We’re less than a week away from the start of the B1G football season, so the conference finally got some love of ESPN’s College GameDay. The crew of analysts made their picks for Friday’s season opener between Illinois and Wisconsin, as Kirk Herbstreit gave his pick for the “under-the-radar” matchup in the conference.

Early in the show, Herbstreit said the “under-the-radar” game would be Iowa-Purdue, set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 24. The Hawkeyes are fresh off a 10-3 season but are ushering in a new quarterback to replace three-year starter Nate Stanley.

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Purdue struggled last season, finishing 4-8, but Rondale Moore is back at wide receiver and a ton of young guys got plenty of experience last season. Plus, head coach Jeff Brohm is 2-1 against Kirk Ferentz.

It could be an interesting early-season matchup in the B1G West race.

Later in the show, during the Saturday Selections segment, the College GameDay crew made their picks for the Friday, Oct. 23 showdown between Illinois and Wisconsin in Madison. It was unanimous:

  • Derrick Henry (guest picker): Wisconsin
  • David Pollack: Wisconsin
  • Desmond Howard: Wisconsin
  • Kirk Herbstreit: Wisconsin
  • Lee Corso: Wisconsin

Last season, Illinois pulled of the miraculous upset in Champaign, winning on a last-second field goal. The GameDay crew doesn’t believe that will be the case this year.