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The Big Ten opened the season with three teams in the AP Top 25: defending National Champion Ohio State at #1, #5 Michigan State, and #20 Wisconsin. By the end of September, five teams found themselves in the Top 25: #1 Ohio State, #2 Michigan State, #16 Northwestern, #19 Wisconsin, and #22 Michigan.
October sees the Big Ten conference schedule get into full swing. Ohio State and Michigan State figure to head the East Division, though #22 Michigan does have a shot at getting in the race. In the West, #16 Northwestern and #19 Wisconsin are the front runners with Iowa having a shot with a good October.
Let’s take a look at what the Big Ten teams have done so far and what October will bring.
East Division
Penn State (3-1, 1-0)
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Penn State opened the season with a disappointing loss at Temple before beating Buffalo. They opened up Big Ten play in week three with a 28-3 win over Rutgers. Penn State finished off September with a 37-21 win over San Diego State.
The Penn State offense got off to a slow start, averaging less than 125 yards per game through the air until they threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns against San Diego State. The defense has given up just over 16 points per game and about 180 yards per game of total yardage.
Penn State will host Army for their final non-conference game on October 3rd before continuing their Big Ten schedule against Indiana. Their toughest game of October comes on the 17th at Ohio State. They play Maryland in Baltimore and Illinois at home to end the month. Penn State has a good chance at having a 4-1 Big Ten record at the end of October.
#1 Ohio State (4-0, 0-0)
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Ohio State opened the season as the #1 team in the polls and the defending National Champions. The Buckeyes got a scare from Northern Illinois in week 3, but they held on for a 20-13 win. They finished the first month of the season with a solid 38-12 win over Western Michigan.
The Buckeyes have averaged over 230 yards rushing per game, scoring nine rushing touchdowns. Ezekiel Elliot leads the way with 455 yards and five touchdowns. Cardale Jones has thrown for 621 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions, while J.T Barrett is also seeing time at quarterback.
Ohio State is expected to run the table in the Big Ten, and there really isn’t much of a test in October. Road games against Indiana and Rutgers bookend home games against Maryland and Penn State. There is no reason to think that Ohio State will not be undefeated at the end of October.
#2 Michigan State (4-0, 0-0)
Michigan State was #5 in the preseason AP Top 25 and they moved up to #2 by the end of week 3. Their first big game was their home opening win against the #7 Oregon Ducks. The Spartans finished off September with their 12th consecutive game scoring 30 or more points.
Michigan State is averaging over 33 points per game. Connor Cook has thrown for 838 yards, nine touchdowns, and only one interception. The Spartan defense has been an issue. They have given up almost 400 yards and about 20 points per game.
Michigan State hosts Purdue and then goes to Rutgers before going to Ann Arbor for their rivalry game against #22 Michigan. They finish October with a home game against Indiana. Barring a rivalry loss, the Spartans should be undefeated at the end of October.
Indiana (4-0, 0-0)
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Indiana opened up their 2015 season with home wins against Southern Illinois, Florida International, and Western Kentucky. The Hoosiers finished September with a road win against Wake Forest.
Indiana has scored almost 40 points per game this season. The Hoosiers are averaging more than 500 yards per game and they have scored seven passing touchdowns and nine rushing touchdowns. Defensively, Indiana has not been as successful, giving up 32 points per game on over 500 total yards per game.
October is going to be a rough month for the Hoosiers. They start against the #1 team in the country when they host Ohio state. Then they visit Penn State and host Rutgers. They end the month by traveling to East Lansing to face the #2 Michigan State Spartans.
#22 Michigan (3-1, 0-0)
Michigan went into Utah to face the Utes and were disappointed to come out of there with a 24-17 loss. They came back home and beat Oregon State, UNLV, and #22 BYU decisively, getting Michigan into the AP Top 25 at #22.
Their offense is averaging less than 30 points per game, and they are gaining less than 400 yards of total offense per game. They will need quarterback Jake Rudock to improve on his four touchdown to five interceptions ratio if they want to compete in the Big Ten. The Michigan defense is performing very well, allowing less than 15 points per game.
Michigan has road games to begin and end October, against Maryland and Minnesota. In between, they play host to #16 Northwestern and #2 Michigan State. They have a chance to make a little noise in the East Division if they can come out of October with three or four wins.
Maryland (2-2, 0-0)
Maryland opened the season with three straight home wins over Richmond, Bowling Green, and South Florida. Their first road game was not a good one, losing 45-6 at West Virginia.
Maryland’s offense has scored about 30 points per game powered by about 200 yards per game on the ground. Both of their quarterbacks, Perry Hills and Caleb Rowe, have thrown for four touchdowns. The Terrapin defense has not been so good so far this season, giving up close to 33 points per game and have only forced five turnovers.
Their October schedule looks daunting with just one home game, their Big Ten opener against #22 Michigan. From there, they travel to #1 Ohio State, play Penn State at a neutral field in Baltimore, and travel to Iowa. There is a good chance that they will be 1-3 or 0-4 in Big Ten play by the end of the month.
Rutgers (2-2, 0-1)
Rutgers started their season with a 63-13 blowout of Norfolk State. They lost a close game to Washington State, 37-34. In week 3, Rutgers lost their Big Ten opener at Penn State, 28-3. They finished September with a 27-14 win over Kansas.
Rutgers has had a balanced offense this season, gaining about 220 yards in the air and just over 200 yards on the ground per game, and scoring seven passing touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns this season. Defensively, Rutgers has been a little shaky, giving up 23 points and over 270 passing yards per game.
October looks like a brutal month for Rutgers. They have home games against #2 Michigan State and #1 Ohio State, and they travel to Madison to face #19 Wisconsin. Their only soft game is on October 17 at Indiana. If they are lucky, they will escape October with only 3 losses.
West Division
#16 Northwestern (4-0, 0-0)
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Northwestern was unranked at the beginning of the season when they beat #21 Stanford in their opening game. They beat Eastern Illinois, Duke, and Ball State, improving their ranking to #16.
Even with the 63 points they hung on Eastern Illinois, they are averaging only 25 points per game. Their running game is producing, gaining over 250 yards per game. Defensively, they are one of four Big Ten teams to be giving up less than 15 points per game.
Northwestern’s toughest test in October will be on the 10th at #22 Michigan. Other than that, they will have home games against Minnesota and Iowa before traveling to take on Nebraska on October 24. Look for Northwestern to finish October undefeated, ranked, and competing for the West Division title.
Iowa (4-0, 0-0)
Iowa opened their season with wins over Illinois State, Iowa State, and Pitt. The Hawkeyes ended September by blowing out North Texas, 62-16.
Iowa’s offense is scoring almost 38 points per game behind a balanced offense. They are averaging about 240 passing yards per game and almost 200 yards per game on the ground. The Hawkeye defense has given up just under 18 points per game, just over 80 yards per game on the ground, and just under 300 yards per game of total offense.
Iowa alternates between tough road games and easier home games throughout the month of October. They start out by going to Madison to face #19 Wisconsin before playing at home against Illinois. Then they play at #16 Northwestern and finish off the month at home against Maryland. If they are going to make a run at the West Division title, this is the month they need to do it.
#19 Wisconsin (3-1, 0-0)
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Wisconsin started the season ranked #20 as they faced #3 Alabama. They were bounced out of the rankings after losing that game, 35-17, but outscored their last three opponents by a score of 114-3, which helped them climb back into the AP Top 25 at #19.
The Badger offense is averaging almost 33 points per game, and that is without their starting running back, Corey Clement, who was injured in the Alabama game. The defense has carried this team, giving up less than 10 points per game even after Alabama scored 35 in the opener.
If Wisconsin is going to do compete for the West Division title, they will need to breeze through their five games in October. They have home games against Iowa, Purdue, and Rutgers, and road games against Nebraska and Illinois. They should come out of that unscathed and ready for their November stretch run.
Illinois (3-1, 0-0)
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Illinois started the season with two hug wins. The Illini then went into North Carolina hoping for more of the same, but they fell to the Tarheels, 48-14. Illinois held off a Middle Tennessee rally to win their final September game, 27-25.
Illinois has scored more than 34 points per game this season. Their offense has been pretty balanced, scoring eight touchdowns through the air and seven on the ground. The Illini defense has been doing a great job this season. They have given up 19.5 points and less than 200 passing yards per game.
Illinois starts off the Big Ten schedule with a home game against Nebraska. The next few weeks will prove to be tough ones with trips to Iowa and Penn State and a home game against #19 Wisconsin. Illinois will have a hard time getting two or three wins in October.
Minnesota (3-1, 0-0)
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Minnesota opened up the season with four close games, losing to #2 TCU 23-17, winning on the road against Colorado State, 23-20, and beating Kent State, 10-7, and Ohio, 27-24.
The Minnesota offense has not found its stride yet, averaging less than 20 points per game and about 380 yards per game in total offense so far this season. Their opponents have averaged about 160 passing yards and 150 rushing yards per game, and Minnesota has forced six turnovers.
Minnesota starts its Big Ten schedule with a tough game at #16 Northwestern, then they travel to Purdue. They finish October with home games against Nebraska and Michigan. It is not unreasonable to see Minnesota with three wins in October.
Nebraska (2-2, 0-0)
Nebraska opened up the season with a tough 33-28 loss to BYU. The Cornhuskers came back to beat South Alabama handily, 48-9. They picked up another tough loss, 36-33 in overtime at Miami. Nebraska finished September with a 36-28 win against Southern Mississippi.
Their offense is scoring about 29 points per game, primarily because of their passing offense. Nebraska gaining over 300 yards per game through the air and they have 12 passing touchdowns. They have given just over 20 points per game, but their opponents have gained almost 375 yards per game through the air.
Nebraska is alternating somewhat easy road games with really tough home games in October. They travel to Illinois, Minnesota, and Purdue on the 3rd, 17th, and 31st, respectively. In between, they host #19 Wisconsin on the 10th and #16 Northwestern on the 24th. If Nebraska is going to contend for the West Division, they will need to come out of October with at least four Big Ten wins.
Purdue (1-3, 0-0)
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Purdue has gotten off to a rough start in 2015. They lost at Marshall to open the season and lost big against Virginia Tech. They did beat Indiana State, but that was Indiana State. They ended September with a 35-28 loss to Bowling Green.
The Purdue offense has been gaining an average of over 420 yards per game of total offense. Purdue’s defense has not been been better, giving up more than 35 points per game, definitely not good enough to overcome the offensive woes.
Purdue has a tough October schedule. They travel to East Lansing to face #2 Michigan State to start the month, then come home to face Minnesota. After that, they go to Madison to face #19 Wisconsin. After a week off, they play Nebraska at home on Halloween.