Quickly looking at the Big Ten Standings, one will notice that three teams, Penn State, Michigan State, and Ohio State all have one loss and a chance at the Big Ten Crown. Penn State controls its own destiny, a win this week against Indiana and next week against Michigan State and they are Rose Bowl bound. Ohio State needs one Penn State loss, while the Spartans need to beat Penn State next week and have Ohio State lose one of its last two.
Another intriguing storyline is the fact that BOTH Wisconsin and Illinois are 5-5 at this point in the season and still not bowl eligible. Each needs to win one more game to join the 6 others that are already bowl eligible for the Big Ten. This is the week before Trophy Week.
Northwestern at Michigan -
ESPN2 12pm - Even without starting quarterback Steven Threet, Michigan was able to pull off somewhat of an upset against Minnesota. Their defense really stepped up and shut down a potent attack of the Gophers. The Wildcats on the other hand got thrashed at the hands of the Buckeyes. In the past three games, the numbers offensively for the Wolverines have picked up and I think we are also finding out that Northwestern might not be as good as their record shows. It's hard for me to say this, but I am going with the Wolverines this week. I like the way the team is playing, Threet will be back but Sheridan will start. I think the Wildcats are hurting on defense, plus offensively they are on par with the Gophers. Michigan continues to build towards next year with their 4th win of the year.
Michigan 30-21
Indiana at Penn State -
Big Ten Network 12pm - The last time the Nittany Lions were 9-0 was in 1999, they lost to Minnesota on a last second field goal and also lost their next two games. They are hoping not to repeat that performance. Yes, their national title hopes went up in smoke, but they have a chance to win their second Big Ten title in four years with wins in the last two weeks. Indiana is a team that is just limping to the end of the season. Both quarterbacks Kellen Lewis and Ben Chappell are banged up. The Nittany Lions who were scoring 45 points per game earlier in the year have only scored 36 in their last two. They will exceed that out put in one game which will make for a huge game the following week against Michigan State.
Penn State 48-14
Ohio State at Illinois -
ESPN 12pm - At 5-5, the Illini need to win one of their last two to become bowl eligible, but even then, fans of this team have to be disappointed. Last year Illinois went to the Rose Bowl, and their season cuminated with a win in Ohio State. This season these teams are on two different tracks. Illinois is winning one week and losing the next. Last week they lost to Western Michigan which had to be a tough one to swallow. The Buckeyes, who struggled earlier in the season, are getting better week after week. Pryor is becoming more comfortable behind center and their defense in their last 4 games is only giving up 6.5 points per game. Ohio State remembers last year and is going to make Ron Zook's team pay, plus don't forget Ohio State is still trying to improve their resume' for a possible BCS Bowl bid. Buckeyes BIG.
Ohio State 40-10
Purdue at Iowa -
Big Ten Network 12pm - There are two stops left in the Joe Tiller Farewell Tour, first one is this week in Iowa. Last week we all saw the Hawkeyes upset Penn State and made me a believer in Shonn Greene. Greene has run for 1,374 yards so far this season and has yet to be held under 100 yards rushing for a game. It's no secret what Iowa will do, but the wildcard is Ricky Stanzi. Last week Stanzi looked poised and led his team down the field for the winning field goal. Like Iowa, Purdue has had spotty play by their quarterback. Curtiss Painter has not been half the quarterback they thought he would be, and Justin Siller had a down performance against Michigan State after a great game against Michigan. Against the Spartans, the Boilermakers allowed Ringer to run for over 120 yards. Expect Greene to do that and more. Iowa continues their winning streak.
Iowa 24-17
Minnesota at Wisconsin -
ABC 3:30pm - The Gophers were held to their lowest output of the season as they only had 188 yards of total offense and 6 points against the Michigan Wolverines in a loss. On the contrary, the Badgers had their highest offensive output scoring 55 points against...Indiana. As I said before, the Badgers need to win one of their last two to make a bowl while Minnesota is looking for the 8th win of the season, which would be 7 more than last year's total. I still believe in the Gophers offense even after last week's putrid output. Wisconsin has shown that they have trouble stopping teams with balance, and offensively they are very one dimensional with PJ Hill and John Clay running the ball. Plus I don't expect the Badgers to get an 185 yard rushing output from David Gilreath, who is a wide receiver, two weeks in a row. This game will be the best game of the week. But again, Wisconsin's lack of consistency at quarterback will lose them this game.
Minnesota 28-24
Last Week: 3-3 (.500)
Overall: 58-20 (.744)
