The final traditional non-conference week sees thirteen clubs in action with several power five vs power five showdowns. Four clubs also hit the road. Safe to say we will learn a whole lot more about (some) of these teams shortly, including Michigan State with a monster trip out to Seattle. As always, times are central.
Game of the Week:
Michigan State at Washington
Former Hoosier quarterback Michael Penix Jr has back-to-back 300 yard games to start the season with six TDs to just 1 INT. It is safe to say he is healthy again. His electric play has guided UW to a 2-0 start but the opposition hasn’t exactly been stiff: Portland State and Kent State. Sparty meanwhile is 2-0 with a pair of MAC clubs downed in Western Michigan and Akron. Clearly this is the toughest test for both teams. For UW, so much Pac 12 North hype has been on Oregon that the Dubs have kind of been forgotten about. For Michigan State they want to match last year’s 10 wins and possibly build on it. For two teams with lingering question marks due to not playing anybody, this game will go a long, long way to answering some of those questions. MSU also has some injury issues and the curse of traveling west…but hey, Wazzu won at Madison last week so maybe that Pac 12 / Big Ten travel curse is done.
- Saturday, 6:30 PM, ABC
Sleeper:
Penn State at Auburn
The last time the Lions hit the road they had an epic back-and-forth game with Purdue. They followed that up with a dominating win over Ohio. I don’t think too much chatter has grown about Penn State cracking the OSU-Michigan expected dominance in the Big Ten East this year, but road wins at Purdue AND Jordan-Hare stadium might create some of that noise. As with all things Penn State, Sean Clifford is in the spotlight. How will he handle a SEC defense on the road? I know Auburn isn’t Alabama or Georgia, but it is still a power five road trip.
- Saturday, 2:30 PM, CBS
Don’t Forget:
Purdue at Syracuse
Another power five face off with the Big Ten team on the road. Syracuse has been a pleasant surprise with their 2-0 start but Louisville and Connecticut isn’t exactly a murderer’s row. The Orange have one of the nation’s premier running backs with Sean Tucker. As for Purdue they waxed Indiana State last week but are 0-1 against power five teams. Knocking off the Orange in the Carrier Generic Name Dome will go a long way for erasing some of that Penn State bitterness. We need to see this defense play sixty solid minutes against a power conference team to trust Purdue to breakthrough against Wisconsin or the increasingly scary Gophers.
- Saturday, 11:00 AM, ESPN2
Snoozer:
Connecticut at Michigan
For the second week in a row Michigan is slotted here. Pretty simple, Michigan is a really, really good team and UConn isn’t. Expect the Wolverines to have this well in hand by halftime.
- Saturday, 11:00 AM, ABC…or you could watch that Purdue game that I literally just wrote about.
Upset Watch:
Western Kentucky at Indiana
Tempted to put Iowa here but with our offense, every game is dicey! Instead we look to the Hoosiers. They are 2-0 but were outplayed in many ways by Illinois and then struggled with Idaho before pulling away late. Meanwhile WKU survived a pesky FCS rival Austin Peay before batting around the piñata that is Hawai’i. The Hilltoppers can score a boatload of points while the Hoosiers are kind of a plodding along team at the moment. WKU might be able to pop ’em in the mouth and steal this game.
- Saturday, 11:00 AM, BTN
Elsewhere (Alphabetical Order):
Colorado at Minnesota – The Buffs were not going to be good at all this year but they are shaping up to be the worst power conference team in the nation. The Gophers should obliterate this team by 4 or more touchdowns.
- Saturday, 2:30 pm, ESPN2
Nevada at Iowa – We all know the struggles Iowa’s offense has had to start the year but this is the easiest opponent Iowa will face to date. The Wolf Pack were blown out 55-41 by FCS Incarnate Word. If Iowa can’t score against this team and show a better coaching performance, stick a fork in ’em, they’re done. Although they might be done regardless with how some of the Big Ten clubs have already looked this year.
- Saturday, 6:30 PM, BTN
New Mexico State at Wisconsin – We’ve already seen the Aggies take on Minnesota and lose 38-0. The Gophers called off the dogs because they respect Jerry Kill’s time with the program. Wisconsin will have no such respect. This game will get ugly.
- Saturday, 2:30 pm, BTN
Oklahoma at Nebraska – Once a beloved rivalry game, Nebraska enters as cannon fodder with an interim coach as Frost has been shown the door. Sooners will get to decide when they score and how much to score as NU lacks the defensive chops to slow OU down.
- Saturday, 11:00 AM, Fox
Rutgers at Temple – The Owls have had a strange start to the season. Shutout by Duke, who might be a bit frisky for a bowl, and then struggled with FCS Lafayette in a win. Offensive line issues have Temple going with a faster release quarterback in E.J. Warner, Kurt Warner’s son. Meanwhile RU is 2-0 but has had some mighty offensive issues. Without Iowa’s struggles, I think a lot more eyes would be on RU’s lack of pop. Rutgers should win, but not scoring a lot of points is not an easy way to live.
- Saturday, 1:00 PM, ESPN+
SMU at Maryland – A pair of 2-0 clubs square off under the lights in College Park. The Ponies have gotten here with some stellar offense, hitting 48 and 45 points in their two games. UM’s offense has also looked strong, putting up 31 against a surprisingly game Buffalo team and then knocking Charlotte into next week with a 56 point showing. SMU has faced North Texas and Lamar so this is clearly the best team either club has faced. Should be a fun shootout, but I’m sure Maryland feels they have the talent advantage thanks to their recruiting efforts under coach Locksley.
- Saturday, 6:30 PM, FS1
Southern Illinois at Northwestern – After falling down big to Duke, NU clawed back some before losing by 8. They hope to start fast and blowout this FCS foe who is 0-2. Despite the poor start, Southern is still a well regarded FCS team this year and have a lot ofIllinois kids overlooked by Northwestern. They might have more to play for via the ‘chip on the shoulder’ effect so Northwestern better not get too cute. Run the ball, hold onto the rock, rely on being the deeper team and make this a physical game. NU should win, but it is also NU so expect really anything from the Cardiac Cats.
- Saturday, 11:00 AM, BTN
Toledo at Ohio State – Rockets are a popular pick to be in the MAC title game and are 2-0 after throttling Long Island and UMass but this is obviously a big step up in competition. Toledo could hang around for a bit but even if they do, I expect Ohio State to pull away and win this one going away.
- Saturday, 6:00 PM, Fox
Bye Week:
Illinois
Random Musing:
With Frost gone, who has the hottest seat in the league? I suppose Jeff Brohm might get some attention if they struggle this year to live up to expectations. James Franklin would be in the same boat if PSU struggles, too. I think Maryland will be too good this year to hurt Locksley. Perhaps Tom Allen, but Indiana is tough to win at and he has had success. There’s a real chance the lone Big Ten coach that was going to be fired this year has already been fired.
Big Ten and Counting 