State of Large Ten soccer: Ohio State, Michigan and a number of challengers

By RJ Younger
FOX Sports activities School Soccer Author

We have already taken a have a look at the state of the Large 12 and the Pac-12. Now, as we sit roughly 1 / 4 of the way in which via the season, let's check out some key storylines within the Large Ten.

Is Michigan for actual?

As I wrote in our roundtable this week, solely rival followers and media care that "You Performed Anyone." Three cupcakes to start out the yr? That simply causes people like me to yell, "They ain't performed no person!"

However by December, when that very same workforce is hitting 9 or 10 wins? That is the way you fundraise. 

However in the event you lose to a cupcake, you are gonna catch a load of cream filling to your face like a clown.

After all, that is not the issue at Michigan, which is 3-0 after a trio of simple wins over Colorado State, Hawaii and UConn.

Now that the Wolverines have eaten their dessert earlier than the principle course, although, let’s see if they will nonetheless eat their greens — i.e. Maryland. 

Is Michigan's schedule too tender for the CFP?

RJ Younger examines how good the Michigan Wolverines have seemed to this point following their victory over UConn.

The opening line this week has shrunk from three touchdowns right down to 17 (per FOX Bet). Final yr the Wolverines had been a two-touchdown favourite in opposition to Maryland and gained 59-18. I need to know if Michigan simply will get up for Maryland or if this recreation is a harbinger of convention video games to come back, because it was a yr in the past.

Now the Wolverines are within the thick of issues. One other lopsided win in opposition to the Terps would do extra to persuade doubters that they will defend their first Large Ten crown since 2004 and show, but once more, to have the measure of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

However I would not rely on it. As a result of this version of the Buckeyes is legitimately terrifying.

Is the Ohio State revenge tour on?

The brief reply? Sure.

The 2022 Buckeyes have needed to pay attention for the higher a part of eight months about how they weren't bodily sufficient — even tender — in opposition to That Staff Up North in Ann Arbor, Michigan, final season.

The Wolverines handed the Buckeyes their butts behind a dominant defensive efficiency and five-touchdown speeding efficiency from Hassan Haskins that tied a Michigan file.

For perspective, operating again Blake Corum additionally tied that file this season — in opposition to UConn. That’s not the sort of firm the Buckeyes' protection desires to maintain.

However that's the story for Ohio State in 2022. We all know that Ryan Day, quarterback C.J. Stroud and the remainder of the Buckeye offense are gonna make like a gaggle of High Gun graduates flying 100 ft above mountainous terrain to nail a goal three ft vast, solely to dogfight their approach again to the boat.

C.J. Stroud tosses 5 TD passes vs. Toledo

C.J. Stroud placed on a clinic in opposition to the Toledo Rockets, passing for 367 yards and 5 touchdowns within the 77-21 victory.

What stays to be seen is that if defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ protection is legitimately higher than predecessor Kerry Coombs’ was in 2021. After Week 1, I believed we’d heard the reply with a dominating efficiency in opposition to a then top-five Notre Dame.

However the Preventing Irish have since been crushed by Marshall and barely received previous Cal. Beating up on Arkansas State and Toledo doesn’t inform us a lot. Shutting down a Wisconsin workforce led by All-Large Ten-caliber operating again Braelon Allen would inform us extra. 

It’s laborious to see how these Buckeyes don’t find yourself in a Large Ten East showdown for the best to play within the convention title recreation, they usually'll probably be the favourite to win the league title and earn an invite to the School Soccer Playoff.

Talking of the Large Ten East … it is a monster.

That’s not an opinion. That’s not a query. It’s a easy actuality. It’s a reality, practically as immutable as gravity. As I wrote in my Week 4 High 25 rankings, for the reason that Large Ten was cut up into two divisions in 2014, there has by no means been a season when both Large Ten division noticed all seven groups start their respective seasons 3-0, based on FOX Sports activities analysis.

This season, the Large Ten East would have pulled it off if not for Michigan State's stumble at Washington on Saturday.

There has by no means been a greater argument for the Large Ten to disband its divisions and let the 2 groups with one of the best data play one another for the league title.

And now that we're in convention play, all of these groups should play one another. Outdoors of Ohio State and Michigan, the Penn State Nittany Lions really feel just like the workforce most able to rising to the highest of the division, however they've questions that have to be answered nonetheless, too.

Beginning with the massive one …

Is Penn State for actual?

I used to be loud about two issues associated to Penn State soccer throughout preseason. The primary is that the Nittany Lions started this season with no single participant who had rushed for 100-plus yards in any recreation final season. Actually, Penn State needed to look again to November 2020 for his or her final 100-yard rusher.

The second is that true freshman Nick Singleton would put an finish to that streak. At the same time as James Franklin and Sean Clifford every sat throughout from me at Large Ten Media Days and warranted me that they’ll want all of their tailbacks to run the ball successfully, I used to be insistent that Singleton was a minimize above the remainder.

Nicholas Singleton breaks out for 53-yard run

Nicholas Singleton helped the Penn State Nittany Lions acquire a 21-6 lead vs. the Auburn Tigers, due to a 53-yard run that arrange his speeding landing from the 1-yard line.

He’s since rushed for at the very least 124 yards in every of Penn State’s final two video games. In three video games, he’s carried the ball simply 30 occasions for 334 yards.

He's probably the most proficient and productive tailback at Penn State since Saquon Barkley. As he goes, so goes this Penn State workforce. Merely put, if we occur to search for and see Penn State has gained its first convention title since 2016, relaxation assured that Singleton can be on the heart of its success.

Are the Golden Gophers nearly as good as I believe they're?

Right here’s how a lot I consider in Minnesota: The Gophers have all of the items to place collectively an upset in opposition to Ohio State.

Yeah, I mentioned it. However with good purpose.

P.J. Fleck has efficiently put the band again collectively — the band that led Minnesota to an 11-win season and an Outback Bowl win in 2019.

That band consists of quarterback Tanner Morgan, offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarocca, defensive coordinator Joe Rossi and operating again Mohamed Ibrahim.

For our functions, Ibrahim is as vital to Minnesota as Freddie Mercury is to Queen. He's their frontman, and the Golden Gophers merely don’t run with out him — actually.

Why Minnesota is a top-10 workforce

RJ Younger explains why he thinks the Golden Gophers can win the Large Ten West and play Ohio State within the Large Ten Championship Sport.

As I wrote in our employees picks piece this week, Ibrahim rushed for greater than 200 yards in opposition to Colorado final week and has put collectively 12-straight 100-yard speeding performances courting again to 2019. The Gophers are one among simply two groups averaging greater than 300 rush yards per recreation this season. The opposite is an academy workforce (Air Drive). 

The Gophers are my choose to characterize the Large Ten West within the Large Ten title recreation and the division’s finest guess to win the convention title for the primary time in a decade.

Elsewhere …

Iowa

Present me an offense that the Hawkeyes protection can rely on, and I’ll present you a workforce that may problem Minnesota for Large Ten West supremacy. However that’s an enormous ask judging by the play of quarterback Spencer Petras and the play-calling of offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz.

Perspective: Final yr, the Hawkeyes counted Charlie Jones as one among their vast receivers. He caught 21 passes for 323 yards and three TDs all final season. Since transferring to Purdue, he’s caught 32 passes for 474 yards and 5 TDs. It’s not that Iowa doesn’t have playmakers. It’s that Iowa refuses to make use of them.

Wisconsin

The final Large Ten West workforce to win the league title doesn’t really feel aggressive sufficient to do it this yr. Graham Mertz has but to seem because the second coming of Russell Wilson, and even Allen can solely achieve this a lot when the protection is aware of the quarterback will not be a risk to beat them.

Michigan State 

After a promising begin to the season, Mel Tucker's Spartans had been punched within the mouth by a Pac-12 program in transition with a brand new head coach, switch quarterback and little-to-no expectation to compete for his or her league’s title.

Now, with Minnesota on deck, it’s gut-check time in East Lansing for a workforce that completed 11-2 in 2021.

Learn extra:

- CFP, Heisman and different predictions from FOX Sports activities employees 

- Pac-12 is again within the highlight, for all the best causes 

- The Final School Soccer Highway Journey hits Tennessee

- Maryland-Michigan and extra: Week 4 by the numbers

- Oklahoma on the rise: Joel Klatt's prime 10

- USC, Oklahoma on a CFP collision course?

RJ Younger is a nationwide school soccer author and analyst for FOX Sports activities and the host of the podcast "The Number One College Football Show." Comply with him on Twitter at @RJ_Young and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube.

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