A look at what to watch for in the Big Ten this weekend: GAME OF THE WEEK: Seventh-ranked Ohio State strives to keep alive its bid to reach the College Football Playoff in a matchup against Michigan. The Buckeyes (10-1, 7-0, No. 6 CFP) are heavy favorites over the Wolverines (5-6, 3-4), who couldn’t come up with a better way to become bowl eligible than by defeating their archrivals. Ohio State’s offense relies heavily upon freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett, whose 42 touchdowns (33 passing, nine rushing) match the Big Ten record set by Drew Brees with Purdue in 1998. “That’s pretty powerful stuff,” Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said. For the Wolverines to pull off a huge upset, they must hold onto the football. Michigan ranks last in the Big Ten with a minus-14 turnover differential. “If you boil it down to one thing, there’s no question we haven’t done as good a job as we like taking care of the football,” embattled coach Brady Hoke said. BEST MATCHUP: Wisconsin hosts Minnesota in a game that will determine Ohio State’s opponent in the Big Ten title game. Wisconsin (9-2, 6-1) has already clinched at least a tie atop the West Division. But Minnesota (8-3, 5-2) will win the tiebreaker with a victory. …
Continue Reading: Michigan stands in the way of rival Ohio State’s quest to reach college football playoff
