In an extraordinary yr, the Huge Ten East matchup between Penn State and Michigan can be one of many most-watched video games of the weekend. That may nonetheless be the case in 2020, however for a lot extra sinister causes — to observe the trainwreck.

The Nittany Lions and Wolverines are two of the Huge Ten’s most distinguished applications. They’ve routinely performed in New 12 months’s Six bowl video games in the course of the tenures of James Franklin and Jim Harbaugh. In 2020, nevertheless, each applications are in states of tumult.

Michigan is 2-Three on the yr, having simply snapped a three-game dropping streak by squeaking previous Rutgers 48-42 in triple-overtime. Penn State, in the meantime, is off to a depressing 0-5 begin — an unimaginable flip of occasions for a program that had gone 42-11 over its earlier 4 seasons.

The 2 applications have met 23 instances all-time, courting again to Penn State becoming a member of the Huge Ten in 1993. Saturday’s sport in Ann Arbor marks the primary time the 2 historic applications will meet when each groups have a dropping report. In 5 earlier conferences — 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008 and 2014 — there was one workforce with a dropping report. However there has by no means been a Penn State-Michigan sport just like the one we’ll see on Saturday.

To additional contextualize the 2020 distress in Ann Arbor and State Faculty, the groups had a mixed six losses forward of their earlier 4 matchups. They’ve mixed for eight on this yr alone with simply two wins, each by Michigan.

Michigan’s win over Rutgers wasn’t fairly. Michigan had overwhelmed Rutgers by a median of 43.eight factors over their final 5 conferences, however the Scarlet Knights jumped out to a 17-7 halftime lead and led 27-21 getting into the fourth quarter earlier than the Wolverines staged a comeback behind backup quarterback Cade McNamara. Rutgers even had an opportunity to win the sport with a 45-yard area aim in time beyond regulation, however the game-winning strive sailed large to maintain Michigan’s hopes alive.

It was a much-needed win for the Wolverines, however the rallying effort wanted to beat a perennial Huge Ten backside feeder like Rutgers just isn’t going to make Michigan followers really feel higher concerning the trajectory of this system underneath Harbaugh.

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And if issues are unhealthy for Michigan, they’re means, means worse at Penn State. The Nittany Lions opened the season ranked within the high 10. Now PSU is 0-5 for the primary time in program historical past, courting again to 1887.

Saturday’s 41-21 loss to Iowa was particularly ugly. Penn State began Will Levis, who got here in on aid of Sean Clifford after Clifford had two ugly turnovers early within the loss to Nebraska. Levis was largely ineffective, and PSU fell behind 31-7. Clifford then got here again within the lineup and threw landing passes on his first two makes an attempt. From there, although, the turnovers popped again up. Clifford threw two interceptions, together with one which was returned 71 yards for a landing by Daviyon Nixon, a 305-pound defensive lineman, to place the ultimate nail within the coffin for an additional deflating loss for Franklin’s program.

It’s exhausting to see how Penn State, a workforce that had Faculty Soccer Playoff aspirations when the season started, can be motivated to into Michigan Stadium. At the least Michigan has a little bit of juice with McNamara at quarterback. There’s no silver lining for Penn State. It’s only a unhealthy workforce.

– Sam Cooper

The state of the Huge 12 title race

It’s nonetheless a four-team race for the 2 spots within the Huge 12 championship sport.

Iowa State has a one-game lead within the loss column over Oklahoma, Texas and Oklahoma State forward of an enormous sport between the Cyclones and Longhorns on Friday.

If Iowa State beats Texas, then the Longhorns are just about eradicated from championship competition. Texas would have losses to each Oklahoma — presently half-game forward of everybody else in second at 5-2 — and Iowa State. That wouldn’t work out properly for UT in any tie-breaking situations.

If Texas wins, issues can get actually attention-grabbing down the stretch. Whereas Texas has that loss to Oklahoma, the Longhorns would have wins over each Iowa State and Oklahoma State. That signifies that Texas may get into the Huge 12 title sport with Oklahoma if there’s a 3 or four-way tie atop the standings at 7-2.

Right here’s how a Huge 12 tiebreaker would work with three or extra groups. The convention goes to a round-robin format among the many tied groups to determine who the highest two can be. If there’s a four-way tie with a Texas win over ISU, the data in opposition to one another are as follows:

Iowa State: 1-2 (win over OU, losses to OSU and UT)

Oklahoma: 2-1 (wins over UT and OSU, loss to ISU)

Oklahoma State: 1-2 (win over ISU, losses to OU and UT)

Texas: 2-1 (wins over OSU and ISU, loss to OU)

On this case, it pays to lose to a workforce exterior the highest 4 like Oklahoma (Kansas State) and Texas (TCU). They’d get to play one another for the Huge 12 title.

The probabilities for a three-way tie for a title sport spot are increased as a result of that tie may occur for both first or second place. If Iowa State wins on Saturday and beats West Virginia to finish the common season, the Cyclones are within the title sport.

In that situation, any three-way tie can be for second place. And since Oklahoma has overwhelmed each Texas and Oklahoma State, it will advance to the championship sport for an opportunity for revenge on Iowa State.

That’s why Oklahoma State’s loss to OU on Saturday evening was so pivotal to the Cowboys’ championship hopes. Whereas OSU remains to be technically alive for the Huge 12 title, it wants plenty of assist to get to the title sport as a result of it’s on the unsuitable finish of the 2 most certainly group tiebreaker situations despite the fact that it will probably say it has one of the best losses of the highest 4 groups.

– Nick Bromberg

Spencer Rattler threw 4 landing passes and ran for an additional in Oklahoma’s 41-13 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday. (AP Photograph/Sue Ogrocki)

Ohio State’s go protection woes

Do we have to fear concerning the Ohio State go protection?

The Buckeyes allowed Indiana’s Michael Penix Jr. to throw for 491 yards and 5 touchdowns in OSU’s 42-35 win on Saturday. That’s essentially the most passing yards Ohio State has given as much as an opponent since Purdue threw for 497 all the best way again in 1985. Merely put, groups don’t typically throw for over 450 yards in opposition to OSU and why coach Ryan Day mentioned after the sport that Penix’s yardage complete was “means an excessive amount of.”

None of Ohio State’s first three opponents had thrown for greater than 300 yards this season. So Penix’s yardage efficiency is an outlier. However his completion proportion is an outlier too. And that’s not excellent news for Ohio State both.

Penix was simply 27-of-51 passing and accomplished 53 % of his passes. It was the primary time all season that an OSU opponent had accomplished lower than 60 % of their passes.

Ohio State is permitting opponents to finish 63 % of their passes by the primary 4 video games of the season. A yr in the past, opposing QBs accomplished simply over 50 % of their passes.

So what’s the deal? On Saturday, DB Shaun Wade mentioned that blown coverages helped result in Penix’s lofty yardage complete.

“We had a pair blown coverages,” Wade mentioned (through Buckeye Grove). “Generally they only make a play, that’s a part of taking part in soccer. Receivers are going to make performs, DBs are going to make performs.”

Fortunately for Ohio State, there’s loads of time to get its go protection points fastened earlier than one other sport in opposition to good competitors. Illinois, Michigan State and Michigan stay on the Buckeyes’ common season schedule and none of these groups can declare to boast a high-powered passing offense.

But when the woes proceed till the postseason, be careful. Alabama and Clemson may carve the Buckeyes up.

– Nick Bromberg

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