Week Seven: Big Ten Matchups to Watch

Week seven produces some interesting matchups in the Big Ten, and fans will start to see to where the Big Ten stands. There are several teams fighting for tops in the conference, while several others are trying to shake things up. Let's look at all the games...

Minnesota (4-2, 2-1) at No 14. Penn State (5-1, 1-1)

Penn State will be very interesting to watch in the coming weeks. In their only true test of the year against Iowa, they looked very mediocre, and will have to rebuild their image the rest of the season. Last week against Eastern Illinois though, they finally started to look like the Nittany Lions everyone expected in a 52-3 beatdown.

All that to say, Saturday's matchup against the Golden Gophers is one to check out. I highly doubt anyone will give Brewster's squad much of a chance on the road, but any given afternoon the Big Ten could produce an upset. On top of that, Penn State needs to prove once again that they are the conference's elite.

No. 11 Iowa (6-0, 2-0) at Wisconsin (5-1, 2-1):

This very well may be the biggest matchup to watch on Saturday. Iowa is coming off two close encounters to Arkansas State and Michigan, and will try to keep their mojo working against the Badgers. Wisconsin themselves are an interesting story after losing a game they dominated statistically.

So the question is, will we see an angry Badger squad coming off the loss to Ohio State or one that throws in the towel? My guess is that the Badgers come to play at home, and we all know they can hang with anyone physically. So, expect Iowa to have their hands full in Camp Randall Stadium. This is their last true test before coming to Columbus on Nov. 14, and all eyes will be watching to find out if Iowa can yet again prove they are a contender.  

No. 7 Ohio State (5-1, 3-0) at Purdue (1-5, 0-2):

Thanks to the Buckeyes' incredible defense, they still seem to be the team to beat in the conference. They may be walking into a trap game in West Lafayette this weekend though. Purdue averages more yards than their opponents, but have turned the ball over more than any team in the NCAA.

On top of that, the Buckeyes are coming off a physical game against the Badgers where the defense was off the field for two-thirds of the game. With some injuries and offensive turmoil, the Buckeyes will not be able to just show up Saturday and get a victory. Even more importantly, the Buckeyes need to gain some offensive momentum over the next few weeks before closing the season with Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan. So, will Pryor and company respond to the major outpouring of criticism this week?

Other Big Ten Matchups:

Northwestern (4-2, 1-1) at Michigan St. (3-3, 2-1)
Delaware St (1-3) at Michigan (4-2, 1-2)
Illinois (1-4, 0-3) at Indiana (3-3, 0-2)

Big Ten Standings:

Ohio State (3-0, 5-1)
Iowa (2-0, 6-0)
Wisconsin (2-1, 5-1)
Minnesota (2-1, 4-2)
Michigan State (2-1, 3-3)
Penn State (1-1, 5-1)
Northwestern (1-1, 4-2)
Michigan (1-2, 4-2)
Indiana (0-2, 3-3)
Purdue (0-2, 1-5)
Illinois (0-3, 1-4)