Around the Big Ten: Week 4

After three weeks of the college football season, the Big Ten looks like it will once again be a three-team race between Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan for the title. Many of the teams toward the bottom of the conference struggled in week three.

Recap of Week Three:

Maryland 42, Virginia 14

The Cavaliers started the game hot with an early touchdown off of a 13-yard run from running back Perris Johnson and a 19-yard touchdown pass to Kobe Pace from Anthony Colandrea. Virginia was up 14-0 early.

After the slow start, the Terrapins woke up and scored 42 unanswered points. This came off of a great performance by the Maryland defense and quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa.

In the game, Tagovailoa threw for 342 yards and one touchdown. His long sustained drives set up Maryland inside the redzone and allowed for easy touchdowns.

Washington 41, Michigan State 7

Michigan State went into this game without head coach Mel Tucker after he was suspended indefinitely for team misconduct earlier in the week.

The Spartans could never find a groove on offense or defense and ended up getting blown out.

On the flip side, the Huskies look like a real threat to win the Pac-12 as former Indiana quarterback, Michael Penix Jr. has solidified himself as a Heisman candidate through three weeks.

In this game, Penix threw for 473 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Rome Odunze also had a day catching eight passes for 180 yards.

No. 20 North Carolina 31, Minnesota 13

In the week prior, the Tar Heels struggled at home against Appalachian State, but this week they put themselves back on track with a big win on the road against the Golden Gophers.

So far this season, the Minnesota defense has relied heavily on its defense to win games, but that is a tough ask for them against a future top-five pick, Drake Maye.

North Carolina jumped out to a 21-10 lead at halftime and only allowed three points the rest of the game.

If Minnesota wants to win more games this year, they have to figure out their offense, or it is going to be a rough season for the Golden Gophers.

Looking Ahead:

No. 6 Ohio State at No. 9 Notre Dame

Arguably the game of the year thus far in college football, the Buckeyes will head to South Bend, Ind., to take on the Fighting Irish at 7:30 p.m.

This is the first tough opponent for either team and the first test for Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord.

Receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka will be a huge help for inexperienced McCord in a hostile environment.

Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman is going to have his work cut out for him in this game, but the Irish should give the Buckeyes everything they’ve got.

No. 24 Iowa at No. 7 Penn State

There will be White Out conditions in Happy Valley this weekend as the Nittany Lions host their annual White Out game against the Hawkeyes.

The last time these two teams faced off, there was some bad blood in the air. Expect a ruckus crowd at Beaver Stadium this weekend.

Iowa has a good defense and the Penn State offense struggled last week against Illinois. In order to set the tone of the game, the Nittany Lions need to rely on running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. That should open up the passing game for quarterback Drew Allar.

Rutgers at No. 2 Michigan

Michigan will finally get its head coach Jim Harbaugh back for its game against the Scarlet Knights after he served a three-game suspension, given by the university for recruiting violations.

Harbaugh and company need to be prepared as this is not a Rutgers team that we have seen in years passed.

Scarlet Knights quarterback Gavin Wimsatt has looked very poised this year as he has led Rutgers to a hot 3-0 start.

Expect Michigan to lean heavily on its run game with Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, but this game will be closer than most experts think.

Ethan Bell is a third-year majoring in public relations. To contact him, email epb5391@psu.edu.