• Conference action continues this week, with six Big Ten divisional matchups. Maryland and Purdue will enjoy byes this week, with the complete schedule appearing to the right.

• Four Big Ten teams appear in the AP Poll this week. Michigan leads the conference at No. 2, followed by No. 3 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State and No. 24 Iowa. The Big Ten (three teams) is the only conference with more than two teams ranked in the top-10 of the AP Poll.

• A trio of Big Ten teams remain undefeated on the season, as Michigan is 7-0, while Ohio State and Penn State are 6-0. The Nittany Lions look to remain undefeated as they travel to Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday for a divisional battle against the Buckeyes at noon ET on FOX.

• Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State currently rank among the top 20 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Wolverines lead the nation in scoring defense (6.7 points per game), while ranking No. 10 nationally in scoring offense (39.4 points per game). The Nittany Lions rank No. 2 nationally in scoring defense (8.0 points per game), while ranking 5th in scoring offense (44.3 points per game) and the Buckeyes rank No. 3 nationally in scoring defense (9.7 points per game), while ranking 20th in scoring offense (36.0 points per game).

• Four additional Big Ten teams rank in the top 25 in terms of scoring defense: Iowa (10th, 14.9 points per game), Rutgers (12th, 16.0 points per game), Wisconsin (21st, 17.8 points per game) and Maryland (24th, 18.6 points per game).

• Michigan and Michigan State meet this weekend in the Battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy, marking the 116th meeting in the all-time series. The Wolverines lead the all-time series, 72-38-5, and have won 27 of the last 44 games played between the two schools dating back to 1979.

• The Wolverines are averaging a scoring margin of +32.7 across their seven wins this season, the best figure in the country and one of three above 30 points per game (Penn State, Oklahoma). The Wolverines are one of four teams to rank top-10 in scoring offense (10th, 39.4 points per game) and scoring defense (first, 6.7 points per game) along with Oklahoma (fourth, eighth), Penn State (fifth, second), and Georgia (ninth, seventh).

• Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. recorded his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season, finishing with 105 yards on six catches and a touchdown in the Buckeyes’ 41-7 win at Purdue on Saturday. He went over 100 yards for the 11th time in his career, which passes Garrett Wilson and Michael Jenkins, and tied Chris Olave for the second-most by an Ohio State receiver.

• Iowa’s Tory Taylor punted 10 times for a career-high 506 combined yards, averaging 50.6 yards per punt, in a 15-6 win against the Badgers. Half of his 10 punts were over 50 yards, including two 60+ yards (60 and 62) and six were downed inside the 20-yard line. None of his punts were touchbacks. His 10 punts equaled a personal best, while his 62-yard punt in the third quarter matched a season high. The Australia native ranks first in the conference and fourth in the country in average yards per punt (48.3).

• Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn STate have all secured bowl eligibility by reaching six wins this season, while Maryland and Rutgers need just one more win to become eligible. The Big Ten will continue to feature the largest bowl lineup in conference history.

• Seven Big Ten Conference programs appear in the top 20 of the latest NCAA attendance rankings, including the nation’s top three schools: No. 1 Michigan (109,788 fans per game), No. 2 Penn State (108,921), No. 3 Ohio State (102,696), No. 12 Nebraska (87,041), No. 18 Wisconsin (75,732), No. 19 Michigan State (70,981) and No. 20 Iowa (69,250). Additionally, Big Ten teams own 11 of the top 15 single-game attendance highs this season, including the top eight spots.

• The 2023 Big Ten Football Championship Game will be played at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium and will be televised nationally on FOX. The winner will earn the Amos Alonzo Stagg Championship Trophy and a chance to play in one of the six bowls that comprise the College Football Playoff.

• This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Monday, January 1, 2024, at the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl. Houston will host the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 8, 2024, at NRG Stadium. The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 ranked team vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game.

• Twelve Big Ten Conference students are among the 201 semifinalists for the 2023 William V. Campbell Trophy. Now in its 34th year, the Campbell Trophy is presented annually to the nation’s top football scholar-athlete. Representing the Big Ten as this year’s Campbell Trophy semifinalists are Illinois’ Isaiah Williams, Indiana’s Trey Walker, Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa, Michigan’s Zak Zinter, Michigan State’s Maverick Hansen, Nebraska’s Brian Buschini, Northwestern’s Bryce Gallagher, Ohio State’s Cody Simon, Penn State’s Olu Fashanu, Purdue’s Gus Hartwig, Rutgers’ Mayan Ahanotu and Wisconsin’s Maema Njongmeta.

• The 2023 campaign will feature 99 All-Big Ten honorees (first-, second-, third-team or honorable mention) selected by either the coaches or the media last season, with Ohio State leading the way with 16 all-conference returnees. The East Division welcomes back 56 all-conference players, while the West returns 43. Illinois is the only West team with double-digit all-conference returnees with 10, while each team has at least one All-Big Ten performer returning.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Beginning this academic year, 2023-24, Iowa Spirit Squad members will be recognized as Letterwinners, it was announced Monday by the Iowa Letterwinners Club and interim Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Beth Goetz.

Fifty-three members make up the Iowa Spirit Squad, which consists of Iowa Cheerleading, Iowa Dance Team and Herky the Hawk. The Iowa Spirit Squad preforms at over 100 events each year.

“These are talented, bright, and passionate students who love the University of Iowa. The Iowa Letterwinners Club is honored to recognize the Iowa Spirit Squads as our newest Varsity Letter Award winners,” said Katie Wynn, executive director of Iowa Athletics annual giving and Iowa Letterwinners Club.

Former Iowa Spirit Squad members will receive Iowa Letterwinners Club benefits, including joining the Iowa Letterwinners Club Network, single-game discounts for UI Athletics ticketed events, attending all Iowa Letterwinners Club events, and assistance from the Iowa Letterwinners Club with hosting letterwinner celebrations/events.

Iowa announced on Sept. 19 that it plans to begin construction on a new Gymnastics and Spirt Squad Training Center this fall. The new climate-controlled practice facility will provide the Spirt Squads with a dedicated 5,500 sq. ft. practice area, a new Marley dance floor, a new set of cheer mats, changing rooms, coach’s offices and a team meeting room. The $20 million project — paid for by athletics department revenue and private gifts — will be built on the Hawkeye Campus, adjacent to the women’s soccer and field hockey facilities on Prairie Meadow Drive.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced the 20 watch-list candidates for the 2024 Nancy Lieberman Award, which includes Iowa State senior Emily Ryan. Now in its 24^th year, the award recognized the top point guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball.  A national committee of top college basketball personnel determine the watch list of 20 candidates. To be considered for this prestigious award, candidates must exhibit the floor leadership, playmaking, and ball-handling skills of Class of 1996 Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman.

“The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is honored to celebrate both men and women at all levels of the game,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. “The players being recognized today on the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List have proven that they are masters of their game and have become outstanding examples of the bright future basketball has. We look forward to evaluating this year’s top point guards with Nancy Lieberman, a Hall of Famer who helped pave the way for today’s female athletes.”

Ryan, a Claflin, Kansas native, is a repeat selection for the watch list after being featured in 2023. Last season she started all 32 games for the Cyclones and averaged a Big 12-high 36.3 minutes per game. Ryan was Second Team All-Conference in 2022-23 while averaging 10.6 points per game and dishing out 204 assists, becoming the first player in Iowa State women’s basketball history to pass out over 200 dimes in a season twice. Earlier this month, Ryan was chosen as a member of the All-Big 12 Preseason Team.

Ryan and Nyamer Diew will appear at the Big 12 Tip-Off in Kansas City tomorrow (Tuesday) along with head coach Bill Fennelly. A live broadcast will be available on Big 12 Now/ESPN+.

2024 Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award Candidates*

Freshman quarterbacks Josh Hoover of TCU (co-offensive) and Avery Johnson of Kansas State (newcomer) were joined by Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II (co-offensive), K-State’s Kobe Savage (defensive) and Iowa State’s Chase Contreraz (special teams) as Big 12 football award winners for Week 7. Savage and Contreraz picked up their second career honor.

Gordon set career-highs in rushes (29), rushing yards (168), receptions (6), receiving yards (116), longest reception (50) and all-purpose yards (284) in Oklahoma State’s 39-32 comeback win over No. 23 Kansas. No other FBS player in the past seven seasons and only five since 2000 have reached Gordon’s rushing and receiving totals in the same game. He scored two touchdowns on 35 offensive touches and his offensive yardage accounted for 51.3% of the Cowboys’ production in the game. With the performance, Gordon became the only player in the FBS this season and the first OSU player since 1989 (Gerald Hudson vs. Kansas) to record more than 100 rushing and receiving yards in a single game.

In his first collegiate start, Hoover completed 37-of-58 passes for 439 yards and four touchdowns in TCU’s 44-11 win over BYU. The 439 passing yards are the 10th-best total in a game nationally this season. The four TD passes were the most by a Horned Frog in his first start since Casey Pachall’s four at Baylor in 2011. It is also the most by a Horned Frog against an FBS opponent since Max Duggan’s four at Oklahoma in 2021. The 37 completions and 58 attempts by Hoover were the most in a game by a TCU quarterback since Pachall was 40-of-58 passing against West Virginia in 2013. He is the first Power Five QB with 400 passing yards and four scores in his first career start since 2019 and the first Big 12 signal caller to achieve the feat since 2014. The business pre-major student added a 26-yard run on his lone carry.

Savage compiled seven tackles and two interceptions in K-State’s 38-21 victory at Texas Tech. He was the first Wildcat with a multi-interception game since 2018 and the first K-State safety to do so since 2014. The communications study major led a defense that held Tech running back Tahj Brooks under 100 yards for the first time in four games.

Johnson scored five touchdowns in K-State’s win over the Red Raiders to tie for the second-most in a game in Big 12 history and set the Conference record for rushing TDs in a game by a freshman quarterback. Johnson also tied the K-State single-game rushing TD record and compiled the most rushing TDs in a game nationally by a freshman QB since at least 1995 in just his third career game. The business student rushed 13 times for 90 yards while going 8-of-9 through the air for 77 yards.

Contreraz finished with 11 points, making 3-of-3 field goals and both extra points he attempted to help Iowa State to a 30-10 win at Cincinnati. He also executed a fake field goal, rushing six yards for a first down that ultimately resulted in a touchdown for the Cyclones five plays later. Contreraz is now a perfect 17-for-17 on extra points and has made his last five field goal attempts while working on a master’s degree in family consumer sciences.

Big 12 Players of the Week
September 4
Offense: Emory Jones, UC, QB, Sr.
Defense: Jeremiah Cooper, ISU, DB, So.
Newcomer: Emory Jones, UC, QB, Sr.
Special Teams: Ryan Rehkow, BYU, P, Jr. and Gavin Freeman, OU, WR/PR, So.

September 11
Offense: Quinn Ewers, UT, QB, So.
Defense: Danny Stutsman, OU, LB, Jr.
Newcomer: Adonai Mitchell, UT, WR, Jr.
Special Teams: Colton Boomer, UCF, K, So.

September 18
Offense: Dillon Gabriel, OU, QB, Sr.
Defense: Tyler Batty, BYU, DE, Jr.
Newcomer: Nic Anderson, OU, WR, Fr.
Special Teams: Matthew Golden, UH, KR/WR, So.

September 25
Offense: DJ Giddens, K-State, RB, So.
Defense: Cobee Bryant, KU, CB, Jr.
Newcomer: Parker Jenkins, UH, RB, Fr.
Special Teams: Chase Contreraz, ISU, K, Sr.

October 2
Offense: Jonathon Brooks, UT, RB, So.
Defense: Caden Jenkins, BU, CB, Fr.
Newcomer: Adonai Mitchell, UT, WR, Jr.
Special Teams: Loic Fouonji, TTU, WR, Sr.

October 9
Offense: Dillon Gabriel, OU, QB, Sr.
Defense: Beau Freyler, ISU, DB, Jr.
Newcomer: Cameron Epps, OSU, CB, Fr.
Special Teams: Trevor Wilson, KU, WR/PR, Jr.

October 16
Offense: Josh Hoover, TCU, QB, Fr. and Ollie Gordon II, OSU, RB, So.
Defense: Kobe Savage, K-State, S, Sr.
Newcomer: Avery Johnson, K-State, QB, Fr.
Special Teams: Chase Contreraz, ISU, K, Sr.