Welcome to the home stretch dear readers. November has rolled in, the leaves are falling and the weather is…strange. It was in the 70s today in Chicago. That’s really weird. Maybe weird is what we need with four ranked vs unranked games this week. Could it be upsets galore or a blowout bonanza? Let’s break it all down. All times are central.
Game of the Week:
- Maryland at Wisconsin
I know there are games with more at stake in the divisional races but these two teams feel very evenly matched. UM a tad more reliable offensively and UW a tad more reliable defensively. For Wisconsin a win gets them to 5-4 and a great benchmark in their bowl hunt. For Maryland they can get win number seven and continue to improve their bowl selection. Lastly, who wouldn’t want to watch Braelon Allen and Taulia Tagovailoa square off? Count me in!
- Saturday, 11:00 AM, BTN
Sleeper:
- Iowa at Purdue
Hawkeyes return to their house of horrors that is Ross-Ade Stadium. This time they bring with them a killer defense and a lousy offense. Purdue boasts that talented offense so something has to give. For bowl purposes and all that jazz, Purdue can clinch a bowl with their sixth win and stay alive in the western race. For Iowa, stealing this road game would be victory number five, meaning they just need to finish 1-2 in their final three games to make a bowl.
- Saturday, 11:00 AM, FS1
Don’t Forget:
- Michigan State at Illinois
A potential shakeup in the Big Ten West or a massive step forward in the Big Ten West based on the sleeper game and this one. A Purdue win combined with an Illinois loss will do wonders for PU’s title hopes. On the flip side an Iowa win and an Illinois win puts the Illini in an incredible position. Even without all the divisional drama, Illinois’s incredibly efficient offense against Michigan State’s porous defense has me curiosity piqued.
- Saturday, 2:30 PM, ABC
Snoozer:
- Ohio State at Northwestern
The worst team in the league hosts the best team in the league. Alrighty then. Good luck, Wildcats.
- Saturday, 11:00 AM, ABC…Or watch literally any other 11 am kick.
Upset Alert:
- Penn State at Indiana
After a demoralizing fourth quarter against Ohio State…do the Buckeyes beat Penn State two weeks in a row? By that I mean, did the physicality and emotion of that game sap Penn State in a way that will see them come out flat against an inferior opponent? After the Michigan loss, Penn State had their best game of the year, so it is certainly possible the Hoosiers are about to get demolished, but out of the eastern race and with two losses, who knows, maybe Penn State will sleepwalk.
- Saturday, 2:30 PM, ABC
Elsewhere (Alphabetical Order):
Michigan at Rutgers – So we have the worst team in the league taking on Ohio State and possibly the second worst team squaring off with Michigan. And I thought the SEC gave their heavyweights late season cupcakes. With RU’s offensive woes, this game should be in mop up time by the third quarter. Oh, and why is this game primetime? How is this not flexed out by the Big Ten Network?
- Saturday, 6:30 PM, BTN
Minnesota at Nebraska – After a really poor stretch in the middle of the season, Minnesota re-gained some swagger against Rutgers. But…it was Rutgers. Traveling to Lincoln is a different beast than hosting the Knights. A win gets the Gophers to a bowl and keeps their faint divisional title hopes alive. A loss doesn’t end their bowl push but does make it much trickier since they will have to split their rivalry games with Wisconsin and Iowa. For Nebraska, bowl hopes are on life support and winning this one will be some good medicine. The problem is, with how poor they have looked in the trenches, how in the world will they stop Ibrahim and that Gopher rushing attack?
Bye Week:
No One
Random Musing:
I am winless in person at Ross-Ade. I’m not going this week. If Iowa wins does that mean I can no longer attend Iowa games? Hmmmm…
Big Ten and Counting 