Here. We. Go. The first of those three massive eastern division clashes with Penn State heading to the Shoe to take on those Buckeyes for a primetime….whaaaaa? Oh, its Big Noon on Fox. Booooooo! Also Floyd of Rosedale on the line in Iowa City, Rutgers looks to get bowl eligible, and the NUs face off with the winner improving to 4-3. Let’s do it! All times are central.
Game of the Week:
- Penn State at Ohio State
Two undefeated teams enter and only one can win. For the winner: massive head-to-head tiebreaker in their back pocket come league title game race. For the looser: massive catch-up and some help needed. For the winner: one step closer to the CFP. For the looser: how can we salvage the season? When you have two teams with such lofty expectations squaring off, expect a doozy—but unpredictable. Sometimes both teams are landing punches, sometimes both teams are tight and it becomes a defensive struggle, and sometimes…the worst thing happens…a team gets exposed. Ohio State has dipped their toes in some *gasp* Tressel-ball waters, relying on defense in a way they haven’t for a while due to the offense being good—enough, but not the type of scoring machine like we are used to. For Penn State the defense has been as advertised with two shutouts this year but if this turns into a track meet, do they have the big play ability? They’ve been methodical and efficient this year but sometimes in games like this you need to score in a hurry and bust open a big play or two.
- Saturday, 11:00 AM, Fox
Sleeper GOTW:
- Minnesota at Iowa
Well…it won’t be pretty…but it is a rivalry game with divisional title race implications. Obviously the question every week is: can Iowa score enough to win? Expect Iowa’s defense to be as stout as ever and hold the Gophers to a couple touchdowns or less. Can Iowa match that? Tune in to find out on the Bri-ball roulette wheel.
- Saturday, 2:30 PM, NBC
Don’t Forget:
- Nebraska at Northwestern
A pair of 3-3 teams square off each hungry for wins in two potential bowl seasons…which would be amazing. For Nebraska, they haven’t gone bowling since 2016 but Matt Rhule has already raised the level of play over the Frost era. As for Northwestern…well…I don’t think any of us expected this. Their roster was pretty low on talent even before the Fitz saga over the summer. Whoever wins this gets to their fourth win and is just two victories away from a very, very sweet postseason trip. Even more incredible is with the craziness (or awfulness) of the Big Ten West, whoever wins is even still a threat to win the division.
- Saturday, 2:30 PM, BTN
Snoozer:
- Michigan at Michigan State
Normally an intriguing rivalry game but a dismal affair this year due to the Spartans being god-awful. This will not be a memorable chapter in the annals of this rivalry.
- Saturday, 6:30 PM, NBC…primetime? Yeesh. NBC paid for this??
Upset Watch:
- Indiana at Rutgers
Rutgers enters as a favorite…and not just a small favorite…they are 6.5 point favorites. A win also gets them to six wins and locking down a bowl. This is rather uncharted waters for Rutgers since joining the Big Ten. A big part of this is RU’s offense is improved but it still isn’t the scariest thing out there. It wouldn’t surprise me for Indiana to hang around a little bit. Will that then make RU tight enough to falter? Maybe…thus the upset watch. Think of it as a courteous warning for Rutgers.
- Saturday, 11:00 AM, BTN
Elsewhere (Alphabetical Order):
Wisconsin at Illinois – The Illini are coming off their best game of the year: an upset victory over Maryland. Wisconsin is coming off their worst game of the year: a slog against Iowa that saw Tanner Mordecai break his hand. Do either of those outcomes predict anything for this one? I think it does. I think Illinois is better now than their rough start would indicated and obviously Wisconsin is seeing injuries rapidly mounting. Have the two teams evolved enough since week one to tip the scales and have me picking Illinois to win? No. But I do think they’ll compete.
- Saturday, 2:30 PM, FS1
Bye Week:
Maryland, Purdue
Random Musing:
PIG WEEK. That is all.
Big Ten and Counting 