The battle for the playoff spots in the Big Ten Universities conference is still on even after the penultimate games of the regular season.

 

Indiana remains undefeated, sitting at 5-0 after beating Michigan State 69-13 Saturday. Jake Hidalgo scored five tries in the game. Indiana has one more game, against Purdue in two weeks, to finish unbeaten. However, Indiana is not eligible for the postseason due to their using ineligible players last season. So they can say they were the best in the Big Ten, but can’t play for the championship.

 

Who will? Well right now it looks like it will be Michigan and Wisconsin. Michigan defeated Purdue 83-8, with Cooper Smart, Zach Burns, and Cole Van Harn all scored two tries in the rout, and the Wolverines moved to 4-1. Also 4-1 is Wisconsin, which beat Ohio State 48-24 in a clash of 3-1 teams. 

 

So it comes down to November 8, with Ohio State playing Michigan and Wisconsin taking on Minnesota. With 22 standings points, Wisconsin has clinched a spot in the championship game. But if they lost to Minnesota, the Gophers could get there, too. Michigan or Ohio State could also qualify, and lurking on the outside is Iowa, which will get a forfeit win over Nebraska to finish 4-2 with 21 standings points. 

 

Notes: With four tries today in their wild 67-41 defeat of Illinois, Iowa got four tries from David Ryberg. He now lead the conference with 12 tries. 

Big Ten (DIA, ACRC)
	W	L	T	Pf	Pa	Pd	BT	BL	Pts
Indiana	5	0	0	215	64	151	4	0	24
Wisconsin	4	1	0	220	92	128	5	1	22
Michigan	4	1	0	202	68	134	4	1	21
Minnesota	3	2	0	111	126	-15	4	1	17
Ohio State	3	2	0	180	150	30	4	0	16
Iowa	3	2	0	194	177	17	4	0	16
Michigan State	1	4	0	104	175	-71	2	0	6
Illinois	1	4	0	107	197	-90	2	0	6
Purdue	1	4	0	45	219	-174	1	0	5
Nebraska	0	5	0	0	100	-100	0	0	0