• All 14 schools are in action this week, with seven Big Ten contests highlighted by four divisional matchups.
• Two Big Ten teams remain undefeated on the season, as Michigan and Ohio State are both 8-0. The Wolverines and Buckeyes are both undefeated in conference play at 5-0.
• Four Big Ten teams appear in the AP Poll this week, highlighted by two of the top four teams. Ohio State leads the conference at No. 2, followed by No. 4 Michigan, No. 14 Illinois and No. 16 Penn State, with Maryland also receiving votes.
• Michigan and Ohio State are two of only four teams in the country with top-10 rankings in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Wolverines rank third defensively (11.5 points per game) and eighth offensively (41.0 points per game), while the Buckeyes check in at second offensively (48.9 points per game) and 10th defensively (16.9 points per game). The only other teams to appear in the top 10 of both categories are Alabama and Georgia.
• Three additional Big Ten teams rank in the top five in terms of scoring defense: Illinois (1st, 8.9 points per game), Minnesota (4th, 14.4 points per game) and Iowa (5th, 15.8 points per game).
• Ohio State’s J.T. Tuimoloau recorded six tackles, three solos, two sacks, three tackles-for-loss, two interceptions and a forced fumble in Ohio State’s 44-31 win against Penn State. He also deflected a pass that resulted in a pick, making him responsible for all four Buckeyes takeaways. Ohio State has forced 10 turnovers in its last two games, the most in a two-game stretch since 2000.
• Michigan improved to 8-0 for the second time under head coach Jim Harbaugh and the first since 2016. The Wolverines improved to 72-38-5 all-time against Michigan State on Saturday, including a 39-29-2 mark since the two teams began playing for the Paul Bunyan Trophy in 1953.
• Wolverine running back Blake Corum set a career high against the Spartans with 33 carries, notching 177 yards with two touchdowns (one receiving), marking his fifth straight 100-plus yard game. Corum now has nine career 100-yard rushing games and has eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards on the season for the first time in his career. The junior ranks second nationally in rushing touchdowns (14), second in total points scored (90) and fourth in rushing yards (1,078).
• Illinois leads the nation in both scoring defense (8.9 points allowed per game) and total defense (224.5 yards allowed per game). The Illini also rank in the top two nationally in passing efficiency defense (1st; 77.94), passes intercepted (1st; 15) and rushing defense (2nd; 75.6).
• Led by running back Chase Brown, Illinois ranks sixth nationally in relative rushing offense and 18th in the country in relative total offense. Brown leads the nation with 1,208 rushing yards this season, with 707 of those yards coming after contact. He also ranks second in the nation in all-purpose yards (1,328) without having return duties.
• Iowa’s Jack Campbell was named a finalist for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy on Oct. 26. Now in its 33rd year, the Campbell Trophy is presented annually to the nation’s top football scholar-athlete. The finalists will travel to the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 6, where one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 33rd Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
• Seven Big Ten Conference programs appear in the top 25 of the latest NCAA attendance rankings, including four of the nation’s top 10 schools: No. 1 Michigan (110,224 fans per game), No. 2 Penn State (107,540), No. 3 Ohio State (104,438), No. 10 Nebraska (86,822), No. 19 Wisconsin (73,866), No. 20 Michigan State (72, 786) and No. 21 Iowa (69,250). Additionally, Big Ten teams own 14 of the top 15 single-game attendance highs this season, including the top nine spots.
• The 2022 Big Ten Football Championship Game will be played at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 3, at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium and will be televised nationally on FOX. The winner will earn the Amos Alonzo Stagg Championship Trophy and a chance to play in one of the six bowls that comprise the College Football Playoff, including the Rose Bowl Game.
• The 2022 campaign features 94 All-Big Ten honorees (first-, second-, third-team or honorable mention) selected by either the coaches or the media last season. Ohio State leads the way, welcoming back 17 All-Big Ten honorees this season. Each team has at least one All-Big Ten performer returning this season, with 56 of the 94 returning All-Big Ten players coming from the East Division.
• This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Saturday, December 31, 2022, at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The Los Angeles region will host the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 9, 2023, at SoFi Stadium. The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 ranked team vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game.
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