5 juiciest storylines in the Big Ten during Week 12
It’s the second-to-last week of the Big Ten season, and there’s still plenty to pay attention to Saturday in the conference’s seven showdowns. There are still games to win and — maybe even more importantly — reputations to repair.
Here are five juicy storylines in the Big Ten heading into Week 12:
1. Would a fifth loss by Northwestern be a bad look for Big Ten title game?
Northwestern already has clinched the Big Ten West, even with two weeks to go, and it has a shiny 6-1 record in the Big Ten. Shoot, they’ve even won 13 of their last 14 conference games. But because they have those three nonconference losses (Duke, Akron, Notre Dame), they’re a bit of a black eye from a national perspective. They just don’t look like a conference championship game participant. So with Saturday’s road trip to Minnesota, the Wildcats are actually 2-point underdogs. A fifth loss would look bad now and make the Dec. 1 title game against Michigan or Ohio State even worse. A Wildcats win would be good for everybody.
2. Michigan looks to stay healthy in final home game
Michigan is the last unbeaten in the Big Ten, and the Wolverines have won nine in a row since the season-opening loss to Notre Dame. Everything comes down to next week’s game at Ohio State, but there’s still this matter of beating Indiana Saturday in the final home game of the season. Indiana has been the conference big boys trouble all year, so it shouldn’t be a walk in the park. But Michigan has been playing at a high level for months, so it would be good to blow out Indiana early and get the starters to the bench as quickly as they can.
3. Ohio State needs a statement win prior to Michigan showdown
Ohio State still has just that one loss, so winning the Big Ten is still an option for the Buckeyes, as well. It’s been a rough month, though, and the Buckeyes have not looked good. A statement game Saturday against Maryland — like winning by 25 or more — would be good, especially considering the past month. There’s an ugly 29-point loss to Purdue in there, a narrow 5-point win over a seven-loss Nebraska team and some ugly offensive moments in the win against Michigan State. If this Ohio State team really is any good, mid-November is a good time to start showing it.
4. Can Nebraska continue erasing stink of 0-6 start?
After that awful start, Nebraska has won three of its last four games and now the Cornhuskers host Michigan State on Saturday in Lincoln. As painful as that losing streak was, winning some games now — and the only loss was still a solid performance at Ohio State — has helped everyone forget about all the early troubles. Winning Saturday against Michigan State, and maybe even against next week at Iowa — would make this the most successful 5-7 season in college football history.
5. Can Hawkeyes end their heartbreaking 3-game losing streak?
Speaking of struggling, its Struggle Central in Iowa City these days. Three straight losses to Penn State, Purdue and Northwestern have ruined what looked like a special season a month ago when the Hawkeyes were 6-1 and considered by some (hand raised) as the best team in the Big Ten West. Now that the Hawkeyes are just 6-4, getting a win at Illinois is sort of critical on Saturday. This isn’t a five-loss team, so getting a win matters big-time for how they are going to feel about this season.