B1G Numbers: It’s J.T. Barrett’s World and We Just Live in It

It’s was another fun week of college football, and with Iowa on a bye week, it was pretty much stress free for the Hawkeye faithful.

A lot went down, both nationally and in the conference. Here are some numbers I pulled as a result of this past weekend’s Big Ten games.

219

This was how many yards Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor ran for against Purdue. It was the third time he has eclipsed the 200-yard mark this season. He now has 986 yards on the season, good enough for sixth nationally and tops in the Big Ten. He also added a rushing touchdown, bringing his season total to ten. Not bad for a guy who was third on the depth chart heading into the season.

Zero

This is how many wins Nebraska has this season when Tanner Lee throws for more than 250 yards. In fact, the Huskers are 3-0 when he throws for less than 250, and 0-4 when he eclipses the mark. I suppose some of that can be attributed to throwing more in close games or games Nebraska is losing, but it’s interesting given that Mike Riley’s offense is predicated on the passing game and that’s how you’d expect Nebraska to win games.

Eight

This was how many touchdowns Ohio State scored on its first eight possessions against Nebraska. The Buckeyes looked unstoppable through the air and on the ground. They are executing at as high a level as I’ve seen them since Urban Meyer arrived in Columbus. That doesn’t bode well for the rest of the conference, or the country.

21

This is how many touchdowns Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett has thrown for this season. That number is tied for first nationally. Perhaps just as impressive is the fact that Barrett has only tossed one interception. He’s the most efficient passer in the country right now, and I gotta think he’s the new frontrunner in the Heisman Trophy race.

Four

On the flip side of success through the air, this is how many passing touchdowns the Michigan Wolverines have in 2017.

They simply are not a very good passing team, and it obviously starts at the quarterback position. Michigan is going to be in a lot of trouble — likely beginning this weekend — when they are in a position where they need to throw the ball to either keep pace or come from behind to win the games.

Two

This is how many Big Ten teams are in the Top 5 of both the AP and Coaches polls this week. Those two teams? Penn State and Wisconsin — the same two teams that played in last year’s conference championship game.

Three

This is how many teams in the Big Ten currently have losing records. Not bad, really. The conference is having a pretty solid year overall and arguably have five teams very much in the national title hunt now past the midway point of the season. Oh, and who are the three teams with the losing records? Illinois, Rutgers, and Nebraska.