Big Ten breakdown | Can Illinois bounce back after a disheartening loss?
Oct. 6—Illini beat writer Scott Richey offers up his predictions on the Big Ten's top games, top players and top coaches before the weekend:
Friday's game
Nebraska (2-3, 0-2) at Illinois (2-3, 0-2), 7 p.m., Fox Sports 1
➜ Who's on the call: Jeff Levering (play-by-play) and Mark Helfrich (expert analysis).
➜ Who wins: Nebraska, 24-21. The Cornhuskers' ability to run the ball should concern the Illini after what Purdue's Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Mockobee did to them last week (35 carries for 179 yards combined with a touchdown apiece).
Saturday's games
Maryland (5-0, 2-0) at No. 4 Ohio State (4-0, 1-0), 11 a.m., Fox
➜ Who's on the call: Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (expert analysis) and Jenny Taft (sideline reports).
➜ Who wins: Ohio State, 35-28. While Maryland has its best team in the Mike Locksley era and Ohio State doesn't for Ryan Day, the Buckeyes still have too much of a talent advantage.
Rutgers (4-1, 1-1) at Wisconsin (3-1, 1-0), 11 a.m., Peacock
➜ Who's on the call: Brendan Burke (play-by-play), Kyle Rudolph (expert analysis) and Lewis Johnson (sideline reports).
➜ Who wins: Wisconsin, 35-24. The Badgers have had a week to absorb the loss of running back Chez Mellusi, who suffered a season-ending injury Sept. 22 at Purdue. Having Braelon Allen helps. So would more from quarterback Tanner Mordecai.
Howard (2-2) at Northwestern (2-3), 2 p.m., BTN
➜ Who's on the call: Connor Onion (play-by-play), Matt Millen (expert analysis) and Brooke Fletcher (sideline reports).
➜ Who wins: Northwestern, 28-7. Anyone that had the Wildcats at .500 after six games was either interim coach David Braun or someone that should start investing in Powerball tickets and scratch-offs.
Purdue (2-3, 1-1) at Iowa (4-1, 1-1), 2:30 p.m., Peacock
➜ Who's on the call: Jac Collinsworth (play-by-play), Jason Garrett (expert analysis) and Zora Stephenson (sideline reports).
➜ Who wins: Purdue, 20-13. Time to sow even more chaos into the Big Ten West. The Boilermakers seem to have found their footing defensively, which doesn't bode well for new Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill and the Hawkeyes' anemic offense.
No. 2 Michigan (5-0, 2-0) at Minnesota (3-2, 1-1), 6:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock
➜ Who's on the call: Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (expert analysis) and Kathryn Tappen (sideline reports).
➜ Who wins: Michigan, 38-10. The one thing Minnesota does well (run the ball) is one things Michigan ranks among the top 15 teams in the country in stopping. The Gophers won't have similar success trying to slow down J.J. McCarthy and Co.
Awards season
Big Ten MVP
RK., PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL PREV.
1. Taulia Tagovailoa Quarterback Maryland 1
2. J.J. McCarthy Quarterback Michigan 2
3. Kyle McCord Quarterback Ohio State 3
4. Roman Wilson Wide receiver Michigan NR
5. Tyler Nubin Free safety Minnesota NR
➜ Scott Richey's comment: Wilson has caught 80 percent of McCarthy's 10 touchdown passes through five games after hauling in a pair in last week's 45-7 win at Nebraska. The 6-foot senior wide receiver has found the end zone on 42 percent of his 19 receptions this season.
Big Ten Coach of the year
RK., COACH SCHOOL PREV.
1. Mike Locksley Maryland 3
2. Ryan Day Ohio State 1
3. James Franklin Penn State 2
4. Jim Harbaugh and others Michigan 4
5. Greg Schiano Rutgers 5
➜ Scott Richey's comment: The second time has been a charm for Locksley as a head coach. The former Illinois offensive coordinator left Champaign after the 2008 season and not even three full seasons later — with a 2-26 record at New Mexico — he was out in Albuquerque. A stint with the Terrapins as OC and then Nick Saban finishing school at Alabama got Locksley a program again, and he's shown steady improvement now in his fifth year at Maryland.
Illini MVP
RK., PLAYER POSITION PREV.
1. Isaiah Williams Wide receiver 2
2. Johnny Newton Defensive tackle 1
3. Kaden Feagin Running back NR
4. Dylan Rosiek Inside linebacker NR
5. Miles Scott Free safety NR
➜ Scott Richey's comment: Too early to start the Feagin MVP campaign after just 19 carries in four games? Probably, but the way the freshman running back can churn up yardage as a deceptively fast 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds makes it seem like he should be a bigger part of the game plan the rest of the season.
Big Ten Bowl Outlook
BOWL TEAM
Rose Ohio State
Orange Michigan
Peach Penn State
Citrus Maryland
ReliaQuest Rutgers
BOWL TEAM
Music City Iowa
Pinstripe Wisconsin
Guaranteed Rate Purdue
Las Vegas Illinois
Quick Lane Minnesota
➜ Scott Richey's comment: Could the Big Ten wind up with too few bowl teams to fill its allotment? It's not out of the question given the way the majority of the teams in the West look so far. The East will populate the highest profile of the Big Ten's bowl games, with everything else left to whoever can emerge from the decrepit West with six wins.
