Only three unbeaten teams remain in the conference.
The Big Ten finished the first Saturday in October with marquee victories, surprising triumphs and dynamic individual performances.
Maryland football started fast on the road against Ohio State, but multiple mistakes haunted the Terps as the game waned on, and the Buckeyes eventually pulled away for a 37-17 victory.
Next Saturday, Maryland will host Illinois, which is 0-3 in Big Ten play so far this season.
With Maryland suffering its first loss, the only undefeated teams left in the Big Ten are Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.
Here are a few performances that stood out from the weekend that was of Big Ten football.
Statement victory: No. 2 Michigan 52, Minnesota 10
Michigan is once again 6-0, and is embarrassing opponents along the way.
The Wolverines’ defense set the tone against Minnesota with an interception returned for a touchdown on the opening possession of the game. They added a second pick-6 in the second half.
Michigan’s defensive pressure and fluid offense was just too much for Minnesota to match as the Wolverines cruised to a 24-10 lead the break.
Michigan continued the onslaught in the second half, scoring the game’s next 28 points en route to a 42-point road victory. The Wolverines out-yarded the Golden Gophers, 432-169.
Head coach John Harbaugh will lead Michigan against a struggling Indiana team next week.
Surprise result: Howard 20, Northwestern 23
After a tough loss to No. 6 Penn State last week, Northwestern, led by backup Brendan Sullivan, had a prime opportunity to easily bounce back with a matchup against an FCS opponent in Howard.
Northwestern didn’t allow Howard to do anything early, shutting out the Bison in the first half and jumping out to a 10-0 advantage. And just before halftime, Sullivan threw a touchdown pass to Bryce Kirtz to extend the lead to 16.
But Howard came out of the gates strong in the second half, cruising downfield for a methodical touchdown drive to cut the lead to nine. Sullivan then led the Wildcats on a touchdown drive of their own shortly after to restore the 16-point lead.
Despite that, the Bison never backed down, scoring 13 points in the final quarter. In the end, though, it wasn’t enough, as Northwestern prevailed, 23-20.
Northwestern (3-3) didn’t look great against a much inferior opponent, and will return to Big ten action on Oct. 21 against Nebraska. It’ll host Maryland the following week.
Performance of the week: Ohio State QB Kyle McCord
Maryland needed to put pressure on the Buckeyes as they searched for a signature Big Ten victory. Maryland also needed to contain wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and his quarterback Kyle McCord.
And while the Terps did just that in the first half, they struggled to keep it going throughout.
In the second half, McCord led three scoring drives, all of which came from his right arm. He threw a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, as Ohio State pulled away for its second Big Ten victory of the year.
Ohio State’s signal-caller completed 19 of 29 passes for 320 yards and two scores. After a rocky start, which included completing just one of his first six passes, McCord dialed in, leaning on Harrison Jr. to lead the Buckeyes to a 37-17 win.
The Buckeyes remain a top contender in the conference and will need McCord to stay strong if they want to compete for another Big Ten title.