Penn State was one of a handful of notable programs taking the week off around the Big Ten. With Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan all idle in Week 7, there was plenty of time to focus our attention around everything else happening around the Big Ten. And what a good weekend for that to be the case as the Big Ten West Division took center stage in a massive way.
A week after rallying from behind to knock off Penn State, the Iowa Hawkeyes were dominated at home by the Purdue Boilermakers in a result few could have possibly seen coming. The loss by Iowa opened the door for a much more entertaining division race in the west for the second half of the season, although Iowa may still be the favorites in the long run. But now, Iowa has lost a bit of breathing room and the margin for error has essentially been erased.
Here’s a look around the Big Ten in Week 7, starting with the upset of the day around college football in Iowa City.