All fourteen teams in action again this week but as everyone wanted tuneups before league play, a rather boring week on paper in the league. We’re all going to watch anyway because, hey, that’s what we do. Like always, times are listed in central
Game of the Week:
Michigan vs BYU
Each enters 2-1 but very different ways to get there. BYU has played twice on the road and two of their three opponents were ranked at the time. All three have come down to the wire and the Cougs could easily be 3-0 or 0-3. Obviously they are making their way through the season with back up Tanner Mangnum thrust into the starting role. Michigan has won both their games at home and the defense has lived up to the hype. The offense has been improving, thanks in large part to a bruising rushing attack. UM has looked a lot better since the Utah game, but they haven’t played anyone nearly as good. BYU is every bit as good as the Utes so this has the feeling of a measuring stick for Harbaugh’s club.
- Saturday, 11am, ABC
Sleeper:
The 3-0 Hoosiers hit the road to take on 2-1 Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons hung tight with Syracuse on the road and the defense hasn’t been too shabby. IU’s non-conference slate has been very easy so far so this game also feels like a measuring stick. A win over a power-5 team on the road should give Indiana fans plenty of hope for making a bowl game. When you have running back Jordan Howard, it is easy to have hope.
- Saturday, 11:30am, ESPN3
Don’t Forget:
The Illini were feeling pretty good about themselves after a 2-0 start. It all came crashing down last week at UNC. Doesn’t get much easier with Middle Tennessee coming to town. The Blue Raiders are 2-1 but played better than expected against Alabama. In their two wins, they have put up 70 points…..IN EACH! For UI to have any sort of bowl hopes, they really need hit league play at 3-1. Let’s see if their defense rises to the occasion against a balanced attack orchestrated by quarterback Brent Stockstill.
- Saturday, 3pm, ESPNN
Snoozer:
Anything involving Kansas football is a big time pass in my book. Factor in Rutger’s athletic department (and whole University at this point) having egg on their faces with Kyle Flood, I don’t see much point in watching this terrible team.
- Saturday, 11am, BTN…or watch highlights of UNI’s 2010 basketball win over Kansas. Despite being 5 years old, it will be more fresh in our minds this time next week than whatever the hell happens on the field in this game.
Upset Watch:
Right End – Every Big Ten team is favored this week but Maryland and Purdue; however, due to how poorly Illinois played last week, I can’t help but feel like knocking off an underrated Middle Tennessee team would be an upset.
Wrong End – Minnesota vs Ohio – Gopher’s offense needs a wake up call and fast! They get a chance to fine tune their attack this week against an intriguing Ohio team. The Bobcats are 3-0 but haven’t really played anyone. It is difficult to know if this OU team is among the MAC elites like Toledo, Northern Illinois and Bowling Green or just taking advantage of a soft slate. One thing we do know for sure is Frank Solich can coach like hell so UM can’t look past this team one bit. Expect a battle.
- Saturday, 2:30pm, BTN
Elsewhere (Alphabetical)
Iowa vs North Texas – Hawkeyes welcome back former assistant coach and Iowa State head man Dan McCarney. McCarney is a class act who made Iowa State competitive and utilized mobile quarterbacks before that was widespread. He has been okay at North Texas, taking them to a bowl a few years ago, but this team hasn’t looked very good so far. I’m not sure he is on the hot seat at a school like that but at age 62 he still has some years to go so if they do fire him, somebody is about to get a damn good football mind. Oh, McCarney also has a ring as associate head coach in ’08 with Florida so when Urban Meyer thinks highly of you…well, you know. Bottom line though for the game, Iowa is 3-0 and this is arguably their easiest non-con game. Hawks should be able to pull away by halftime.
- Saturday, 2:30pm, ESPNU
Maryland at West Virginia – Idle last week, WVU hosts sitting at 2-0 but they haven’t played anybody. Maryland enters 2-1 but the only team of worth they played crushed ’em 48-27. FYI, WVU’s quarterback Skyler Howard has double the yards of UM’s Caleb Rowe, despite playing one fewer game. Huh? Oh yeah, Terps don’t have an offense.
- Saturday, 2pm, Fox Sports 1
Michigan State vs Central Michigan – Did you know the Chips lost to Oklahoma State by just 11 and at Syracuse by just 3? This isn’t a horrible team, but MSU outclasses them at every position and should win handily.
- Saturday, 11am, BTN
Nebraska vs Southern Miss – USM is 2-1 and hung with Miss. State in the opener; however, if Nebraska can move the ball like they did in the fourth quarter against Miami, they will coast to victory.
- Saturday, 11am, ESPNN
Northwestern vs Ball State – Cardinal enter 2-1 but have a tough road trip under their belt already at Texas A&M. NU should win this, especially with that defense, but for the first time in a while these kids will have a target on their back thanks to a top-20 ranking. Factor in a juiced prime time start and possibly looking past to Minnesota next week and the unthinkable could happen. Be advised ‘Cat fans.
- Saturday, 7pm, BTN
Ohio State vs Western Michigan – Broncos’ opening night excitement against MSU crashed and burned a week later with a humiliating loss at Georgia Southern before picking up their first win last week against FCS Murray State. Buckeye’s defense will lock them down as the offense continues to tinker.
- Saturday, 2:30pm, ABC / ESPN2
Penn State vs San Diego State – The Aztecs are usually a competitive group but they enter just 1-2 with an ugly loss at Cal and a home loss to South Alabama. Isn’t shaping up to be a vintage year for Rocky Long’s gang. Penn State has been quietly improving since the humbling Temple game. Expect that trend to continue.
- Saturday, 2:30pm, BTN
Purdue vs Bowling Green – BGSU enters as a -2.5 road FAVORITE against a Big Ten team. I don’t doubt it either, Falcons hung with Tennessee, destroyed Maryland and then battled with American Conference favorite Memphis. This is a really well coached and talented MAC club. I bet they win.
- Saturday, 11am, BTN
Wisconsin vs Hawai’i – this is an interesting game because of how flat UW looked last week and how much improved Hawai’i has been this year. For the Rainbow Warriors, they opened with a win over power-5 Colorado. Yes it was controversial at the end but they were still up 8 when the crazy finish happened. They played better than expected at OSU and won last week to come in at 2-1. UW was stung by Alabama, got some mojo back by crushing Miami (OH) and then were asleep at the wheel against UNLV. I don’t think the Badgers can repeat last week’s lazy (and penalty filled) effort and expect to breeze to victory.
- Saturday, 7pm, BTN
Random Musing
BYU faces Michigan for just the second time in program history. Despite what you may think with the names and programs involved but their previous match up wasn’t a non-con fodder game but a bowl game. The 1984 Holiday Bowl in fact. BYU was a poster child of why people wanted to create a new system of determining the champs. They opened with a nice win at #3 ranked Pitt that launched the Cougs from unranked to 17th in the nation. Little did people know but Pitt would go just 3-7-1 that year. Meanwhile BYU never faced another ranked team and just kept winning.
Elsewhere November turned into an insane month of football. After being ranked 19th to start the year, Washington beat #3 Michigan in the second week to start their rise. Eventually they were the number one team and held that for a month before losing at 14th ranked USC on November 10th. South Carolina started unranked but worked their way to second in the nation before a stunning upset to Navy on November 17th. Nebraska started #2 in the nation, then got up to #1 before a loss at Syracuse. The game didn’t hurt them too much as they dropped to just 8th. They battled back to #1 in the nation again before losing to Oklahoma on that same fateful day, November 17th.
With Washington losing on the 10th, BYU moved from 4th to 3rd and with BOTH Nebraska and South Carolina losing the second to last week of the season, BYU became the only undefeated and untied team in the nation and thus number 1.
They came to San Diego for the Holiday bowl at 11-0 and #1 in the nation. They faced a 6-5 Michigan team who never really recovered from the Washington game. In a competitive game, BYU won 24-17 to claim the 1984 national title. This game as well as several other interesting seasons led to the Bowl Coalition in 1992, the Bowl Alliance in ’95, the BCS in ’98 and finally a tournament in 2014.
Big Ten and Counting 