t get any better than a national championship and a sudden death shootout,” Matson said. “I’m so proud of our girls. They’re so happy. They wanted it so badly. Incredible day. I’m speechless.”

After second-seeded Northwestern (21-2) scored in the first two rounds of the shootout, the Wildcats couldn’t get another shot past Maddie Kahn, a graduate transfer from Lehigh. Before Heck’s winner, Kahn stopped Peyton Halsey, who had scored a goal for Northwestern in the first round of the shootout, as did Heck.

“She’s been a rock for us all season long. She’s the exact piece of the puzzle we needed,” Matson said of her goalie. “She’s just a brick wall. We have total confidence and trust in her…to see her do it in a shootout, sold out stadium, national championship atmosphere, that’s exactly why she is a Tar Heel for life now.”

After a quiet first half, with neither team getting a shot on goal, the action picked up in the second half.

Charly Bruder put the top-seeded Tar Heels (18-3) on top by squeezing a long shot off a corner between the post and Wildcats’ goalie Annabel Skubisz early in the third quarter. Northwestern’s Petyon Halsey tied it with a penalty stroke goal with 1:19 left in the quarter.

Both teams had chances with corners in the closing minutes of regulation but couldn’t break through. Heck had a penalty stroke with 2:17 to go in the first overtime, but Skubisz got a stick on the shot.

North Carolina outshot Northwestern 14-8, with Skubisz making five saves and Kahn three.

Iowa (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten) won its third division title, and its second in three years, earning a trip to the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 2 in Indianapolis.

The win touched off an emotional celebration in the Iowa locker room, where coach Kirk Ferentz was handed the game ball by defensive coordinator Phil Parker.

“It took us, I think, about five minutes,” Hill said, smiling. “Everybody was cheering, the water was flying. It was awesome for him.”

“We’ve gone through some bumps, had some things happen throughout the season,” said Ferentz, who picked up his 195th Big Ten win, moving him past Bo Schembechler for third place all-time. “No matter what, these guys stayed together.

The Hawkeyes have had to survive injuries to key players — quarterback Cade McNamara, tight ends Luke Lachey and Erick All, and cornerback Cooper DeJean all have suffered season-ending injuries. Iowa interim athletics director Beth Goetz announced on Oct. 30 that offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz would be out of a job at the end of the season.

The Hawkeyes’ two losses — a 31-0 defeat to Penn State on Sept. 23 and a 12-10 defeat to Minnesota on Oct. 21 — came at times when the season seemed to be getting away.

“I said (after the Penn State game) that all of our goals were still out there in front of us and we could still be Big Ten West champs, we could still be Big Ten champs,” defensive end Joe Evans said. “I’m not sure how well that went with some people — I’m sure they laughed at us. But look at us now.”

Johnson had just four carries for 6 yards before breaking loose down the right side for the go-ahead score.

“I just saw green grass, so I ran,” Johnson said. “That’s my thing — when I see green grass, I run.”

Drew Stevens missed the extra point after the touchdown, giving Illinois (5-6, 3-5) a chance to win the game with a field goal. But John Paddock threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-2 from his team’s 33-yard line on the next possession, giving the ball back to the Hawkeyes with 3:44 to play.

Illinois coach Bret Bielema said he had decided on the play before that he would go for it on fourth down.

“The offense felt strong at that point,” Bielema said. “We failed to execute it, but we knew we still had. a chance to stop them.”

Johnson then had a 12-yard run for a first down on Iowa’s ensuing possession, and the Hawkeyes ran out the clock.

Iowa, ranked 130th in the nation in total offense, outgained the Illini 281-280. The Hawkeyes got their other points on a first-quarter safety when Paddock was sacked in the end zone, and on Deacon Hill’s 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Addison Ostrenga in the second quarter.

Illinois got a 1-yard touchdown run by Reggie Love III in the second quarter and two field goals from Caleb Griffin for its points.

The Hawkeyes close the regular season on Friday at Nebraska, carrying a division championship with them.

“I have played on some really great teams,” Evans said. “But we just kept fighting. This team, we just keep coming, keep coming. I’m proud of these guys.”

BIG PICTURE

Illinois: The Illini, needing a win to become bowl-eligible for the second consecutive season, kept the Hawkeyes from doing much on offense until Johnson’s run. Paddock looked comfortable in a starting role on the road, finding openings in Iowa’s defense with short passes all day. “The majority of the game was good,” Bielema said. “But this week is going to be a gut-check for us.”

Iowa: The Hawkeyes, 16th in the College Football Playoff rankings, could move into the Associated Press poll this week after being at the top of the list of others receiving votes this week. They have figured out ways to win in this current three-game winning streak, and this game was no different. Iowa has won 17 of its last 18 games in November dating back to 2019.

UP NEXT

Illinois: Hosts Northwestern next Saturday.

Iowa: At Nebraska next Friday.

Harbaugh was suspended for three games by the Big Ten amid the ongoing NCAA investigation into allegations that Michigan improperly used advanced in-person scouting to learn opposing team’s sideline signals, with Commissioner Tony Pettiti doing so under the conference’s sportsmanship guidelines.

As a result, Harbaugh won’t be on the sidelines for this week’s game against Maryland, and won’t coach the Wolverines when they take on Ohio State in the final game of the regular season on Nov. 25. He would be eligible to return for the Big Ten Championship game on Dec. 2 if the Wolverines qualify.

The Big Ten issued a statement about Michigan’s decision to withdraw their legal action in the case, calling the school a “valued member” of the conference.

“The Big Ten Conference’s commitment to student-athletes, sportsmanship and the commissioner’s duty to protect the integrity of competition will never waver. Today’s decision by the University of Michigan to withdraw its legal challenge against the conference’s Nov. 10 Notice of Disciplinary Action is indicative of the high standards and values that the conference and the university seek to uphold.

“The University of Michigan is a valued member of the Big Ten Conference, and the conference will continue to work cooperatively with the university and the NCAA during this process,” the statement concluded.

Less than 24 hours before last week’s game against Penn State, the Big Ten banned Harbaugh from being on the sidelines for Michigan’s three remaining regular-season games on Friday, escalating an extraordinary confrontation with college football‘s winningest program over a sign-stealing scheme that has rocked the sport.

Michigan’s plane landed in Pennsylvania shortly before the announcement. It issued a statement ridiculing the decision.

“Like all members of the Big Ten Conference, we are entitled to a fair, deliberate, and thoughtful process to determine the full set of facts before a judgment is rendered,” the school said. “Today’s action by Commissioner Tony Petitti disregards the conference’s own handbook, violates basic tenets of due process, and sets an untenable precedent of assessing penalties before an investigation has been completed.”

Harbaugh has denied any knowledge of an improper scouting scheme in his program. Michigan had warned it was prepared to take possible legal action if the conference punished the program before a full investigation; the NCAA and the Big Ten are both looking into the claims.

The ruling had been due to come by Friday, prior to Michigan’s road game vs. Maryland.

Such a fight between a conference and one of its most storied members is unheard of. The dispute began three weeks ago and the allegations leaked day by day, with it becoming clear the Wolverines do not want their undefeated season derailed by an unfinished investigation of activities it says Harbaugh knew nothing about and are not unheard of across college football.

The Big Ten, however, said the school had violated its sportsmanship policy by conducting “an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years” that resulted in “an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition.”

For now, while Harbaugh is allowed at practices and other activities, he cannot be “present at the game venue.”

College Football Nov 3

Michigan football staffer at center of sign-stealing probe resigns, school says

Jim Harbaugh Nov 2

Frustrated Big Ten coaches want Michigan disciplined for sign-stealing, AP sources say

The league also sent a 13-page letter to Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel to back up its decision.

“(A) university football staff member engaged in an organized, extensive, years-long in-person advance scouting scheme that was impermissible. … Such misconduct inherently compromises the integrity of competition,” the letter said, before saying the school’s response did not deny the scheme occurred. “Instead, it offers only procedural and technical arguments designed to delay accountability.”

Michigan says it is cooperating with the NCAA, which does not outlaw sign-stealing, but has rules against in-person scouting of opponents and using electronic equipment to steal signs. The allegations against Michigan suggest a far more robust approach to gathering signs.

The low-level staffer at the center of the investigation, Connor Stalions, resigned earlier this month. Through his attorney, Stalions said that, to his knowledge, none of the Michigan coaches told anyone to break rules or were aware of improper conduct when it came to advance scouting.

The NCAA probe is likely to stretch well past the season. Big Ten’s rules allowed for swifter action and coaches and athletic directors in the league had pushed Petitti to discipline Michigan under conference bylaws that cover sportsmanship and competitive integrity.

Multiple Big Ten schools found tickets purchased in Stalions’ name to their games over the last three seasons. Tickets to the last two Southeastern Conference championship games were also purchased in Stalions’ name. Big Ten schools have also provided the NCAA some video surveillance footage of people sitting in those seats, holding cellphones pointed toward the field.

Harbaugh served a school-imposed, three-game suspension earlier this season for an unrelated and unresolved NCAA infractions case tied to recruiting. The former star quarterback for the Wolverines has an 80-25 overall record and a 59-17 mark in Big Ten games over nine seasons with the Wolverines. He considered returning to the NFL coaching ranks after both the 2021 and ’22 seasons.

Michigan has contended that other schools steal signs. A former employee at a Big Ten football program, whose role was to steal signs, said he was given details from multiple conference schools before his team played Michigan to compile a spreadsheet of play-calling signals used by the Wolverines last year. He spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, fearing the disclosures could impact his coaching career.

The person said he also passed along screenshots of text-message exchanges with staffers from a handful of Big Ten football teams with the Wolverines, giving them proof that other conference teams were colluding to steal signs from Harbaugh’s team.

The Big Ten dismissed Michigan’s argument that other schools were also stealing signs.

“The conference is unmoved by the University’s attempt to downplay its impermissible conduct by asserting that other conference members may have engaged in sign decoding,” its letter said. “The conference has not received any information that any other members schools engaged in impermissible advance in-person scouting, let alone a scheme of the size and scale like the one at issue here. … the conference vehemently rejects any defense by the university or any other conference member that cheating is acceptable because other teams do it too.”

___

AP Sports writer Larry Lage contributed.

That report, from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, indicates that the school is “expected” to make the move official soon.

Braun, who was hired as the team’s defensive coordinator in January, was elevated to the role of interim head coach after the firing of Pat Fitzgerald earlier this year.

Braun has led the Wildcats to a 5-5 record on the season, including wins over Maryland and Minnesota and a 24-10 road victory over Wisconsin that has Northwestern one win away from bowl eligibility.

Northwestern will have their first opportunity at that sixth victory when they host Purdue at Ryan Field on Saturday. They’ll then wrap up the season in Champaign against Illinois on Nov. 25.

The success Braun has overseen comes just one year after the team lost 11 consecutive games, and also comes amid the ongoing fallout from allegations of systemic hazing within the football program that ultimately led to Fitzgerald’s dismissal.

While a probe by attorney Maggie Hickey did not find “sufficient” evidence the coaching staff knew about the hazing, the school opted to fire Fitzgerald on July 10, saying that he bore the responsibility for the problems plaguing the program.

“As head coach of the football program for 17 years, Patrick Fitzgerald was responsible for the conduct of the program. He had the responsibility to know that hazing was occurring and had to stop it. He failed to do so,” the school said in a statement.

In the months since, Fitzgerald has filed a $130 million wrongful termination lawsuit.

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After Indiana’s Chris Freeman kicked a 41-yard field goal in OT, Paddock scrambled to his right on third down and connected with Williams.

Paddock threw for 507 yards and four touchdowns in his first start for the Illini since transferring from Ball State. Replacing injured starter Luke Altmyer (concussion), Paddock completed 24 of 36 passes.

Only Shedeur Sanders, with 510 yards on Sept. 2 vs. TCU, has thrown for more yards in a game this season than Paddock, whose uncle, grandfather and great-grandfather played for Illinois.

“We thought Luke would be cleared to play, but by midweek, we could see it wasn’t going to happen,” said Illinois coach Bret Bielema. “He’s cleared now. Do we have a quarterback controversy? No, I think we have two good quarterbacks.”

Williams, the Big Ten’s leading receiver, had nine catches for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Pat Bryant had five catches for 131 yards and a touchdown for the Ilini (5-5, 3-4) before being injured midway through the third quarter and Casey Washington had five catches for 99 yards and a touchdown.

Reggie Love had 24 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns for Illinois, which ended a four-game losing streak to the Hoosiers that dated to 2012.

“Great late-game win,” Love said. “We did what we practiced all week.”

Brendan Sorsby was 22 for 33 passing for 289 yards and three touchdowns — he also ran for two touchdowns — and Donaven McCulley caught 11 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns for Indiana (3-7, 1-5), which led 27-12 in the second quarter.

Indiana tied the game at 42-42 with 28 seconds left in regulation on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Sorsby to DeQuece Carter and a two-point conversion pass from Sorsby to E.J. Williams Jr.

“What a tough way to lose,” said Indiana coach Tom Allen, his hoarse voice barely audible. “I’m shocked they were able to pass so well against us. We prepared for both quarterbacks. The problem was we didn’t put any pressure on (Paddock) and he had a career day,”

It was a penalty-filled, chippy game. Illinois was penalized 14 times for 139 yards and had a player ejected for spitting on an Indiana player, and the Hoosiers had seven penalties for 80 yards.

“A lot of the chippiness goes back to last year when we played Indiana at their place,” Bielema said. “Our locker room was 100 degrees and there were a lot of other rinky-dink things they did to us. This was a nice rivalry game.”

After trailing 27-26 at halftime, Illinois took a 33-27 lead on a 42-yard touchdown pass from Paddock to Williams in the third quarter.

The Illini padded their lead in the fourth quarter on a 37-yard touchdown run by Love, but Indiana responded with a 5-yard touchdown run by Sorsby before Illinois’ Caleb Griffin kicked a 21-yard field goal.

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“The Big Ten Conference announced today that the University of Michigan has been found in violation of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy for conducting an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition,” the Big Ten said in a statement.

In response, Michigan and Harbaugh filed a breach of contract complaint, as well as a temporary, emergency restraining order. The school argued keeping Harbaugh away from the team for their game against Penn State on Saturday would cause “irreparable harm to the coach, the players and the university.”

The two 20-page documents were filed just hours after the Big Ten announced their regular season suspension for Harbaugh, who isn’t allowed on the Michigan sideline during games. He can coach during the week and other team activities, except games. According to Pete Thamel, the Big Ten plans to discipline Michigan, too.

The temporary restraining order Michigan filed was not approved imminently before Michigan’s noon kickoff on Saturday. A hearing will happen on Nov. 17 between Michigan, Harbaugh and the Big Ten.

“The hearing on the 17th will have the parties and representatives from Jim Harbaugh, Michigan and the Big Ten. The upcoming hearing is expected to determine whether the judge will grant a preliminary injunction to allow Harbaugh to coach,” Thamel reported.

Harbaugh said in late October that he never directed staff to engage in improper conduct, and said that his staff would fully cooperate with the NCAA’s investigation.

Here is his full statement:

“I want to make it clear that I, and my staff, will fully cooperate with the investigation into this matter.

“I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment. I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action.

“I do not condone or tolerate anyone doing anything illegal or against NCAA rules.

“No matter what program or organization that I have led throughout my career, my instructions and awareness of how we scout opponents have always been firmly within the rules.

“Pursuant to NCAA rules, I will not be able to comment further while this investigation takes place.”

The conference also plans to discipline Michigan’s football team for the in-person scouting and ongoing sign-stealing investigation, according to a report from Pete Thamel. The discipline in place is not yet known.

“The Big Ten Conference announced today that the University of Michigan has been found in violation of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy for conducting an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition,” the Big Ten said in a statement.

Michigan intends to seek a court order with Harbaugh to prevent disciplinary action from taking effect.

Harbaugh said in late October that he never directed staff to engage in improper conduct, and said that his staff would fully cooperate with the NCAA’s investigation.

Here is his full statement:

“I want to make it clear that I, and my staff, will fully cooperate with the investigation into this matter.

“I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment. I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action.

“I do not condone or tolerate anyone doing anything illegal or against NCAA rules.

“No matter what program or organization that I have led throughout my career, my instructions and awareness of how we scout opponents have always been firmly within the rules.

“Pursuant to NCAA rules, I will not be able to comment further while this investigation takes place.”

According to a report from Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel and Ross Dellinger, Michigan is accused of using “unnamed individuals to attend games of both scheduled opponents and possible College Football Playoff opponents in an effort to gather information on the signs they use to call both offensive and defensive plays.”

The report cites a 1994 rule that prohibits in-person scouting by teams.

Wetzel and Dellinger’s report indicated that at least two teams Michigan has played this season were “aware that Michigan knew their play signs.”

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Football is back at the Friendly Confines, with the Northwestern Wildcats hosting the Iowa Hawkeyes at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Saturday’s game will mark Northwestern’s first game at Wrigley in two seasons, last playing at Clark and Addison on Nov. 20, 2021 against Purdue, falling 32-14 to the Boilermakers in a season in which the Wildcats won just a single Big Ten game.

Prior to 2021, the Cats played at Wrigley Field just one other time, a matchup against the in-state rival Illinois Fighting Illini on Nov. 20, 2010, in a game that marked the return of the sport to the revered stadium after a 40-year hiatus.

Wrigley Field was the longtime home of the Chicago Bears, hosting the Monsters of the Midway from 1921 through 1970, before the team moved to Soldier Field.

In addition to the Bears, Wrigley Field also served as the home of the Chicago Cardinals from 1931 to 1939.

The fledgling Cardinals had called Comiskey Park on the South Side home for two separate stints in the 1920’s before hosting the club again from 1940 to 1958.

Though neither Northwestern or Iowa are currently ranked in the AP Top 25, Saturday afternoon’s affair promises to be a thrilling rivalry matchup between the 6-2 Hawkeyes and 4-4 Wildcats.

Knight, who captured three NCAA Division I championships during his time as the head coach at Indiana, died at home surrounded by family members, according to the statement.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share that Coach Bob Knight passed away at his home in Bloomington, surrounded by his family,” the statement read. “We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers, and appreciate the continued respect for our privacy as coach requested a private family gathering, which is being honored. We will continue to celebrate his life and remember him, today and forever, as a beloved husband, father, coach and friend.”

In lieu of flowers, Knight’s family suggested making donations to the Alzheimer’s Association, or to Marian University.

Knight began his coaching career at the United States Military Academy in 1965, then was hired at Indiana in 1971. There, he reached the Final Four on five occasions and captured three national titles, including in the 1986-87 season.

He became famed for his fiery demeanor and temper, famously throwing a chair across the floor during a game and frequently engaging in heated arguments with officials and media alike.

Knight’s tenure at Indiana ended in 2000 after he allegedly grabbed a student by the arm during a confrontation. That action followed revelations that he had allegedly choked former player Neil Reed, an action that was captured on video.

Knight refused to resign his post, and instead was fired by the university.

In 2001, Knight was hired as head coach at Texas Tech, retiring in 2008.

Knight was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991, and to the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

The Illini have more leaders. More depth. More experience. And more of a commitment to executing on offense instead of settling for a contested triple. With all that in place, Underwood wants his players to embrace his “every day guys” approach.

“Being an every day guy is about being accountable and responsible every day to do the job you have to do, no matter the circumstances,” he said. “That’s life. We’re all accountable. We have to do our job even when we don’t feel great or we’re tired.

“I told the guys even if you had to stay up all night to do an English paper, for those 2 1/2 hours the next day at practice, your teammates need you to be accountable and responsible,” he added. “If nothing else, I hope our players learn to be an every day guy from being in our program.”

With eight players back from last season, the No. 25-ranked Illini have one of the most experienced rosters in the nation.

The group of returnees is led by Terrence Shannon Jr. and Coleman Hawkins, who each passed on NBA possibilities for another season. Shannon’s unexpected return was the biggest news; the 6-foot-6 guard is one of three players on the 10-member squad who were first team all-Big Ten selections last season, joining Purdue’s Zach Edey of Boo Buie of Northwestern.

Shannon played in 31 of Illinois’ 33 games last season and averaged 17.2 points, seventh in the Big Ten. He scored in double figures in all but four games, with 11 outings of 20 or more points.

Underwood is counting on Shannon to provide leadership once again in his final season. He doesn’t want him to be alone.

“Leadership is hard. It’s getting harder to find in today’s age,” Underwood said. “I told our guys, ‘Sometimes to be a leader, you have to tell people you really care about something they don’t want to hear.’ This team has some natural leaders. They need to step up.”

The 6-10 Hawkins averaged 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 33 games last season, all career highs.

Sophomore guards Ty Rodgers and Sencire Harris, junior forward Dain Dainja and junior guard Luke Goode also are expected to play prominent roles.

PURPOSEFUL PORTAL

Three fifth-year transfers — Marcus Domask (Southern Illinois), Quincy Guerrier (Oregon/Syracuse) and Justin Harmon (Utah Valley) — came to Illinois during the offseason.

“We were very purposeful with what we went after in the portal,” Underwood said. “We have multiple 24-year-olds this year. When you can put 24-year-olds out there instead of 18-year-olds, that gives you an advantage physically and experience wise.”

WAITAMINIT

Underwood thought his team shot too many contested triples in its half-court offense last season. That concern has been addressed.

“We still want to score in under seven seconds,” he said. “That’s one of our best assets. Our ability to run and play with tempo. But we also have to go a little deeper into the shot clock sometimes and execute our offense. We’ve talked about that ad nauseum.”

BACK IN THE TOP 25

This is the fourth straight year that the Illini are ranked in the preseason AP Top 25, the longest stretch in program history. Illinois was No. 8 in 2020-21, No. 11 in 2021-22 and No. 23 in 2022-23.

BIG TEN DOMINANCE

Illinois is the winningest team in the Big Ten over the past five years, with a 55-25 regular-season record in conference play.

The Illini have four straight top-five regular-season finishes in the conference. They piled up a league-record 16 regular-season wins and won the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles in 2021, and they won 15 games en route to the Big Ten regular-season championship in 2022.

The 55 regular-season Big Ten wins are the most over a four-year stretch in program history.

THE SCHEDULE

Illinois’ schedule currently features six top-25 opponents. In addition to No. 3 Purdue and No. 4 Michigan State out of the Big Ten, the Illini will also face No. 5 Marquette, No. 9 Tennessee and No. 10 Florida Atlantic. Illinois will open at home Nov. 6 against Eastern Illinois.

Eleven schools in the Big Ten said they had found evidence that Connor Stalions, an analyst at Michigan, purchased tickets to at least one of their games over the past three seasons, ESPN reported Monday, citing unidentified sources.

The Associated Press confirmed through officials at three Big Ten schools that they had found electronic purchases of game tickets in Stalions’ name. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no one was authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation.

One school found ticket purchases under Stalions’ name to at least four of its home games over the past two years, one of the people said.

Another school found ticket purchases under Stalions’ name to five home games over the last three seasons and that some of the tickets were electronically transferred to other individuals’ names, another person said. A third school found a purchase under Stalions’ name to a game two weeks before its team played Michigan last season, another person said.

Michigan announced Friday that Stalions had been suspended with pay, pending the conclusion of the investigation. Michigan spokesman Dave Ablauf said Monday the school could not comment on the ongoing investigation.

At least one school has found video surveillance footage from inside its stadium that showed an individual appearing to use a cell phone to record what was happening on the field, ESPN reported. The network also said he purchased tickets for Ohio State’s home game with Penn State on Saturday, though the tickets were not used; Michigan plays both teams later this season.

Michigan and the Big Ten acknowledged the NCAA was investigating allegations of sign stealing last week. The conference informed all of Michigan’s upcoming opponents of the allegations.

The second-ranked Wolverines (8-0) defeated Michigan State 49-0 on Saturday night. Michigan, which has won the last two Big Ten championships and is a favorite to play for the national title, is off this week.

NCAA rules do not directly ban the stealing of signs, but there are rules against using electronic equipment to record an opponent’s signals. One NCAA bylaw also bans “off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season).” There are also rules against unsportsmanlike or unethical activities by coaches, and head coaches are generally considered to be responsible for violations that occur under their watch.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh served a three-game, university-imposed suspension earlier this season for an unrelated and still unresolved NCAA violations case tied to recruiting.

Stalions is a retired captain in the Marine Corps and a graduate of the Naval Academy. He was hired as an off-field analyst at Michigan in May 2022, according to a LinkedIn profile that has been de-activated.

The employee, who was not named, will be paid pending an investigation that will help to determine potential action in the future. Haller said no one in the department viewed the entire video, exposing a failure in its process.

“Antisemitism must be denounced,” Haller said in a statement Sunday Night. “The image displayed prior to Saturday night’s game is not representative of who we are and the culture we embody. Nevertheless, we must own our failures and accept responsibility.

“It’s an absolutely normal trivia question, shown in an inappropriate setting,” Floris van Pallandt wrote on his YouTube page. “Ignoring the dark facets of history is by no means the answer, on the contrary.”

The channel is publicly available and free for users.

While the Wolverines were finishing off a 49-0 win over the Spartans on Saturday night, Michigan State spokesman Matt Larson apologized that the inappropriate content was displayed more than an hour before kickoff.

“MSU will not be using the third-party source going forward and will implement stronger screening and approval procedures for all videoboard content in the future,” Larson said.

Michigan State streamed The Quiz Channel, which had 40 questions in its latest video, including asking where was Hitler born with his image before showing Austria as the answer. The previous question asked, “In Star Trek, what color was Spock’s blood?” before green was shown as the answer.

“I am deeply sorry for the image displayed at Spartan Stadium, which made many of our community feel alienated and unsafe,” interim university President Teresa Woodruff said Sunday. “It was unacceptable. I asked last evening for a full review of this university event and will take all necessary steps to align our messages and actions to our values.

“I will work with our Jewish community and every member of minoritized populations to ensure Spartans feel that this is a place where everyone can live, work, go to class and attend events that are welcoming.”

Later Sunday, Haller apologized and said his department is responsible for all content on its videoboards.

“Ultimately, it is my responsibility to make sure all those who interact with Spartan Athletics feel safe, valued and respected,” Haller said. “The image was harmful to our communities, especially our Jewish community which is currently experiencing a rise in antisemitism, including acts of violence.”

Haller said he will reach out to Jewish-community groups in the East Lansing-area and on campus to tell them personally how the department failed and provide a chance to give feedback.

“I understand our response might be met with skepticism,” Haller said. “That skepticism is warranted, and we will do all that is necessary to earn back your trust.”

The Huskers (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) have won four of their last five games under first-year coach Matt Rhule and matched their 2022 win total.

Haarberg scored the go-ahead touchdown on a short run late just before halftime and put the Huskers up 17-6 with a long pass to Malachi Coleman early in the fourth quarter.

Jake Olsen kicked three field goals for the Wildcats (3-4, 1-3), who were held without a touchdown for the third time in 10 games.

Haarberg, who was intercepted on two of his first four passes, was 8 of 17 for 85 yards. He ran 16 times for 72 yards.

Emmett Johnson had 12 carries for 73 yards.

Brendan Sullivan started his second straight game at quarterback in place of Ben Bryant, who suffered an upper-body injury against Penn State on Sept. 30.

The Wildcats netted zero yards over their first four possessions but came out of the first quarter tied 3-all after Haarberg’s second interception set them up at the Nebraska 17.

Anthony Tyus III ran five times for 59 yards during a 10-play, 73-yard drive that Olsen ended with a 37-yard field goal for a 6-3 Northwestern lead midway through the second.

Nebraska then went on its go-ahead touchdown drive, with a Northwestern personal foul and Haarberg’s 20-yard run setting up his 3-yard sprint to the left pylon for a 10-6 halftime lead.

The Huskers’ first three series of the second half ended with punts. On the fourth, Haarberg hit Coleman in stride for a 44-yard touchdown on first down.

Olsen’s third field goal pulled the Wildcats within eight points with 11 minutes left. Northwestern netted 13 yards on 12 plays over its last two possessions, with Sullivan getting sacked four times.

THE TAKEAWAY

Northwestern: The Wildcats played well enough on defense to win, but the offensive line is one of the worst in the country. The eight sacks allowed matched the most by Northwestern since 2000, and the Wildcats have surrendered 30 through seven games.

Nebraska: The Huskers managed to win with an inconsistent offense that generated only 248 yards. The defense continues to carry the team and matched the eight sacks it recorded against Colorado last month.

ONE PLAY, TWO INJURIES

Nebraska lost two starters on the same play early in the second quarter, a Haarberg run for 16 yards. Season receiving leader Billy Kemp injured his left leg away from the play and offensive lineman Ethan Piper injured his right leg. Both left the field with assistance.

STADIUM MILESTONE CELEBRATION

The Huskers celebrated the 100th anniversary of Memorial Stadium. Three Nebraska National Guard soldiers honored the state’s fallen soldiers with a three-volley salute before the national anthem, Hall of Fame coach Tom Osborne gave a video message and stories about the stadium history were shown during breaks in the action.

Nebraska played its first game in the stadium on Oct. 13, 1923. Saturday marked the 592nd game at the stadium and 393rd consecutive sellout since 1962.

UP NEXT

Northwestern: hosts Maryland next Saturday.

Nebraska: hosts Purdue next Saturday.

Harbaugh said that he never directed staff to engage in improper conduct, and said that his staff would fully cooperate with the NCAA’s investigation.

Here is his full statement:

“I want to make it clear that I, and my staff, will fully cooperate with the investigation into this matter.

“I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment. I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action.

“I do not condone or tolerate anyone doing anything illegal or against NCAA rules.

“No matter what program or organization that I have led throughout my career, my instructions and awareness of how we scout opponents have always been firmly within the rules.

“Pursuant to NCAA rules, I will not be able to comment further while this investigation takes place.”

The Big Ten confirmed Thursday that the NCAA is conducting the investigation into the allegations, which hold that Michigan used in-person scouts to obtain signals and signs that other teams use to relay plays to players on the field.

“The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance, and will continue to monitor the investigation,” officials from the conference said in a statement.

The conference said it had notified Michigan State and the remaining opponents on the Wolverines’ schedule, a group that includes currently undefeated Penn State and Ohio State.

“The university is fully cooperating with the Big Ten and NCAA,” a spokesperson for the university said. “The investigation is ongoing, and will not impact Saturday’s game. At the University of Michigan, we are committed to the highest ethical and integrity standards for all members of our community.”

According to a report from Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel and Ross Dellinger, Michigan is accused of using “unnamed individuals to attend games of both scheduled opponents and possible College Football Playoff opponents in an effort to gather information on the signs they use to call both offensive and defensive plays.”

The report cites a 1994 rule that prohibits in-person scouting by teams.

Wetzel and Dellinger’s report indicated that at least two teams Michigan has played this season were “aware that Michigan knew their play signs.”

The Big Ten confirmed Thursday that the NCAA is conducting the investigation into the matter.

“The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance, and will continue to monitor the investigation,” officials from the conference said in a statement.

The conference said it had notified Michigan State and the remaining opponents on the Wolverines’ schedule, a group that includes currently undefeated Penn State and Ohio State.

“The university is fully cooperating with the Big Ten and NCAA,” a spokesperson for the university said. “The investigation is ongoing, and will not impact Saturday’s game. At the University of Michigan, we are committed to the highest ethical and integrity standards for all members of our community.”

According to a report from Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel and Ross Dellinger, Michigan is accused of using “unnamed individuals to attend games of both scheduled opponents and possible College Football Playoff opponents in an effort to gather information on the signs they use to call both offensive and defensive plays.”

The report cites a 1994 rule that prohibits in-person scouting by teams.

Wetzel and Dellinger’s report indicated that at least two teams Michigan has played this season were “aware that Michigan knew their play signs.”

It remains unclear how the alleged sign-stealing was relayed to coaches, with the NCAA continuing to investigate the allegations, according to the Big Ten.

According to reports, including from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Tanner Mordecai suffered a broken hand against Iowa during Saturday’s loss, and underwent surgery this weekend:

He is expected to be out for the foreseeable future, including for Saturday’s game against Illinois, and according to Thamel, a “specific timetable” for a return is unknown.

Mordecai, who transferred to Wisconsin from SMU over the offseason, has completed 63.7% of his passes this season, with 1,127 passing yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions for the Badgers. He has also rushed for 161 yards and four touchdowns.

Wisconsin, who sits at 4-2 on the season and 2-1 in their Big Ten schedule, has already had to deal with the loss of running back Chez Mellusi, who suffered a broken fibula in a game against Purdue earlier this season.

Redshirt freshman Braedyn Locke is now expected to take over at quarterback for the Badgers. He was 15-of-30 for 122 yards and an interception in Saturday’s loss to Iowa, and is expected to make his first start against Illinois in Champaign on Saturday.

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Iowa’s coach came up with the plan for her team to play an outdoor game at Kinnick Stadium, with the hope of setting an all-time women’s basketball single-game attendance record.

Iowa did that, and more.

The Hawkeyes’ 94-72 exhibition win over DePaul in the “Crossover at Kinnick” on Sunday drew 55,646 fans, almost doubling the previous record of 29,619 set by Connecticut and Oklahoma in the 2002 NCAA championship game at San Antonio’s Alamodome.

“You know, you can have an idea and it could fall flat if nobody shows up,” Bluder said. “But, man, Hawk fans showed up today. Fifty-five thousand, breaking the record, getting to play outside … It was a dream. It really was. It was just fabulous.”

“Fifty-five thousand? That’s pretty incredible,” said Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, the reigning national player of the year who put up a triple-double of 34 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. “It’s hard to kind of imagine yourself playing basketball in front of 55,000.”

Bluder’s idea for an outdoor game came to her when 9,000 fans showed up for a campus celebration for the Hawkeyes in April upon return from their NCAA championship game against LSU.

The game was played under partly cloudy skies, with temperatures in the 50s and a gusty wind swirling around the north end zone where the court was set up.

“Great weather,” Bluder said. “It was raining all week, and then great weather today? I’m so thankful.”

The wind played havoc with some of the shots. The Hawkeyes were 36 of 73 from the field, but just 6 of 22 in 3-pointers and 16 of 30 in free throws.

Clark hit one of her familiar long-range 3-pointers early in the second quarter, but she also air-balled a free throw in the second half.

“It was a little windy,” Clark said. “The cold was perfectly fine. It was a bit chilly, and I’m glad we play an indoor sport. I promise I’ll never air-ball a free throw again. The wind took that one, for sure.”

The game was Iowa’s answer to August’s “Volleyball Day in Nebraska,” an outdoor doubleheader featuring the national power Nebraska Cornhuskers and three other in-state college teams that drew 92,003 to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln for the highest documented attendance ever for a women’s sporting event.

“I think this was amazing,” said DePaul guard Michelle Sidor. “Sixty thousand people coming out for women’s basketball was pretty special.”

Women’s and girls basketball has a long and rich history in Iowa. Girls played six-on-six high school basketball more than a century ago — three offensive players, three defensive players, only two dribbles and none allowed to cross halfcourt. The girls state tournament, first held in 1920, was a huge event televised statewide and in neighboring states until the five-player game took over in the 1980s.

Last year, the Hawkeyes ranked second nationally in attendance and Iowa State was seventh.

“We’ve had basketball here since the 1920s,” Bluder said, noting that associate head coach Jan Jensen’s grandmother is in the state girls high school hall of fame. “I mean, this is deeply rooted in this state. So it’s just perfect that it was here.”

Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke, who grew up in nearby Cedar Rapids, said, “Breaking the record in our home city, my home state, is really amazing. I think it’s just really cool being able to change the game and change people’s mindset on basketball.”

Players and coaches from both teams also participated with the crowd in “The Wave,” the tradition of fans at Kinnick waving to young patients and their families who are watching games through the windows at the adjacent Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

Proceeds from the game are being directed to the hospital. A check for $250,000 was presented during a break in the game. Among the attendees were former Iowa players Megan Gustafson, the 2019 national player of the year, and Kathleen Doyle, the 2020 Big Ten player of the year.

“Before the game I just talked to them about this being a historic day for us,” Bluder said. “How we were playing for more than just ourselves. Playing for the university, fighting for the Children’s Hospital. We just talked about playing for everybody else and and not for ourselves.”

Bluder’s team has never been more popular in the state. The program is coming off its best season, Clark is the returning Associated Press player of the year and a show-woman with her deep 3-pointers. Every home game this season is a sellout.

“It’s hard to really wrap your head around everything that’s happening,” Clark said. “Obviously, you can imagine it but it’s never the same until you’re actually in the experience enjoying it and loving it.”

Luke Altmyer threw two touchdown passes and then guided the Illini (3-4, 1-3) into field-goal range after Maryland’s Jack Howes tied it with a 48-yard kick with 1:31 remaining in regulation. After connecting on the winning field goal, Griffin took off running toward the other end of the field and slid on his stomach in celebration.

Seth Coleman had three sacks for Illinois.

Kaden Feagin ran for a TD for the Illini, who reached the end zone on both sides of halftime to take the lead. Maryland (5-2, 2-2) was coming off its first loss of the season. The Terrapins acquitted themselves well for much of that game at Ohio State, but they followed it with a performance as dreary as the grey sky on what was a drizzly day in Maryland.

Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns and even caught a pass on a trick play, but the Terps had a hard time sustaining drives against a solid Illinois defensive front.

Illinois led 24-14 before Maryland’s Antwain Littleton II ran for a 4-yard touchdown as time expired in the third quarter.

Maryland led 14-7 in the second quarter when receiver Kaden Prather fumbled the ball away at the Illinois 27. The Illini then drove for the tying touchdown with the help of a couple big penalties on the Terrapins. On fourth-and-1 from the 2, Illinois lined up as if to kick a short field goal, but after Maryland took a timeout, the offense came back on the field.

Feagin ran for a TD to even the score at 14 with 9 seconds left in the half.

Maryland tried an onside kick to open the third quarter and it didn’t work. The Illini marched 59 yards and took the lead on a 15-yard scoring pass from Altmyer to Isaiah Williams.

Illinois opened the scoring in the first quarter on a 44-yard touchdown strike from Altmyer to Pat Bryant. Maryland answered with touchdown passes by Tagovailoa to Sean Greeley and Prather.

THE TAKEAWAY

Illinois: The Illini were ready after losing their first three Big Ten games by a combined 55 points. They didn’t dominate the game physically, but they played well enough at the line of scrimmage to keep Maryland’s dangerous offense under control.

Maryland: The Terps have done a lot to improve their program’s reputation of late, but this was a setback. Maryland’s schedule is such that the Terrapins might be significant favorites or significant underdogs in every game this season. They were certainly expected to win this one, and they’ll have earned the criticism they get after dropping it.

UP NEXT

Illinois: The Illini host Wisconsin next Saturday.

Maryland: The Terps have an open date, followed by a trip to play Northwestern on Oct. 28.

Harrison was picked as the conference’s top offensive player in voting by AP sports writers who cover league teams. Locksley was the choice for top coach after the Terrapins got off to their best start since 2001.

Harrison is averaging 99.8 receiving yards per game to easily lead the Big Ten and is averaging just under 20 yards per catch.

He turned in his best performance of the season last week against Maryland after injuring his ankle in the first half against Notre Dame on Sept. 23. He caught eight passes for 163 yards and a touchdown in the 37-17 win over the Terrapins. Seven of his eight receptions resulted in first downs.

“If there’s a one-on-one opportunity with Marvin, I don’t care who’s guarding; I’ll pick Marvin 10 times out of 10,” quarterback Kyle McCord said.

Locksley has steadily improved his program’s recruiting over his five seasons, and his team is on track for a third straight winning season. That hasn’t happened at Maryland since 2001-03.

The Terps opened 5-0, beating each opponent by at least 18 points, and they were ahead 17-10 in the third quarter at No. 3 Ohio State last week before giving up 27 straight points. A win over Illinois at home Saturday would make the Terps bowl eligible at the earliest point in a season since 2001.

TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER

Iowa CB Cooper DeJean has elevated his game recently and is showing why he was an AP preseason All-American. Two weeks ago against Michigan State, he stopped a drive with an end-zone interception and ran back a punt 70 yards for the tie-breaking touchdown. Last week against Purdue, he returned an interception 41 yards to set up a field goal.

TOP FIRST-YEAR FRESHMAN

Minnesota RB Darius Taylor averaged 133 yards over the first four games and was named Big Ten freshman of the week three times before an injury sidelined him the last two weeks. He’s been a workhorse, averaging 28.7 carries over his last three games.

TOP FIRST-YEAR TRANSFER

Michigan State RB Nathan Carter, coming off an injury-plagued season at Connecticut, is the best thing going for the Spartans. He accounts for a Big Ten-high 39.5% of their scrimmage touches, according to Sportradar, and is running for 95.4 yards per game.

MOST SURPRISING TEAM

Rutgers (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) already has matched its 2022 win total and proved to be more competitive in the games it has lost. There’s no shame in losing on the road to No. 2 Michigan and Wisconsin. The Scarlet Knights scored the first touchdown before losing 31-7 at the Big House. They didn’t give in after trailing 17-0 at half in a 24-13 loss in Madison.

MOST SURPRISING PLAYER

Michigan WR Roman Wilson already has matched his 2022 production and made one of the catches of the year when he snagged an end-zone pass and pinned the ball to the back of the Nebraska defender’s helmet before securing it for the touchdown. Wilson’s eight receiving TDs are tied for third nationally.

MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM

Illinois (2-4, 0-3) tied for second in the Big Ten West last year and was a trendy pick to challenge for the title in a wide-open division this season. The Illini have surrendered a Big Ten-worst 24 sacks, Mississippi transfer Luke Altmyer has thrown the second-most interceptions in the FBS (8) and their defense is worst in the league.

HOTTEST SEAT

Tom Allen has Indiana headed toward a third straight losing season, but the bigger concern is that the Hoosiers (2-3, 0-2) have dropped 18 of their last 20 Big Ten games and haven’t been competitive in most of them. Indiana has already fired offensive coordinator Walt Bell but Allen could be a harder decision: His buyout is $20.4 million.

BIGGEST INJURY

Iowa QB Cade McNamara wasn’t the miracle worker fans hoped he would be, but his season-ending ACL tear against Michigan State on Sept. 30 has increased the pressure on an already limited offense. The Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-1) are going with unpolished backup Deacon Hill and hoping defense and special teams continue to carry them.

The Bears and George McCaskey shared fond remembrances of Butkus. Many prominent NFL figures, including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, paid tribute to Butkus’ memory.

On Friday, Butkus’ alma mater — the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — showed their appreciation for Butkus. They hung his retired No. 50 number on their alma mater statue and shared the pictures on social media.

Butkus’ No. 50 is one of two retired numbers in Illinois history. His, along with Red Grange’s No. 77, are the only two numbers retired by the school.

Butkus’ number was retired in 1986, about 22 years after he finished his collegiate career with the Fighting Illini. The school built a statue for him, too, in 2017. Butkus was announced as the first member of the inaugural class of the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.

Butkus went on to play 10 years with the Chicago Bears. He earned two Defensive Player of the Year awards, eight Pro Bowl nods, five All-Pro selections and a Pro Football Hall of Fame induction.

The Bears showed their appreciation for Butkus via social media, too, changing their Twitter (X) avatar to a football with the No. 51 scripted in the middle. Butkus’ No. 51 is one of the retired numbers for the Bears, also.

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While the Big Ten will preserve numerous geographic rivalries, ensuring they will be played each season, the conference also announced that every team will play at least two games against each of their 17 fellow members in each five-year span.

That will get underway with the 2024 campaign, and here are six of the games that caught our eye as we evaluated the year ahead.

USC at Michigan

Part of the allure of adding USC and UCLA into the fold of the Big Ten was that we would get Rose Bowl rematches with greater frequency, and this may be the most intriguing matchup at the Big House in 2024.

USC and Michigan have plenty of familiarity in the game, with the schools playing a record eight times. USC holds an edge in that rivalry, with a 6-2 record against the Wolverines.

Ohio State at Oregon

Ohio State had a heck of a run against the Ducks, winning nine games against Oregon in the span of 57 years, but that all came to an end in Sept. 2021 when Oregon defeated the Buckeyes in Columbus.

Now, the Buckeyes will head back up to Autzen Stadium to take on the Ducks in a hostile environment, one that will also welcome Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State and Washington next year.

UCLA at Nebraska

It would have been easy to pick one of the matchups in the Rose Bowl next season, with Iowa and Minnesota among the five teams that will play UCLA in California, but the idea of the Bruins heading into Lincoln to take on Nebraska is too good to pass up.

The Huskers’ road slate next season is daunting, with trips to Columbus, Iowa City and Los Angeles all on the docket, but this could be a great chance for Matt Rhule’s squad to make a statement.

Washington at Iowa

Who knows what exactly the future will bring in a post-Michael Penix world, but the Huskies’ offense has certainly put the college football world on notice this season, and if they can even come close to duplicating that style next season, they will be in for a stern test against an Iowa defense that historically has been tough to deal with.

Penn State at USC

USC and Penn State have played in three occasions in the Rose Bowl, with the Trojans earning victories in all three contests.

Now, Penn State will get to head to the LA Coliseum to showcase the work that James Franklin has done to rebuild the program, and they’ll face a group that is humming under Lincoln Riley’s guidance.

Oregon at Wisconsin

Camp Randall is one of the best venues in the entire Big Ten, and it’ll certainly be rocking when the Ducks come to town next year.

If Oregon can continue to build the remarkable offense that they’ve constructed under the regime of Dan Lanning, and if Wisconsin can continue to hone the “Air Raid” style of Phil Longo, then we could see some real fireworks in this one.

The Big Ten will add four teams next year, with USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington all defecting from the Pac-12 and joining the conference, bringing it to 18 teams in all.

As a result, the conference had to throw out their original scheduling model, and while the division format will be scrapped, the new schedules will ensure that teams will play each of their 17 rivals over a five-year span.

The full schedule for 2024 can be found here, along with links to the remaining four years of the five-year window.

The following rivalries were protected under the new format, and will be contested each year:

Illinois: Northwestern, Purdue

Indiana: Purdue

Iowa: Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin

Maryland: Rutgers

Michigan: Michigan State, Ohio State

Minnesota: Iowa, Wisconsin

Northwestern: Illinois

Ohio State: Michigan

Oregon: Washington

Purdue: Illinois, Indiana

UCLA: USC

USC: UCLA

Washington: Oregon

Here’s how the schedule will work, according to the conference:

-All 18 schools will play each of their conference opponents at least twice, once at home and once on the road, in each five-year cycle.

-Schedule-makers will attempt to limit travel each year based on distance, region and time zones.

-A nine-game conference schedule will continue.

More information, and the full schedule, remain forthcoming, according to the conference.

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The announcement by Chicago-based attorney Dan K. Webb on Thursday comes nearly three months after Fitzgerald was suspended and then fired after 17 years as head coach of the Wildcats.

Webb said that Fitzgerald would also be seeking additional money for “infliction of emotional distress,” future lost income and punitive damages. The $130 million includes $68 million remaining in owed salary plus $62 million in future lost income, Webb added.

The suit was filed in Cook County Circuit Court against the university and its President Michael Schill, he said. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 7.

“If there was ever — if there was ever — an athletic coach at Northwestern University that should not have been terminated, it’s Coach Fitzgerald,” Webb said. “The fact that he was terminated based on no rational reasons or facts whatsoever, the fact that they’ve gone out and destroyed his reputation as one of the best football coaches in America based on no legitimate reason or evidence is disgraceful, is despicable conduct on behalf of Northwestern.”

The 48-year-old Fitzgerald was fired July 10, three days after the school announced a two-week suspension without pay following an investigation by attorney Maggie Hickey of law firm ArentFox Schiff. That probe did not find “sufficient” evidence that the coaching staff knew about ongoing hazing, but concluded there were “significant opportunities” to find out about it.

Webb called that “a ridiculous allegation,” adding that “no coach in America” did as much to prevent hazing and to make sure he would have a way to find out if it did happen. Webb said the whistleblower in the investigation had a grudge against Fitzgerald, who found out from a teammate during a leadership council meeting that the player planned to report false allegations of hazing.

The lawsuit states that Fitzgerald met with athletic director Derrick Gragg and Northwestern general counsel Stephanie Graham on July 3. It says Gragg told Fitzgerald that Schill wanted him to “take a hit” for the findings in Hickey’s report.

The lawsuit also says Northwestern violated an oral contract agreed to on July 6 that Fitzgerald would not face further penalties if he accepted the suspension and issued a statement supporting the program.

On July 8, the Daily Northwestern student newspaper published a story alleging both hazing and racism in the football program. The school changed its stance and fired Fitzgerald. Schill said at the time the hazing was “widespread” and not a secret within the program.

“As head coach of the football program for 17 years, Patrick Fitzgerald was responsible for the conduct of the program. He had the responsibility to know that hazing was occurring and to stop it. He failed to do so,” said a statement from Northwestern University released Thursday.

Multiple current and former football student-athletes acknowledged that hazing took place in the football program during the six-month independent investigation into the issue, the university’s statement said, adding that “Student-athletes across a range of years corroborated these findings, showing beyond question that hazing – which included nudity and sexualized acts – took place on Fitzgerald’s watch.”

“The safety of our students remains our highest priority, and we deeply regret that any student-athletes experienced hazing. We remain confident that the University acted appropriately in terminating Fitzgerald and we will vigorously defend our position in court,” the statement said.

Webb on Thursday said he has interviewed “maybe 40 to 50” former Northwestern players and coaches who “did not see any significant hazing other than horseplay,” which he described as somebody making fun of somebody, or slapping them on the arm or having a fight in the shower. He expects to call current players and coaches as witnesses. And he is asking for Hickey’s full report; the school released a summary when it announced Fitzgerald’s suspension.

Northwestern is facing more than a dozen lawsuits across multiple sports with allegations including sexual abuse of players by teammates, as well as racist comments by coaches and race-based assaults. Baseball coach Jim Foster was fired July 13 amid allegations of a toxic culture that included bullying and abusive behavior.

Attorneys from several Chicago law firms representing former Northwestern football players issued a statement calling Fitzgerald’s lawsuit “all about financial gain for him.” They said he was “incredibly tone deaf in defending his actions,” and his lawsuit “re-traumatizes” their clients.

“His complaint ironically details claims that he was deeply involved in each player’s life, mental health, academic career, athletic performance and potential after graduation… all of which actually supports what we’ve been saying all along, that given the head coach’s proximity he knew or should have known what was happening in his program,” they said.

Fitzgerald’s dismissal capped a rapid fall from grace for someone who seemed entrenched at his alma mater. He was an All-American linebacker, a star on the 1995 team that won the Big Ten and reached the Rose Bowl after decades of losing at Northwestern.

Fitzgerald led the Wildcats to a 110-101 record and — by a wide margin — more wins than any other coach. Northwestern won Big Ten West championships in 2018 and 2020, plus five bowl games. But the team went 4-20 over his last two seasons.

Defensive coordinator David Braun was elevated to interim coach six months after joining Fitzgerald’s staff.

Just over two months ago, Northwestern hired former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to lead an investigation into the culture of its athletic department and its anti-hazing procedures. The university announced no timetable for the investigation but said the results will be made public, unlike those of the previous investigation.

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25

Allen said Rod Carey, the program’s quality control coach since 2022, will take over play-calling duties.

Bell has been under fire each of the past three weeks for his play-calling — and the Hoosiers’ poor productivity.

They were shut out in the first half against Louisville in Week 3, then blew a chance to force overtime on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line after rallying from a 21-point deficit. Against Akron last week, Indiana (1-4, 0-2 Big Ten) needed four overtimes to win the game. And on Saturday, the team managed just 206 yards and one field goal before finally scoring touchdowns on the final two drives.

“I felt we need a new direction on the offensive side of the ball,” Allen said in a statement released by the athletic department. “Rod brings a wealth of experience and success along with a familiarity with our personnel. I wish Walt and his family the best moving forward and thank him for his contributions to our program.”

Bell went 2-23 in three seasons as the head coach at Massachusetts before joining the Hoosiers in 2022.

Carey is 64-50 as head coach at Northern Illinois and Temple, earning seven bowl bids from 2012-21.

The Hoosiers have a bye this week. It’s the second straight season Allen has made a midseason coaching change. Last October, Allen fired offensive line coach Darren Hiller.

That group includes Purdue, who blew out Illinois in a game that saw Ryan Walters go up against the team he helped build into a defensive powerhouse last season.

Michigan and Penn State also cemented their status among the conference’s elite, with blowout victories over Nebraska and Northwestern, respectively.

Rutgers also kept up their winning ways with a massive victory over Wagner, as did Maryland with an easy win over Indiana.

Here is this week’s Power Rankings:

14 Indiana (Last Week: 14)

Tayven Jackson averaged just 3.9 yards per completion, and Indiana’s offense was held to 321 yards in a 27-point loss to the Terrapins. Jaylin Lucas had a few flash plays, including a 56-yard kick return, but outside of that fleeting moment, it was a forgettable day at the office for the Hoosiers.

13 Nebraska (Last Week: 10)

Nebraska gave up 14 points in both the first and second quarters of Saturday’s loss to Michigan, and never even looked to have an opportunity to make it a game in Lincoln. Heinrich Haarberg threw for 199 yards and an interception, and the Huskers only managed 32 yards on the ground outside of a garbage-time 74-yard touchdown run by Joshua Fleeks.

The Huskers had shown some flashes in previous games, but Michigan immediately put them back in their place as they look to rebuild their program under Matt Rhule.

12 Michigan State (Last Week: 13)

The Spartans had a nicely-balanced attack against the Hawkeyes on Saturday, but they gave up 13 points in the fourth quarter to fall 26-16 in Iowa City. Noah Kim threw three interceptions as he keeps his tenuous hold on the starting job, but Nathan Carter did rack up 108 rushing yards against a tough Iowa defense.

11 Northwestern (Last Week: 12)

It’s not common for a team to move up a spot in the rankings after a 28-point loss, but the Wildcats’ first half against Penn State was worthy of a salute. They did hold Drew Allar to 189 yards through the air, but Penn State got the key stops when they needed them, holding Northwestern to just 175 yards of total offense.

Also worth noting: Ben Bryant left the game after a sack late in the game, and it’s unclear what his status will be moving forward.

10 Illinois (Last Week: 9)

The Illini struggled badly on the defensive side of things Saturday, giving up 406 yards of offense to a Purdue squad that had been going through its own difficulties in moving the football.

There was some good news on the Illinois side as Kaden Feagin rushed for 85 yards on just 11 carries, and Isaiah Williams had another huge game with 113 receiving yards, but they’re having difficulty turning those yards into points, and it’s cost them as they continue to go down early in games this season.

9 Purdue (Last Week: 11)

Purdue needed to make a statement if they were to be taken seriously in the Big Ten West chase, and they did just that at home against Illinois, with Tyrone Tracy and Devin Mockobee combining for 179 yards rushing and two touchdowns in an emphatic victory.

Hudson Card also took better care of the football, throwing two touchdowns and not turning it over a single time in the game. That is a huge development for the Boilermakers, who have been bitten badly by the turnover bug all season long.  

8 Minnesota (Last Week: 8)

Homecoming in the Twin Cities was slow to get rolling, as the Gophers trailed at halftime against Louisiana, but in the second half they were finally able to get some momentum going, scoring 21 points to earn a 35-24 victory.

The Gophers went really heavy on the run again this week, with 51 total carries for 201 yards and three touchdowns, and Zach Evans was a driving force as he rushed for 85 yards and a score on 15 total carries.

7 Rutgers (Last Week: 7)

If you’re starting to notice a pattern here of teams sticking to their spots, you’ll be forgiven, but Rutgers did exactly what it needed to do against Wagner, posting a 52-3 victory.

Gavin Wimsatt threw for 146 yards and rushed for 15 more, racking up three total touchdowns on the day. Kyle Monangai kept up his stellar season with 87 more rushing yards, and the Scarlet Knights’ defense registered three sacks while holding the Seahawks to just 106 yards of total offense in the victory.

6 Iowa (Last Week: 6)

The Hawkeyes’ win was on the bittersweet side, as their offense only managed 222 yards while also losing starting quarterback Cade McNamara to a leg injury that required him to be carted off the field.

Deacon Hill threw for 115 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the victory, but with their rushing attack managing just 61 yards on 27 attempts, he’ll have to really step up his passing game if McNamara misses time due to the injury.

5 Wisconsin (Last Week: 5)

The Badgers had their bye week after an emphatic 38-17 win over Purdue in Week 4, and their next game should provide an intriguing test as Rutgers travels to Camp Randall for Week 6.

The Badgers will have to play that game without Chez Mellusi, who is out for the rest of the season with a leg injury, but Tanner Mordecai showed off tremendous two-way play in their last game against Purdue, and may be leaned upon to keep that up moving forward.

4 Maryland (Last Week: 4)

It would have been easy for Maryland to overlook Indiana as they turn their eyes toward an Oct. 7 showdown with Ohio State, but Taulia Tagovailoa was in fine form, with five touchdown passes and 352 yards through the air.

Tai Felton hauled in three of those touchdown passes, and Jeshaun Jones racked up six catches for 121 yards to help pace a Maryland offense that has helped the Terps to their first 5-0 record since 2001.

3 Ohio State (Last Week: 3)

The Buckeyes got a week off after defeating Notre Dame in South Bend in Week 4, and their schedule isn’t going to get any easier, as they’ll face Maryland in Columbus in Week 6.

After a road game against Purdue the following Saturday, Ohio State will face a home test against Penn State on Oct. 21, followed by a road game against Wisconsin on Oct. 28.

2 Penn State (Last Week: 2)

The Nittany Lions’ defense has been having a superb season, and they were in fine form on Saturday, holding Northwestern to just three second-half points, racking up seven sacks and 12 total tackles for loss, and holding the Wildcats to just 175 yards of offense.

Sure, we’d love to see Drew Allar take over a game eventually, but when your team has the defense Penn State does, just managing the offense and churning out yardage is enough to win, and that’s all Allar had to do on Saturday.

1 Michigan (Last Week: 1)

JJ McCarthy only threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns, but don’t let the stat line fool you. He was in complete control of his game, and the speed and accuracy with which he throws the ball was on full display.

Add to that another strong 74-yard effort from Blake Corum, part of a Wolverine rushing attack that chewed up 249 yards on 51 carries, and Michigan did exactly what it needed to do in its first road outing.

It just took 4 1/2 games for the fans to see it.

Hudson Card threw two touchdown passes, Devin Mockobee, Dylan Downing and Tyrone Tracy Jr. all had TD runs and Purdue used a 21-point third-quarter scoring flurry to pull away from Illinois 44-19 and give Walters his first home victory Saturday.

“I’m happy for our guys that they prepared the way they were supposed to,” said Walters, who spent the previous two seasons as the Fighting Illini defensive coordinator. “When I get back home tonight and think about what happened, I’m sure I’ll be smiling.”

Why not?

After all those early-season frustrations, all the turnovers, all the missed opportunities, the Boilermakers strung together their best half of the season — and perhaps their best four quarters — in the first of their two trophy games.

The result: Purdue (2-3, 1-1 Big Ten) snapped a two-game losing streak, improving to 1-3 at home while reclaiming The Cannon for the fourth consecutive year.

“We had a plan and we went out and executed it,” quarterback Hudson Card said. “When we do it right, the offense looks really good so we’ve got to build off what we did today and continue to get better.”

Illinois’ misery in this series continued as Bret Bielema lost for the third consecutive year in his tenure with the Illini (2-3, 0-2).

This time, things turned quickly in what was a strange and, at times, ugly contest.

Bielema won an early coach’s challenge, an overturned replay review led to a Purdue giveaway, Illinois blocked two kicks and even the scoreboard stopped working late in the first half.

Still, it came down to the three TDs — Card’s 28-yard TD pass to Garrett Miller on the first possession of the second half, Mockobee’s 3-yard scoring run late in the third quarter and Card’s 10-yard TD pass to Deion Burks following a fourth-down stop.

And just like that, a three-point halftime lead ballooned to 24. The Illini never got close again.

“Obviously, we gave up the scoop and score in the first half and it was an utter collapse in the second half,” Bielema said. “It’s on my shoulders. We had a tight end bust (on Miller’s score) and from that point forward it really unraveled.”

Card wound up 18 of 26 with 217 yards. Tyrone Tracy Jr. ran 21 times for 112 yards and scored the day’s final touchdown. Burks had five receptions for 83 yards.

Altmyer finished 16 of 25 with 202 yards and one TD. Isaiah Williams caught six passes for 113 yards. Josh McCray ran for one TD.

THE TAKEAWAY

Illinois: Illinois simply had too many miscues — nine penalties, five sacks allowed, three fumbles and 1 of 13 on third down — to stay in this one. That combination is always a recipe for disaster, and the losses will continue if the Illini can’t find some fixes fast.

Purdue: Walters waited five weeks to get his first home win, but this will be a memorable moment for him. The goal now is to start building off the momentum of this game, replicating what they did on offense and defense and turning their season around.

GETTING CLOCKED

The scoreboard clock stopped working with 1:07 left in the first half, forcing the refs to announce the time remaining between each snap taken until halftime. The play clock wasn’t working, either, and neither team’s late field goal appeared on the scoreboard until the halftime festivities nearly ended. But Purdue got the clocks and scoreboard up and running for the entire second half.

INJURY REPORT

Illinois: It was a rough day for the Illini, who played without leading rusher Reggie Love III (ankle) and lost two offensive lineman Josh Gesky (right knee and right ankle) and Zy Crisler (right ankle) in the third quarter. Defensive lineman Denzel Daxon left briefly in the first half and DT Jer’Zhan Newton left twice, the second time with a shoulder injury before returning in the second half.

Purdue: Tight end Max Klare needed help to leave the field in the third quarter with what appeared to be a lower body injury. He did not return. Tracy Jr., Burks and Miller all left for short stints in the first half but each finished the game.

UP NEXT

Illinois: Heads home to take on Nebraska on Friday night.

Purdue: Visits Iowa next Saturday.

The Nittany Lions (5-0, 3-0 Big Ten) buried the Wildcats (2-3, 1-2) in the second half, scoring 17 in the third quarter to break open a game that was tied at 10 at halftime, and won their 10th in a row since losing to Ohio State last October.

Allar completed 18 of 33 passes for 189 yards. He scored from the 1 on Penn State’s first possession of the second half and threw a 2-yard TD to Nick Singleton in the closing minutes of the third to make it a 17-point game.

Nick Singleton ran for 80 yards and a score. He also had a touchdown catch.

Trey Potts ran for a TD and caught one, helping Penn State pull away for a lopsided win.

Northwestern had won two of three. But after rallying from 21 down to beat Minnesota in overtime last week, the Wildcats came up short against one of the nation’s best teams.

Ben Bryant threw for just 122 yards after passing for 396 and four touchdowns in the previous game. He ran for a 1-yard score in the second quarter, but exited in the fourth after he landed on his right shoulder getting sacked for the fifth time.

Bryce Kirtz caught three passes for 12 yards after setting career highs last week with 10 catches for 215 yards and his first two touchdowns.

Cam Johnson had 81 yards receiving. But the Wildcats managed just 175 yards overall against the nation’s No. 1 defense.

Coming off a 31-0 win over then-No. 24 Iowa and its first shutout of a Top 25 team since blanking No. 18 Texas A&M 24-0 in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28, 1999, Penn State was out of sync in the early going. But the Nittany Lions found their rhythm in the third.

Allar gave Penn State a 17-10 lead when he pushed in from the 1 on fourth down, after keeping the drive going with a 35-yard pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith on third-and-10 at the 50.

The Nittany Lions — aided by fourth-down stops in Northwestern territory — then tacked on 10 more points.

Alex Felkins kicked a 47-yard field goal after the Wildcats stopped Bryant on fourth-and-1 at the 31. Northwestern lined up for a punt on fourth-and-4 at the 31 on its next possession, but tight end Charlie Mangieri came up a yard short on a run.

That led to a 2-yard pass from Allar to Singleton that made it 27-10.

Northwestern then drove to the 1, only to settle for a field goal early in the fourth after Bryant got sacked for nine yards. He appeared to land on his right shoulder, and Brendan Sullivan took over at quarterback on the next possession.

THE TAKEAWAY

Penn State: The Nittany Lions never let Bryant get comfortable and made enough plays in the second half to pull away. They’ve won by at least 14 in each game since last year’s loss to Ohio State.

Northwestern: The Wildcats showed they can hang with one of the nation’s best teams — at least for a half.

UP NEXT

Penn State: The Nittany Lions are off next week, then host UMass on Oct. 14.

Northwestern: The Wildcats host Howard on Oct. 7.

According to NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach and Pete Thamel of ESPN, Tucker was fired by the university on Wednesday.

In a statement, the university said that Tucker’s “admitted and undisputed behaviors” violated his contract with the school, bringing “public disrespect, contempt and ridicule upon the university,” and that such actions constituted a “material breach” of his contract.

“Simply put, Mr. Tucker’s response does not provide any information that refutes or undermines the multiple grounds for termination for cause set forth in the notice,” Athletic Director Alan Haller said in a statement to media, including Thamel. “Instead his 25-page response…provides a litany of excuses for his inappropriate behavior, while expressly admitting to the problematic conduct outlined in the notice.”

Last week, the school issued a public statement laying out their rationale for relieving Tucker of his duties, a requirement laid out in his contract. The university sought to void the remainder of the 10-year, $95 million pact they signed with Tucker in Nov. 2021.

Tucker’s attorneys responded to that statement with a lengthy 25-page letter disputing the allegations and saying they were not grounds for dismissal.

“Tucker did not engage in unprofessional or unethical behavior or ‘moral turpitude’ by any stretch of the imagination,” the letter read. “In fact, as discussed below, under Michigan law, assault and battery does not even constitute ‘moral turpitude,’ and the flimsy foundation of the university’s finding – a private relationship involving mutual flirting and one instance of consensual phone sex – falls far short of the mark.”

Michigan State was permitted to fire Tucker if he “engages in any conduct which constitutes moral turpitude or which, in the University’s sole judgement, would tend to bring public disrespect, contempt or ridicule upon the university,” according to his contract.

Tucker was suspended without pay earlier this month after the allegations emerged. Harlon Barnett was named the team’s acting head coach, with Mark Dantonio rejoining the staff on a temporary basis.

Tucker will face a hearing next month over allegations that he sexually harassed activist and rape survivor Brenda Tracy during a phone call last year, according to USA Today.

Michigan State hired an outside Title IX attorney to investigate the complaint and the investigation concluded in July, according to the report published Sunday.

A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 5-6 to determine if Tucker violated the school’s sexual harassment and exploitation policy, USA Today reported.

Tracy became friends with Tucker over her advocacy work, but that relationship took a turn in April 2022 when Tucker masturbated during a phone call with her, according to USA Today.

“The idea that someone could know me and say they understand my trauma but then re-inflict that trauma on me is so disgusting to me, it’s hard for me to even wrap my mind around it,” Tracy told the newspaper. “It’s like he sought me out just to betray me.”

Tucker acknowledged to investigators last spring that he masturbated during the phone call with Tracy, but he said they had consensual “phone sex.”

“Ms. Tracy’s distortion of our mutually consensual and intimate relationship into allegations of sexual exploitation has really affected me,” Tucker wrote in a March 22 letter to the Title IX investigator. “I am not proud of my judgment and I am having difficulty forgiving myself for getting into this situation, but I did not engage in misconduct by any definition.”

Tracy is known for her work with college teams, educating athletes about sexual violence. She has spoken to Michigan State’s football team multiple times.

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The conference’s top teams all held serve, with Michigan besting Rutgers in their Big Ten opener and Penn State completely shutting down Iowa’s offense, but Ohio State stole the show with their last-second win over Notre Dame in South Bend.

Add to that the upset of Northwestern beating Minnesota, and it was a truly wild day of football.

With that, here are our latest Big Ten Power Rankings.

14 Indiana (Last Week: 13)

Indiana has had their moments this season, playing competitive games against Ohio State and Louisville, but they were outgained 474-282 against Akron on Saturday, and only won in four overtimes against a team they paid $1.2 million to come to Louisville.

Also a noteworthy stat: according to Big Ten Network, this will be the first time in 16 seasons a MAC team has not beaten a Big Ten team during the regular season.

13 Michigan State (Last Week: 12)  

The Spartans were able to give Maryland a bit of a scare, but ultimately they just had no answers for the Terrapins as they dropped to 2-2 on the season.

Questions remain at their quarterback position, with Noah Kim throwing two interceptions in the contest. Katin Houser had 75 yards in the game, but it’ll be interesting to see who is under center next week when they travel to Kinnick Stadium for a showdown with Iowa.

12 Northwestern (Last Week: 14)

The Wildcats faced two separate 21-point deficits in their game against Minnesota, but somehow they were able to storm back and defeat the Golden Gophers in overtime in Evanston.

Ben Bryant threw for 396 yards and four touchdowns, becoming the first Northwestern quarterback to throw for four touchdowns in a game since Trevor Siemian did so against Illinois in 2013.

11 Purdue (Last Week: 9)

Purdue’s offense put up nearly 400 yards, though they did cough up the football three times against Wisconsin. Their defense was also sorely challenged, with the Badgers racking up 193 yards passing and 195 yards rushing in a conference play-opening victory.

Purdue is now 1-3 on the season, and they’ll have their hands full against an Illinois squad that has been doing a much better job of pressuring quarterbacks of late.

10 Nebraska (Last Week: 11)

Heinrich Haarberg only threw for 107 yards against Louisiana Tech, but the Huskers’ rushing attack was in fine form, with Haarberg racking up 157 yards and Anthony Grant adding 135 more. The Huskers rushed for 312 yards in all.

The Huskers will need to improve their third-down efficiency after going 3-for-11 this week, as they’ll face a tough Michigan squad next weekend in Lincoln.

9 Illinois (Last Week: 10)

Illinois once again found themselves down 10-0 early in the game, but Luke Altmyer and the offense racked up 510 yards, their best number of the season, in a comeback win over the Owls in Champaign.

The Illinois rushing game was particularly interesting to watch, with Reggie Love rushing for 85 yards on just 12 carries. Kaden Feagin and Aidan Laughery both had key rushes to, and all three figure to be critical as the Illini face Purdue next week.

8 Minnesota (Last Week: 7)

Darius Taylor is making a strong case to be the Big Ten’s best freshman after rushing for 198 yards and two scores against Northwestern, but once again the Gophers find themselves dropping in the rankings after their loss to the Wildcats.

After giving up nearly 500 yards to Northwestern, and after giving up 68 points in their last two games, Minnesota will get a bit of a breather when facing Louisiana next week, but an Oct. 7 matchup against Michigan looms.

7 Rutgers (Last Week: 8)

The Scarlet Knights kept things close against Michigan early, but they ultimately had no answers as they gave up more than 200 yards rushing, along with a pair of touchdowns to Blake Corum.

Rutgers has upcoming games against Wagner, Michigan State and Indiana, and if they can win those three, they could be 6-2 or even 7-1 when they take on Ohio State at home on Nov. 4.

6 Iowa (Last Week: 4)

The Hawkeyes were a putrid 1-for-9 on third down, and they only managed four first downs in the entire game, with 76 yards of offense in a blowout loss to Penn State in Happy Valley.

Add to that mix the 215 yards they gave up on the ground, and one has to wonder what kind of response we can expect from Iowa after such a tough contest on the road.

5 Wisconsin (Last Week: 6)

Wisconsin’s offense was nearly-balanced against Purdue, with 193 passing yards and 195 rushing yards against the Boilermakers. Tanner Mordecai combined for 218 yards of offense and added a pair of rushing touchdowns for good measure.

The big question for Wisconsin is this: can they maintain their strong run game even if Chez Mellusi missed significant time with an injury he sustained during the third quarter of Saturday’s game? Braelon Allen is of course a strong back, but losing Mellusi is a big blow to the Badger offense.

4 Maryland (Last Week: 5)

In their last two games, the Terrapins had gone down early, but this time around they wasted no time in racing out to a lead and keeping it against the Spartans. Taulia Tagovailoa continued to shine with three touchdown passes, and the Terps got 139 total rushing yards to help keep Michigan State’s offense off the field.

With their next game against Indiana, Maryland could very well go into their Oct. 7 game against Ohio State with an undefeated record, and a big chance at making a statement.

3 Ohio State (Last Week: 3)

Ohio State’s offense was tested in every conceivable way, and they ultimately came out on top with a last-gasp win over Notre Dame in South Bend. TreVeyon Henderson asserted himself with a 61-yard touchdown run, and Emeka Egbuka and Cade Stover each had seven catches in the game.

Few teams will have the running back depth that the Irish had, but it’s worth noting that Ohio State gave up 176 rushing yards, losing the time-of-possession battle by a significant margin. The Buckeyes will have to control the clock better to keep their defense fresh, though that group also made some remarkable plays in the win.

2 Penn State (Last Week: 2)

Saturday’s win over Iowa was about as old school as it can get for the Nittany Lions. They got 215 rushing yards on a whopping 57 carries, and they held the Hawkeyes to just 76 yards of total offense.

They now have two conference wins under the belts, and the one thing we’d love to see is Drew Allar taking over a game to win it. That being said, it’s hard to question the Penn State method considering the quality of their wins, which have showcased the depth of this roster in a big way.

1 Michigan (Last Week: 1)

They didn’t look great early against Rutgers, but they did the things required to win, including holding Kyle Monangai in check, with just 27 yards rushing, and getting Blake Corum going again, with 97 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the victory.

JJ McCarthy was back to his efficient self, 15-of-21 for 214 yards and a touchdown in the win. He’ll be under the microscope next week when the Wolverines take on Nebraska in Lincoln, their first road game of the season.

After the game, Day blasted former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz in an interview, praising his team’s toughness in the victory.

“I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now. What he said about our team, what he said about our team, I cannot believe. This is a tough team right here. We’re proud to be from Ohio. It’s always been Ohio against the world, and it will continue to be Ohio against the world. I’ll tell you what, I love those kids. We’ve got a tough team,” he said.

While many fans may have been confused about why Day specifically called out Holtz, it stemmed to an interview on ESPN’s “Pat McAfee Show” on Friday, where Holtz questioned the Buckeyes’ toughness.

“Everybody that beats him does so because they’re more physical than Ohio State,” Holtz said. “Just tell Ohio State this: you tell them they better bring their lunch, because it’s going to be a full day’s work.”

Needless to say, Day got the message, and his team stood tall when it needed to the most.

On the final play of the game, the Buckeyes saw Chip Trayanum burst through the left side of the offensive line and dive across the goal line with one second remaining, giving Ohio State a 17-14 lead and a 4-0 record on the season.

Holtz’s interview aired Friday on ESPN’s “Pat McAfee Show,” and he had plenty more to say about why he thought Notre Dame would beat the Buckeyes.

Here are his full remarks:

“Notre Dame is a better football team than Ohio State. And let me tell you why: we have the best offensive line in the country. Sam Hartman won’t even get his jersey dirty all year. He has time to throw the football. We have great running backs, averaging 10 yards a carry. We have great receivers. Offensively, we’re set, and defensively, our defensive line is better. 

“I coached under Woody Hayes at Ohio State. We won the national championship when I was there. I’m proud of that. However, he has lost to Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Michigan twice, and everybody that beats him does so because they’re more physical than Ohio State, and I think Notre Dame will take that same approach. I know our schedule hasn’t been the best. We’re 103^rd in strength of schedule. However, that doesn’t bother me, because every day we get to practice against good. We get to practice covering good receivers, and it won’t be much different than covering the great receivers they have at Ohio State.

“Plus, we’re playing at home. It’ll be a close football game, but we will win because we believe. Forget who in the hell we’re playing. Just tell Ohio State this: you tell them they better bring their lunch, because it’s going to be a full day’s work.”

The win is Ohio State’s sixth straight over the Fighting Irish.

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Harrison Jr. was engaged in a block near the sideline during the third quarter of the game when he was rolled up by a Notre Dame defender, sending the receiver falling to the ground and grabbing his leg.

Trainers helped Harrison off the field, and there has been no specific word on his condition.

After several minutes in the injury tent, Harrison emerged with extra tape on his ankle, and was seen doing sprints on the sidelines.

Ohio State scored a touchdown on the play Harrison was hurt, with TreVeyon Henderson scampering for a 61-yard score to give the Buckeyes a 10-0 third-quarter lead over Notre Dame.

We will update this story with additional details as they become available.

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The Illini, who had lost two consecutive games, got a total of 510 yards of offense in the game, their highest output of the season in the victory.

Quarterback Luke Altmyer threw for 303 yards and a touchdown, and picked up another rushing score as the Illini evened their record at 2-2 on the season.

Wide receiver Isaiah Williams had eight catches for 120 yards, and Reggie Love and Josh McCray combined for 158 rushing yards for Illinois.

As has happened on several occasions this season, Illinois found itself down early, with Florida Atlantic earning a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. LaJohntay Wester, who had 137 yards and 13 catches in the game, scored the touchdown as the clock hit zero in the frame, leaving the Illini coming from behind once again.

Illinois responded with a seven-play scoring drive of their own, with Altmyer and Griffin Moore connecting for a 46-yard touchdown to make it a 10-7 game early in the second quarter.

Just before the half, the Illini put together another scoring drive, with Altmyer rushing in for a seven-yard touchdown with 1:45 remaining in the half to give Illinois a 14-10 lead.

After a Florida Atlantic punt to start the second half, Illinois put together an 8-play, 94-yard drive to extend their lead. A huge 45-yard catch by Williams had 15 yards added to it thanks to a facemask penalty, and Aidan Laughery rushed for a three-year score to make it 20-10 Illinois.

A field goal later in the half seemed to set the stage for a breezy Illini win, but a 13-play, 97-yard drive for FAU tightened things up, with Daniel Richardson hitting BJ Alexander for a nine-yard touchdown with 4:19 remaining.

Illinois was able to kill the clock with two first downs earned by Josh McCray on the ground, then Kaden Feagin rushed for 25 yards to seal the win.

Next Saturday will bring a tough test for Illinois as they head to West Lafayette to take on Purdue, a squad led by former Illini defensive coordinator Ryan Walters.

The Buckeyes won last year’s matchup, and in fact have won their last five meetings against the Fighting Irish. The last victory for Notre Dame in the all-time series between the schools came all the way back in 1936.

Which players will be key for Notre Dame as they try to end that losing streak? Who for the Buckeyes could help continue the run? Here are six players you’ll need to keep an eye on Saturday night.

Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State

While Marvin Harrison Jr. rightfully gets tons of headlines for the Buckeyes, Egbuka is no slouch himself, with 12 catches for 167 yards and three touchdowns in three games so far this season.

In last season’s matchup between the schools, Egbuka had a coming out party of sorts, with nine catches for 90 yards and a touchdown in the Buckeyes’ victory.

Audric Estime, Notre Dame

Estime only had 21 rushing yards in last season’s loss to Ohio State, but he has been on an absolute tear so far this season, with 521 yards and five touchdowns in four games for the Fighting Irish so far this season.

While Notre Dame’s passing game has stolen plenty of headlines this season thanks to the strong play of Sam Hartman, Estime cannot be overlooked, especially after a week that saw him rack up 176 yards and a touchdown against Central Michigan.

Jack Sawyer, Ohio State

The Buckeyes’ pass rush is going to be in for a tough challenge against Joe Alt and company, but Sawyer could be a key component if Ohio State’s defense is going to get that pressure home.

In their Week 3 win over Western Kentucky, Sawyer racked up seven pressures and two quarterback hits, according to Pro Football Focus. Sawyer did not play in last year’s game between the schools, but his stat line for the season isn’t an accurate reflection of just what a dominant force he can be.  

Holden Staes, Notre Dame

The Irish would love nothing more than to put pressure on Ohio State’s linebackers, and Staes could be a key component in that part of the game. He has only six catches in four games, but four of those have gone for touchdowns, and he has 123 yards in the receiving game.

Chip Trayanum, Ohio State

Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson both get plenty of publicity for the Buckeyes, but Trayanum has been a quiet force in limited action, including 56 yards and a touchdown against Western Kentucky last week.

He does only have one catch on the season, but if the Buckeyes look to establish the run, especially considering how good Notre Dame has been against the pass, then Trayanum could be a key asset.

Xavier Watts, Notre Dame

Watts has been a strong defensive force for the Irish so far this season, with an interception, three passes defended and a total of 14 tackles on the campaign.

He was in fine form against Central Michigan a week ago, with five total tackles in the 41-17 victory for the Irish. With their pass defense having been one of the best in America through the first four weeks, Watts figures to be a key player against a versatile and deep receiver group.

Florida Atlantic lost 48-14 to Clemson last week and also lost starting QB Casey Thompson, a former starter at Texas and Nebraska, for the season when he tore his ACL. Now it’s up to Central Michigan transfer Daniel Richardson to guide the Owls’ offense.

KEY MATCHUP

Illinois offense vs. Florida Atlantic defense. Illinois QB Luke Altmyer threw four interceptions vs. Penn State and the Illini rushed for just 62 yards. The Florida Atlantic defense has playmakers in DB Darius McClendon (No. 12 nationally in fumbles forced) and DB Jarron Morris (No. 8 in passes defended).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Florida Atlantic: Receiver LaJohntay Wester has caught 30 passes. The other 14 Florida Atlantic receivers have a total of 42 receptions. Wester is averaging 10 catches per game, which ranks him second nationally. The junior had 12 catches for 108 yards vs. Clemson and became Florida Atlantic’s all-time receptions leader with 174.

Illinois: Isaiah Williams is one of the most reliable receivers in the nation. He’s caught at least one pass in all 28 games since he switched from quarterback prior to the 2021 season and he has at least three catches in 17 straight games. He’s second in the Big Ten in receptions (16) and his 11 first-down catches is tied for second in the Big Ten.

FACTS & FIGURES

Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton had seven quarterback pressures vs. Penn State, the most by a Power Five defensive tackle in a game this season. … Keith Randolph Jr., Newton’s partner in their two-man “Law Firm,” leads the nation in tackles by a defensive lineman (20). … This is Florida Atlantic’s first season in the American Athletic Conference. Illinois is 6-4 all-time against teams currently in the conference. … Florida Atlantic is 1-2 against teams from the state of Illinois. The Owls lost twice to Eastern Illinois and QB Tony Romo. … Florida Atlantic caused a stir when the team gathered at midfield on the paw logo at Clemson before the game. Coach Tom Herman said that’s how his team ends its pre-game warmup, home or away.

McCord has completed 69.7% of his passes for six touchdowns and an interception, and has 815 passing yards.

While he struggled in the Buckeyes’ opener against Indiana, he has found his groove against Youngstown State and Western Kentucky, and it’s that consistency that has captured the attention of opponents and media alike, including Joey Kaufman of the Columbus Dispatch.

During an interview with NBC Sports Chicago’s Big Ten Country, Kaufman broke down what has caused head coach Ryan Day to ride with McCord heading into Saturday’s showdown with the Fighting Irish.

“I think what allowed him to really take hold of the starting job going forward is he’s a very consistent, poised quarterback,” he said. “You don’t really see him make a lot of mistakes, and when he does, they don’t trickle into new things.”

After throwing an interception in that Week 1 win over Indiana, McCord has taken much better care of the football, with six touchdowns, zero interceptions and just one sack in the ensuing two games. His QBR against Western Kentucky was a stellar 95.7, and he has been the lynchpin of one of the country’s most explosive offenses through three weeks.

While his big-play ability has been on full display, with Marvin Harrison and Emeka Egbuka benefiting from his skillset, McCord’s consistency is the real story in the eyes of many.

“The big selling point for McCord and Ohio State’s eyes that he’s a quarterback who’s not going to be up and down,” Kaufman said. “It’s a baseball term: you want to hit the home runs, but you’ve got to make sure that if it’s an easy one over the middle, whack that and get a single. I think it’s a big reason why Kyle McCord is going into this game as Ohio State’s starting quarterback.”

Ohio State, the No. 6-ranked team in America, will travel to South Bend for Saturday’s showdown with Notre Dame. The Irish, at 4-0 on the year, are being paced by their own star quarterback in Sam Hartman, and are aiming for revenge after Ohio State won last season’s opener between the two teams in Columbus.

Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, and the game will air on NBC Chicago and Peacock.

Perhaps the best showing of the weekend came from Ohio State, who thrashed Western Kentucky to set themselves up for a Week 4 showdown with Notre Dame. Penn State also did what it needed to against Illinois, though Drew Allar struggled in his first career road start for the Nittany Lions.

Minnesota dropped a tough contest at North Carolina, while Purdue fell to 1-2 after losing to Syracuse in West Lafayette.

Nebraska got on the win column over the weekend, while Indiana and Northwestern both fell to Power Five opponents.

Here is this week’s ranking:

14 Northwestern (Last Week: 13)

Any positive momentum Northwestern generated in their win against UTEP was quickly erased with a flat showing against Duke, with the Blue Devils scoring pretty much at will in a 38-14 laugher in Durham.

Things won’t get any easier for the Wildcats when they welcome Minnesota to Evanston this week, with the Gophers’ tough defense serving as a stern test for a Northwestern squad that has struggled to move the ball at times this season.

13 Indiana (Last Week: 12)

The Hoosiers went down 21-0 to the Cardinals in the first half, but Tayven Jackson continued to impress as he threw for 299 yards and a touchdown in an ill-fated comeback attempt by Indiana.

Indiana will have to do better than 58 yards rushing on 27 attempts if they want to win games moving forward, but count us among those intrigued by the idea of this Indiana squad facing Maryland and Michigan in coming weeks.

12 Michigan State (Last Week: 9)

Michigan State had been a strong second-half team in their first two games, but their final non-conference game exposed some serious flaws in their roster. Michael Penix Jr. torched the Spartans for 473 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-7 drubbing in East Lansing.

Add to that the continuing distraction of the Mel Tucker situation, and Michigan State is in a rough spot moving forward.

11 Nebraska (Last Week: 14)

 Matt Rhule’s squad is finally in the win column, as they held Northern Illinois to just 149 yards of offense in a victory in Lincoln. Without Jeff Sims at quarterback, the Cornhuskers got 256 total yards and three touchdowns out of Heinrich Haarberg, and Gabe Ervin and Anthony Grant each contributed touchdowns as well.

Nebraska is in the middle of a stretch where they play five-of-six games at home, with Louisiana Tech next on the docket, followed by a tough showdown against Michigan on Sept. 30.

10 Illinois (Last Week: 10)

Credit is due to Illinois’ defense, which really gave the Penn State offense fits in the first half of Saturday’s loss in Champaign. Johnny Newton had one of his best games, and a defense that had been torched by Toledo and Kansas really stepped up when it needed to.

The downside? The team’s offense went completely kaput as Luke Altmyer struggled to take care of the ball, and John Paddock couldn’t get things turned around in the second half either.

Illinois will have a chance to make things right against Florida Atlantic this week, but that will be the true test on whether this team still has any sort of shot to compete for a West Division crown.

9 Purdue (Last Week: 8)

Purdue now has losses to Fresno State and Syracuse on its resume this season, and though Hudson Card had a solid day throwing the football for 323 yards, the Boilermakers’ turnovers were a huge issue, as Card lost three fumbles and threw an interception in the loss to the Orange.

Devin Mockobee also fumbled the ball three times, meaning that Purdue put the ball on the ground seven times. That simply cannot happen again this week, as they face a Friday showdown with Wisconsin.

8 Rutgers (Last Week: 11)

It wasn’t Gavin Wimsatt’s best day under center, but Kyle Monangai continued to turn heads with 143 rushing yards and three touchdowns as Rutgers earned a Power-Five victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday.

Even with Michigan on the schedule this week, Rutgers still has to feel good about this portion of their schedule, with seemingly-winnable games looming against Wagner, Michigan State and Indiana.

7 Minnesota (Last Week: 5)

It was tough to drop Minnesota two spots after a road loss against a ranked opponent and one of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft class, but with Drake Maye throwing for 414 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and with Athan Kaliakmanis continuing to struggle to find his footing at quarterback, the Gophers take a step back here.

They’ll have a chance to respond in another road trip to Northwestern, but the real test will come in October when they face consecutive games against Michigan and Iowa, the latter of which is on the road.

6 Wisconsin (Last Week: 7)

Wisconsin’s offense continues to struggle to find its footing, with Tanner Mordecai throwing for 236 yards and zero touchdowns this week, and truth be told, their game against Georgia Southern may have had a different result if Davis Brin hadn’t thrown five interceptions.

That being said, Wisconsin still has a great running attack, combining for 207 yards and five touchdowns as Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi led the way.

A Friday showdown with Purdue should help tell the story for the Badgers, and whether their hopes of competing for a West Division crown remain intact.

5 Maryland (Last Week: 6)

The Terrapins went down early against Charlotte in Week 2 and stormed back for a victory, and they did the exact same thing against Virginia in the first meeting between the schools since 2013.

Taulia Tagovailoa continued his strong start to the season with 342 yards passing and a touchdown, and Colby McDonald had 75 rushing yards to help Maryland to victory.

4 Iowa (Last Week: 4)

We’re just as tired of talking about Iowa’s offense as anyone else, but they did put up 387 yards against Western Michigan on Saturday. Cade McNamara turned the ball over twice, but Leshon Williams’ 145 rushing yards helped ensure a Hawkeye victory.

Still though, two things warrant watching this week: how Iowa’s offense looks without tight end Luke Lachey, who suffered a “significant” injury, and how they play in a hostile road environment against a Penn State defense that forced five turnovers in Week 3 against Illinois.

3 Ohio State (Last Week: 3)

The Buckeyes have seemingly figured out their offensive approach in their first two non-conference games, including a 63-10 thrashing of Western Kentucky, and Kyle McCord’s success has been a big part of the reason why, with 318 yards and three touchdowns to his credit in Week 3.

They also have the third-best defense in the country, but their biggest test of the season so far looms this week, as they’ll travel to South Bend to face Sam Hartman and Notre Dame in a nationally-televised matchup of Top-10 teams.

2 Penn State (Last Week: 2)

Penn State left the home environs of Beaver Stadium for a road matchup against Illinois, and though Drew Allar struggled badly, the defense was able to force five turnovers in a 30-13 victory in Champaign.

The big question for Penn State will be how they respond, as they’ll face Iowa in their first home game of the Big Ten season.

1 Michigan (Last Week: 1)

Michigan looked like they had things well within control in their first two games of the season, but they had a bit of a hiccup on Saturday against Bowling Green, with JJ McCarthy struggling to take care of the ball and their offense struggling to find its footing.

Blake Corum was there to save the day with two touchdowns, but the Wolverines will need a better effort on Saturday as they face dual-threat quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, running back Kyle Monangai and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the Big House.