Ahh, the bye week. The one week you get to catch up on the homework you didn’t do on previous Saturdays, finally go into Chicago or maybe even read that Jane Austen novel you just bought. Or, you could just watch this week’s slate of exciting and important Big Ten matchups, even if Northwestern is not included. So, with the Wildcats off, sit back, relax and scout the future competition.

Iowa @ Michigan St.
Against NU, Iowa showed that that they can run the ball and that Ricky Stanzi is not a bad quarterback. Iowa’s defense shut down Tyrell Sutton last week but will get a tougher test this week against Michigan St.’s Javon Ringer. Nonetheless, Iowa’s stout run defense is up to the challenge and will enable the Hawkeyes to pull of the road upset.
Hawkeyes 20 Spartans 17

Indiana @ Minnesota
The Gophers did what I expected last week against Ohio St.—they scored a few touchdowns but gave up a lot of points. To establish themselves as bowl contenders the Gophers will have to beat the Hoosiers. Indiana erased any doubt last week that they possess anything that even resembles a defense. This will be a major problem for them against Adam Weber and the Minnesota offense. Compounding their problems, Indiana is battling injuries. This should be a high scoring game, but I expect the Gophers to come out on top at home.
Gophers 38 Hoosiers 31

Penn St. @ Purdue
The Nittany Lions and their Spread HD looked very good last week against a ranked Illini team. Wide reciever Derrick Williams showed why he was so highly-touted coming out of high school, catching six passes for 75 yards. The Boilermakers, on the other hand, are sputtering right now after losing at Notre Dame. Curtis Painter is still one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten, so Purdue will put up points. But, I don’t see them stopping Penn St. enough to win.
Nittany Lions 42 Boilermakers 24

Illinois @ Michigan
This battle might develop into a nice rivalry now that Ron Zook has brought competitive football back to Champaign. The Wolverines made it clear last week that they are still a force to be reckoned with, especially at the Big House. However, their defense does not match up well against the sort of spread attack run by Juice Williams and Illinois. It is homecoming in Michigan, but Illinois will get their first conference victory.
Illini 30 Wolverines 21

#14 Ohio St. @ #18 Wisconsin
This is the Big Ten’s and perhaps the nation’s marquee game of the week. The Badgers choked last week at Michigan after completely dominating the first half. I doubt they can get their spirits back to beat a motivated Buckeye team trying to reestablish itself as one of the nation’s elites. If Ohio St. wins this weekend and Penn St. wins in Madison next weekend, it will lead to a very intriguing Ohio St.-Penn St. match-up for what will likely be the unofficial Big Ten championship. But, again, that involves the Badgers losing at home, something they have not done since Bret Bielema took over as head coach.
Buckeyes 27 Badgers 24

Last Week’s Record: 3-2