There was no chaos this weekend in Big Ten football, just dominant teams taking care of business as expected. The USC Trojans got the biggest win of the week in the Big Ten. This week produced many storylines that will make the upcoming week even more interesting.
Here are my takeaways for Big Ten fooball after Week 12
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Dante Moore, if he declares, should be the top drafted QB
Dante Moore, without his top receivers, delivered a 90% completion rate. Moore was 27-30, with 306 yards passing, and 2 passing touchdowns. He looks like a quarterback who can play on Sundays. He has all the intangibles and all the key traits an elite quarterback needs. He would have benefited from another year at Oregon, but with the season he has had this year, he is good enough to be at the very least a top 15 pick in a quarterback-lacking draft. In my opinion, he should be the highest-drafted quarterback taken.
Sherrone Moore is the right head coach for Michigan
There have been rumblings about Sherrone Moore’s future at Michigan. He has so far checked all the boxes for this team and for the type of coach they needed after Jim Harbaugh. Moore is not perfect by any means, but this team has bought into him. Moore is building his culture; he has done a great job recruiting and getting talented players who love him. This team plays hard for him. Moore might have the best true freshman duo in the country with Andrew Marsh and Bryce Underwood. On top of all the things I have mentioned, Michigan is winning. Moore is 2-0 versus Ohio State, and he is 8-2 already this season. Last year, Michigan went 8-5 with a bowl win. In his first two seasons of his culture being built, he has had at least 8 wins. It would not make sense to move on from Moore.
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Michigan has the talent to give Ohio State a game
Michigan may not win games to the level Ohio State has this season, but the Wolverines are a worthy opponent for Ohio State. Even if Michigan was not as talented as they are this season, something about the Michigan versus Ohio State rivalry gets the best out of this team. Michigan will make this game a lot closer than the Buckeyes‘ previous opponents have, and they have the talent to pull off an upset. I don’t think that will happen, but this run game for Michigan can give any team in the country fits. Sherrone Moore is undefeated against Ohio State, and he may have the right formula to take down the Buckeyes. That would be a win that would propel the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff as well. Saturday, November 29th, can not come any sooner.
Penn State just might have its James Franklin replacement in house
Terry Smith, interim head coach for Penn State, got his first win as head coach Saturday. It was an emotional win, but a win that could create some great momentum for the Nittany Lions to potentially make a bowl game. Terry Smith, being an alumnus at Penn State and having been in the same shoes as his players, makes a difference. It means more to him to bring success to Penn State. There are some high-caliber coaches that could take this job, but Terry Smith should at least get some thought. This team almost beat Indiana as well, the week prior. Penn State is trending in the right direction and if Terry Smith’s ability to lead men and his great coaching traits can be combined with an ability to recruit he would be the perfect fit to right the ship at Penn State.
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The Trojans can upset the Ducks
The USC Trojans showed a version of themselves that is a College Football Playoff-caliber team. The defense for USC has been lights-out to finish games in the second half. Many will not say it, but Jayden Maiava is playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Maiava has all the weapons necessary to torch any defense. It was evident that even against a great defense, the Trojans have playmakers that cannot be stopped. On top of that, Lincoln Riley reminded that the country is still an elite coach. USC has everything it needs to beat the Oregon Ducks. It is perfect that they had a matchup like Iowa, to help them prepare for the biggest game of the season. This upcoming Saturday could produce the best Big Ten game of the season so far.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football steals the show in Big Ten Week 12, prepares for Oregon
