The Wolverine takes a look around the Big Ten heading into college football's 10th week of action:
Illinois (2-6, 0-5 Big Ten)
Illinois looks to snap its six-game losing streak when it heads to Purdue this weekend ... The Illini have lost their last six road games and have not won one since defeating Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey, last year on Oct. 15 ... Illinois leads the all-time series with the Boilermakers, 44-42-6 ... Receiver Ricky Smalling's 369 yards are the most of any freshman in the Big Ten.
Indiana (3-5, 0-5 Big Ten)
Indiana will be seeking its first conference victory when it hosts No. 9 Wisconsin ... After his 13-catch, 127-yard performance in last Saturday's loss at Maryland, wideout Whop Philyor earned Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors ... This weekend's game will mark the first meeting in Bloomington between the two programs since 2012 ... The Hoosiers' pass defense ranks 19th in the country and is only allowing 180.1 yards per game.
Iowa (5-3, 2-3 Big Ten)
Iowa faces a huge test on Saturday when it hosts No. 6 Ohio State ... Redshirt junior cornerback Josh Jackson is tied for the nation's lead in both passes broken up and passes defended, with 15 and 17, respectively ... The two teams have only met four times in the last 11 years ... Redshirt sophomore defensive end Anthony Nelson's six sacks are tied for the third most in the Big Ten.
Maryland (4-4, 2-3 Big Ten)
Maryland will be looking for a second straight victory when it travels to Piscataway, N.J., to face Rutgers this weekend ... Junior receiver D.J. Moore needs just 27 more catches to break the single-season program record, which was set in 1994 by Geroy Simon (77) ... The Terrapins are 1-5 in their last five conference road games ... Maryland's defense ranks 105th in the country and is allowing 444.6 yards per game.
No. 24 Michigan State (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten)
No. 24 Michigan State faces a daunting task this weekend when it hosts No. 7 Penn State ... The all-time series between the two programs is split dead even at 15-15-1 ... The winner of the game will receive the Land-Grant trophy, which honors each program's unique place in history as the two pioneer land-grant schools in the country ... The 39 points MSU allowed to Northwestern last week were the most since surrendering 45 to Penn State in last season's finale.
Minnesota (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten)
Losers of four of its last five, Minnesota travels to Michigan ... The winner of the game will receive the Little Brown Jug, which is the oldest rivalry trophy in college football (the tradition began in 1903) ... The Gophers rank 20th nationally in total defense (316.8 yards allowed per game) and 23rd in pass defense (184 yards given up per contest) ... Minnesota trails the all-time series with the Wolverines, 74-25-3.
Nebraska (4-4, 3-2 Big Ten)
Nebraska returns home from its thrilling one-point victory at Purdue last week to host Northwestern ... The road team has won five of the six meetings since 2011 ... The Cornhuskers received devastating news on Wednesday when it was announced that redshirt sophomore center Michael Decker will miss the rest of the season with injury, while redshirt junior right tackle Tanner Farmer will also miss significant time with injury ... Junior receiver Stanley Morgan's 93.1 yards per game are tied for the most in the Big Ten.
Northwestern (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten)
Northwestern looks to extend its winning streak to four games when it travels to Nebraska on Saturday ... The Wildcats have won two overtime games this season, back-to-back wins over Iowa 17-10 in the first overtime and Michigan State 39-31 in three overtimes ... Redshirt freshman linebacker Paddy Fisher was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after racking up 17 tackles and two forced fumbles last Saturday against Michigan State ... Redshirt junior quarterback Clayton Thorson's nine interceptions are the second most in the conference.
No. 6 Ohio State (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten)
No. 6 Ohio State heads to Iowa this Saturday for a 3:30 showdown ... The Buckeyes have dominated the series with the Hawkeyes, leading 46-14-3 ... Senior center Billy Price is slated to make his 50th consecutive start, which will tie him with former OSU defensive lineman (and current Cincinnati head coach) Luke Fickell (1993-96) for the program record ... Redshirt sophomore receiver K.J. Hill's 40 receptions are the fourth most in the league.
No. 7 Penn State (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten)
Hoping to bounce backs from its first loss of the season last week, No. 7 Penn State travels to Michigan State ... Redshirt junior quarterback Trace McSorley has thrown a touchdown pass in 23 consecutive games ... The contest will serve as a homecoming of sorts for two Nittany Lions on the roster from the state of Michigan — freshman cornerback Donovan Johnson (Detroit) and freshman receiver K.J. Hamler (Pontiac) ... Fifth-year senior wideout DaeSean Hamilton's 17 yards per catch rank as the third-best mark in the Big Ten.
Purdue (3-5, 1-4 Big Ten)
Purdue looks to turn its season around when it welcomes Illinois to West Lafayette this weekend ... The two teams have battled for the Cannon Trophy since 1943 — the Boilermakers hold a 34-29-2 edge with the trophy at stake ... Purdue has won 12 of the last 17 meetings with the Illini, dating back to 1994 ... The contest will mark the first home noon kickoff of the season for the Black and Gold.
Rutgers (3-5, 2-3 Big Ten)
Having seen its two-game winning streak snapped last week at Michigan, Rutgers looks to start a new one when it plays Maryland ... The Scarlet Knights will wear an alternate "Stadium Lights" jersey, which is intended to capture the symbolism of a knight ... Freshman running back Raheem Blackshear missed last week's game against the Wolverines with a thigh injury and is questionable this week ... Rutgers' offense currently sits No. 127 (of 130) in the country, averaging only 288 yards per game.
No. 9 Wisconsin (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten)
No. 9 Wisconsin attempts to keep its magical season alive when it travels to Bloomington to face Indiana this weekend ... The Badgers have an incredible 17-2 record in their last 19 road games, dating back to 2013 ... Wisconsin joins Alabama, Georgia, Miami and UCF as the only remaining unbeaten FBS teams ... Freshman running back Jonathan Taylor's 148.1 rushing yards per game are the fifth most in the country.
Schedule
Saturday, Nov. 4
— No. 7 Penn State at No. 24 Michigan State: 12:00 p.m. (FOX)
— No. 9 Wisconsin at Indiana: 12:00 p.m. (ABC)
— Illinois at Purdue: 12:00 p.m. (BTN)
— No. 6 Ohio State at Iowa: 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
— Maryland at Rutgers: 3:30 p.m. (BTN)
— Northwestern at Nebraska: 3:30 p.m. (BTN)
— Minnesota at Michigan: 7:30 p.m. (FOX)
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