By Michael SchlossbergThe Daily Northwestern
No. 16 Wisc. (9-1, 6-1) at Iowa (6-4, 2-4)
Time: 11:05 a.m.Place: Iowa City, IowaLine: OffTV: ESPNWhat’s at stake: Wisconsin has an opportunity to enter double digits in the win column, while Iowa needs to win its final two games to avoid finishing with a losing conference record.
Overview: Iowa has done nothing but disappoint lately, with last week’s debacle against Northwestern representing the most recent Hawkeye blunder. Iowa currently sits in seventh place in the conference with just two weeks left in the season, and the Hawkeyes streak of four consecutive January bowl games is in serious jeopardy. For Wisconsin, with just Iowa and Buffalo left on its schedule, it’s starting to look more and more likely that the Badgers might finish the season 11-1 yet still end up in third place in the Big Ten.
Purdue (6-4, 3-3) at Illinois (2-8, 1-5)
Time: 11:00 a.m.Place: Champaign, Ill.Line: Illinois by 2TV: ESPN Plus RegionalWhat’s at stake: Illinois has an opportunity to snap a five-game losing streak during which it has played surprisingly well, while Purdue can maintain its chances of going to a semi-decent bowl game.
Overview: As ridiculous as it sounds, Illinois might very well be the best 2-8 team in the nation. During its current losing streak, Illinois has played each opponent tough and has had chances to win each game. In last week’s seven-point loss to No. 1 Ohio State, Illinois became the first team to come within 17 points of the Buckeyes. After forgetting how to score for the last two games, Purdue bounced back with a victory against Michigan State, but still hasn’t regained the offense it had earlier this year.
Minnesota (4-6, 1-5) at Mich. St. (4-6, 1-5)
Time: 11:00 a.m.Place: East Lansing, Mich.Line: Pick ’emTV: ESPNUWhat’s at stake: In this matchup of last place teams in the Big Ten, both teams are fighting for a chance to escape from the conference cellar.
Overview: Neither of these teams has much to play for at this point of the season. With each team having just one conference victory, Michigan State and Minnesota both had very different visions of how their seasons might turn out. Minnesota comes into this game on the heels of a 63-26 thrashing of Indiana last week, while Michigan State has lost six of its last seven games.
Temple (1-9) at Penn State (6-4, 4-3)
Time: 2:30 p.m.Place: University Park, Pa.Line: Penn State by 35TV: ESPN Plus LocalWhat’s at stake: Penn State has a very realistic chance of closing out its season with a pair of victories, but to do that, it must make sure it beats Temple. Fresh off snapping the nation’s longest losing streak, Temple is hoping that last week’s loss is not the start of another 20-gamer.
Overview: In the upcoming two weeks, Penn State gets to look at quite possibly the easiest finishing schedule in the conference. Temple had lost 20 games in a row, while Michigan State is a program currently in a state of disarray. Even if Joe Paterno is unable to return to the sidelines this week after fracturing his leg in last week’s game against Wisconsin, Penn State has to like its chances against a very weak Temple team.
No. 2 Mich. (10-0, 6-0) at Indiana (5-5, 3-3)
Time: 2:30 p.m.Place: Bloomington, Ind.Line: Michigan by 19TV: ESPNWhat’s at stake: Michigan hopes to avoid another upset scare in its final tune-up before Ohio State, while Indiana still needs one more victory to become bowl eligible.
Overview: Just in case Michigan was in need of a wake-up call, the Wolverines certainly got one last week against Ball State. Several Michigan players admitted to getting caught looking ahead to the Nov. 18 showdown against No. 1 Ohio State. For Indiana, with just Michigan and Purdue left on the schedule, the Hoosiers have just two chances left to pick up that important sixth victory to become bowl eligible for the first time since 1993.
Reach Michael Schlossberg at [email protected].
