Big Ten Football Week 7 Breakdown
Last week was an exciting week in the Big Ten, highlighted by Nebraska’s comeback against the Buckeyes on the road. This week features a great in state rivalry and a rested Badgers team playing a weak opponent.
Lock of the Week: Indiana at Wisconsin
The Badgers have absolutely thrashed opponents this year on their way to a perfect 5-0 start. Their rushing attack has been one of the best in the business this season, with their pair of aces, Montee Ball and James White, leading the Badgers. However the biggest story for the Badgers has been their quarterback play. What do you get when you morph together two of the biggest athletic companies in the United States? Russell Wilson. He says it all for the Badgers and is playing like a Heisman candidate, completing 70 percent of his passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns against Nebraska. Is there any quarterback in college playing at a higher level than Wilson right now? On top of all that, the Badgers are next to impossible to beat at home, and hung 83 on the Hoosiers last year at Camp Randall.
Badgers 63 Indiana 17
Upset Alert! Purdue at Penn State
Penn State is off to an impressive start, record wise. They have mustered out five wins, to only one loss, which was against a high powered Crimson Tide team. However, Penn State does not look nearly as good as their record indicates, and the opposite is true for the Boilermakers. Purdue struggled early, but has really been picking up steam as of late. They are led by junior running Ralph Bolden, who is having a nice comeback season. He did struggle last week, only gaining 33 yards on the ground, but did reach pay dirt once. He will need to have a big game if Purdue wants to steal a victory in Happy Valley, which we all know is an extremely difficult place to play.
Game of the Week! Michigan at Michigan State
The Wolverines are off to a flawless start, but have been playing less than flawless football. The Spartans got tripped up early, getting smacked on the road by Notre Dame, but have been playing more solid football ever since. This in state clash not only means a great deal to each team, as it is a rivalry game, but also to the college football world, as both teams boast a top 25 national ranking. The spotlight will be shining bright on both quarterbacks, whose styles are in direct contrast. Denard Robinson is a speedy, dual threat quarterback. His accuracy and decision making skills are questioned at times, but his big play ability and superior athleticism is never questioned. Michigan State relies on the steady and professional hand of Kirk Cousins. Cousins is a supremely accurate quarterback and is a great leader. On the season Cousins has completed 67.8 percent of his passes for six touchdowns. However, he has also thrown an uncharacteristic four interceptions to date. He is certainly looking to have a bounce back game after throwing only one touchdown to two interceptions in the Spartans last game, despite coming up with the win. The Wolverines are leaning on a guy who is leading the conference in rushing yards and has thrown 10 touchdowns so far this season. However Robinson has also made a lot of mistakes, throwing nine interceptions. The Spartans running game is strong, led by the physical sophomore tailback Le’Veon Bell, who has rushed for six scores on an outstanding 5.1 yards per crack average. Michigan State will need to rely on this running game to keep the game low scoring, as they certainly do not want to get in a shootout with the Wolverines. Playing at home should be a big boost for the Spartans, but Denard Robinson will make enough big plays to overcome his mistakes and lead the Wolverines to a 7-0 star
Michigan 37 Michigan State 24
Best of the Rest!
Ohio State at Illinois
This game features two teams that are in unfamiliar territory with Illinois sitting pretty at 6-0, and OSU struggling at 3-3, including a 0-2 conference mark. Ohio State looked like they were going to continue the rude welcoming party the Badgers started giving Nebraska, but the Cornhuskers managed to make a comeback and win the game. The Buckeyes are trying to avoid a 0-3 start in the Big Ten and need this game badly. However, Illinois is looking to stay unbeaten and this is probably the best team they have faced all year. Illinois will continue to rely on sophomore quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase to carry them to victory. Watch for senior wide out A.J. Jenkins to continue his stellar season, already reeling in seven touchdown passes. This dangerous combination will need to continue for the Fighting Illini to continue their winning ways. Ohio State will be drowning if they start conference play with an abysmal 0-3 start.
Illinois 24 Ohio State 21
Northwestern at Iowa
This game pits two winless conference teams so one team will finally get that first conference victory out of the way this week. Northwestern has lost two games that they battled hard in, even if the final score did not reflect that, like last week’s loss to the Wolverines. Dan Persa has been outstanding for the Wildcats, completing 72.4 percent of his passes for 454 yards and four scores to only one interception, in his two starts. Iowa struggled to muster up anything offensively last week, putting up a lousy three points. They will certainly need a better offensive effort if they want to beat the Persa strong Wildcats in this contest.
Northwestern 27 Iowa 21
Game of the Week: 6-1
Lock of the Week: 7-0
