Power Ranking the 2012 Big Ten Football Schedules
Which Big Ten team has the strongest schedule in 2012, and how much does that matter?
Some argue it matters quite a bit. Due to the BCS rules, the Michigan Wolverines were almost kept out of a BCS bowl game in 2011 because strength of schedule left them struggling to get into the top 14 in the final BCS poll.
This year, with out-of-conference games against Notre Dame and Alabama, Michigan shouldn't have that problem.
What of the other Big Ten teams? Which teams will have the "easiest" road to the conference championship, and which teams really have to earn it?
The reference to "missing" concerns the conference teams that said team will not meet this season.
12. Indiana Hoosiers
1 of 1209/01: Indiana State Sycamores
09/08: At Massachusetts Minutemen
09/15: Ball State Cardinals
09/22: OPEN
09/29: At Northwestern Wildcats
10/06: Michigan State Spartans
10/13: Ohio State Buckeyes
10/20: At Navy Midshipmen
10/27: At Illinois Fighting Illini
11/03: Iowa Hawkeyes
11/10: Wisconsin Badgers
11/17: At Penn State Nittany Lions
11/24: At Purdue Boilermakers
Missing: Michigan, Nebraska and Minnesota
11. Iowa Hawkeyes
2 of 1209/01: Northern Illinois Huskies at Soldier Field, Chicago
09/08: Iowa State Cyclones
09/15: Northern Iowa Panthers (FCS)
09/22: Central Michigan Chippewas
09/29: Minnesota Golden Gophers
10/06: OPEN
10/13: At Michigan State Spartans
10/20: Penn State Nittany Lions
10/27: At Northwestern Wildcats
11/03: At Indiana Hoosiers
11/10: Purdue Boilermakers
11/17: At Michigan Wolverines
11/23: Nebraska Cornhuskers
Missing: Wisconsin, Ohio State and Illinois
10. Illinois Fighting Illini
3 of 1209/01: Western Michigan Broncos
09/08: At Arizona State Sun Devils
09/15: Charleston Southern Buccaneers (FCS)
09/22: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
09/29: Penn State Nittany Lions
10/06: At Wisconsin Badgers
10/13: At Michigan Wolverines
10/20: OPEN
10/27: Indiana Hoosiers
11/03: At Ohio State Buckeyes
11/10: Minnesota Golden Gophers
11/17: Purdue Boilermakers
11/24: At Northwestern Wildcats
Missing: Iowa, Michigan State and Nebraska
9. Penn State Nittany Lions
4 of 1209/01: Ohio Bobcats
09/08: At Virginia Cavaliers
09/15: Navy Midshipmen
09/22: Temple Owls
09/29: At Illinois Fighting Illini
10/06: Northwestern Wildcats
10/13: OPEN
10/20: At Iowa Hawkeyes
10/27: Ohio State Buckeyes
11/03: At Purdue Boilermakers
11/10: At Nebraska Cornhuskers
11/17: Indiana Hoosiers
11/24: Wisconsin Badgers
Missing: Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota
8. Minnesota Golden Gophers
5 of 1208/30: At UNLV Rebels
09/08: New Hampshire Wildcats (FCS)
09/15: Western Michigan Broncos
09/22: Syracuse Orange
09/29: At Iowa Hawkeyes
10/06: OPEN
10/13: Northwestern Wildcats
10/20: At Wisconsin Badgers
10/27: Purdue Boilermakers
11/03: Michigan Wolverines
11/10: At Illinois Fighting Illini
11/17: At Nebraska Cornhuskers
11/24: Michigan State Spartans
Missing: Ohio State, Indiana and Penn State
7. Wisconsin Badgers
6 of 1209/01: Northern Iowa Panthers
09/08: At Oregon State Beavers
09/15: Utah State Aggies
09/22: Texas-El Paso Miners
09/29: At Nebraska Cornhuskers
10/06: Illinois Fighting Illini
10/13: At Purdue Boilermakers
10/20: Minnesota Golden Gophers
10/27: Michigan State Spartans
11/03: OPEN
11/10: At Indiana Hoosiers
11/17: Ohio State Buckeyes
11/24: At Penn State Nittany Lions
Missing: Michigan, Northwestern and Iowa
6. Purdue Boilermakers
7 of 1209/01: Eastern Kentucky Colonels (FCS)
09/08: At Notre Dame Fighting Irish
09/15: Eastern Michigan Eagles
09/22: OPEN
09/29: Marshall Thundering Herd
10/06: Michigan Wolverines
10/13: Wisconsin Badgers
10/20: At Ohio State Buckeyes
10/27: At Minnesota Golden Gophers
11/03: Penn State Nittany Lions
11/10: At Iowa Hawkeyes
11/17: At Illinois Fighting Illini
11/24: Indiana Hoosiers
Missing: Michigan State, Northwestern and Nebraska
5. Northwestern Wildcats
8 of 1209/01: At Syracuse Orange
09/08: Vanderbilt Commodores
09/15: Boston College Eagles
09/22: South Dakota Coyotes (FCS)
09/29: Indiana Hoosiers
10/06: At Penn State Nittany Lions
10/13: At Minnesota Golden Gophers
10/20: Nebraska Cornhuskers
10/27: Iowa Hawkeyes
11/03: OPEN
11/10: At Michigan Wolverines
11/17: At Michigan State Spartans
11/24: Illinois Fighting Illini
Missing: Ohio State, Wisconsin and Purdue
4. Nebraska Cornhuskers
9 of 1209/01: Southern Miss Golden Eagles
09/08: At UCLA Bruins
09/15: Arkansas State Red Wolves
09/22: Idaho State Bengals (FCS)
09/29: Wisconsin Badgers
10/03: At Ohio State Buckeyes
10/13: OPEN
10/20: At Northwestern Wildcats
10/27: Michigan Wolverines
11/03: At Michigan State Spartans
11/10: Penn State Nittany Lions
11/17: Minnesota Golden Gophers
11/23: At Iowa Hawkeyes
Missing: Illinois, Purdue and Indiana
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
10 of 1209/01: Miami (OH) RedHawks
09/08: Central Florida Knights
09/15: California Golden Bears
09/22: Alabama-Birmingham Blazers
09/29: At Michigan State Spartans
10/06: Nebraska Cornhuskers
10/13: At Indiana Hoosiers
10/20: Purdue Boilermakers
10/27: At Penn State Nittany Lions
11/03: Illinois Fighting Illini
11/10: OPEN
11/17: At Wisconsin Badgers
11/24: Michigan Wolverines
Missing: Iowa, Northwestern and Minnesota
2. Michigan State Spartans
11 of 1208/31: Boise State Broncos
09/08: At Central Michigan Chippewas, Kelly/Shorts Stadium, Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
09/15: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
09/22: Eastern Michigan Eagles
09/29: Ohio State Buckeyes
10/06: At Indiana Hoosiers
10/13: Iowa Hawkeyes
10/20: At Michigan Wolverines
10/27: At Wisconsin Badgers
11/03: Nebraska Cornhuskers
11/10: OPEN
11/17: Northwestern Wildcats
11/24: At Minnesota Golden Gophers
Missing: Purdue, Penn State and Illinois
1. Michigan Wolverines
12 of 1209/01: Alabama Crimson Tide at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
09/08: Air Force Falcons
09/15: Massachusetts Minutemen
09/22: At Notre Dame Fighting Irish
09/29: OPEN
10/06: At Purdue Boilermakers
10/13: Illinois Fighting Illini
10/20: Michigan State Spartans
10/27: At Nebraska Cornhuskers
11/03: At Minnesota Golden Gophers
11/10: Northwestern Wildcats
11/17: Iowa Hawkeyes
11/24: At Ohio State Buckeyes
Missing: Wisconsin, Penn State and Indiana
