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Week 9 got off to a rousing start with a good Friday night game between Minnesota and Indiana, and the first upset of the week is in the books after the Gophers’ 38-31 win.
Will there be more today? It sure looks like there are plenty of options for that to happy.
Here are five juicy storylines this weekend in Week 9:
1. Can Penn State actually lose 3 straight home games?
The Nittany Lions have lost back-to-back home games to Ohio State and Michigan State, and now they face a tough Iowa team that’s been on a roll. Both losses were very close and Penn State could make the argument that it should still be undefeated. This is a must-win game, especially with a date with Michigan looming next week. What’s been different this year is that the Nittany Lions have not done much in the fourth quarter of these two losses. This is going to be a 60-minute game, so Penn State needs to change that trend and score some points late. If not, there’ll be some howling going on in Happy Valley.
2. Can Iowa keep grinding out long drives?
Iowa’s defense has been great all year, and the offense has been mostly good, especially lately. One thing the Hawkeyes do really well is keep drives going. They convert an average of 49 percent of its third-down attempts. Penn State’s defense has to be ready to force some three-and-out and keep the time of possession pretty even. They could still be a bit worn out after bein on the field for 100 snaps last week against Indiana.
3. Backup quarterbacks in the spotlight
Wisconsin and Michigan State have both been struggling on offense, and there’s a very good chance both teams will have to go with backup quarterbacks on Saturday with starters Alex Hornibrook and Brian Lewerke both banged up. Both teams have critical games, with Michigan State hosting red-hot Purdue and Wisconsin facing Northwestern in Evanston. Rocky Lombardi (Michigan State) and Jack Coan (Wisconsin) have never started a college game, so it’s going to be interesting to see how they play as slight favorites.
4. Purdue catches a break, so jump on it
After beating No. 2 Ohio State last week, Purdue has now won four games in a row and is in serious contention in the Big Ten West. They get a huge break with Michigan State so banged up at several positions, and now they need to take advantage of it and steal a win in East Lansing. David Blough has thrown 13 touchdowns passes the past five teams, and he needs to keep it up.
5. Ditto for Northwestern against Wisconsin
The Wildcats get the same break Saturday against Wisconsin, playing against a backup quarterback. That’s a huge bonus, but Northwestern has been wildly unpredictable all year. Even in beating Rutgers last week, the game still came down to the wire against the worst team in the league. Clayton Thorson needs to have a huge game against the Wisconsin defense that’s a little banged up too. Steal a win at home, and stay in the Big Ten West lead with that one loss.
Tom Brew has been a recognized reporter in Big Ten sports for decades. Among other projects, he writes about Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.