Thirteen teams in action this Saturday spread across six conference games and one final non-con bout. Rutgers is off but considering how they have looked on the field and the drama away from the stadium, that might be a good thing. The west takes center stage with two huge showdowns pitting four contenders against each other. The losers in both games will be playing catch up right off the bat. Like usual, all times are central.
Game of the Week:
Minnesota at Northwestern
Gophers were a popular pick to contend and they enter 3-1 but what a strange way to get that mark. They lost a competitive game to TCU and then ripped off three straight wins, all by field goals. They took down Colorado State, Kent State and Ohio so there is some concern that they haven’t been blowing people away and none of those teams are on par with Big Ten clubs. Northwestern enters undefeated and have some of the most impressive non-con wins in the nation. They took down Stanford to open the season and Duke, who just battered Georgia Tech. Their other wins were FCS Eastern Illinois and a pesky Ball State team. Each team feels they have a defense that can keep them in any game and possibly win the west but through a month, NU’s offense has been much more efficient. We’ll see if that trend continues at Ryan Field.
- Saturday, 11am, BTN
Sleeper:
The other major western showdown has Iowa heading to Madison. Hawks are 4-0 with wins over power-5 Iowa State and Pitt. They trashed North Texas a week ago to give their offense a massive confidence boost heading to Camp Randall. The Badgers are 3-1 but much improved since the opening day loss to Alabama. Two of their three wins have been shutouts. Iowa has the edge in special teams and the defensive secondary. Wisconsin’s front seven will try and protect their back end which, despite having Caputo, is the weakest aspect of the Badger defense. This will come down to if C.J. Beathard can carve up Iowa or if Wisconsin’s up and down rushing game can get going. Interesting chess match in Maddy.
- Saturday, 11am, ESPN
Don’t Forget:
Hoosiers come in 4-0 despite a young defense but making great second half adjustments while OSU’s 4-0 mark comes about despite disappointing quarterback play. The savior for OSU has been a stout defense that is nearly impossible to score on. Indiana hopes to reverse that trend and put up some points. The way OSU’s offense has been so herky-jerky this year, there’s a shot for Indiana if they can post a number in the 28-35 range. Look, this game could also be a blow out but I’m giving IU a puncher’s chance and in their history with OSU (70-12-5) they’ll take those odds.
- Saturday, 2:30pm, ABC / ESPN2
Snoozer:
Yes, Army who is 1-3 with losses to Fordham, UConn and Wake head to Happy Valley. Yikes.
- Saturday, 11am, ESPNU…or enjoy an oral history of West Point narrated by Christopher Walken. Both will provide about the same 5 minutes of entertainment value before you get sick of it.
Upset Watch:
Right End – Gophers are four point dogs at Northwestern but the Wildcat team is young, especially at quarterback, so the aggressive UM defense could force some turnovers and short fields, allowing them to get a huge road victory.
Wrong End – Nebraska at Illinois – the Huskers are touchdown favorites on the road but with how their defense gives up yards and scores seemingly at will, they are letting teams hang around. Timing is also favorable for an upset as Nebraska faces Wisconsin next week in a huge battle for the division race. Illinois of course is playing with house money since no one expects them to do anything this year in the league. I don’t love the odds of the Illini stealing the game, but they got a shot thanks to the erratic NU defense.
- Saturday, 2:30pm, BTN
Elsewhere (Alphabetical)
Maryland vs Michigan – The battle for the UM trophy. Can it just be a big bronze question mark? That’d be kinda cool. Maryland has already endured two blowout losses this season and Michigan will be going for a trifecta. Michigan’s defense is down right scary in a good way while the Terp offense has been down right scary in the bad way. Crushing teams on the road, in-league, is rare but I expect the Wolverines to pull away when it is all said and done.
- Saturday, 7pm, BTN
Michigan State vs Purdue – Well, this is a classic case of bottom feeder league team versus national title contender. Surprisingly this was a pesky team to put away last year for MSU but I think that just adds fuel to Dantonio’s fire. Don’t see any reason to think the Boilers have a shot.
- Saturday, 11am, ESPN2
Random Musing
Illinois and Nebraska played a three game series in the 1920s with Illinois winning the first two in ’23 and ’24. The 1925 game opened the season for both clubs. Led by Ed Weir, the Nebraska defense refused to bend and held the Illini off the board and kept Red Grange out of the end zone. The Illini great failed to score just twice in his career and this was one of those games. Weir also paved the way for another NU win earlier in his career, against the Four Horseman of Notre Dame. Interestingly enough the Nebraska-Illinois tilt in 1925 became a mere footnote as the Huskers failed to capitalize on the marquee win going just 4-2-2 on the season and Illinois never recovered, ending their year 5-3-0.
Big Ten and Counting 