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The No. 13 (thanks CFP committee!) Wisconsin Badgers (6-2 overall, 3-2 B1G) are finally back at home after two straight road games (both losses) and a bye week. They will be playing the No. 18 Iowa Hawkeyes in a battle for the Heartland Trophy and also as a B1G West division elimination game.
The Badgers are favored by more than a touchdown but if history is to be learned from, this will be a close, agonizing game that will leave everyone unhappy. Unhappiness is Iowa’s greatest export and they’ll bring gallons of it to Madison on Saturday.
Here are the B1G West division standings heading into the weekend.
B1G West Division Standings 11/7/19
| Place | Team | Conference record | Overall record | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Team | Conference record | Overall record | Streak |
| 1 | Minnesota | 5-0 | 8-0 | W8 |
| 2 | Iowa | 3-2 | 6-2 | W2 |
| 3 | Wisconsin | 3-2 | 6-2 | L2 |
| 4 | Illinois | 3-3 | 5-4 | W3 |
| 5 | Nebraska | 2-4 | 4-5 | L3 |
| 6 | Purdue | 2-4 | 3-6 | W1 |
| 7 | Northwestern | 0-6 | 1-7 | L6 |
Not much changed from last week in the standings except that Purdue beat Nebraska and Illinois jumped the Huskers in the standings.
This week the premier game is Penn State at Minnesota. It has national, regional and hyper-local (for me) implications. It should be a fun and good game and strangely enough both Iowa and Wisconsin will be cheering for the same outcome.
Here is who we want to win each game in the B1G this week!
No. 4 Penn State at No. 17 Minnesota, 11 a.m. CT, ABC
I’m sure most people outside of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Iowa will be cheering for the plucky upstarts with an over-caffeinated PS4 Move controller for a coach BUT ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE DEAD WRONG!
The Badgers need Penn State to win. The Hawkeyes need Penn State to win. Everyone should want Penn State to win and I’m saying this as a person from Pennsylvania who ABHORS Penn State. Go Lions.
Purdue at Northwestern, 11 a.m. CT, BTN
Last year’s fraud B1G West champs are currently mired in one of the worst seasons in a CVS receipt’s list worth of bad seasons in NU history. They can’t score and they certainly can’t win. This game has no influence on any race except Northwestern’s race to the bottom of the FBS. Boiler up.
Illinois at Michigan State, 2:30 p.m. CT, FS1
The Illini still, mathematically, can win the B1G West division and having won three games in a row are probably feeling like they can do it on the field too. Michigan State is in shambles. All of their players are either entering the transfer portal or being declared ineligible due to steroid use. Tickets for the game can be had for $6. (Speaking of which, you can get tickets for the Wisconsin/Iowa game right here!)
The wheels are falling off in East Lansing, but hopefully they have enough left in the tank to end Illinois’ hopes of winning anything. Sparty on.
Maryland at No. 1 Ohio State, 11:00 a.m. CT, FOX
This game doesn’t do diddly for the B1G West division, but Maryland beating the team that pounded our team looks bad. Go Bucks.