There are a lot of great matchups in the Big Ten this weekend, both at the team level and at the individual level. From the morning tailgates in Bloomington through the crisp Ann Arbor evening and many points in between, it’s going to be a great Saturday in the conference.

October in the Big Ten. What a wonderful place.

Here are five guys to keep a close watch on this weekend, because they’ve all got a lot to prove in their individual matchups. These guys might be the difference between winning and losing this week. Here they are:

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Devin Bush, Michigan linebacker

Michigan is No. 1 in the country in total defense and Wisconsin has the best non-wishbone rushing attack in the country, led by running back Jonathan Taylor. Saturday night in primetime, every time Taylor runs left, Bush will try to be there to shut him down. Go right? Same thing. From sideline to sideline — and straight ahead up the middle — Bush will be chasing Taylor all night. There’s no bigger head-to-head showdown in a team game than this one.  If Michigan can keep the Wisconsin running game in check, it will win. It’s that simple.

Alex Hornibrook, Wisconsin quarterback

Wisconsin is going to need a balanced attack to have a chance at Michigan, and that means quarterback Alex Hornibrook will have to be on point. He hasn’t been great for much of this season, but he’s had his moments when they really matter the most. He was great in the fourth quarter at Iowa, completing all five of his passes on a game-winning drive. He might need to do the same thing Saturday night in Ann Arbor. Is he up for the challenge again?

Stevie Scott, Indiana running back

Indiana is primed to upset Iowa on Saturday, according the the Upset Alert expert here at Saturday Tradition. Stevie Scott might be a big reason why. He’s a big back who can pound people, and with Iowa’s defense banged up, it’s up to Indiana’s offense to score some points. Indiana scored points last week against Ohio State and at home, they should have a good chance to pull this off.

Clayton Thorson, Northwestern quarterback

Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson seems to finally be healthy. He’s thrown for more than 350 yards twice already this season, and it’s easy to forget that that Wildcats have won nine of their last 10 games in the Big Ten. But this week is interesting. Northwestern is hosting Nebraska Saturday, and the Cornhuskers still haven’t won a game this season. They are a desperate team, and desperate teams are always scary. Thorson will have to have another huge game to keep the Wildcats rolling.

T.J. Hockenson, Iowa tight end

Tight end Noah Fant is hurt and may not play Saturday, which takes away Iowa’s scary-good two tight end threat. If T.J. Hockenson has to go without his wing man, he’s really going to need to step, especially in critical situations in the red zone on Saturday against Indiana.