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This week is mostly about bowl eligibility in the Big Ten. Northwestern has won the West. Michigan or Ohio State will win the East. Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Iowa are already eligible. Purdue, Minnesota, Indiana, and Maryland each need one win while Illinois needs two wins. Rutgers and Nebraska are already eliminated. It makes for an interesting week across the league.
#10 Ohio State (9-1, 6-1) at Maryland (5-5, 3-4) Noon, ABC
Maryland may have seen a bowl game go by the wayside with the loss at Indiana last week. They really needed that game with Ohio State and Penn State to finish. Of course, it is not like Ohio State has a history of blowing road games against unranked opponents this season. We wouldn’t know anything about that. The Buckeyes have at least recovered to keep their playoff hopes alive, and this should be just a speedbump for them. Ohio State 38, Maryland 20
#14 Penn State (7-3, 4-3) at Rutgers (1-9, 0-7) Noon, BTN
Hang in there, kids. We only have two more weeks of Rutgers. Penn State 45, Rutgers 10
#22 Northwestern (6-4, 6-1) at Minnesota (5-5, 2-5) Noon, BTN
Is there a bit of a letdown for Northwestern this week? They have absolutely nothing to play for until the Big Ten title game and Minnesota was certainly a lot better last week than many expected. The Gophers need either this game or they need to end their long streak against Wisconsin to make a bowl game. This one seems more likely, especially with a frozen kickoff time. Minnesota 24, Northwestern 20
Michigan State (6-4, 4-3) at Nebraska (3-7, 2-5) Noon, FOX
Michigan State was awful on offense last week. Nebraska has figured out a few things offensively. It is a good offense against a good defense, and as we learned with Purdue, that can go the Spartans’ way. Adrian Martinez is slowly coming into his own and next year will be one of the top quarterbacks in the league. This still should be MSU’s game. Michigan State 27, Nebraska 23
Iowa (6-4, 3-4) at Illinois (4-6, 2-5) 3:30pm, BTN
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Oh Iowa. Three weeks ago they were thinking Big Ten West titles and an outside shot at the playoff. Now they are trying to break a three-game losing streak. That is normally when Illinois is a welcome guest, but the Illini surprised the hell out of Minnesota two weeks ago. I don’t think they have that in them again, but we’ll see. Iowa 27, Illinois 17
Wisconsin (6-4, 4-3) at Purdue (5-5, 4-3)
I believe in Brohm. I think last week was an anomaly. I think it has been a tough week in practice for these guys and they want to send the seniors out on a positive note. Wisconsin has been very one-dimensional all year and if Hornbook is out they are even worse. Our own offense gets back on track this week and hits on a few big plays. The streak ends, and Purdue gets bowl game. Purdue 27, Wisconsin 21
Indiana (5-5, 2-5) at #4 Michigan (9-1, 7-0) 4pm, Fox Sports 1
Indiana has had a recent history of absolutely heartbreaking defeats at the hands of the Wolverines. How would they top themselves this year? Would they take a 28 point 3rd quarter lead and blow it? Would they keep it close and miss a field goal? What about a critical penalty? The answer is none of the above. The Wolverines are going to roll in this one. Michigan 49, Indiana 20