It couldn’t have gone worse for the two top teams in the Big 10 last weekend as both Penn State and Ohio State lost to programs they were expected to defeat. As a result both the Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes fell out of the AP College Football top 10.
OSU came into Week 10 at No. 6 in both the AP Poll and the College Football Playoff Rankings. They fell to No. 11 in the poll after the 55-24 blowout loss to unranked Iowa, who was a 21-point underdog.
PSU faced a tougher test with No. 24 Michigan State, but also lost on the road, 27-24. They were a 10-point favorite. They came into the game No. 7 in the poll and the CFP rankings, but are now No. 16.
In addition the stars of each team saw their odds of winning the Heisman Trophy also take a hit. Penn State’s running back Sequon Barkley had moved up to the top spot with oddsmakers the last two weeks but plummeted after his second sub-par performance. OSU’s J.T. Barrett also dropped after he threw four interceptions in the 55-24 blowout loss to Iowa.
OSU Blowout, PSU Heartbreak
A stunned Urban Meyer couldn’t believe that his Ohio State squad lost 55-24 to Iowa. The former No. 6 squad had climbed back in the College Playoff Rankings after beating Penn State the week before, but its second loss of the season ended any realistic hopes they would be one of the four that get to compete for the National Championship.
“They just played very well against us,” he said after the loss. “They really didn’t do very much different than they have in the past. We just didn’t play very well. “ll know more after watching videotape, evaluating it.”
The Nittany Lions were locked in a back and forth battle with the Spartans but a costly roughing the passer penalty on Marcus Allen allowed the last-minute drive by MSU to continue. They ended the game with a 34-yard field goal as time expired.
PSU Coach James Franklin was equally shocked at the outcome of his contest.
“Offensively, we’ve got to be able to get a running game going, magnified on a day like today,” he said. “We have got to get a running game going. But at the end of the day, give Michigan State credit, give Coach Dantonio credit.”
Heisman Race Changes
Barkley’s 14 carries for 63 yards was one of his lowest of the year and it comes as both MSU and the Buckeyes focused on shutting him down. As a result he was knocked off the top spot in the odds to win the Heisman Trophy. He opened at 20-1 and was the favorite last week at 4-7, but this week was 8-5.
Barrett fell even further down the list. He was a 10-1 selection for most of the year but after four interceptions, including one for a touchdown, he descended to middle of the pack at 30-1.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma is the new choice at 4-7. He opened at 7-1, second behind USC’s Sam Darnold. The Trojan quarterback was 5-1 but has slid all the way to 100-1.