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Big Ten’s 12-1 mark last week was best in 6 years

By WTOP Staff

ERIC OLSON
AP College Football Writer

The Big Ten is coming off its best week of non-conference play in six years, with wins in 12 of 13 games.

It followed the league’s worst showing in non-conference play in 22 years, one in which Big Ten teams lost six of nine games and had national college football analysts howling about the conference’s lack of strength.

The stunning turnaround didn’t result in any chest thumping among the coaches on Tuesday.

“You’ve got to come every week, and some weeks are going to be better than others,” Nebraska’s Bo Pelini said. “I think there is a lot of parity and good football teams out there, and it’s hard to bring it week to week. I think all the stuff of people making judgments on anybody — on any team, any conference — after two or three weeks is ludicrous. I mean, that’s why you play a full season.”

Nebraska’s win over Miami and Indiana’s upset of nationally ranked Missouri on the road highlighted a week in which the Big Ten went 4-1 against opponents from fellow power conferences. Michigan had the week’s only loss, to Utah.

The last time the Big Ten had a winning percentage of .923 (12-1) or better during a week in which it played more than two non-conference games was Sept. 26, 2008, when the league went 11-0, according to STATS. When the Big Ten went 3-6 the week before last, it matched the worst non-conference showing since the league had the same record Sept. 19, 1992.

This year’s non-conference record of 35-14 (.714) is fourth-best among the power five, behind the SEC’s 31-3 (.912), Pac-12’s 29-4 (.879) and ACC’s 32-10 (.762) and ahead of the Big 12’s 19-8 (.704).

The Big Ten is 5-9 against opponents from the power five. Only the Pac-12 (6-2) and SEC (5-2) have winning records against their peers.

“I think a lot of this stuff just gets overplayed. That’s just me,” said Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, whose team won at Pittsburgh. “Football is week to week, and we’ve got a lot of good football teams in our conference and I think teams have represented the conference very well and I’m sure they will continue to. I’m happy when anybody in the league wins.”

The Big Ten came up short earlier in its premier non-conference games, with Michigan State losing at Oregon and Wisconsin losing to LSU.

The conference was 17-47 against Top 25 opponents since 2007 before Indiana toppled then-No. 18 Missouri 31-27. It was the long-struggling Hoosiers’ first win over a ranked team since 2006, their first on the road since 1987 and a week after a three-point loss to Bowling Green.

“We’re still us,” said Indiana coach Kevin Wilson, whose team has won two of its first three. “We didn’t play that great Saturday, but we played a lot harder and we battled for four quarters and we sucked it up, gutted it up, and made a play and we got on the right side.

“We’re close to having a couple losses, we’re close to maybe having another win. There’s a very fine line between winning and losing. We’ll see if we have the courage and leadership and pride and see if we can back that effort up again.”

Big Ten play starts in earnest this week with Northwestern at Penn State, Iowa at Purdue, Maryland at Indiana, Minnesota at Michigan and Illinois at Nebraska.

The four other Big Ten teams face non-conference opponents, with Wyoming at Michigan State, Cincinnati at Ohio State, Tulane at Rutgers and South Florida at Wisconsin.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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