After a season full of upsets (Iowa over Penn State), blowouts (Ohio State over NU), and instant classics (NU and Minnesota), the final week of the regular season is upon us. Since the Big Ten does not have a league championship game, this is the last game for most of the teams for over a month until bowl season—while for others it will be their last game until next year. There is still a lot to sort out at the top and middle of the conference with bowl bids up for grabs.

Michigan @ #10 Ohio St., 11 a.m., ABC
It has been a while since the outcome of this game looked so predetermined. With the Wolverines in the midst of their first ever eight-loss season and the Buckeyes aiming for the BCS, this game should be a blowout. Michigan had a big upset win over Minnesota two weeks ago that gave Michigan fans hope for a salvaged season, but losing last week to Northwestern showed that the offense will need a lot of work during the spring. Ohio St. beat down Illinois last Saturday and still has a chance at a tie for the Big Ten Championship. Terrelle Pryor and Chris “Beanie” Wells should have a field day against the rival Wolverines at home in Columbus. It will be a rough end to a long season for first-year head coach Rich Rodriguez.
Prediction: Buckeyes 48 Wolverines 17

Indiana @ Purdue, 11 a.m., ESPN2
This is the only Big Ten game this week that has absolutely no bowl game implications. The only storyline in this match-up is that it’s Purdue head coach Joe Tiller’s final game in West Lafayette. The long-time coach has had a disappointing final season but can salvage a little pride with a beat down on the Indiana Hoosiers—another team looking for lots of answers. After making a bowl in 2007, the Hoosiers took steps backward and returned to the bottom of the Big Ten this year. If the real Purdue spread offense we’ve all been used to in the Tiller era picks one game to show up, it should be this one as a nice farewell to their coach.
Prediction: Boilermakers 38 Hoosiers 20

Cal Poly @ Wisconsin, 11 a.m.
Lucky for the Badgers they have cream puff non-conference opponent Cal Poly waiting for them at the end of the season. The Badgers are bowl-eligible at 6-5 but should get an easy win on Saturday to move to 7-5 and gain a better bowl. Head Coach Bret Bielema vehemently defended his scheduling at Big Ten Media Day in July as he was forced to add Cal Poly when another opponent backed out. Because few people expected Michigan to perform well this season, Wisconsin becomes the most disappointing team after starting the year as one of the favorites to win the Big 10. While Cal Poly is 8-1, they are in the Great West conference, so their record doesn’t mean much. The Mustangs may be able to score some points to keep it close early but don’t expect the upset.
Prediction: Badgers 42 Mustangs 28

#15 Michigan St. @ #8 Penn St., 2:30 p.m., ABC
Big Ten fans have been waiting for this game for weeks as it will help determine the Big Ten champ. Replacing Michigan/Ohio St. as the game to watch in the last week of the season, the Spartans can still clinch a tie for the Big Ten championship with an upset over Penn St. This will not be an easy feat, however, as the Nittany Lions will have home-field advantage. Daryll Clark and the Penn St. offense should be licking their chops as they get ready to face a Spartan defense that is prone to giving up big plays. In order to score an upset, the Spartans will need to rely on quarterback Brian Hoyer to establish the passing game as the Nittany Lions will not let Javon Ringer run all over them like Shonn Greene of Iowa did in the Hawkeyes’ upset win two weeks ago. A Michigan St. upset along with an Ohio St. loss would send the Spartans to Pasadena, wrapping up a surprising and successful year. But Penn St. is too good at home, and their ‘Spread HD’ offense should have a big game on Saturday.
Prediction: Nittany Lions 31 Spartans 24

Iowa @ Minnesota, 6:00 p.m., Big Ten Network
Next to the battle of the states in Happy Valley, this game brings the most postseason implications to the table. A win or loss for either team will determine whether they get to play in one of the conference’s elite bowls. The Hawkeyes have a tremendous fan-base on their side, which gives them the chance to jump a team that has a better record. Minnesota, the surprise of the Big Ten this season, does not have that established fan base and needs a win to get to the Alamo Bowl. The Golden Gophers have lost three in a row, but should have star wide receiver Eric Decker back on Saturday night. The Hawkeyes, despite a slow start and an off season full of turmoil, have racked up big wins against Penn St. and Wisconsin. With a win, Iowa should be going to the Outback Bowl in Tampa—assuming the Big Ten gets 2 teams into the BCS. Shonn Greene should have success today against a Minnesota defense that gave up over 200 rushing yards to a quarterback a few weeks back. But Coach Tim Brewster will have the Golden Gophers hungry for this game and inspire the defense to replicate the success the unit had stopping the running game at the beginning of the year.
Prediction: Golden Gophers 24 Hawkeyes 20

Illinois @ Northwestern, 2:30 p.m., Big Ten Network
Before the season started, few would have thought this game would be a must-win for the Fighting Illini. At 5-6, Illinois needs a win to become bowl eligible and to avoid a disastrous plunge from Rose Bowl to no bowl. Illinois has the most talented players in the Big Ten with quarterback Juice Williams and wide receiver Arrelious Benn, but inconsistency has plagued Illinois all season. Losses to Western Michigan and Wisconsin show Illinois’ vulnerability. The Wildcats at 8-3 can end up anywhere from the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day in Tampa to the Insight Bowl in Tempe. Because of Northwestern’s small fanbase, they are usually jumped by teams with worse records but more alumni (ie: Iowa). If the offense performs the way they did in the 2nd half against Michigan, thanks to C.J. Bacher being back in form, Northwestern should send their seniors off with a victory. This is also the Battle for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk, a trophy the Cats had won 4 years in a row before losing to Illinois last season. It will be a big test for Mike Hankwitz’s highly improved defense as Illinois boasts the second-best scoring offense in the Big Ten. If the NU offense continues to open up the playbook and fully utilize the potential of Bacher and Mike Kafka, the Cats should be able to rack up enough points to stick with Illinois.
Prediction: Wildcats 34 Illini 31

Last Week’s Record: 5-0!
Season Record: 28-14

Big 10 bowl projections and some rules about the selection process:
The Capital One, Outback, Alamo and Champs Sports can select any eligible team except a team that has two fewer wins or two more losses than another eligible team. So the Capital One bowl could pick an 8-4 team over a 9-3 team but they cannot take a 7-5 team over a 9-3 team. Of course, the bowls only look at overall records (not conference records) and do not have to look at head-to-head matchups. They just pick the best team for their bowl game.
The Insight and Motor City Bowls have no restrictions, so they can take whatever teams are remaining (in other words, the Insight could take a 6-6 team over an 8-4 team).
However, no 7-5 or better Big Ten team can get pushed out of the Big Ten’s bowl lineup by a 6-6 team. In other words, if we have eight bowl-eligible teams and seven bowl spots, and one of the teams is 6-6, that 6-6 team cannot be picked by the Motor City Bowl and push a 7-5 team out of the Big Ten bowl lineup. But if the Big Ten has seven bowl-eligible teams and seven bowl spots, a 6-6 team could be picked by the Insight and push a 7-5 or better team down to the Motor City Bowl.

Now to the predictions…
Penn St.—Rose Bowl (Big Ten Champs)
Ohio St.—Fiesta Bowl (BCS at-large)
Michigan St.—Capital One Bowl
Iowa—Outback Bowl
Northwestern—Alamo Bowl
Wisconsin—Champs Sports Bowl
Minnesota—Insight Bowl