Who is ready for some fireworks? Well you better get your butt ready for some fireworks. One massive game in Ann Arbor will help determine the race in the east and the national title chase. While not as big nationally, another giant game of importance will come to Champaign-Urbana as two western foes look to gain a leg up in that divisional race. All that and more in this action-packed weekend. As always, all times are central.
Game of the Week:
- Penn State at Michigan
#10 at #5…need I say more? Yes? Okay…well…Michigan is all but guaranteed a spot in the CFP for a second straight year if they go 13-0. Sitting at 6-0 and #5 in the country, they will be able to rack up league wins against PSU, OSU, whoever the (presumably) ranked west winner is all the while the Pac 12 is cannibalized, the ACC will be a one-bid (if any) league, and unfortunately for Oklahoma State, they are already slotted behind Michigan. Even if the SEC got two in, a 13-0 Michigan club would join them. Okay, what about Penn State? At #10 the same argument could be made minus the Okie State portion of it. Still, Penn State would boast road victories at Purdue, Michigan, and P5 Auburn, as well as knocking off OSU in this hypothetical. So…yeah…loser of this game is pretty much eliminated from the CFP chase while the winner is still in it. Still not convinced? What the hell is wrong with you? But okay, we have a fantastic quarterback challenge as the brand new UM starter J.J. McCarthy has 122 more yards and nine more completions than PSU’s Sean Clifford. They both have 9 TDs and Clifford has 2 picks to McCarthy’s 1. This is me saying that the two quarterbacks are essentially the same dude when passing the ball. Which defense will be able to assert itself and prevent these talented QBs from playing well? That’s why you got to watch!!!
- Saturday, 11:00 AM, Fox
Sleeper:
- Minnesota at Illinois
Illinois, Nebraska, and Purdue are all 2-1 in conference. Minnesota is 1-1 (bye week last week). If the Gopher’s drop this one they will be on the wrong side of tiebreakers versus Illinois AND Purdue, making their title hopes nearly exhausted. For Illinois, their preseason goals was making a bowl. Anything beyond that would be extremely delicious icing on an already delicious cake. Winning this game will push the Illini to 5-1 and make a bowl 99.99999% guaranteed (at Neb, MSU, Pur, at Michigan, at Northwestern left) but also make the icing of stealing the division a suddenly real prospect. How you ask? Well if they go 7-2 in league and their only losses are Michigan and Indiana, those are eastern teams, very little impact for the west. That record would also give the Illini tiebreakers over all the western team and every western team would also have at least two losses. As far as this actual match up and not just the race stuff, uhhhhh Chase Brown versus Mohamed Ibrahim. Simply put, the two best running backs in the division will battle in a brutally physical game.
- Saturday, 11:00 AM, BTN
Don’t Forget:
- Nebraska at Purdue
Despite a wretched start to the season that led to Scott Frost getting fired, Nebraska is 2-1 in the league. Purdue, a very popular sleeper pick to win the division, is also 2-1. Simply put, the winner of this game is in very good shape for a push to Indy over their final five league games. Both teams want to bounce back after ugly wins last week. Purdue scored 31 points but couldn’t run the ball at all against Maryland. As for the Cornhuskers they knocked off Rutgers just 14-13 in Piscataway. The offenses are supposed to be the bread and butter for these teams so both will be looking for more efficiency and (especially for Nebraska) more points.
- Saturday, 6:30 PM, BTN
Snoozer:
- NONE – this is a damn good week!
Upset Alert:
- Maryland at Indiana
Maryland is 4-2 and sitting pretty for a bowl game, especially if they win at Indiana. Everyone expects Maryland to win and Vegas has them as double digit favorites but…little old Indiana wants to make a bowl, too. They are 3-3. Pulling off this upset will get the Hoosiers to four wins with Rutgers, MSU, and their archrivals from West Lafayette left (as well as PSU and OSU) so this is a big one for IU. The fact that Indiana played so well against Michigan has to instill some confidence for them. The way Maryland choked against Purdue has to instill a small amount of doubt. Will those things be enough to tilt it towards the Hoosiers? I don’t think so, but crazier upsets have happened.
- Saturday, 2:30 PM, ESPN 2
Elsewhere (Alphabetical Order):
Wisconsin at Michigan State – Bucky looks for two straight wins under Jimmy Leonhard and add to further humiliation to Sparty. Mel Tucker’s defense has been about as useful as a mandator’s cape at stopping the bull and guess what, Wisconsin’s bull-like running game was back against hapless Northwestern. That bodes very, very well for the Badgers to get back to .500 in the league with only the Illinois loss really hurting them in the divisional race since their other loss was Ohio State. Don’t count these plucky Badgers out of crawling all the way back just yet. We need to see this new-look team against better teams that Northwestern to judge them. I’m not sure Michigan State fits the bill but on the 22nd is Purdue. Then we’ll know for sure.
- Saturday, 3:00 PM, Fox
Bye Week:
Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State, and Rutgers
Random Musing:
What is Iowa doing for their massive game next week against Ohio State? Well, based on the Iowa bye week pressers yesterday, Brian Ferentz is doing diddly-squat. T-minus one week to Iowa’s national tv humiliation.
Big Ten and Counting 