#big-ten

#big-ten

Minnesota averages 70.6 points per game (302nd in college basketball) while giving up 68.0 per outing (43rd in college basketball). It has a +68 scoring differential overall and outscores opponents by 2.6 points per game. The Golden Gophers put up just 4.9 fewer points than the Scarlet Knights concede (75.5). Minnesota makes 8.3 three-pointers per game (139th in college basketball) at a 33.2% rate (233rd in college basketball), compared to the 7.6 its opponents make while shooting 33.3% from deep.

The long-awaited debut of star USC freshman Alijah Arenas will have to wait at least another week.

Michigan men's basketball came into Saturday night's game riding an impressive streak. The Wolverines had beaten six straight opponents by 25 points or more, and most of the teams they walloped were pretty decent! Four are currently in the Kenpom top 45 even after getting shellacked by the Wolverines. In the Players Era tournament in Vegas, they beat Kenpom No. 45 San Diego State by 40, No. 29 Auburn by 30, and No. 3 Gonzaga by 40.

Ohio State wide receivers Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith are not expected to play against Rutgers on Saturday due to lower-body injuries, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel. Tate will miss his third straight game. Smith played in last week's win over UCLA but missed the second half after being seen limping before halftime. Both are considered day-to-day, sources said, ahead of a potential return next week against rival Michigan.

Only a few weeks left and the Heisman race refuses to settle. Fernando Mendoza is the favorite, but at +160 he isn't close to locked in. Exactly a year ago, Travis Hunter sat at -400 before finishing the season with the trophy. Voters have short memories and long leashes, and with three pivotal Saturdays left, rivalry games, conference title stakes and a handful of candidates still searching for a moment, the race remains (a bit) open.

The Big Ten title might have gone through the Week 10 meeting between the Penn State Nittany Lions' visit to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Instead, Penn State's season collapsed and it has fired James Franklin and the Lions lost their starting QB, Drew Allar, for the season. The Buckeyes have been unstoppable and largely unchallenged this season. QB Julian Sayin has been remarkably efficient, completing 80% of his passes with a 19-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Indiana has reached a new eight-year contract with Curt Cignetti, which will make him one of the highest-paid football coaches in the FBS with an annual average salary of about $11.6 million, the university announced Thursday. Cignetti guided the Hoosiers to a 10-2 record and a surprising College Football Playoff appearance in his first season at the school in 2024. This season, the No. 3 Hoosiers are 6-0 heading into Saturday's game against Michigan State.

The two schools discussed their shared skepticism during the call. One sticking point: The deal doesn't address the root issue -- soaring costs -- that have made the need for cash so imperative for athletic departments. Just providing short-term money, sources said, does not solve that issue. The schools also noted pending federal legislation that makes predicting the future of college athletics difficult, as well as a general apprehension at selling equity in a university asset (the conference media rights).

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, who left the Nittany Lions' stunning 22-21 loss to Northwestern on Saturday, is out for the season, coach James Franklin said in his postgame media availability. Allar hobbled off the field after a third down play in the fourth quarter, and was eventually carted off to the locker room. He was replaced by Ethan Grunkemeyer. "Drew will be done for the year," Franklin said.