Big Ten schedule includes two Top 25 matchups in Indiana-Oregon and Ohio State-Illinois
Things to watch this week in the Big Ten Conference:
Game of the week
No. 7 Indiana (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) at No. 3 Oregon (5-0, 2-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
After having last week off, Oregon follows up its double-overtime victory at then-No. 3 Penn State by facing another top-10 opponent. The Ducks are seeking their 24th straight regular-season win, the longest active streak for any Bowl Subdivision team. Oregon and Indiana are two of the only three FBS teams that are ranked in the top 10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The other is No. 9 Texas Tech.
BetMGM has Oregon as a 7 1/2-point favorite.
The undercard
No. 1 Ohio State (5-0, 2-0) at No. 17 Illinois (5-1, 2-1), Saturday, noon ET (Fox)
Illinois attempts to beat a top-ranked team for the first time since 2007, when the Illini knocked off No. 1 Ohio State 28-21 at Columbus. This marks the first time a ranked Illinois squad has hosted a top-ranked team since 1950, when the eighth-ranked Illini beat Ohio State 14-7.
BetMGM lists Ohio State as a 14 1/2-point favorite.
Impact players
— Michigan RB Justice Haynes has rushed for at least 104 yards in each of the 15th-ranked Wolverines’ five games. He ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns Saturday in a 24-10 triumph over Wisconsin, which entered that game leading the nation in run defense.
— UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava is the reigning Associated Press national player of the week after accounting for five touchdowns in the Bruins’ 42-37 upset of then-No. 7 Penn State, which dropped the Nittany Lions out of the Top 25. He went 17 of 24 for 166 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 128 yards and three more scores.
Inside the numbers
Oregon has won 18 straight home games, the longest active streak of any FBS team. … Indiana is the only FBS team in the last 30 years to have at least 1,300 yards passing, 1,300 yards rushing and no more than two turnovers through the first five games of a season. … Ohio State has allowed only two touchdowns all season, and none before halftime. … Illinois QB Luke Altmyer has thrown 12 touchdown passes without an interception. … Washington’s 24-20 victory at Maryland marked the first time the Huskies had won a road game they had trailed by at least 20 points since a 24-23 victory at California in 1993. … UCLA’s upset of Penn State marked only the fifth time ever that a team with a record of 0-4 or worse beat a team ranked in the top 10. The last time it happened was in 1985, when UTEP beat No. 7 BYU 23-16.
Get to know them
Iowa and Wisconsin both have uncertain quarterback situations heading into their matchup Saturday. Wisconsin’s Billy Edwards Jr. has missed most of the season after spraining his knee in a season-opening win over Miami (Ohio), while Iowa’s Mark Gronowski got hurt in a loss to Indiana.
If Edwards doesn’t play, Wisconsin likely will turn to Southern Illinois transfer Hunter Simmons, who made his first start as a Badger against Michigan last week. Iowa’s alternatives to Gronowski would be Auburn transfer Hank Brown or Wake Forest transfer Jeremy Hecklinski.
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