You know what they say; breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If that’s true, then maybe getting your Big Ten football fix first thing Saturday morning will get your metabolism going to grind through all the college football action in the heartland. So pull up a chair, grab a fork and let’s dive into this morning’s buffet of thoughts for the Big Ten heading into week twleve:
– The big one this week is undoubtedly Ohio State/Michigan State, but a game on the sly is occuring out in Happy Valley. Michigan’s still trying to keep khakis in style in the division, while Penn State is looking for the type of win to serve notice that they can keep up with the Jones’ in the Big Ten West too.
– Speaking of Ohio State/Michigan State, how much longer will we be able to enjoy this budding rivalry? The Spartans’ arrival into the pool of relevancy didn’t exactly take the focus off of The Game between the Buckeyes and Wolverines, or big brother against little brother with the two Michigan schools, but there’s no denying the pressure cooker that has been warming with these two. But will Jim Harbaugh drive a wedge into things?
– In Madison, we’ve got a battle for second place in the Big Ten East. If it weren’t for the Iowa story this year, we’d be hearing more about the seasons both Northwestern and Wisconsin are having. As it is, the game feels a little like a World Cup Soccer consolation game, minus all the winks and $500 handshakes anyway.
– We keep waiting for Iowa to fade into the shadows much the same way Utah did in the Pac-12, but a quick look at the calendar says the sands have almost run out of the hour-glass. A win at home today against a Purdue team that often sleeps through the alarm-clock on game days, or a Wisconsin loss, and the Hawkeyes clinch a spot in Indy … and maybe a shot at a lot more.
– Minnesota, Illinois, Nebraska and Indiana are all still searching for bowl eligibility. The Fighting Illini can clinch with a win at Minnesota today, and Nebraska can get there by ruining Iowa’s day next Friday, but the other two need to sweep their last two games to get to six wins. Yeah there’s a slim chance that 5-7 might get an invite to a bowl you can take a bus too while wearing a parka, but that’s not making anyone feel warm and fuzzy.
– We’ll continue the weekly watch to see if the nation’s No. 120 ranked defense gets off the bus for the Indiana Hoosiers. If it does, will all the players find their helmets and shoulder pads? It may not matter against a Maryland team looking to turn the page on the season.
– Speaking of which, is Kevin Wilson’s job in jeopardy if the Hoosiers don’t win their last two games and get to a bowl game? It sure feels like it, but maybe the upcoming basketball season will take the administrations’ focus off the gridiron.
– Random though: I wonder what the khaki sales figures are in and around Ann Arbor and the Detroit metro-area since the arrival of Jim Harbaugh.
– Rutgers goes off the grid to play a rare late-season game outside of the Big Ten. The way things have gone for the Scarlet Knights underneath the umbrella of the B1G, it might not be so bad having Army on the docket. The clock might be ticking on Kyle Flood’s days in Piscataway, especially if this one goes south.
– Nebraska gets a much needed bye this week. Somehow, someway, the bye will make a game of it since the ‘Huskers seem to play to the level of their competition every time out. You can bet preparations have started for Iowa in earnest with the off-week.
Phil Harrison is a contributor to The Student Section. He is also a the founder of Big10news.com and featured contributor to collegefootballews.com, talking10.com, and occasionally campusinsiders.com. You can follow him on twitter @PhilHarrisonCFB or email him at pharrison28@gmail.com. If that doesn’t work, you can find him in the doghouse at home.
