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Maryland football lost its seventh consecutive game on Saturday, falling 19-16 to Michigan State. The Terps end the season 3-9 — their worst record since 2015.
In the final week of the regular season, every Big Ten team played and some became bowl eligible.
Here’s what stood out the most.
Big Ten East
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Weekend Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Weekend Outcome |
| Ohio State | 9-0 | 12-0 | W, 56-27, Michigan |
| Penn State | 7-2 | 10-2 | W, 27-6, Rutgers |
| Michigan | 6-3 | 9-3 | L, 27-56, Ohio State |
| Indiana | 5-4 | 8-4 | W, 44-1, Purdue |
| Michigan State | 4-5 | 6-6 | W, 19-16, Maryland |
| Maryland | 1-8 | 3-9 | L, 16-19, Michigan State |
| Rutgers | 0-9 | 2-10 | L, 56-21, Ohio State |
Big Ten West
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Weekend Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Weekend Outcome |
| Minnesota | 7-2 | 10-2 | L, 17-38, Wisconsin |
| Wisconsin | 7-2 | 10-2 | W, 38-17, Minnesota |
| Iowa | 6-3 | 9-3 | W, 27-24, Nebraska |
| Illinois | 4-5 | 6-6 | L, 10-29, Northwestern |
| Purdue | 3-6 | 4-8 | L, 41-44, Indiana |
| Nebraska | 3-6 | 5-7 | L, 24-27, Iowa |
| Northwestern | 1-8 | 3-9 | W, 29-10, Illinois |
Biggest Surprise: Maryland vs Michigan State
Although it didn’t win, Maryland played one of its best games of the latter part of the season. The Terps were 22-point underdogs but lost to the Spartans by only three points.
Putting up its most points since Oct. 19 against Indiana, Maryland had a prime opportunity to win the game.
After Michigan State kicker Matt Coghlin knocked in his fourth field goal of the game to give the Spartans the lead, Maryland running back Anthony McFarland Jr. returned the following kickoff to the Terps’ 42-yard line. With a fresh set of downs, Maryland only gained five yards on a Josh Jackson run and lost the final game of the season.
Michigan State became bowl eligible with the victory.
Statement game: No. 12 Wisconsin vs No. 8 Minnesota
In the third year of P.J. Fleck’s tenure in Minneapolis, Minnesota had been getting a lot of attention this season — and rightfully so after starting the year 9-0.
But on Saturday, with College Gameday in town for the first time, Wisconsin proved that it is still the team to beat in the Big Ten West, beating the Golden Gophers 38-17.
With the win, Wisconsin will now head to Indianapolis for the sixth time in nine years to face No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten championship. Earlier this season, the Badgers lost 38-7 to the Buckeyes.
Though Minnesota jumped out to a first quarter lead, Wisconsin relied on quarterback Jack Coan and Heisman hopeful Jonathan Taylor to produce. While Coan threw for 280 yards on 15-of-22 passing, Taylor racked up 115 total yards and three touchdowns.
Upset game: Northwestern vs Illinois
Nearly three weeks after becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2014, Illinois was shocked by Northwestern on its senior day.
Entering into the meeting, the Wildcats had only won two games on the season. But for the second consecutive week, the Fighting Illini were held to 10 points — their season low.
Making his first career start, Northwestern quarterback Andrew Marty threw for 55 yards and one touchdown. A week earlier, Marty replaced an injured Hunter Johnson in the second quarter of the Wildcats’ game against Minnesota.
But Northwestern relied on it rushing attack to beat Illinois for the fifth straight time. The Wildcats put up 378 rushing yards against Illinois — the first time they have rushed for over 350 yards since 2012.
Northwestern’s Coco Azema rushed for 123 yards and one touchdown on seven carries, Marty contributed 111 yards and two scores on 30 carries, while Drake Anderson ran for 92 yards on 23 carries.