Big Ten and Pac-12 Seeking Big Wins in Week 3

The Pac-12 and the Big Ten have come out of the gate slowly again this season.

Losses by Oregon, Iowa and Penn State have solidified the opinion that both conferences are still a spot below the SEC. 

Notable wins this weekend won’t erase that impression, but they will help silence some of the critics for a week. 

Here are the three games that are must wins for each conference.

Ohio State and Miami Meet in the Ineligible Bowl

Appropriately labeled the “Ineligible Bowl,” this might be the most enigmatic game in college football this year. After enduring a chaotic offseason riddled with controversy and NCAA investigations, the Buckeyes and Hurricanes are both limping into this game. Miami embarrassingly lost their opening game to Maryland. Ohio State is 2-0, but needed a defensive stand in the last minute to survive an upset against Toledo last weekend. 

Fortunately, both teams have reinstated a few key players in time for this game. Travis Benjamin, Marcus Forston, Jacory Harris, Adewale Ojomo and Sean Spence return for Miami and Travis Howard, Jordan Hall and Corey Brown are back for Ohio State.

Harris was dreadful in last season’s 36-24 loss to the Buckeyes; he threw four interceptions. His return to the starting lineup has many Buckeye fans jumping for joy, but they may want to temper their enthusiasm considering all of the Buckeye playmakers from that game are either still suspended or have graduated. 

Miami needs Harris to play with poise and live up to his potential. In two years as a starter, Harris has thrown for 38 touchdowns and 32 interceptions. His poor decision making and inability to protect the ball are the primary reasons why the Hurricanes have continued to wander in the wilderness of college football mediocrity despite having top level talent. The Hurricanes can’t endure a repeat performance if they expect to beat the Buckeyes.

On the other side of the ball, the Scarlet and Gray faithful got a little ahead of themselves after QB Joe Bauserman looked unstoppable in the season opener against the Akron Zips, likely the worst team in the FBS. Chants of "Pryor who?" echoed throughout Columbus—and then reality set in against the Rockets. 

Bauserman’s accuracy plummeted and the offensive production nose dived into the Olentangy River last week. True to form in any college town, the calls to insert Braxton Miller got louder this week in Columbus. The critics might get their wish if the Hurricane defense is able to pressure the slower Bauserman early in the game on Saturday night.  

Like Harris, Bauserman needs to manage the game well, not necessarily win it. The offensive line can help ease Bauserman’s first road test by playing with some swagger that was desperately missing last week. OC Jim Bollman also needs to get him into a rhythm early in the game with high percentage plays.

This game will be won on the defensive side of the ball; the team that harasses the quarterback and stops the run more effectively will win the game. Playing at home favors the Hurricanes. The U finally gets its revenge against the Buckeyes. Miami, 27-24.

Cornhuskers Looking for Key Win Against the Huskies

On the surface, this may seem like a rather mundane game. The Cornhuskers and Huskies are playing for the third time in one year and neither team is generating much buzz right now. Don’t be fooled. A lot is riding on this game.

This is a stepping-stone season for Washington. The team is entering year three under head coach Steve Sarkisian and has aspirations of contending for the Pac-12. Also, the Huskies have not had a significant non-conference, regular-season win in over a decade. Beating Nebraska on the road would indicate that Washington is well on its way to being a national player again.

Despite being picked by some experts to win the Big Ten, there is still some skepticism about whether Nebraska is a legitimate Top 10 program again. Head coach Bo Pelini definitely has the team headed in the right direction, but the Cornhuskers have not won a conference title since 1999. Similar to the Huskies, they also lack any significant non-conference win over the last 10 years.    

Cornhusker QB Taylor Martinez is off to a great start. He’s averaging 150 yards rushing and 170 yards passing with six touchdowns. Washington’s ability to slow him down will likely determine the outcome of the game. The Huskies defense has been pretty stout, allowing just 43 yards rushing per game, so they appear up for challenge.

On offense, Washington seems to have found a good replacement for Jake Locker. Keith Price had a coming out party last week against Hawaii, passing for 315 yards and three touchdowns. Of course, the Rainbows defense is not exactly in the same league as the Black Shirt defense that he’ll face in Lincoln on Saturday. Price will need to play a near perfect game to keep the Huskies in the game. 

The Cornhuskers are monsters in the trenches again, so they should control the line of scrimmage against the smaller Husky front lines. Coupled with home-field advantage and terrific special teams play, Nebraska should comfortably win. Nebraska, 38-24.

Sun Devils and Fighting Illini Battle To Go 3-0

This game has a make-or-break feel to it. Arizona State is coming off an impressive victory against Missouri. Beating the Fighting Illini will give the Sun Devils more momentum heading into next week’s showdown with USC. A loss might turn into a two-game slide, which would end any hope of a special season. 

After finishing 7-6 last year, Illinois entered the 2011 season with their highest expectations in the Ron Zook era. They are 2-0 and a win on Saturday gives the Illini a great shot at an undefeated non-conference record—a first under Zook. A loss won’t destroy the season, but it will definitely hurt the team’s confidence heading into conference play. 

Illinois’ offensive strategy is pure, old-school Big Ten. They are going to line up and run the ball right down the heart of the defense; so far it has worked. The competition has been weak, but the Illini are averaging almost 300 yards per game on the ground, which is still impressive. Arizona State should provide a much stiffer test for OC Paul Petrino’s smash-mouth playbook. 

Conversely, the Sun Devils like to throw the ball. QB Brock Osweiller has been efficient, throwing for 615 yards with five touchdowns. If he gets time, Osweiller will pick apart the Illinois secondary. He likes to spread the ball around, but expect him to find Aaron Pflugrad, a small but elusive wideout who already has four touchdowns. 

This is the type of game that both teams have lost in recent years. Neither team has been able to win early-season contests against fairly equally talented teams. Arizona State proved last week that they are better, but Illinois has the advantage playing at home. If the Illini get their ground game going early and force a turnover or two, they should pull out the victory. Illinois, 31-27.