Will upstarts Indiana and Northwestern take control? Or will normalcy prevail with OSU and Badger wins?
In last week’s preview, we wrote: “The Big Ten continues to surprise: IU and Northwestern are undefeated, Penn State is winless, and Michigan is on the ropes.” Nothing changed on Saturday. It’s that way things are in the surprising Big Ten 2020.
On the week, we went 3.5-2.5 (split vote on NU-Purdue). Indiana, Wisconsin, and Nebraska gave us wins. We predicted the Gophers would rebound, but they didn’t. We thought the Scarlet Knights would be a safe bet against the Illini, but they weren’t.
Three games were blowouts (Iowa-Minnesota, IU-MSU, Wisconsin-Michigan). The only surprise was how easily Iowa won, running away from Minnesota in the second half. Many pundits thought the Gophers would contend for the Western Division crown. Now they’re fighting to stay out of the cellar. And Wisconsin didn’t miss a beat after sitting out two weeks with COVID issues. The Badgers looked as good against Michigan as the Wolverines looked bad.
On the nail-biting side of the ledger, Nebraska’s defense came through twice in the final moments to notch a one-TD home win against uber-struggling Penn State. ‘D’ was also the letter of the day for Northwestern. The Wildcats eked out a 7-point win against steadily-improving Purdue. Meanwhile, Isaiah Williams powered Illinois past Rutgers in what turned out to be a mystifying game. RU’s Noah Vendral had plenty of time to throw, yet he connected three times with guys in White and Orange. The senior, who looked terrific against Michigan State, has been anything but since. He has thrown seven interceptions in four games and is playing to a QBR of 35.6.
What’s in store this week?
With only three weeks left after this weekend, the winners of Saturday’s big divisional clashes will be favored to play in the B10 Championship Game. That said, there’s a little thing called ‘the schedule.” Even if OSU loses to IU, the Buckeyes have an easier schedule going forward. OSU will face Illinois, MSU, and Michigan, while IU has Maryland, Wisconsin, Purdue remaining. Likewise, stars in the West align with the Wisconsin-Northwestern winner. But, again, the forward schedule favors one team, the Wildcats. That’s because NU will face MSU, Minnesota, and Illinois. UW ends with Minnesota, Indiana, and Iowa.
Ranking the Conference, After Week 4
1-Ohio State (even without playing, still the clear #1)
2-Wisconsin (with no rust showing, Badgers toyed with the Wolverines)
3-Indiana (best IU team in 50 years…period)
4-Northwestern (impressive win v. a Boilers squad that’s better than some people think)
5-Iowa (suddenly looks like the old Hawkeyes, winning 84-14 over the last two weeks)
6-Purdue (played well against NU … and might have won had Moore played)
7-Maryland (didn’t play, but people are still talking about ‘that QB’)
8-Nebraska (finally won a big game!)
9-Penn State (OUCH! isn’t big enough)
10-Michigan (CODE RED in Ann Arbor)
11-Illinois (Illini showed heart and grit v. RU)
12-Minnesota (biggest disappointment this year, and now looks like it doesn’t want to play)
13-Rutgers (needed to beat Illinois, but threw away the game (literally)
14-Michigan State (Lombardi? Looked fine against RU and terrific v. Michigan, but pulled after 7 points total in the last two games)
Week 5 Games
FRIDAY NIGHT: Purdue at Minnesota (opened Purdue -2.5, Wed., -3): The Gophers have things to figure out, and time is running out. How to get QB Tanner Morgan back in form is one. But what about that defense? It gave up 235 rushing yards against Iowa. Purdue, on the other hand, looks strong. The Boilers hung with NU last week and beat Iowa in the season-opener. Purdue gets back in the win column.
