Yard Dash: The Big Ten’s Power Structure Flips With Massive Road Wins
Sports Illustrated • • sports
Key Points:
- Six Big Ten teams won road games on the same Saturday, marking a historic day with road teams covering the spread in all eight weekend matchups, highlighting a 70% road win rate early this season in the Big Ten.
- The Big Ten West teams notably dominated, with Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Minnesota securing significant victories, signaling a shift from previous years when the East division consistently outperformed the West.
- Michigan continues to struggle offensively under new coach Kyle Whittingham, failing to score 20 points in most games, while teams like Penn State, Washington, and USC faced exposure after scheduling weaker nonconference opponents.
- USC's struggles persist despite offseason optimism under Lincoln Riley, with the team suffering a heavy loss to Oregon and Riley now considered one of the hottest coaching candidates on the hot seat.
- The current 12-team College Football Playoff bracket features Texas, Ohio State, Florida, and Notre Dame as top seeds, with notable matchups including Boise State at Georgia and LSU at Alabama in the first round.
