EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Connor Cook and Michigan State rolled into the Big Ten title game with their most emphatic win of the season.
Cook threw three touchdown passes in his return from a shoulder injury, and the sixth-ranked Spartans wrapped up a division title with a 55-16 rout of Penn State on Saturday. Michigan State will play unbeaten Iowa for the conference title next weekend, with the winner in good position to advance to college football’s playoff.
Michigan State (11-1, 7-1) is No. 5 in the selection committee’s ranking.
The Spartans finished tied atop the Big Ten East with Ohio State, and Michigan State upset the Buckeyes last weekend with Cook on the sideline. The senior came back Saturday and was brilliant against Penn State (7-5, 4-4). Cook went 19 of 26 for 248 yards.
Michigan State will play in the Big Ten title game for the third time in five seasons. The Spartans kept the Land-Grant Trophy with their most lopsided win in a series with Penn State that started in 1914. The final touchdown came on a 9-yard run by Michigan State center Jack Allen, who lined up in the backfield, took a handoff from Cook and capped his last home game in memorable fashion.