It is rivalry week! Sort of. It is kinda sorta secondary rivalry week with OSU and Michigan taking on those nuisances Penn State and Michigan State. Elsewhere Illinois gets back in action against an improved Nebraska squad and Iowa versus Northwestern will be a clown show in Iowa City. Fun times. All that and more this week. All times are central.
Game of the Week:
- Ohio State at Penn State
Stupid big noon kickoff on Fox means we don’t get a night whiteout game for this, but it is still a huge game for both teams. With Iowa, Wisconsin, MSU, and Minnesota all down compared to expectations Ohio State won’t have too many ranked foes when it is all said and done so if they were to lose this one but still win the league, their CFP resume would be a little shaky. So the Buckeye train needs to keep rolling. For Penn State they are trying to erase the bitter taste that Michigan left in their mouths when the Wolverines shelled ’em a few weeks back. Penn State’s path to Indy is dependent on winning this game then hoping OSU beats Michigan so while there is a shot, PSU is mostly playing for pride. Based on their last outings against ranked teams, Penn State has a lot to atone for but can erase those feelings with the massive upset here.
- Saturday, 11:00 AM, Fox
Sleeper:
- Michigan State at Michigan
I know it is cliché to say “throw the records out in a rivalry game” so I won’t because Michigan is really good and Michigan State is really stinky. So why is this potentially the second best game of the week? Well, the last time Sparty played they looked a little better in their takedown of Wisconsin. They have also had an extra week thanks to the bye to prepare for Michigan. Lastly they are playing with house money. They have no reason to hold back. It is a toss everything in type game. Every now and then those result in an upset. The opposite is true for Michigan, they have everything to lose in this one. If the game is close late, they might be the ones playing tight. You never know. Still, Michigan should roll. If these two teams played ten times this year, Michigan would easily win nine of them. It is that one in ten shot that could make for some compelling Saturday drama.
- Saturday, 6:30 PM, ABC
Don’t Forget:
- Illinois at Nebraska
The Illini are firmly in the driver’s seat of the Big Ten West. They boast tiebrakers over Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota (not that either of those teams will make a late push) and have one fewer loss than Purdue. If Illinois wins all their division games and drops all their crossover games, they’re in Indy. It is that simple: just don’t lose to divisional foes. That might be easier said than done though because this week they have 3-4 Nebraska who is playing better without Frost. They are 2-2 in league and hungry for a bowl push. Both teams are coming off the bye, too. So just like MSU, Nebraska has nothing to lose so should have plenty of new looks and wrinkles to throw out there. I’m expecting a fun game…and so are a lot of TV producers as this is the midday ABC game.
- Saturday, 2:30 PM, ABC
Snoozer:
- Northwestern at Iowa
The worst offense in America versus…1-6 Northwestern. Even my dad who hasn’t missed a home game in YEARS is staying away from this piece of crap.
- Saturday, 2:30 PM, ESPN2…Flip over to Illinois, that one will be way better.
Upset Alert:
- Illinois at Nebraska
As mentioned Nebraska isn’t the pushover they looked like a few weeks ago and Illinois is rolling. Despite their records and rankings, Vegas has this at just a 7.5 spread for a reason. I haven’t even mentioned that this is in Lincoln, too. Illinois hasn’t had a road game in three weeks. And that was at Madison with their late arriving and early leaving crowed once Illini started to beat them down. This will be a different animal.
Elsewhere (Alphabetical Order):
Rutgers at Minnesota – Two 4-3 teams with very different trends on the season. After getting ranked and sitting pretty at 4-0, the Gophers have been plagued by poor play, poor coaching, and terrible injuries. Now they are just trying to scratch out a bowl berth over their final five games. Rutgers started 3-0 then had a rough start to league play, dropping three straight. But last time out they looked better, taking down the Hoosiers. They, too are hoping to get to bowl eligibility over their last five games. Safe to say the winner of this one will be much more excited about those bowl prospects while the loser will be disappointed they let this one get away from them.
- Saturday, 1:30 PM, BTN
Bye Week:
Indiana, Maryland, Purdue, Wisconsin
Random Musing:
Iowa was ranked #2 in the nation a year ago. Then their coaching took a #2. And now their offense looks and smells like #2. Is bathroom humor really what it has come to when discussing my beloved Hawks? I guess so.
Big Ten and Counting 