Big Ten Football: Predicting the Biggest Upsets in the Conference in 2015
You can barely get through a week during the college football season without at least one headline-making upset, and you can bet that 2015 won't be any different. While we're certain the Big Ten will see its share of upsets this fall, predicting exactly which upsets will happen is another matter entirely.
But we're willing to give it a shot.
Whether it's Virginia Tech knocking off a team like Ohio State or Nebraska almost losing to FCS school McNeese State last season, the college football landscape is full of pitfalls and land mines. Will the Buckeyes be able to avoid stepping in any mud in 2015? Can the Huskers finally get over the four-loss hump? Which Big Ten teams will rise up from seemingly out of nowhere to sting a team chasing down a division title?
Here are the Big Ten games of 2015 in which we're already placing the favorite on upset alert.
October 17: Iowa at Northwestern
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It's not always easy being a Northwestern football fan. The Wildcats are rarely at or near the top of the Big Ten, and the 2008-2012 seasons notwithstanding, bowl games are few and far between.
Still, Northwestern has a penchant for sneaking up when you least expect it to take a big bite out of a heavily favored team in a game that no one really is paying any attention. That's why the Wildcats appear on our 2015 Big Ten upset prediction list.
For this fall, we're picking Iowa as the victim, as the Hawkeyes look to be entering yet another of their all-too-frequent rebuilding years with some important personnel losses on both sides of the football.
Add in the sleepy environment at Ryan Field, and the conditions for a perfect storm might be just right.
November 21: Michigan at Penn State
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There's a lot of football to be played between now and November, and it's difficult to guess where either Penn State or Michigan will be in the East Division standings at that point. But the 2015 showdown between Penn State and Michigan could be an important indicator of things to come from both programs.
James Franklin, entering his second season as head coach at Penn State, has the Nittany Lions finally back on the right track. After a thrilling overtime win in the Pinstripe Bowl last season, Franklin's team will be looking to build on that momentum in 2015.
Michigan, for its part, has been nothing short of ugly as of late. Brady Hoke has been fired, and in his place, favorite son Jim Harbaugh returns to Ann Arbor to take over the program he played for as a collegian.
All things being equal, Penn State is further along in the "rebuilding" process than the Wolverines, who have just begun, so the Nittany Lions—as of now—would rightly be favored in this contest.
Still, there's just something about the feeling coming out of Ann Arbor these days that has us—and Wolverines fans everywhere—believing that 2015 is going to be the year in which things take a dramatic turn.
Michigan is expected to be better than last season's horrible team. But so much better that the Wolverines can walk out of Beaver Stadium with a win?
We're predicting yes.
September 19: Pittsburgh at Iowa
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Not to dump on the Hawkeyes, but they're making their second appearance on our list (and the last time, we promise). This time, we're picking against the Hawkeyes again against an opponent they should be favored to beat.
Last year's game between Iowa and Pitt was pretty close, with the Hawkeyes escaping with a 24-20 win. Pitt finished with a pretty mediocre 6-7 record in the mediocre ACC—and Pitt didn't even meet up with Florida State in 2014.
But the 2015 Panthers will have one weapon the 2014 squad didn't: Pat Narduzzi. The former Michigan State defensive coordinator takes over as the head coach, and his ability to coach up a team to its maximum potential will serve Pitt well.
What's more, Narduzzi is intimately familiar with Big Ten offenses, and we've already mentioned how Iowa will be down several key components on offense, including quarterback Jake Ruddock (transfer to Michigan) and all-universe O-lineman Brandon Scherff (graduation). Iowa also loses its top rusher from 2014 and three of its top five receivers.
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September 19: Virginia Tech at Purdue
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Darrell Hazell has certainly had a couple of very trying seasons at Purdue. The Boilermakers are an ugly 4-20 under Hazell, including just a single win against Big Ten competition. Still, we're predicting Purdue will do something in 2015 that eventual national champion Ohio State couldn't do in 2014: beat Virginia Tech.
Both teams were pretty bad last season. Purdue finished 3-9 while the Hokies were 7-5 with losses to East Carolina and Wake Forest.
Hazell was supposed to turn things around at Purdue. He was supposed to change the program's trajectory. He was supposed to be the light at the end of the tunnel. It hasn't happened yet. But with Hazell recruits starting to rotate onto the field on Saturdays and a young but experienced defense, maybe, just maybe, 2015 could be the season the compass needle in West Lafayette begins to move.
An early non-conference win over an opponent from another power conference would be a great catalyst, and we predict Hazell and his Boilers will finally get a headline-making win against Virginia Tech.
November 21: Michigan State at Ohio State
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Ohio State has one of those schedules that just happens to group most of the big games into one small snippet. In this case, the Buckeyes avoid the West's heavy hitters while facing off against both teams from Michigan during the last two weeks of the season.
At first glance, predicting a Michigan State victory at Ohio Stadium—one of the most hostile environments in the nation—seems a bit far-fetched. But given MSU's ability to defy expectations, especially against Ohio State, we're predicting another epic win for the Spartans in Columbus.
Shades of 1998? Probably not. We expect MSU to maintain a pretty lofty ranking heading into late November while the 1998 Spartans were just 4-4 when they defeated then-No. 1 and 8-0 Ohio State in Columbus.
Still, Michigan State beating what should be an undefeated and No. 1-ranked Ohio State team in Columbus should be an upset nonetheless, and we're going out on a limb and picking the Spartans in what should be the de facto East Division title game.
Follow Bleacher Report National College Football Featured Columnist David Luther on Twitter.
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