Advertisement

Big Ten breakdown | Ohio State-Wisconsin best of light week

scott richey, the news-gazette, champaign-urbana, ill.
·4 min read

Oct. 28—Illini beat writer Scott Richey offers up his predictions on the Big Ten's top games, top players and top coaches before the weekend:

Saturday's games

Indiana (2-5, 0-4) at No. 10 Penn State (6-1, 3-1) 11 a.m., CBSWho's on the call: Tom McCarthy (play-by-play), Jason McCourty (expert analysis) and Tiffany Blackmon

* (sideline reports).

Who wins: Penn State, 54-13.

* Indiana has the misfortune of playing Penn State a week after the Nittany Lions lost their first game of the season in a close one at Ohio State. Style points now matter for one-loss Penn State, and the Hoosiers are going to get creamed.

Maryland (5-2, 2-2) at Northwestern (3-4, 1-3) 11 a.m., BTNWho's on the call: Connor Onion (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (expert analysis) and Elise Menaker

* (sideline reports).

Who wins: Maryland, 33-17. Murphy's Law has hit Maryland. If something can go wrong, it is for the Terrapins, who have lost two straight games after a 5-0 start and saw co-offensive coordinator Kevin Sumlin

* arrested on DUI charges. A trip to Evanston should be the cure to what ails them.

Michigan State (2-5, 0-4) at Minnesota (4-3, 2-2) 2:30 p.m., BTNWho's on the call: Cory Provus (play-by-play), Jake Butt (expert analysis) and Brooke Fletcher

* (sideline reports).

Who wins: Minnesota, 21-17.

* The Gophers aren't exactly world beaters, but the Spartans can't get out of their own way. Michigan State has lost five straight, and Minnesota likely makes it six while keeping its slim chances at a Big Ten West title alive.

Purdue (2-5, 1-3) at Nebraska (4-3, 2-2) 2:30 p.m., FS1

Who's on the call: Jeff Levering (play-by-play) and Mark Helfrich

* (expert analysis).

Who wins: Purdue, 28-20. The Cornhuskers are just a 21/2

* -point favorite at home. That's basically a push, and the Boilermakers had the benefit of last week's bye to get healthy and get the prep in to snap their two-game losing streak.

No. 3 Ohio State (7-0, 4-0) at Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1) 6:30 p.m., NBCWho's on the call: Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (expert analysis) and Kathryn Tappen

* (sideline reports).

Who wins: Ohio State, 33-10. Slowing down the Badgers is straightforward. Don't let running back Braelon Allen get loose and force quarterback Braedyn Locke

* into mistakes. Ohio State's top-20 rushing defense should take care of the former, and that's likely enough.

Awards season

Big Ten MVP

RK., PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL PREV.

1. Marvin Harrison Jr. Wide receiver Ohio State 1

2. Kyle McCord Quarterback Ohio State 2

3. J.J. McCarthy Quarterback Michigan 3

4. Blake Corum Running back Michigan NR

5. Taulia Tagovailoa Quarterback Maryland 4

Scott Richey's comment: No one in the Big Ten has scored as much as Corum. The Wolverines' veteran running back has 13 touchdowns in eight games, with his 78 total points putting him out in front of Minnesota kicker Dragan Kesich and Ohio State kicker Jayden Fielding. Corum's 13 rushing touchdowns are also tops nationally, with South Alabama's La'Damian Webb

* second with 12 rushing scores.

Big Ten Coach of the year

RK., COACH SCHOOL PREV.

1. Greg Schiano Rutgers 4

2. Ryan Day Ohio State 1

3. James Franklin Penn State 2

4. Kirk Ferentz Iowa 3

5. Jim Harbaugh and others Michigan 5

Scott Richey's comment:

* Schiano will probably be named Big Ten Coach of the Year by season's end — even if the Scarlet Knights lose their last four games, which is certainly possible with Ohio State (home), Iowa (road), Penn State (road) and Maryland (home) left on the regular-season schedule. But Rutgers is bowl bound after last week's win at Indiana, which is something the program hasn't earned since 2014. (Being a COVID fill-in in 2021 doesn't really count).

Illini MVP

RK., PLAYER POSITION PREV.

1. Johnny Newton Defensive tackle 2

2. Isaiah Williams Wide receiver 1

3. Dylan Rosiek Inside linebacker 3

4. Kenenna Odeluga Inside linebacker 4

5. Luke Altmyer Quarterback 5

Scott Richey's comment:

* New mocks for the 2024 NFL draft this week from CBS Sports, ESPN and Sports Illustrated reinforce what's been a growing consensus since early summer — Newton is a likely first-round pick. Maybe even a top-10 pick as one of the most disruptive interior defensive linemen in the country.

Big Ten Bowl Outlook

BOWL TEAM

Rose (CFP) Michigan

Orange Ohio State

Peach Penn State

Citrus Iowa

Music City Wisconsin

Pinstripe Rutgers

Guaranteed Rate Maryland

Las Vegas Illinois

Quick Lane Minnesota

Scott Richey's comment: Illinois still has to win three of its last four games to secure bowl eligibility. Given the opponents, it's possible, but the Illini are trending toward a day-after-Christmas showdown with a MAC team in Detroit. (For now, let's still pencil Illinois in for a trip to Las Vegas before the holiday because that's more fun).