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The B1G is back, baby! Purdue plays in arguably the biggest game this week because it is the lone conference game, but all 14 members are in action. That means I am zipping through all of these games as quickly as possible.
Thursday
New Mexico State (0-1) at Minnesota (0-0) 7pm, BTN
The Gophers get the rare week 1 opponent who has already played a game. Because Wyoming plays at Hawaii this year they are allowed to schedule an extra game, so they called up the Aggies, perhaps the loneliest independent in all of college football. They didn’t look good in week 1, either, gaining only 135 yards of offense and only scoring with 1:16 left. Zack Annexstad gets his first career start against a defense that played well, but the NMSU offense is a turd. This could be ugly. Minnesota 21, New Mexico State 10
Northwestern (0-0) at Purdue (0-0) 8pm, ESPN
I am assuming Clayton Thorson is going to play. That gives Northwestern their best chance by far and they have been practicing quite a bit. They lose an all-timer of a running back in Justin Jackson. The thing is, we stopped Jackson last year and Thorson threw for nearly 300 yards in the win. They still only scored 23 points, and I think the Purdue offense can do better. We have a ton of momentum right now and we’re playing at home. I think it is going to be an electric atmosphere much like last year against Ohio. The crowd puts us over the top. Purdue 27, Northwestern 23
Friday
Utah State (0-0) at No. 11 Michigan State (0-0) 7pm, BTN
If you’re looking for a team that qualifies as “feisty” and might hang around for a little too long Utah State is one to keep an eye on. They are usually pretty spunky and they made a bowl game last season, losing the Arizona bowl to New Mexico State. Still, Michigan State should win easily. Michigan State 38, Utah State 13
Western Kentucky (0-0) at Wisconsin (0-0) 9pm, ESPN
Unfortunately, this is not Jeff Brohm’s Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers struggled to 6-7 last season and they couldn’t even beat Illinois. Wisconsin 52, Western Kentucky 10
Saturday
Oregon State (0-0) at No. 5 Ohio State (0-0) Noon, ABC
Yes, this is a Big Ten vs. Pac-12 matchup, but the Beavers were a dismal 1-11 last year, barely beating FCS Portland State 35-32. Portland State went 0-11. The Beavers were Hazell-level bad. Prepare the weepy sonata music for “how much adversity Ohio State has had to overcome this year” Ohio State 63, Oregon State 7
No. 23 Texas (0-0) vs. Maryland (0-0) Noon, FoxSports 1
Technically this is a neutral site game at FedEx Field, but it is basically a home game for the Terps after winning at Texas last year. On the one hand, the players deserve this win after a terrible offseason and as a tribute to Jordan McNair, on the other, the coaching staff should all be fired into the sun. Texas 27, Maryland 21
Kent State (0-0) at Illinois (0-0) Noon, BTN
The greatest mystery in college football has to be how Darrell Hazell won 10 games and nearly made a BCS bowl with perhaps the worst FBS program in America at Kent State. The Golden Flashes have that one 10-win season as one of two winning seasons since 1977 (they went 6-5 in 2001). I mean… there is no logic behind it at all. They were 2-10 last year and they played fellow 2-10 in the “BTN is contractually obligated to televise this” Bowl. Illinois 24, Kent State 6
Texas State (0-0) at Rutgers (0-0) Noon, BTN
Your choices in the noon slot on BTN are Illinois-Kent State, Texas State-Rutgers, or setting your TV on fire. Rutgers should at least win this one, as Texas State was a paltry 2-10 last season. Rutgers 38, Texas State 7
Appalachian State (0-0) at No. 10 Penn State (0-0) 3:30pm, BTN
Appalachian State in an unheralded game on BTN against a top 10 Big Ten team? What could go wrong? Trace McSorley is in line for a big season though and I just don’t see the Nittany Lions tripping up in this game. Penn State 45, Appalachian State 14
Northern Illinois (0-0) at Iowa (0-0) 3:30pm, BTN
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Both teams were 8-5 a year ago and Northern Illinois always seems to play Big Ten teams tough. They lost by just 7 at Ohio State in 2015 and beat Nebraska in 2017, Northwestern in 2014, Purdue in 2013, and Iowa in 2013 to go 4-1 in their last five against Big Ten teams. A 1-point Iowa win in 2012 prevented them from an undefeated season. Iowa 24, Northern Illinois 21
Indiana (0-0) at Florida International (0-0) 7pm, CBS Sports Network
This was supposed to be the fourth and final game of a four year double home-and-home for IU and the Golden Panthers, but a hurricane last year prevented FIU from making it to Bloomington. FIU went 8-5, however, and still made a bowl game. They are now in year 2 under Butch Davis and the strategy of building off of the scraps in Miami-Dade County is not a poor one. Indiana has its top running back suspended too. Florida International 27, Indiana 24
No. 14 Michigan (0-0) at No. 12 Notre Dame (0-0) 7:30pm, NBC
Isn’t the rest of America a loser for this game existing, as the winner will be overhyped going into week 2 and the loser’s fans will go into panic mode. My prediction? Neither of these teams finishes the season in the top 25. Michigan 17, Notre Dame 16
Akron (0-0) at Nebraska (0-0) 8pm, FOX
Akron was 7-7 a year ago, but lost by a combined 93-14 to Penn State and Iowa State as power 5 teams. It is also the beginning of the legendary Scott Frost era in Lincoln. They surely are not going to trip over game 1, right? Nebraska 31, Akron 17