Let’s give a hand to the Big Ten schedulers. They pit MSU-UM in a major game last week and let us have a bit of a rest this week. I’m not saying this Saturday is dull, but it is nice to have a week that probably won’t give us all heart attacks. In fact, the week is so paired down, that there are just 5 games. There are a few weeks slimmed down but this is the first. The four teams with the bye are Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Purdue. Really advantageous week off for all four. Michigan, goes without saying – they get a chance to regroup. Iowa is very banged up and while only Drew Ott’s injury is a season long one, it will be nice to see them make a push down the stretch closer to full strength. Minnesota limped to a 1-2 start in league play so an early bye will help them try and gear up to right the ship and Purdue….well, Purdue should’ve used this week to blow up the coaching staff but instead gave their fans a week off from watching the worst team in the league so at least there is that. All times central.
Game of the Week:
Wisconsin at Illinois
This is an elimination game in the west. Both teams have a tiebreaker loss to Iowa but at 2-1 (Wisconsin) and 1-1 (Illinois) there is still time to win the west with some help. For Illinois another home upset would get them to 5-2, make a bowl all but a lock and give Bill Cubit a great shot at getting the job full-time. For Wisconsin they are already 5-2 so the win keeps them in position in the west, locks down a bowl and puts them in line for a pretty special debut season for Paul Chryst. With all the injuries and Melvin Gordon off to the NFL, it hasn’t been pretty at times, but if they end the season 10-2 or in that neighborhood, Sconnie nation will be feeling pretty damn good about the future.
- Saturday, 2:30pm, BTN
Sleeper:
It wasn’t that long ago that the Hoosiers were a few plays a way from beating Ohio State and Michigan State was a few plays away from losing to both Purdue and Rutgers. A full strength Indiana offense is capable of putting up 50 points which keeps them in any game. The fact that the Hoosiers are dealing with heartbreak after squandering a 25 point lead in a twenty minutes, including a 22-point fourth quarter aided by 3 turnovers and MSU is going to have to get up after such an emotional victory makes this a sneaky-tough game for the national title contending Spartans. You’ve been warned Green and White!
- Saturday, 2:30pm, ABC / ESPN2
Don’t Forget:
Cheesy graphic created aside, the battle of NU is actually a serious game. Sure the odds of either winning the west are insanely low but both are trying to salvage their season. Nebraska started out historically bad at 2-4 but all the games were tight and felt like they were a few plays away from being 6-0. They took some of that anger out on Minnesota and hope to get even up their mark. Northwestern is reeling after their 5-0 start has come crashing down with back-to-back league blowouts. If they can regain their swagger from the opening month of the season, they have a chance to get to double digit wins – the problem is their offense lacks much punch so the margin of error is razor thin for Fitz’s gang.
- Saturday, 11am, ESPN2
Snoozer:
Ohio State is finally living up to expectations after thrashing Penn State. Rutgers meanwhile has been bathed in controversy between so-so play and off the field turmoil involving players and coaches. They are 3-3 and did give MSU a run for their money but needing a furious 25 point rally to beat Indiana is not an indicator for success against the peaking Bucks.
- Saturday, 7pm, ABC…Look, it is a pretty easy Saturday not just in the Big Ten. Why not take Saturday night to reintroduce yourself to your family and decorate the house for Halloween?
Upset Watch:
Right End – A stunning upset over a top-10 team will not only get Indiana to 5 wins and make a bowl a lock but it will be Kevin Wilson’s first marquee victory at the program. If the defense can duplicate their Ohio State performance and the offense remains healthy it can happen. I’m not saying it will, but it could. Now that would be a monumental step forward for the much maligned Indiana football program.
Wrong End – Yes they need some help from a few Big Ten opponents to make up for their loss to Iowa but Wisconsin can’t sleep on this Illini team. They battled Iowa late into that game and the home crowd should be fired up. Wisconsin has had some slow starts this year and with Wes Lunt and Geronimo Allison, a slow start against the Illini could be disastrous.
Elsewhere (Alphabetical):
Maryland vs Penn State – The Mike Locksley debut at Maryland, yay! Penn State should dominate but knowing them they’ll find a way to make themselves look stupid and slip past in an uninspiring victory, adding even more heat to Franklin’s chair. What a sour tasting 5-2 team the Lions are this year.
- Saturday, 2:30pm, ESPN
Random Musing:
Wisconsin and Illinois are an extremely tight series, as in 38-37-7 – led by Wisconsin. Despite being conference foes, the series was not very consistent until the 1980s. Unfortunately for Illini fans this more consistent meeting came at a time when their program was starting to tick down and UW was about to hire Barry Alvarez. Since Alvarez came to Madison, UW owns the series leading 14-6-1. With just one game separating them all time and being in the same division now, this game – like Iowa-Illinois – can become somewhat of a secondary rivalry which would spice up the west.
Big Ten and Counting 