The Big Ten West takes center stage as both Iowa and Wisconsin have challenging road trips and Purdue also looks to stay red hot with, you guessed it, a tricky road tango. Also adding to the feeling of a western-heavy weekend are mighty Michigan, stung Ohio State, and woeful Rutgers each enjoy their bye weeks. Finally, we haven’t had one for a while, but there is a game on Friday. It will be highlighted like THIS, so you don’t miss it. As always, times are central.
Game of the Week:
Iowa at Penn State
The only battle of ranked teams has the spoiler slipper on a different team in 2018. What do I mean by that? Well, Penn State are home favorites by Vegas and the ‘ol FPI gives them a 73.6% chance at winning so the Lions winning at home isn’t an upset in the traditional sense but would play spoiler in that Iowa has everything to play for. Iowa is the team peaking at the right time. Iowa is the team with the better record. Iowa is the team that can still win their division. So yeah, Penn State can dash a lot of hopes on Saturday. For Iowa the defense has been outstanding but there are still some concerns in the LB group and the secondary. While the Lions haven’t lived up to the hype, they still have a fantastic quarterback in Trace McSorley so slowing him down at all in Happy Valley would be one heck of a measuring stick moment for the Hawks.
- Saturday, 2:30 pm, ESPN
Sleeper:
Fun fact, Northwestern is atop the western standings. Sure Wisconsin gets all the buzz and Iowa is playing solid ball right now while NU is struggling to beat Nebraska and Rutgers but the fact is, NU is 4-1 in league and atop the standings. Northwestern is, like most years, a goofy team. Their offense has been hit hard by injuries, one resulting in a player retirement, but the defense is keeping them in games they shouldn’t – exhibit a, Michigan. Meanwhile, when things do work offensively, they can really look impressive – exhibit b, Michigan State. All this adds up to a tough trip for Wisconsin because when the Badgers become dangerously one-dimensional, they become beatable.
- Saturday, 11:00 am, Fox
Don’t Forget:
Two weeks ago Sparty was the toast of the town with a big win at Penn State and now Purdue is everyone’s darling with the upset win over Ohio State. Michigan State’s PSU momentum was stalled against the Wolverine D…does Dantonio’s crew have that potential to stall Purdue? That’s why this is going to be a fun one. Offensively, there is no contest. Purdue is faster, more explosive, healthier, and just flat out better. The Spartan defense is no joke though. Some of the stuff that came so easily against Ohio State might not be there this time as MSU’s defense is more disciplined with roles and assignments than Ohio State’s 11-man hero ball style. Oh by the way, the winner of this game is also practically a lock for a bowl. If MSU wins they will be 5-3 with Maryland and Rutgers remaining. If Purdue wins they will be 5-3 with Minnesota and Indiana remaining, not to mention getting both Iowa and Wisconsin in West Lafayette where the fans are fired up in a way I haven’t seen since Joe Tiller was stomping the sidelines.
- Saturday, 11:00 am, ESPN
Snoozer:
I realize the Akron game was canned so the Huskers looked everywhere they could for a twelfth game but extenuating circumstances still don’t give NU a pass from the snoozer spot when facing a FCS foe.
- Saturday, 11:00 am, BTN…Or sleep in and get a Runza. You know that’s what you want to do Nebraskans.
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.
As I mentioned earlier, Northwestern is atop the standings in the west. Wisconsin is right there at 3-1 but if the Cats pull off the upset and get to 5-1 and Wisconsin slides to 3-2, the Badgers will be a world of hurt. Not only would Wisconsin need to win out – not a guarantee with Purdue and Penn State still ahead – but UW would need Northwestern to lose two more times to overcome the head-to-head tiebreaker. So, yeah, an upset in Evanston will make the divisional race in the west mighty, mighty interesting over the final month of the season.
Elsewhere (Alphabetical Order):
Illinois at Maryland – Two teams desperate for a win meet in College Park. UM’s bowl hopes looked great with a 3-1 start but with a 1-2 mark the last three weeks, Maryland can ill afford to drop a home game to the struggling Illini. On the other side of the field, Illinois got their record to 3-2 before back-to-back blowouts. Slipping to 3-5 will most likely end any bowl dreams for Lovie’s crew. As for the X’s and O’s this one is rather simple: both teams love to run but have had mixed results at stopping it. There’s a chance this game is done in about an hour with so much rushing.
- Saturday, 2:30, BTN
Indiana at Minnesota – Hey look, two more teams desperate for a win. The Gophers have dropped four in a row and are one of just two teams without a league win but they face two more manageable foes this week and next so while it is doubtful, bowl hopes are not extinguished yet. Hoosiers have lost three in a row but they face two more manageable foes this week and next so they can take care of business and get to 6-4 before heading to Ann Arbor in the penultimate game. To me, Indiana is a more consistent team right now so this comes down to Minnesota’s D. If it is on like it was against Ohio State, Gophers can pull off the win at home. If it is getting shredded like it did against Iowa and Nebraska, then Indiana will win in a cakewalk.
- Friday, 7:00 pm, FS1
Random Musing:
Illinois and Maryland meet for the first time in either program’s history. I give it two years before the Big Ten adds a trophy to the game.
Big Ten and Counting 