After all the speculation, predictions, and debate with fellow fans all the projections are out the window and we finally see the Big Ten take the field. All fourteen teams are in action* with 12 non conference games and an usual week-one Big Ten opener in Bloomington. Outside a few cupcakes, this week is actually packed to the gills with intriguing games. Let’s take a look. Per usual on this blog, all times are central!
*Note, with Thursday and Friday night games still rare in the Big Ten, I’ll highlight those like this: Thursday, in order to have them stand out a bit. For week one, we have two games tomorrow night and two more Friday.
Game of the Week:
Michigan vs Florida (AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas)
Tons of good games to chose from but I’m going with the neutral site game for a few reasons. The first is this is the only game of the weekend in the Big Ten featuring two ranked clubs. The other is with several players suspended for Florida, I think Michigan has a better shot than I did while writing their preview column. A final reason is this game has become a bit of a frequent bout. The two teams had never played each other until the 2002-2003 season in the Outback Bowl. Michigan won that match-up. Five years later they met in the Capital One Bowl and Michigan won again. The 2015-16 season saw them collide yet again in the Citrus Bowl with Michigan dominating 41-7. I kind of want these two programs to keep playing each other. With the Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry on hold, maybe UM-UF could become a regular thing. The odds are low, but boy that would be fun.
- Saturday, 2:30pm, ABC
Sleeper:
Not only is it bizarre to see a league opener on week one but this has a slight chance of being an upset special. Indiana is a sleeper in the east and I always feel like you want to catch teams like Ohio State, better to get them early before they have figured everything out. Even if IU loses, I still think they can win 7 or 8 games to have their best season since the 1990s so I want to at least see them be competitive against the Big Ten favorites.
- Thursday, 7pm, ESPN
Don’t Forget:
Wyoming’s Jake Allen is a fabulous quarterback. He alone is kind of appointment television for football fans but seeing him on the road against a Big Ten team ramps up the fun. For Iowa fans, we have been petrified about this game all summer and for good reason. With several returning stars I wouldn’t write Iowa completely off if they stub their toe against Wyoming but this is a decent litmus test to see exactly what the ceiling is on this Hawkeye club.
- Saturday, 11am, BTN
Snoozer:
Due to the one year (and then dropped) rule regarding scheduling FCS opponents, there are no match-ups this season of Big Ten clubs taking on their smaller brethren. Akron heading to Penn State though fits the bill as a snoozer. The Zips were under .500 last year and their two best players (both WRs) have moved on in their lives from Akron so I’m at a loss to see exactly how Terry Bowden’s boys can be competitive.
- Saturday, 11am, ABC…or, ya know, watch Iowa humiliate themselves against the Cowboys as Allen tosses 6 TDs and racks up 492 yards.
Upset Watch:
Right End – Well ignoring the Indiana game since I already wrote about that, we have some serious underdogs this week. Rutgers hosts defending Pac 12 champ Washington, Maryland visits Texas, and Purdue gets to try and slow down defending Heisman winner Lamar Jackson in Lucas Oil Stadium. All three are big underdogs but you know what, Maryland played in a bowl last year and Texas didn’t. UT’s defense last year was a disaster finishing 93rd in total defense, 76th against the rush, and 89th in scoring. Winning in Austin would be amazing and with Texas’s lack of defense it is at least in the realm of possibility (i.e. see Kansas vs Texas last year).
- Maryland at Texas, Saturday, 11am, FS1
Wrong End – Iowa is the obvious answer and Ohio State losing would be a disastrous start to the Bucks’ season but those are the obvious ones and I don’t like writing about a game twice in these previews so I’m going to go off script and say watch out Nebraska. They are hosting a Sun Belt power in Arkansas State. The Red Wolves went 8-5 (7-1) with a bowl win last year. They have won at least a share of the Sun Belt title in 5 of the last 6 seasons. Head coach Blake Anderson is also 24-15 (20-4) in Jonesboro. I know the Sun Belt doesn’t have the greatest track record against power five teams but Nebraska has a ton of new faces, ASU is one of the most consistent programs, and ASU returns their QB, leading rusher, and leading receiver among other key contributors. Not a fun team to play at all.
- Nebraska vs Arkansas State, Saturday, 7pm, BTN
Elsewhere (Alphabetical Order):
Illinois vs Ball State – Cardinals were a mess last year going just 4-8 (1-7). Curious to see JUCO transfer QB Dwayne Lawson in action for the Illini though.
- Saturday, 11am, BTN
Michigan State vs Bowling Green – Falcons had a lot of good players the last few years win a lot of games and got their coaches recognized in various power league jobs. The graduations and coaching departures finally caught up to them last year with a 4-8 (3-5) down season. Even with MSU’s struggles last year in their own three-win 2016, I expect the Spartans to win this one at home fairly easily.
- Saturday, 11am, ESPNU
Minnesota vs Buffalo – The Bulls were awful last season with a 2-10 (1-7) record. Expect the huge OL for the Gophers to create mammoth sized running lanes. 200+ rushing yards wouldn’t surprise me at all.
- Thursday, 6pm, BTN
Northwestern vs Nevada – Wolf Pack went just 5-7 last year but their struggles with bowl caliber teams was quite pronounced: going 0-4 against teams that made it to the postseason in 2016. Northwestern made a bowl last year and looks poised to do so again this year. NU takes care of UN(R). Almost made it work.
- Saturday, 2:30pm, BTN
Purdue vs Louisville (Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana) – Lamar Jackson’s struggles at the end of the season are well documented but I still would have voted for him for the Heisman and now with fresh legs, a chip on his shoulder, and Purdue’s lousy defense, he looks ready to make a bold statement in week one.
- Saturday, 6:30pm, Fox
Rutgers vs Washington – Sure, sure, traveling all the way across the nation isn’t easy so maybe RU puts a scare into Washington but I’m not buying it. UW is too good and Jake Browning is a Heisman hopeful. Huskies aren’t coughing up this one.
- Friday, 7pm, FS1
Wisconsin vs Utah State – The Mountain West is a league with a lot of good teams. Utah State wasn’t one of them last year going just 3-9 (1-7). The Big Ten west favorites will cruise to victory.
- Friday, 8pm, ESPN
Random Musing:
I noticed when comparing Michigan and Florida on the awesome website winsipedia that the two schools are tied with 3 Heisman winners, 5th best nationally. With Louisville becoming the latest program to join the ranks of having a winner, I thought it would be fun to break down the award in terms of conference and schools. Take a look:
NOTE = * are teams that won their awards as a part of a different league or independent
ACC
- Florida State – 3
- Miami – 2*
- Boston College*, Louisville, Pitt*, Syracuse* – 1
ACC total : 9
American
- Navy – 2*
- Houston and SMU – 1*
AAC total: 4
Big 12 (including Big 8 and SWC)
- Oklahoma – 5
- Texas – 2 (1 was from the SWC)
- Baylor, Oklahoma State, TCU (SWC) – 1
B12 total: 10*
* Nebraska (3), TAMU (1 of 2 winners), and Colorado (1) are all former members of the Big 8 / SWC
Big Ten
- Ohio State – 7
- Michigan, Nebraska* – 3
- Wisconsin – 2
- Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State* – 1
B10 total: 18
Independent
- Notre Dame – 7
- Army – 3
- BYU* – 1
Indy total: 11
Pac 12
- USC – 6#
- Colorado*, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA – 1
Pac 12 total: 11
#Reggie Bush’s forfeited award results in the official number of six.
SEC
- Auburn, Florida – 3
- Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M (1 of 2 from SEC) – 2
- LSU, South Carolina* – 1
SEC total: 14
League Breakdown:
1 – Big Ten: 18
2 – SEC: 14
3 – Independent: 11
3 – Pac 12: 11
5 – Big 12: 10
6 – ACC: 9
7 – American: 4
YO, JOSH….the above 7 adds up to 77 but the award dates back to 1935 meaning there are 81 winners, what the hell?!
Awesome question imaginary reader. Here is the answer:
Winners no longer in highest division of football:
Yale: 2 (now FCS Ivy)
Chicago: 1 (now D3 Midwest Conference)
Princeton: 1 (now FCS Ivy)
Big Ten and Counting 
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