THIS WEEK
Minnesota (4-4, 1-3 Big Ten) at No. 1 Ohio State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten)
ABC, 8 p.m.
LAST WEEK
Ohio State was off.
Michigan 29, Minnesota 26
SCOUTING REPORT
Buckeyes: J.T. Barrett had a huge positive effect on Ohio State’s offense in big wins over Rutgers and Penn State. Now Ohio State has to hope his one-game suspension for operating a vehicle while impaired does not have a huge negative effect. Cardale Jones returns to the starting lineup at quarterback, where he is 10-0 as a starter.
Gophers: Minnesota managed to put itself in position to beat Michigan last Saturday but couldn’t manage the clock in the final seconds of a 29-26 loss to Michigan. The Gophers wasted valuable seconds and ran two questionable plays after getting to Michigan’s 1-foot line with 19 seconds to play.
PREGAME TAKEAWAY
It would not be a surprise to see Minnesota be flat emotionally. The Gophers were charged up for the Michigan game after the mid-season resignation of coach Jerry Kill and could lose some of that edge this week. This a chance for Jones to make a statement for OSU.