• Eleven Big Ten schools will continue their non-conference schedules this weekend, while Illinois welcomes Maryland for a cross-divisional conference matchup on Friday at 9 p.m. ET on FS1. Wisconsin will enjoy a bye week. The complete Week 3 schedule appears to the right.
• Five Big Ten teams appear in the AP Poll this week. Iowa leads the conference at No. 5, followed by No. 9 Ohio State, No. 10 Penn State, No. 18 Wisconsin, and No. 25 Michigan. Michigan State, Indiana and Maryland each received votes.
• The Big Ten currently features four programs that rank among the top 25 nationally in rushing offense: Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and Wisconsin. The Wolverines rank fourth in the nation, averaging 339.0 yards per game, while the Spartans rank sixth (299.0), the Huskers sit at No. 13 (266.0) and the Badgers round out the list at No. 20 (240.0).
• Iowa posted a 27-17 victory over No. 9 Iowa State on Saturday, giving the Hawkeyes their sixth-straight victory over their in-state rivals and their longest streak since winning 15 in a row from 1983-97. The Hawkeyes have won their last eight games, outscoring their opponents, 275-106, averaging 34.3 points per game offensively and allowing 13.3 PPG during the winning streak. Iowa has scored at least 25 points in each win. The Hawkeyes have also played 24 straight games without surrendering 25 points, the longest streak in the nation among A5 teams.
• The Hawkeyes have won five straight games against ranked opponents dating back to 2019. The last time Iowa won five straight against ranked opponents was a six-game stretch in 1960. Saturday’s victory marked Iowa’s highest-ranked road win since defeating No. 5 Penn State, 21-10, in 2009. The only FBS team with a longer active win streak against ranked teams is Alabama.
• Michigan outscored Washington, 21-10, in the second half to secure the program’s first win over the Huskies since 2002. The Wolverines improved to 15-0 in non-conference games under Jim Harbaugh, with 14 of those wins coming by at least 16 points.
• Michigan running back Blake Corum achieved the 100-yard rushing mark in the first half on Saturday, with 107 yards on 11 carries, and finished with 171 yards on 21 carries for the game. Corum set career highs in rushing attempts (21), rushing yards (171), and rushing touchdowns (3). He also ran for a career-long 67-yard rushing touchdown in the first half, surpassing his previous best rush of 30 yards, and becoming the first Wolverine to score three touchdowns in a game since Nico Collins at Indiana on Nov. 23, 2019.
• Treyson Potts rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start to help Minnesota fend off Miami (OH) 31-26 on Saturday. The Gophers have won 20 straight non-conference games, which is the longest active streak nationally and the longest streak by a Big Ten team since Penn State won 20 straight from 1993-97. Minnesota hasn’t lost a non-conference game since its season opener on Sept. 3, 2015, against then No. 2 TCU.
• Quarterback Payton Thorne completed 15-of-21 passes for 280 yards and a career-high four touchdowns as Michigan State defeated Youngstown State in the home opener at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans collected 595 yards of total offense (323 passing, 272 rushing), marking the first time Michigan State has compiled 500 yards of total offense in back-to-back games since 2014 (Oct. 11, 532 vs. Purdue, Oct. 18, 662 vs. Indiana) and the most total yards of offense in a single game for the Spartans since Oct. 18, 2014, at Indiana (662).
• Seven Big Ten teams remain undefeated on the season, as Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Purdue and Rutgers are all 2-0.
• All six of the New Year’s Six bowl games have had a chance to host a semifinal game twice with the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl doing so three times. This year, the Cotton and Orange Bowls will serve as semifinal games. Last year, Alabama became the second-straight No. 1 seed to win the playoff. The No. 1 seed didn’t win a title in the first five years. The No. 2 seed has won it three times and the No. 4 seed has won it twice. The No. 3 seed has won just three playoff games in seven years with Ohio State winning one of those last season.
• The 2021 campaign features 120 All-Big Ten honorees (first-, second-, third-team or honorable mention) selected by either the coaches or the media last season. Iowa and Ohio State lead the West and East Divisions, respectively, each welcoming back 14 All-Big Ten honorees this season. The talent is split evenly as 60 of the returning all-conference players hail from both the East and West Divisions. Each team returns at least three All-Big Ten performers.
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