Bucks win 28-3 in advanceof season-defining games

Iowa appears to be on cruise control to Indianapolis and the Big Ten Championship Game. Here is what I learned in Week 11. MI State proved something to itself by dominating a weakened Ohio State in the Horseshoe in 2011.

If Ohio State wins this week, it can win the Big Ten East Division and a return trip to the College Football Playoff with a win at MI and in the Big Ten championship game. How flawless is that?

OSU has drawn more than 108,000 fans to each of its past two home games, and a similar near-record crowd is expected for a marquee matchup against No. 13 MI State in a game that has major ramifications in the Big Ten East Division. J.T. Barrett was solid, the defense was outstanding, and the team got by with a win over a risky IL team with a strong enough defense to have made this more of a fight. No. 12 Oklahoma (9-1) plays No. 5 Oklahoma State (10-0) in Stillwater on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. And OSU is still unbeaten.

Ohio State – despite its puzzlingly underperforming offensive line and season-long controversy at the quarterback position – is in a lovely spot entering the stretch of November everyone has been waiting for. Sixty percent of the Buckeye’s touchdowns have been on the ground this year and they’ve ran the ball on 72 percent of their plays. He reportedly was held out for precautionary reasons. That’s what good, well-coached teams are supposed to do-improve along the way.

The loss leaves IL (5-5, 2-4) still one victory shy of a bowl invitation. Then later in the game it appeared that Zeke Elliot fumbled and recovered by IL, but the officials ruled Elliot down and replay upheld that call as well. Ten wins are possible. The Cornhuskers are 5-6 with bye this coming week. The Hawkeyes face Purdue on Saturday, while the Badgers host the Wildcats. That would be a nice way for Nebraska to close what has been a tumultuous season.

Ohio State wasn’t flashy on offense in this game. Diving-wise it was another great performance by the Scarlet and Gray. The faster rhythm did wonders for Elliott, who was given the ball on five straight plays on an 11-play, 75-yard drive and provided the one-yard capper to make it 21-3. Elliott’s 16 touchdowns rushing and 1,425 yards on the season are the best in the Big Ten, and his 142.5-yard average per game is ranked sixth nationally.

Meye, who has the highest winning percentage (.854) among active coaches with at least 10 years of experience, said he was reminded how well his team played against MSU last season when he reviewed film Sunday.

As Twitter pro Ramzy Nasrallah, a sports writer for Eleven Warriors, so eloquently put it Saturday, the Buckeyes tend to wait until a defense is “appropriately tenderized” before unleashing hell in the form of No. 15.

You nearly have to feel sorry for that IL right tackle.

The most important thing here isn’t what the punishment was that Meyer dished out or whether Barrett should remain a team captain, something former Ohio State linebacker Chris Spielman questioned during the broadcast on ABC, but that Barrett has learned from his selfish act and hopefully won’t ever do it again. No. 2 Alabama has lost a game.

Delano Hill broke up a pass intended for Mitchell Paige on fourth-and-goal from the 2 in the second overtime to end the game. Too bad the rushing game has been spotty, as the line has dealt with injury issues.