The Big Ten continues to surprise. IU and Northwestern are undefeated, Penn State is winless, and Michigan is on the ropes. Yowza!
‘Not for the faint of heart’ … that’s what handicapping the Big Ten is. We went 3-3 for the second straight week, lucky to break even. Maryland’s win in Happy Valley was our stymie.
The good news is that Week 3 offered some answers to four questions we posed last week.
–Could any of the previously winless teams (PSU, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota) get off the snide? Two did (Iowa and Minnesota), and two remain without a win (PSU and Illinois).
–Would Rutgers, Michigan State, and Maryland be more than ‘one-win wonders?’ Two remain (Rutgers and MSU), but one now seems remarkably adept (Maryland).
–Will the clock strike midnight for Indiana and Northwestern? Nope! IU and NU remain on top of their respective divisions as each team notched an impressive home win.
–Where’s Michigan in the mix? Mixed-up, we think, and possibly heading for the mixmaster. Judgment Day for Michigan may come this Saturday against Wisconsin. For UM, an undermanned secondary and undersized receiving corps are major problems, and quick fixes don’t seem likely.
This week kicks off early on Friday with Iowa at Minnesota. It’s a must-win for two teams vying for the Big Ten’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Award. The big question is: Which team will show up in Minneapolis?
The most intriguing game of the week–our Game of the Week–is Ohio State at Maryland. Can Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa engineer what Vegas sees as a certain OSU win (28-point spread)? But wait! UM looks to be more than a one-note team. The Terps’ offensive and defensive lines excelled against the Lions. Do the Buckeyes need to worry?
Meanwhile, division leaders Northwestern and Indiana are on the road this week. NW is at Purdue, and IU is at MSU. Easy wins both? Well, there are questions. Can Purdue do to the ‘Cats what they did to Iowa? And can the Spartans replicate their winning formula v. Michigan?
Ranking the Conference, After Week 3
1-Ohio State [previous rankings: 1, 1] (clear #1)
2-Indiana [4, 2] (toyed with Michigan)
3-Northwestern [5, 4] (impressive home win v. Huskers, continues moving up the chart)
4-Wisconsin [2, 3] (how many players will take the field on Saturday?)
5-Maryland [12, 11] (big jump after cruising by Lions on the road)
6-Minnesota [8, 10] (big story here is giving up only 14 points to Illini … but it was the Illini)
7-Iowa [9, 12] (looked like the old Hawkeyes against MSU)
8-Nebraska [10, 13] (looked good against NU–one pass away from a win–and with a new QB, no less)
9-Purdue [6, 9] (canceled weekend puts Boilers in limbo)
10-Penn State [7, 5] (benefit of the doubt is waning after losing two home games)
11-Rutgers [11, 8] (tough duty v, OSU)
12-Michigan [3, 7] (porous pass defense puts Blue in a state of hurt)
13-Michigan State [14, 6] (lifeless against Iowa)
14-Illinois [13, 14] (is there hope?)
Week 4 Games
Iowa at Minnesota (opened Iowa -3.5, Wed., -3.5): Last year, Minnesota was undefeated (9-0) as it made its way down to Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. There, Iowa did what rivals do, putting an end to the Gophers’ dream of an untarnished season. This time, Minnesota isn’t undefeated: it’s fighting to get into the West Division race. But to win against an Iowa defense that’s good at stopping the run, the Gophers will have to rely on more than running back Mohamed Ibrahim (571 yards on 97 attempts). That means Tanner Morgan will have to step up. We think he will. That prized pig goes to the rodent. ‘Floyd of Rosedale’ is back in Gophers’ claws.
Illinois at Rutgers (opened Rutgers -6, Wed., -5): Rutgers has something to build on after outscoring OSU in the second half of last week’s 49-27 loss. The Illini, on the other hand, are trying to figure out things. Going 2-2 may not mean much to some teams, but it would be a huge step forward for the Knights. Rutgers is the pick.
