• Conference action continues this week, with five Big Ten contests highlighted by a pair of divisional matchups. Action kicks off on Saturday afternoon when Penn State travels to Northwestern. Ohio State and Wisconsin will enjoy byes this week, with the complete schedule appearing to the right.

• Three Big Ten teams appear in the AP Poll this week. Michigan leads the conference at No. 2, followed by No. 4 Ohio State and No. 6 Penn State. Maryland and Wisconsin are both receiving votes.

• Four Big Ten teams remain undefeated on the season, as Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State are all 4-0.

• Penn State currently ranks among the top 15 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Nittany Lions rank No. 4 nationally in scoring defense (8.8 points per game), while ranking 15th in scoring offense (40.5 points per game).

• Four additional Big Ten teams rank in the top 20 in terms of scoring defense: Michigan (1st, 2.25 points per game), Ohio State (2nd, 8.5 points per game), Maryland (11th, 12.2 points per game) and Rutgers (19th, 15.2 points per game).

• Ohio State scored on its final play of the game with one second left to rally past No. 9 Notre Dame, 17-14, on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind. DeaMonte Trayanum scored on a 1-yard run on Ohio State’s final play from scrimmage to culminate a 15-play, 65-yard drive to overcome a 14-10 Ohio State fourth quarter deficit. The Buckeyes have won 12 of their last 13 road games against ranked teams and five of their last six on the road against AP Top 10 teams.

• Penn State Football registered a 31-0 victory against Iowa on Saturday evening in front of the second-largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history. The shutout marked the first for the Nittany Lions against an AP Top 25 team since the 1999 Alamo Bowl against No. 18 Texas A&M (24-0). Penn State scored 30 points for the 11th consecutive game, the second-longest streak in program history and the longest active in FBS. Quarterback Drew Allar completed 25-of-37 passes for 166 yards and a career-best four touchdowns, as Penn State became the only team in the FBS who has not turned the ball over this year.

• Northwestern overcame a 21-point fourth quarter deficit, marking their largest comeback since defeating Indiana in 2009 after trailing by 25, on Saturday with a 37-34 overtime victory against Minnesota. Wildcats’ wide receiver Bryce Kirtz posted 10 receptions, 215 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the win, posting career-highs in every receiving statistical category, including scoring the first two touchdowns of his career.

• Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy completed 15-of-21 attempts for 214 yards and a touchdown on Saturday against Rutgers, his 10th career game over 200 passing yards. He added 51 rushing yards on seven carries. The junior entered the top 10 all-time in passing touchdowns at Michigan with his performance, reaching 35 for his career and tying Tom Brady at 10th.

• With a 31-7 victory against the Scarlet Knights, the Wolverines have won 19 straight games at home dating back to 2021. It is the longest home winning streak under head coach Jim Harbaugh and the program’s best since a 21-game winning streak from 1998-2001 under coach Lloyd Carr. Michigan also resumed its conference winning streak and extended it to 16 straight games, matching the program’s longest since a 16-game stretch from 1996-98 under Carr.

• 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.

• The Big Ten finished last season with three teams ranked in the AP Top 25, tying for the third-most of any conference. All three teams finished in the Top 10, marking the second straight year that the conference had three top 10 teams at the end of the season. The 2023 AP Preseason Poll also featured five Big Ten teams in No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State, No. 19 Wisconsin, and No. 25 Iowa, while Illinois and Minnesota are both receiving votes.

• Last season, the Big Ten posted the fifth-highest single-season attendance total in conference history with 6,333,196 fans attending home games. Excluding 2020, this marked the ninth consecutive season and 10th time in 11 seasons that more than six million fans have attended Big Ten home football games.

• 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.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa Athletics Department has teamed up with Altius Sports Partners (ASP) for their advisory services and to add an Altius NIL General Manager to lead the school’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) FLIGHT program, This effort aims to build a sustainable long term infrastructure of NIL support services at the university, offering Hawkeye athletes comprehensive resources to maximize NIL opportunities in the ever-changing landscape.

Beth Goetz, interim Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie director of athletics chair, shared, “This partnership excites us greatly, teaming up with Altius’ expert team was a natural fit, aligning seamlessly with our vision to offer our student-athletes the insights, education, resources, and skills to realize their potential. This collaboration marks a new era for Iowa athletics, unlocking opportunities for student-athletes to thrive in their NIL pursuits and create a positive impact on and off the field.”

Iowa Athletics introduced its comprehensive NIL program, FLIGHT, over two years ago. FLIGHT is a collaborative effort that develops and oversees NIL educational programming for Hawkeye student-athletes. Through an extended partnership with INFLCR, all Iowa student-athletes will have access to tools that support their success in the NIL era.

The ASP NIL General Manager, to be recruited, trained, and supervised by ASP, will have responsibility for all aspects of Iowa’s NIL FLIGHT program. This encompasses education for both internal and external stakeholders. Working closely with the athletics department, the GM will improve the experience of Hawkeye athletes by devising and coordinating diverse programs and resources. Furthermore, they will increase awareness of NIL initiatives in the wider Iowa City community, involving business leaders.

“We are thrilled to partner with Iowa Athletics, an elite program that truly values the experience of their student-athletes.” Brittney Whiteside, Vice President of ASP College at Altius Sports Partners. “This partnership is a testament to their commitment to providing best-in-class resources to their athletes, coaches, and Hawkeye supporters.” “We are eager to identify the ideal candidate to lead this effort and position the Hawkeyes for success in NIL opportunities.”

For more information about the Iowa Athletics NIL General Manager position, click HERE.

Launched in July 2022, the ASP NIL GM Program centralizes NIL support services across a range of athletics departments. Iowa is among 15 schools participating in this initiative, which includes both Power Five and non-Power Five institutions. ASP staff located on campus offer customized education and guidance on national NIL matters, ensuring athletes have the necessary tools, knowledge, and skills to take full advantage of opportunities and make informed decisions about their name image and likeness. ASP’s dedication to advancing athlete NIL rights and their collaborative partnership with institutional counterparts underscores their significant contribution to the program’s success. As the GM Program expands, ASP will continue to provide advisory support and innovative direction to all participating educational institutions.

The Hawkeyes were successful both in competition and in the classroom in 2022-23. Highlighting Iowa’s athletic achievements was the women’s basketball team advancing to the NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship game. Caitlin Clark was the recipient of the 2023 Honda Cup Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year, AAU Sullivan Award, Jesse Owens Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year Award and was the unanimous national player of the year in women’s basketball.

Field Hockey advanced to the elite eight for the 21st time in program history and is currently the top-ranked team in the country; Football won eight games or more for the ninth straight season; Wrestling finished runner-up in the NCAA Championships; Women’s Gymnastics made an NCAA regional appearance for the 23rd straight year; Baseball advanced to the NCAA regional finals and tied for the most wins in program history; Softball won the 2023 National Invitational Softball Championships and captured 35 wins, the most in a single season since 2009; Women’s Golf finished runner-up at the National Golf Invitational and recorded four of the top-16 rounds in program history and two of the top six 54-hole team scores and Rowing ended and the season ranked 20th in the CRCA Pocock Final Poll for the first time since 2019 and spent four weeks in the top-20, which was also the best since 2021.

Academically, Hawkeye student-athletes have had an average GPA of over 3.0 the last nine years. Nearly 300 Iowa student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition for the 2022-23 school year, including 73 Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholars. Over 370 student-athletes earned Dean’s List and President’s List honors over both semesters in 2022-23.

K-State RB DJ Giddens, Kansas CB Cobee Bryant, Houston RB Parker Jenkins and Iowa State kicker Chase Contreraz picked up Big 12 football awards for Week 4. All are first-time honorees.

Giddens became the first player in school history and the 22nd in Big 12 history to rush for 200 or more yards and four touchdowns in a game in K-State’s 44-31 win over UCF. The business administration major finished with 293 scrimmage yards, third-most in school history and only behind Darren Sproles’ total of 323 yards against Oklahoma in the 2003 Big 12 Championship Game and his 298 yards against Louisiana-Lafayette in 2004. Giddens’ four rushing scores were tied for the third most in a game in school history and tied for the most this season among FBS running backs. His 207 rushing yards were the fifth-most this season by a FBS running back and his 30 rushing attempts were the most by a Wildcat since Alex Barnes rushed 32 times against Texas Tech in 2017.

Bryant returned a fumble for a touchdown and recorded an interception in Kansas’ 38-27 win in the Big 12 opener against BYU. His fumble recovery for a touchdown came on KU’s second defensive play of the game, as he forced BYU to fumble and then picked it up and returned it for a 22-yard touchdown. Bryant, a liberal arts and sciences major, became the first Kansas player since Nov. 6, 2010 (Tyler Patmon vs. Colorado) to have an interception, a fumble recovery and a fumble recovery touchdown in the same game.

Jenkins is the first Cougar in program history to have three rushing touchdowns in his first start as UH finished non-conference play with a 38-7 victory over Sam Houston. Entering the game, SHSU had allowed just three total TDs (at BYU, vs. Air Force). Jenkins’ three rushing touchdowns in a half matched the program record. The kinesiology-sports administration major is the only Power 5 freshman with three rushing touchdowns in a single game this season and one of three Big 12 freshmen on the season with a 100+ yard rushing performance.

Contreraz knocked through both field goal attempts and was 4-for-4 on extra points to finish with 10 points in the Cyclones’ 34-27 win against Oklahoma State. He nailed a 51-yard field goal, his second 50-yarder of the season, to become just the sixth FBS player this season with multiple 50-yard field goals. Contreraz already has his bachelor’s degree and is working on a master’s 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.

The Class 3A and 4A state baseball tournament are moving to Cedar Rapids next season. The move was needed due to renovations beginning at Banks Field in Iowa City at the end of the next college baseball season. Andy Umthun is baseball administrator for the Iowa High School Athletic Association.

He says the 1A and 2A tournaments will remain in Carroll.

Umthun says they hope to announce a new long-term deal for a location a year from now and a single location is a possibility.

Next year’s state tournament is scheduled for July 22 through the 26th.

Northern Iowa coach Mark Farley says a focus during their bye week was a young defense. The Panthers are 1-2 and open the Missouri Valley Football race at home on Saturday against 19th ranked Youngstown State.

The Panthers are coming off a 41-14 win at Idaho State.

Farley says that defense will be tested by a Youngstown State team that is 2-1. The Penguins’ only loss was at Ohio State.

The Youngstown State offense is averaging more than 35 points and just over 433 yards per game.

Farley hopes the home field is an advantage on Saturday.

AMES, Iowa – Chase Contreraz has been named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday. It is the first Big 12 weekly honor of his career.

Contreraz made field goals from distances of 51 and 46 yards in Iowa State’s 34-27 victory against Oklahoma State, both into a strong southerly wind. He was perfect on the day, going 2-for-2 on field goal attempts and 4-of-4 on extra points.

With makes from 56 and 51 yards, the Missouri Valley, Iowa native is one of eight kickers nationally with multiple 50-plus yard field goals this season. His 56-yarder against UNI remains tied for third-longest field goal nationally this year.

Contreraz is the sixth Cyclone in school history to have multiple 50-plus yard field goals in a season and seventh to do it in their career.

Iowa State is back in action Saturday Sept. 30 at Oklahoma. Kickoff from Norman, Okla. is set for 6 p.m.

2023 ISU Big 12 Weekly Honors
Sept. 4 – Jeremiah Cooper (DPOW)
Sept. 25 – Chase Contreraz (STPOW)