Around the Big Ten Week 3

Audio/Story posted September 15, 2016 in CommRadio, Sports by Sports Staff

PODCAST:

Mitch Stewart, Jack Rayner, Claudia Hatch and Dylan Huberman tell you everything you need to know about this week's matchups around the Big Ten.

 

Week 2 in college football displayed a noteworthy drop-off in excitement following arguably the biggest opening week in college football history. Several teams in the Big Ten have already proven to fans around the country that they can compete with nation’s best and lead a potentially elite conference by this season.

Week 3 is filled with opportunities to further demonstrate how daunting the Big Ten can be this year. The most anticipated nonconference week of the season for the Big Ten features a trio of marquee matchups: No. 3 Ohio State at No. 14 Oklahoma; No. 22 Oregon at Nebraska; and No. 12 Michigan State at No. 18 Notre Dame.

In addition, Penn State will have a great chance to redeem itself against Temple, whom they lost to miserably in last season’s opener. The Nittany Lions suffered a tough loss to Pitt last week, but showed tremendous grit in the second half and almost mounted an incredible comeback. Look for James Franklin to have his team ready to go on Saturday and earn a much needed win.

No. 13 Iowa will host FCS powerhouse, North Dakota State, at noon this weekend. On paper this one will appear to be an easy win for the Hawkeyes, but the Bison have dominated its competition in the FCS for years and have also sustantiated its ability to compete with many FBS teams. Iowa will still be the favorite, but this one should not be overlooked.

Illinois looked impressive in the opening week but disappointed against North Carolina in Week 2, despite many picking them to upset the Tar Heels. The Illini could potentially drop another one this week as they will host Western Michigan. First year head coach Lovie Smith no doubt will make this team competitive again in the future, but a loss this weekend would suggest that there is much to improve upon before this happens.

No. 9 ranked Wisconsin, Maryland, and Rutgers all collected easy wins last week. While Wisconsin and Maryland shouldn’t have much trouble with Gerogia State and UCF respectively, Rutgers’ matchup against New Mexico could go down to the wire.

Michigan looked terrific again last week against inferior competition and climbed up one more spot to No. 4 in the latest AP Poll. The Wolverines will see a slight upgrade in opponent quality this week, as they host Pac-12 member Colorado, but they will still be a pretty substantial favorite.

The most intriguing part about this week is not any game itself, but it is rather the opportunity provided for the Big Ten as a whole. Not only could the Big Ten continue to augment its status with a successful third week, but also the chances for some of its teams to be included in the College Football Playoff could be greatly increased. For example, the Big 12’s hopes are already beginning to dwindle as a result of Oklahoma’s loss to Houston in Week 1, Oklahoma State’s catastrophe against Central Michigan, and TCU’s fall to Arkansas last week. No. 3 Ohio State will have an excellent opportunity to hand No.14 Oklahoma, arguably the Big 12’s top team, its second loss of the year already, which would likely eliminate any chances of them returning to the playoff. Furthermore, Houston has recently been mentioned as a College Football playoff dark horse, and their chances could also be hurt if Ohio State were to come out with the victory. Defeating Oklahoma in Norman will be no easy task, especially with what’s at stake for the Sooners, but the result of this game could shake up the entire college football landscape.

Nebraska’s matchup with No. 22 Oregon is a chance for the Cornhuskers to reestablish itself as a respectable program in college football. While Mike Riley’s team impressed in its first two weeks of action, Nebraska does not appear to be a legitimate contender for the playoff this year. However, a win over Oregon could easily move them back into the top 25 for the first time since 2014. So far the Ducks’ offense has looked every bit as good as a typical Oregon team that college football fans so are accustomed to seeing, so this will be a great test for Nebraska. We’ll find out how ready the Huskers are for the spotlight and if they can further pad the Big Ten’s already impressive depth with a win.

Despite the early loss to No. 11 Texas, No. 18 ranked Notre Dame is still very much a playoff contender with their talent and strength of schedule. That being said it is imperative that Michigan State improve on their lackluster opening week performance against Furman. A win on the road this week for the Spartans, however, would make things much more difficult for the Irish to sneak into the playoff, especially as an independent team. The Spartans would also most definitely move into the top 10 and begin maybe another quiet playoff push.

The Big Ten has recovered itself from the label of not being able to compete with the other power five conferences. That’s not what this week is about. Rather, week 3 is an opportunity for the league to manifest its firepower and give it at least an argument as the best conference in college football.

 

Will Desautelle is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email willdesautelle@gmail.com.