Week 7 has wrapped in the B1G and it was the most exciting weekend yet! Oregon beat Ohio State in the B1G game of the year. It was a back and forth matchup with the Buckeyes failing to score on their last possession, falling 32-31.
I think it's too early to call a referendum on the Ryan Day experience at Ohio State. As I'm feeling the 60,000+ rabid fans at Autzen Stadium, the Bucks made it to the 28-yard line with a timeout and 28 seconds, one thing was stuck in my head, the Peach Bowl against Georgia in 2022. CJ Stroud had scampered for 27 yards to the Georgia 31 with a timeout and 24 seconds left. Dallan Hayden ran up the middle and two poor pass attempts led to a missed 50-yard field goal attempt by Noah Ruggles. Ryan Day cowered in the moment and didn't push the issue. When the same thing happened on Saturday night Ryan Day went for it. He didn't settle this time. An unnecessary OPI on Jeremiah Smith was the death blow. Dan Lanning's great use of illegal substitution, and Will Howard sliding just a little bit late ended the game. It didn't work, but Ryan Day didn't settle.
The results of the game doesn't change much for Ohio State. The loss of Josh Simmons at left tackle for the season is the biggest negative. Dan Lanning and Oregon get their B1G win and are clearly in the driver's seat for the B1G Championship, or at least a rematch with Ohio State in Indianapolis.
The Ducks vs. Bucks game wasn't the only excitement in the league. Penn State traveled to USC and upended the Trojans in overtime, coming back from a two touchdown deficit at halftime. Illinois held off a furious Purdue comeback to win in overtime. Iowa put it to Washington in Iowa City and Minnesota pulled out a win at the Rose Bowl
The week 8 slate features seven conference matchups. Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, and Washington are off this week. Things get started Friday night, as Oregon travels to Purdue. Indiana hosts Nebraska in the game of the week. The only other game that has much consequence has Michigan traveling to Illinois.
The week 7 B1G Power Rankings are below. These are based strictly on on-field performance relative to the competition and is not a projection of things to come.
1. Oregon (6-0) - The Ducks improved to 6-0, beating Ohio State at Autzen Stadium. They travel to Purdue this Friday night.
2. Ohio State (5-1) - The Buckeyes are off this week and host Nebraska in week 9.
3. Penn State (6-0) - The Lions came back in the Coliseum to beat Nebraska. They are off this week and travel to Wisconsin for a game under the lights at Camp Randall.
4. Indiana (6-0) - The Hoosiers were off last week. They host Nebraska for B1G Noon, looking to go to 7-0. This will be the Hoosiers first test of the season.
5. Illinois (5-1) - The Illini held off Purdue and host Michigan this week.
6. Nebraska (5-1) - The Huskers were off and travel to Indiana this week in a big matchup in Bloomington.
7. Iowa (4-2) - The Hawkeyes stomped Washington on the scoreboard. They travel to Michigan State on Saturday night.
8. Washington (4-3) - The Huskies outgained Iowa, but were throttled 40-16 after turnovers and failed 4th down attempts.
9. Michigan (4-2) - The Wolverines were off and travel to Illinois this week, trying to get back in the win column.
10. Wisconsin (4-2) - The Badgers throttled Rutgers on the road and showed progress on offense. They travel to Northwestern this week.
11. Minnesota (4-3) - The Gophers held off UCLA and are off this week.
12. Rutgers (4-2) - They lost a 2nd game in a row, this time to Wisconsin. They were missing a large part of their defense. They look to get back in the win column, hosting UCLA this week.
13. USC (3-3) - Two losses in a row and the Trojans are closer to 100 than the top 10. Lincoln Riley continues to find new ways to lose, this time blowing a 14 point half time lead against Penn St. They travel cross country to Maryland this weekend.
14. Northwestern (3-3) - The Wildcats had a nice win at Maryland on Friday night. They host Wisconsin in their last home game at the temporary lakefront stadium.
15. Maryland (3-3) - The Terrapins lost to Northwestern. They host USC this weekend.
16. Michigan State (3-3) - The Spartans were off and host Iowa this weekend.
17. UCLA (1-5) - The Bruins came close to beating Minnesota, but remain winless in the B1G. They travel to Rutgers for another 9 am PST banger.
18. Purdue (1-5) - The Boilermakers almost came back against Illinois, but remain winless in the B1G. They host Oregon on Friday night looking to pull the huge upset.
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