BIG TEN CONFERENCE Iowa romps to 10th win

Michigan blasted Minnesota, 41-24, while Michigan State and Illinois both rolled.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Brad Banks threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more Saturday as No. 6 Iowa won its eighth straight game by defeating Northwestern, 62-10.
Banks, who came in as the nation's most efficient passer with a 159.9 rating, threw for 197 yards and completed all 10 of his pass attempts before leaving in the third quarter of his final home game for Iowa (10-1, 7-0).
Fred Russell ran for 100 yards to become the third Hawkeyes running back in the last three years to top 1,000 yards.
Iowa-OSU scenario
Iowa, which holds a slim lead over Ohio State in the Big Ten race, closes out its season Saturday at Minnesota.
Iowa last won the Big Ten title in 1990, but the Buckeyes would get the Rose Bowl bid if they win out, based on a better overall record than the Hawkeyes.
No. 13 Michigan 41, Minnesota 24
MINNEAPOLIS -- John Navarre passed for 225 yards and two touchdowns and B.J. Askew ran for 126 yards on just 11 carries.
The Wolverines (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten) gained 478 total yards and took control by scoring 24 straight points in a seven-minute span in the second half.
Michigan, which hasn't lost to the Golden Gophers since 1986 and has never been defeated in the Metrodome, hung on to the Little Brown Jug for another year.
The Gophers (7-3, 3-3) were in the Top 25 for a week until a 34-3 defeat to the third-ranked Buckeyes last Saturday dropped them from the rankings.
Michigan St. 56, Indiana 21
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Damon Dowdell, Charles Rogers and the rest of Michigan State's beleaguered Spartans made Morris Watts' coaching debut a smashing success.
Starting for the third straight game in place of suspended quarterback Jeff Smoker, Dowdell passed for four touchdowns and ran for another score as the Spartans snapped a four-game losing streak.
Rogers set a Michigan State record with his 24th and 25th career touchdown receptions. He also set up two other TDs with end-around runs of 41 and 25 yards during a 35-point second quarter that blew the game open for the Spartans (4-6, 2-4 Big Ten).
Illinois 37, Wisconsin 20
MADISON, Wis. -- Jon Beutjer returned to the lineup and threw four touchdown passes and Illinois overcame five turnovers to beat the staggering Wisconsin Badgers.
Antoineo Harris rushed 40 times for 158 yards as the Illini (4-6, 3-3 Big Ten) kept their bowl hopes alive while delivering a blow to the Badgers' postseason chances.
With games left against Michigan and Minnesota, this was the Badgers' best shot at securing a bowl berth but they lost for the fifth time in six games.