The biggest shocker of the weekend in the Big Ten took place in Happy Valley. Illinois, a massive underdog against Penn State, shocked the Nittany Lions in a record-setting nine-overtime upset by a final score of 20-18. The loss was a devastating blow to Penn State’s Big Ten championship hopes with a gauntlet of division games still in front of them, and some of the toughest opponents still to come showed just how a superior team is supposed to take care of business after a bye week.
While Penn State had a mighty struggle at home against Illinois, Ohio State and Michigan responded far better coming off their bye weeks to keep their undefeated Big Ten records intact heading into what should be a monster Week 9 on the conference schdeule.
And last week’s darling, the Purdue Boilermakers, were dropped back to a bit of reality in the Big Ten West, while Wisconsin and Minnesota did their part to remain in good position in the Big Ten West race.
Here is a look around the Big Ten from Week 8.