Things to watch this week in the Big Ten Conference:
Game of the week
UCLA (3-4, 3-1 Big Ten) at No. 2 Indiana (7-0, 4-0), Saturday, noon ET (Fox)
UCLA never would have seemed like a candidate for any sort of spotlight game this season after a brutal start that included four straight losses and the firing of DeShaun Foster, but the Bruins have since won three straight under interim coach Tim Skipper.
The Bruins still figure to have a major challenge competing with Indiana, which is coming off a 38-13 victory over Michigan State in which it never punted.
BetMGM Sportsbook has Indiana as a 25 1/2-point favorite.
The undercard
Minnesota (5-2, 3-1) at Iowa (5-2, 3-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
There’s a logjam behind No. 1 Ohio State and Indiana in the Big Ten standings. No. 6 Oregon, No. 25 Michigan, Southern California, Northwestern, UCLA, Iowa and Minnesota all own 3-1 conference records, making for a seven-way tie.
The only games this week involving two teams included in that group is the Iowa-Minnesota matchup. The Hawkeyes have won nine of the last 10 meetings in this series, though Minnesota won at Iowa in 2023.
Iowa is favored by 8 1/2 points, according to BetMGM.
Impact players
— Iowa DB Xavier Nwankpa collected 10 tackles, forced a fumble and picked off a pass in the Hawkeyes’ 25-24 victory over Penn State. He returned an interception to the 1-yard line to set up a touchdown.
— Ohio State QB Julian Sayin has completed 80% of his passes to lead all Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks. Sayin went 36 of 42 for 393 yards with four touchdown passes in the Buckeyes’ 34-0 victory at Wisconsin.
— Minnesota DL Anthony Smith has seven sacks to match Ohio State’s Caden Curry for the Big Ten lead. Smith recorded 2 1/2 sacks in Minnesota’s 24-6 triumph over then-No. 25 Nebraska.
Inside the numbers
Oregon averaged 12.5 yards per play in its 56-10 blowout of Rutgers. That marked the best single-game average by a Big Ten team since Michigan gained 12.76 yards per play in a 42-35 win over Indiana in 2010. … Minnesota had nine sacks against Nebraska, the Gophers’ highest single-game total since at least 1977. … Wisconsin has suffered back-to-back shutout losses for the first time since 1977 ( 37-0 to Iowa and 34-0 to Ohio State). … Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt has caught a pass in all 45 of his career games. He leads all FBS players in consecutive games with a reception. … UCLA is the third Big Ten team ever to lose its first four games and win its next three (Indiana in 1963, Penn State in 2001). … Maryland’s defense has an FBS-leading 14 interceptions this season and has scored touchdowns on four interception returns.
Get to know him
Purdue quarterback Malachi Singleton could make his first career start Saturday when the Boilermakers (2-5, 0-4) host Rutgers (3-4, 0-4). Coach Barry Odom said starter Ryan Browne’s shoulder injury leaves him doubtful for Saturday’s game.
Singleton played in five games for Arkansas last year before transferring to Purdue. He took over for the injured Browne and went 11 of 20 for 187 yards in a 19-0 loss to Northwestern last week.
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By STEVE MEGARGEE
AP Sports Writer
