Big Ten Football: Most Intriguing Conference Games in 2015
The Big Ten is back. It's back! Or at least it's on its way to being back. Regardless, there is more excitement surrounding the conference than there has been in close to a decade.
Ohio State is fresh off a national championship. Michigan State finished in the Top Five for the second consecutive season. Michigan just hired Jim Harbaugh, Wisconsin beat Auburn in the Outback Bowl and Penn State is creeping back toward powerhouse status.
More excitement around the conference means more intriguing games. Most of that has to do with on-field concerns—better quality of play, bigger national implications, etc.—but some also deals with off-field matters such as personal vendettas and rivalries.
Here are eight Big Ten games we can't wait to see next season.
Wisconsin at Nebraska (October 10)
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When Last They Met…
Melvin Gordon never stopped running. Well, at least for the first three quarters. Gordon set the FBS single-game rushing record with 15 minutes to spare, racking up 408 yards on 25 carries. Samaje Perine of Oklahoma broke the record the following week, but he needed all 60 minutes. Gordon's game was (and still is) the best we've ever seen.
Oh, and Wisconsin won 59-24.
Why the 2015 Game Matters
Gordon is gone, but the taste he left in Nebraska's mouth isn't. The Huskers were 8-1 when they traveled to Madison last season. Ben Kercheval of Bleacher Report had just written about them as a playoff dark horse, and he wasn't the only one.
Wisconsin handed Nebraska the first of three losses in four games to end the season, ultimately costing beloved head coach Bo Pelini his job. Now Big Red is out for revenge.
Also, these are the two most likely teams to win the Big Ten West, so there's more than just a personal vendetta at stake.
Michigan State at Michigan (October 17)
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When Last They Met…
Little Brother (Michigan State) beat up on Big Brother (Michigan) for the sixth time in seven seasons, winning 35-11 in East Lansing. The Wolverines scored a touchdown with 3:40 left in the game, ending a streak of more than 186 minutes without a touchdown against MSU. Sparty responded by ramming home a touchdown with 28 seconds to play, even though the game was out of reach.
Why run up the score? Apparently, Michigan State saw Michigan players drive a stake into their field as some sort of convoluted (and pathetic, given the state of the rivalry) battle cry.
"Just felt like we needed to put a stake in them," MSU head coach Mark Dantonio told reporters after the game. "You might as well just come out and say what you are feeling at some point, because you can only be diplomatic for so long."
Why the 2015 Game Matters
Dantonio made a point of this rivalry from his very first minute with the Spartans. He wanted to make this thing matter—and he has. How will Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh treat his first encounter with the Spartans? He left Ann Arbor more than 25 years ago, and since then, Little Brother has grown up.
Nebraska at Minnesota (October 17)
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When Last They Met…
Minnesota trailed by 10 points late in the third quarter but rallied for a pair of long touchdown drives to eke out the win, 28-24. It was the Gophers' first win in Lincoln since 1960 and their second straight win over the Huskers after more than 50 years without one. Quarterback Mitch Leidner ran for 111 yards on 22 carries.
Why the 2015 Game Matters
Again, because Nebraska wants revenge. And again, because this might decide the Big Ten West. Iowa, Illinois and Northwestern are decent, but do we really consider them serious contenders? Wisconsin, Nebraska and Minnesota are the teams with the best shot. This series has a gift for getting weird, and 2015 should be more of the same.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Penn State at Ohio State (October 17)
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When Last They Met…
Ohio State played Michigan State, Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon last season, but no team outside of Virginia Tech gave it more trouble than Penn State. The Nittany Lions made J.T. Barrett look mortal, intercepting two passes, erasing a 17-point deficit and holding the Buckeyes under 300 total yards and four yards per play. Sam Ficken forced overtime with a field goal at the end of regulation.
Both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime session, and OSU followed with a quick touchdown in the second. Penn State needed a touchdown to force a third overtime, but its drive stalled after four plays. Joey Bosa punctuated the win with a fourth-down sack in which he steamrolled his blocker under Christian Hackenberg's legs.
Why the 2015 Game Matters
The Buckeyes are favorites to roll through the Big Ten and appear in the College Football Playoff. Because of how Penn State played them last year, it will be viewed as one of the best (only?) serious threats to beat them. Even though the game is in Columbus, the Nittany Lions will not feel inferior.
Penn State at Maryland (October 24)
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When Last They Met…
They played one of the hardest-to-watch games of the season. Maryland won 20-19 despite gaining 192 yards of total offense; Penn State was only slightly better with 219 (and four turnovers). C.J. Brown led a heroic five-play, 17-yard drive to set up the game-winning field goal, a 43-yarder by Brad Craddock with 51 seconds to play.
But what happened during the game took a backseat to what happened before the game, when Maryland captains refused to shake hands with Penn State captains and incurred a 15-yard penalty. In his televised postgame interview, Maryland head coach Randy Edsall said, "You know what? Let the rivalry begin," then jogged away.
Why the 2015 Game Matters
Recruiting, more than anything. Penn State head coach James Franklin said last offseason that he considers Maryland prospects "in-state" and that other teams in the region "might as well shut it down because they don't stand a chance," per Josh Moyer of ESPN.com.
Edsall responded that the Terps were more about "substance," although anyone who watched this game knows that both teams looked horrendous; in a just world, neither would have won. Either way, it helped UMD flip 4-star defensive tackle Adam McLean, an in-state recruit, away from his Penn State commitment.
And that won't be the last of its kind.
Michigan State at Ohio State (November 21)
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When Last They Met…
Ohio State stomped the Spartans as underdogs in East Lansing. J.T. Barrett led seven touchdown drives in an eight-possession stretch, including six in a row between the late first and early fourth quarters. The "upset" ended MSU's playoff run and launched Ohio State into the Big Ten driver's seat. It also served as revenge after Sparty beat the Buckeyes in the 2013 Big Ten Championship Game.
Why the 2015 Game Matters
MSU returns enough pieces to be considered the co-Big Ten favorite. Ohio State is better, but it wouldn't be a monumental shock if Sparty wins. Connor Cook, Shilique Calhoun and Jack Conklin bypassed the NFL draft, in which all three were considered first-round prospects, to return for a final season and take care of unfinished business.
If Wisconsin-Nebraska matters because it's the two best teams in the Big Ten West, Michigan State-Ohio State matters because it's the two best teams in the Big Ten, period. Barring something unforeseen, the winner of this game will (at least) win the division.
Rutgers at Maryland (November 28)
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When Last They Met…
Maryland blew a 35-10 first-half lead, losing on its home field against the other new member of the Big Ten. Gary Nova threw for 347 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, and Kyle Federico kicked the game-winning field goal with 6:14 to play. Lou Groza Award winner Brad Craddock missed his only field goal of the season, a 54-yarder, on the following possession, and Rutgers won 41-38.
Why the 2015 Game Matters
Maryland-Rutgers doesn't "matter" as much as it's "worth watching." Weird things happen when either team takes the field; when they both do, it's guaranteed madness. Their first meeting was #Pac12AfterDark in terms of drama, but distinctly #B1G in terms of execution. It was the best of both worlds, and it's likely to happen again.
Ohio State at Michigan (November 28)
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When Last They Met…
Jim Harbaugh was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Cardale Jones was best known for a tweet he sent two years ago. Ohio State was a long shot to make the College Football Playoff. A lot has changed (on both sides of the rivalry) in the past two months.
As for the game itself, Michigan hung tight in The Horseshoe, tying the score at 21 apiece halfway through the third quarter. J.T. Barrett fractured his ankle, leading to a touching display of sportsmanship from Devin Gardner, and Jones came in for his first major relief appearance. Ohio State pulled away late to win 42-28.
Why the 2015 Game Matters
Where do we start? For one, it's the first meeting of the Jim Harbaugh-Urban Meyer rivalry—a story that will drive the Big Ten for…what, the next 10 years? It's also the Big Ten finale and, potentially, the last shot for someone to beat Ohio State before the title game.
Even under Brady Hoke, Michigan always kept The Game competitive. Its players know they belong on the same field as OSU. This year, with a return to the Big House, where in 2013 Michigan fell one point shy of the upset, and with the introduction of Harbaugh, who's been hailed as a program savior, there's a real chance it gets over the hump.
A likely chance? No. But definitely a real one.
Follow Brian Leigh on Twitter: @BLeigh35
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
