We are back again for the Big Ten weekend preview.
Every week, I will “loosely” rank the B1G slate based on MY interest level and each game’s relevance to Wisconsin this year.
As you all know, last weekend was a bit underwhelming, but this week should have everyone locked in for the entire weekend.
Let's jump in:
1. Iowa at Penn State, 6:30 P.M. on CBS (Penn State -15)
Some of you may say, ‘Shouldn’t Ohio State be number one here’?
But, I feel this game matters the most for Wisconsin fans outside of their own game on Friday.
Iowa’s only other cross-over games with B1G east opponents are Michigan State and Rutgers.
Let’s just be honest, Iowa is Wisconsin’s biggest threat in the West and it would be helpful if they lost this one. The good news is that Brian Ferentz is still the OC at Iowa and even though they hung 41 points on Western Michigan last week, the Big Ten is a different animal and I have a feeling they aren’t going to score even half of his 25 points needed to meet his game quota.
This should be an interesting game to measure where Iowa is and how legit Penn State is in the East.
2. Ohio State at Notre Dame, 6:30 P.M. on NBC (Ohio State -3)
This is going to be a great game.
Ohio State beat Notre Dame in Columbus 21-10 last year. Both teams have different quarterbacks and are off to a 3-0 start. It should be a fantastic game.
A lot of people think Ryan Day may be on the hot seat this year if he doesn’t beat Michigan.
3. Wisconsin at Purdue, 6:00 P.M. Friday on FS1 (Wisconsin -5.5)
This should be a good game and you can find all of our coverage over on Bucky’s 5th Quarter.
4. Rutgers at Michigan, 11:00 A.M. on BTN (Michigan -24)
I am very interested to see if Rutgers is an improved football team this year and I think they have kind of already shown that they are improved since they are 3-0 and have looked decent in each win to this point.
But, Jim Harbaugh, conveniently, is back on the sidelines after his self-imposed suspension for their nonconference games. I think Michigan wins this by double digits but I wouldn’t be surprised if Rutgers kept it closer than the Vegas odds say.
Wisconsin plays Rutgers in a few weeks and they may be tougher out than we are anticipating.
5. Maryland at Michigan State, 2:30 PM on NBC (Maryland -7.5)
Formerly, this would’ve been the battle for fourth place in the east, but I am not sure this year that’ll happen for Michigan State.
I have no idea if this will actually be a good game. Maryland has dug themselves a hole to start its last two games. I just don’t think Michigan State is going to be able to overcome all of their off-the-field issues at any point this year.
Probably not with your time on Saturday afternoon unless you are a B1G sicko.
6. Minnesota at Northwestern, 6:30 P.M. on BTN (Minnesota -11)
We love Northwestern in this spot. Everyone knows that weird stuff happens at Ryan Field.
I’m not sure that it applies if they are kicking off at 6:30 P.M. instead of 11:00 A.M., but I am still interested to see if Minnesota is able to bounce back and beat Northwestern the way they should.
Northwestern is not good, but I still feel like they have a chance for some reason and I would love to see the Gophers drop two in a row.
7. Florida Atlantic at Illinois, 2:30 P.M. on BTN (Illinois -15.5)
I was wrong about Luke Altmyer and I apologize about that.
He tricked me into thinking he could carry Illinois to compete for the West but after last week and after how poorly they played against Penn State, I am not sure this team is anything more than a six or seven-win team.
They should be able to take care of Florida Atlantic but who knows, maybe this is one to keep an eye on.
8. Louisiana Tech at Nebraska, 2:30 P.M. on BTN (Nebraska -21)
Yuck.
There really isn’t a single B1G game that is interesting this week and this one is no exception. This might be a good time to point out that Colorado plays Oregon on ABC during this window.
Anyway, Nebraska should win this one with no issues. An unremarkable game.
9. Akron at Indiana, 6:30 P.M. on BTN (Indiana -17)
I really don’t know where Indiana stacks up this year. Maybe they will win a few B1G games but they are likely a five-win team.
Still, They should take care of Akron.
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