Each week of the 2009 college football season, I will be examining all the games that a Big Ten team plays in. All kickoff times are ET and all poll numbers are from the BCS rankings as provided by ESPN. All records are for conference play only. Week Eleven is as follows:
Overview of Week Ten
Last week, the Big Ten was turned on its head. Iowa finally lost a game, after losing their starting quarterback, and they no longer have a shot at the BCS Championship Game. This loss was a tough one on my picks, as I had expected Iowa to shut out Northwestern. Then, Michigan State won their game, and Illinois beat Minnesota, making my predictions worthless. Two of the conference’s ranked teams lost, which only served to diminish the power in the eyes of the country. For my picks, and for the conference at large, Week Ten was bad.
#11 The Ohio State University (5-1) vs. #10 Iowa (5-1)
I figured that I should start with this game, as it is the most important one remaining this season in the entire Big Ten Conference. With both teams having a tiebreaker over Penn State, whoever wins on Saturday will be the Big Ten Champion, and get the automatic spot in the Rose Bowl. OSU is coming into Saturday’s game with the edge and momentum, as a strong victory over rival Penn State gave them hope for the season. Iowa is coming in slumping, as they lost their starting QB, Ricky Stanzi, for the season, and their game against Northwestern. Though the Hawkeyes are known for close games and comebacks, without Stanzi they don’t stand a chance in Columbus. Expect the Buckeyes to easily win this game, and take full control of the conference (for yet another year). OSU 38, Iowa 17. This game will be televised on ABC at 3:30 p.m.
With Stanzi out, Iowa doesn’t even stand a chance.
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