Week 12 Football Release

BIG TEN FOOTBALL RELEASE - WEEK 12 | STANDINGS | MEDIA GUIDE | SCHEDULE

With just two weekends remaining in the regular season, 14 Big Ten teams will take the field this week. The action opens on Friday when UCLA travels to Washington for a 9 p.m. ET kick on FOX. Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota will enjoy byes this week, with the complete schedule appearing to the right.
Four Big Ten teams appear in the AP Poll this week, with all four teams appearing in the top five. Oregon leads the conference at No. 1, followed by No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Penn State and No. 5 Indiana.
The Big Ten had four teams included in the College Football Playoff’s second rankings of the season on Nov. 12: No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Penn State and No. 5 Indiana. The CFP will release its next top 25 rankings on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
There are just four undefeated teams remaining in the FBS, including two Big Ten teams: Indiana (10-0) and Oregon (10-0). The Hoosiers have a bye this weekend, while the Ducks travel to Wisconsin.
On Monday, the Big Ten announced its Football Players of the Week, presented by IFS.ai. Ohio State’s Will Howard earned Offensive Player of the Week honors after completing at least 80 percent of his passes for the fourth time this season (21 of 26), while generating four total touchdowns to lead the Buckeyes to a 45-0 win over Purdue.
UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger took home Defensive Player of the Week accolades, recording two interceptions, the first two picks of his career, and seven tackles as UCLA notched a 20-17 win over Iowa on Friday. Schwesinger helped limit Iowa (ranked No. 10 in FBS rushing) to just 80 yards on the ground, and just 265 yards of total offense.
Special Teams Player of the Week honors went to Michigan’s Dominic Zvada. Zvada converted a trio of field goals at Indiana (39, 22, 56 yards) and scored nine of team’s 15 total points. His 56-yarder was the third-longest in Memorial Stadium history and second-longest by an opponent. The junior became Michigan’s new career and single-season record holder for most 50-plus yard field goals in a season (5).
Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith was named Freshmen of the Week after catching six passes for 87 yards and one touchdown and in the process took over school freshman records for all three major categories in the Buckeyes’ win against Purdue. He moved ahead of Ohio State All-American and Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter with 45 receptions, 765 yards and nine receiving touchdowns.
The top-ranked Ducks improved to 10-0 for the third time in school history Saturday with a 39-18 win over Maryland before 59,245 fans in Autzen Stadium. Dillon Gabriel’s three passing touchdowns gave him an FBS-record 180 touchdowns responsible for in his career. Gabriel finished the game 23-of-34 for 183 yards and three scores, plus 28 rushing yards. It was the TD pass to Wilson that pushed him past Case Keenum into first all-time for touchdowns responsible for in FBS history.
Indiana and Ohio State currently rank among the top 15 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Buckeyes rank second in scoring defense (10.7 points per game), while ranking 11th in scoring offense (38.6 points per game). The Hoosiers rank second nationally in scoring offense (43.9 points per game), while ranking seventh in scoring defense (13.8 points per game).
Five additional Big Ten teams rank in the top 25 in terms of scoring defense: Penn State (8th, 14.0 points per game), Oregon (9th, 16.0 points per game), Minnesota (13th, 17.7 points per game), Iowa (15th, 18.2 points per game) and Nebraska (21st, 19.1 points per game).
Indiana is 10-0 for the first time in program history and set the program record for wins in a single season. The 7-0 start in conference play extends the best start to a conference slate and sets the record for most Big Ten wins in a single season in program history. IU won six games in 1967, 1987, 2020. The 10-game winning streak is also the longest streak in program history. The previous record was eight consecutive games in the 1945 and 1967 seasons.
The top two teams in the regular season standings will meet in the 2024 Discover Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis, Ind. The game, which will be broadcast on CBS for the first time ever, will be the first in conference history to match the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the overall conference standings. Media can apply for credentials by visiting bigten.org/about/media.