Penn St. (5-3, 3-2)

at Purdue (5-3, 2-2)Time: 11:00 a.m.Place: West Lafayette, Ind.Line: Penn State by 3TV: ABC

What’s at stake: While neither of these teams is contending for the Big Ten championship, each team still has a chance to play on New Year’s Day. A win would greatly improve those chances.

Overview: This game has the potential to be the best conference game of the week. While the only game featuring two Big Ten teams with winning records, the two teams feature drastically different styles of play. Purdue’s offense remains among the best in the nation despite only scoring three points last week against Wisconsin, while Penn State’s defense anchors the Nittany Lions. If last week’s matchup between Purdue’s offense and Wisconsin’s strong defense is a preview of what to expect this week, then give Penn State the advantage.

Illinois (1-3, 2-6) at No. 17 Wisc. (7-1, 4-1)

Time: 11:00 a.m.Place: Madison, Wis.Line: Wisconsin by 21TV: ESPN2

What’s at stake: Wisconsin still has an outside chance, albeit an unlikely one, at winning the Big Ten. Therefore, it cannot afford a loss, while Illinois can play the role of spoiler.

Overview: Wisconsin continues to climb up the national rankings, improving its position by eight spots since making its first appearance two weeks ago at No. 25. Last week’s defensive performance against offensive juggernaut Purdue answered any questions about whether the Badgers’ defense is as good as advertised. Illinois comes limping into this game having lost its last three games. Freshman quarterback Juice Williams has completed just 42.2 percent of his passes this season, which doesn’t bode well for Illinois against a stingy Badger defense.

Michigan St. (4-4, 1-3) at Indiana (4-4, 2-2)

Time: 11:00 a.m.

Place: Bloomington, Ind.Line: Michigan State by 7.5TV: ESPN Plus Regional

What’s at stake: Michigan State has a realistic chance to follow up a four-game losing streak with a two-game winning streak, while Indiana needs to get back to its winning ways after last week’s massacre at Ohio State.

Overview: Surprisingly, things are starting to look a little better for Michigan State. After having to play Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State in a four-week stretch, Michigan State was in jeopardy of losing five straight as it trailed Northwestern by 35. However, following the biggest comeback in Division I-A history, the Spartans now get to look forward to Indiana, Purdue and Minnesota in the coming three weeks. Indiana’s brief two-game winning streak came to an abrupt end last week against Ohio State, but the Hoosiers can continue their run as one of the biggest surprises in the Big Ten with a victory over Michigan State.

Northern Illinois (5-3) at Iowa (5-3, 2-3)

Time: 11:00 a.m.

Place: Iowa City, IowaLine: Iowa by 17.5TV: ESPNU

What’s at stake: With little chance of meeting its lofty preseason goals, Iowa still can salvage a decent year with a strong finish. For Northern Illinois, another bad day for Garrett Wolfe would all but end his Heisman chances.

Overview: Not many people would have guessed that Iowa would be in seventh place in the Big Ten after eight games, but that’s exactly where the Hawkeyes find themselves as they prepare to take on Northern Illinois. Having lost three of its last four Big Ten games, Iowa will get to see if a midseason non-conference game might help reverse its current direction. However, Northern Illinois might not be easy for the Hawkeyes, who must deal with phenom running back Garrett Wolfe, who leads the nation in rushing.

Minn. (3-5, 0-4) at No. 1 Ohio St. (8-0, 4-0)

Time: 2:30 p.m.Place: Columbus, OhioLine: Ohio State by 27TV: ABC

What’s at stake: Ohio State can get one step closer to its national championship aspirations, while Minnesota has a chance to make its first conference victory the biggest upset of the year.

Overview: For Ohio State, Minnesota represents the first of three consecutive games against the bottom three teams in the Big Ten, with games against Illinois and Northwestern to follow. There isn’t any evidence suggesting the Buckeyes might be vulnerable to an upset, having won their last three games against non-ranked teams by more than four touchdowns each. Minnesota barely squeaked by North Dakota State last week and remains winless in conference play.

Reach Michael Schlossberg at [email protected].