The newly anointed No. 1 Oregon Ducks will play host to the No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday. This might be the Big Ten's lone ranked matchup of the weekend, but the conference still offers a host of other exciting games. Let's break down the three Big Ten games besides the Ducks' that Oregon fans should have an eye on this weekend.
1. No. 4 Ohio State (5-1, 2-1) vs Nebraska (5-2, 2-2) - 9 AM on FOX
Coming off a bye, Ohio State has now had two weeks to sit with its loss at Autzen Stadium, meaning the Buckeyes will likely come with a vengeance in this game. They will be looking to prove that they still belong squarely in the middle of the Big Ten and national championship race. I expect head coach Ryan Day to come out swinging in this game, utilizing his big-time playmakers like Jeremiah Smith, Quinshon Judkins, and TreVeyon Henderson to put this game away before it ever really starts. With three undefeated teams left in the conference — Oregon, Indiana, and Penn State — Ohio State needs to win out if it wants its shot at revenge against the Ducks in Indianapolis. Nebraska is coming off a 56-7 stomping at Indiana, the first true stain on what had otherwise been a solid resume. The Cornhuskers' 5-2 record is their best start through seven games since 2016 — the last time they reached a bowl game — and the program seems headed in the right direction under new head coach Matt Rhule. I think last week's surprising result was more of a sign of Indiana's true talent rather than Nebraska's, but I would expect something similar this week against the Buckeyes — especially after their loss to the Ducks.
2. No. 13 Indiana (7-0, 4-0) vs Washington (4-3, 2-2) - 9 AM on Big Ten Network
As mentioned above, Indiana put an absolute beatdown on Nebraska last week, tying the school record for the largest margin of victory in a Big Ten game with a 49-0 win over Minnesota back in 1945. The narrative surrounding Curt Cignetti's Hoosiers entering last week was that they were untested. They handled that test with ease, and in return, will host ESPN's College Gameday for the first time since 2017. Indiana features the nation's top-scoring offense — averaging over 48 points per game — and has only scored under 40 once. The Hoosiers look like a legitimate playoff contender and could find themselves ranked inside the top 10 for the first time since 2020 with a win this week. Washington got a much-needed bye last week after a 40-16 loss at Iowa. Jedd Fisch has struggled to find much consistency in his first year in Seattle, as the Huskies haven't won consecutive games since the first two weeks of the season, and those came over Weber State and Eastern Michigan. Another loss would even their record at 4-4 and their schedule doesn't get any easier with upcoming road trips to No. 3 Penn State and No. 1 Oregon, meaning that the Huskies will likely need to beat both USC and UCLA to reach a bowl game this season.
3. Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1) vs No. 3 Penn State (6-0, 3-0) - 4:30 PM on NBC
Following week three's 42-10 loss to Alabama that saw starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke go down with a torn ACL, it looked like Wisconsin's season was headed in the wrong direction. But after losing their next game to USC, the Badgers have bounced back with three straight wins over Purdue, Rutgers, and Northwestern. While those teams are just a combined 2-10 in conference play, Wisconsin handled them with ease, outscoring them 117-16. During those games, the Badgers have relied heavily on their rushing attack, averaging over 245.0 yards per game on the ground. Quarterback Braedyn Locke has been able to use the threat of the run to find success off of play action, with nearly 40 percent of his yards coming after a run fake. Penn State was another team on bye last week after needing a 14-point comeback and overtime to beat USC in its last game. The star against the Trojans was tight end Tyler Warren who set a number of records with his 17-catch, 224-yard performance en route to being named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week along with Dillon Gabriel. The Nittany Lions will host Ohio State next week for their biggest game of the season and need to make sure they don't start looking ahead to that matchup before they've actually beaten the Badgers. Penn State is undefeated in conference play but has not been blowing opponents out with an average margin of victory of just 11 points, only the fifth-best mark in the Big Ten.
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