Big Ten Week Nine Preview

No. 4 Ohio State (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) welcomes Penn State (4-2, 1-1 Big Ten) to the Horseshoe. The Buckeyes continued their 19-game unbeaten streak with a 34-24 win at home against Iowa, led by running back Carlos Hyde’s 149 yards and two touchdowns. The senior has tallied 317 yards and five touchdowns in the last two wins over Northwestern and Iowa.  Penn State sat idle in week eight after a 43-40 quadruple overtime victory against Michigan in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions have won two of the past three meetings in Columbus, including a 20-14 victory two seasons ago.

No. 24 Nebraska (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten) travels to Minnesota (5-2, 1-2 Big Ten) for a Big Ten Legends Division matchup. The Gophers picked up their first conference win last weekend, upsetting Northwestern, 20-17. Nebraska has not played since rolling past Purdue, 44-7, in week seven. The Huskers have won the last 16 meetings against Minnesota, including holding the Gophers to 14 points or fewer in 14-straight games dating to 1960.  

Michigan State (6-1, 3-0 Big Ten) travels to Illinois (3-3, 0-2 Big Ten) for the first time since 2009. The Spartans have opened Big Ten play with three-straight wins, relying on a defense that has allowed only 13.6 points per game this season. Illinois fell behind 21-0 in the first quarter against Wisconsin, and could not claw its way back into the game, falling 56-32 at home. Michigan State has won 11 of the last 12 meetings with the Illini.

Iowa (4-3, 1-2 Big Ten) welcomes Northwestern (4-3, 0-3 Big Ten) to Kinnick Stadium. The Wildcats have lost three-straight since opening the season with four-consecutive non-conference wins, while Iowa has lost two-in-a-row after its four-game winning streak. Northwestern has won four of the last five meetings with Iowa, but fell on the road in its last visit to Iowa two seasons ago.