Alright, here we go, this is the type of week we like to see in college football. A top fifteen showdown in Ann Arbor highlights a weekend filled with strong under card match-ups. I don’t need to do much of a hype paragraph so I’ll just dive right in. As always, all times are central.
Game of the Week:
Michigan vs Wisconsin
The stakes in this one are pretty clear: loser’s playoff hopes are about 99.99% over. It would be the second lost for both teams but even more troubling, the schedules are daunting. Wisconsin still has a trip to Happy Valley than a probable trip to the Big Ten title game. Even with winning that title game, there is a possibility the Badgers do so with three losses. Michigan still has that Nittany Lion team, the Bucks, and in-state rival Sparty. All of that is before any potential title game as well. So in summary: winner keeps title and “playoff” hopes alive, the loser has a nearly impossible mountain to climb for those goals. That’s big picture stuff. In reality this game was always going to be fun because of the competing strengths. Michigan’s rush defense currently sits at sixth in the nation for yards allowed per game. Wisconsin currently has the fourth best rushing attack in yards per game. Like they say, something has got to give. Of course Wisconsin’s rapidly thinning defense needs to hold up as well, but yeah, Jonathan Taylor against that defense – that is going to be fun.
- Saturday, 6:30 pm, ABC
Sleeper:
A very interesting game in Bloomington this weekend. For Iowa, they have the loss to Wisconsin but an easier schedule. For their slim west hopes, they need to take care of business in every game except maybe Penn State (in this scenario Iowa goes 7-2, Wisconsin 6-3). For the Hoosiers, they have a nice 4-2 mark but they still have some heavy hitters and road trips left on their schedule so picking up a victory at home against an Iowa team woefully thin at linebacker would do wonders for post-season aspirations. In terms of the Xs and Os, if Iowa’s offense plays like they did in Minneapolis, this could be a high scoring treat. A bit of the Big 12 in the Big 10 perhaps.
- Saturday, 11:00 am, ESPN2
Don’t Forget:
Obviously some of the shine of this game has diminished with Michigan State’s struggles and two first half losses but they could reverse their fortunes and finish the opening half of their season strong with a massive upset at Penn State. Wouldn’t be the first time, either. Just last season the Spartans upset Penn State’s apple cart with a big win. To play spoiler, MSU’s top ranked rushing defense will have to make Penn State one-dimensional but unlike last week where the back end was then shredded, the Spartans have got to limit the big plays. On the other sideline, Penn State just needs to take care of business from here on out and hope Ohio State trips up somewhere. The Lions are emerging as the second best team in the league but since Ohio State is in their rear-view mirror all they can do is win out and get some luck.
- Saturday, 2:30 pm, BTN
Snoozer:
Maryland has had some ups and downs offensively which has resulted in them being ranked just 59th in scoring. Upper half nationally, but nothing to get too psyched about. That number should be changing though because this week are the Knights. They are sitting at 109th in scoring defense with over 36 points per game dropped on them.
- Saturday, 11:00 am, BTN…or do something crazy like hop on the train, go into the city, and enjoy a rare-ish Saturday brunch. What’s nice is this advice is vague enough to work for New Jerseites heading into NYC and Marylanders going to DC.
Upset Watch:
Well we’ve reached that point where there are so many league games there is no longer any point of doing a right end or a wrong end distinction. For the rest of the way (until bowl season of course), the Upset Watch will feature just one game, unlike weeks one through four.
Honestly, there are two options and both games have already been talked about. Michigan State winning at Penn State would be a massive upset in terms of each team’s ranking (or lack thereof) and mess up on team’s title hopes. The other one is Wisconsin sitting as double digit dogs at Michigan. While not a big upset in relation to rankings or how the two programs have fared over the last few years but based on Vegas and the spread, it would be a saucy upset.
Elsewhere (Alphabetical Order):
Illinois vs Purdue – Two teams that would love to win this game. In fact, I’m really excited because of that extra push and nearly made this a spotlight game up for above. No, really, hear me out. If Purdue wins, they will have crawled all the way back from an 0-3 start to even their mark up and make thoughts about a second straight bowl something more realistic. For Illinois it would be, believe it or not, their fourth win. While they would still be underdogs for all their remaining games (except Nebraska perhaps) knocking the Boilers off the tracks would put the Illini tantalizingly close to a bowl.
- Saturday, 2:30 pm, FS1
Minnesota at Ohio State – Unfortunately for the Gophers, injury attrition has decimated their two strengths: rushing and defense. No longer having a reliable defense and heading to Columbus is a recipe for disaster.
- Saturday, 11:00 am, FS1
Nebraska at Northwestern – Ah the annual NU battle! This series is 3-4 since Nebraska joined the league and all have been pretty tight affairs. Northwestern would love to get to 3-1 in the Big Ten and keep some pressure on Wisconsin, not to mention get to 3-3 overall after a disastrous non conference slate. Obviously for the Huskers they are just trying to break through and get win number one in the Frost era.
- Saturday, 11:00 am, ABC
Random Musing:
What does Chris Ash bring to Rutgers University? Seriously. He was hired for having some impressive defensive teams but that defense gets worse every year. Despite a big buy out, how in the world can Rutgers bring him back?
Big Ten and Counting 