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 Nine is as follows:
Overview of Week Eight
Last week, the Big Ten did exactly what they should be doing. With national exposure, the powerhouses won, while the rest of the conference just played their games. OSU and Penn State easily handled their opponents, while Iowa decided to barely win theirs (again). Though Northwestern and Michigan decided to screw me over, my overall picks were pretty accurate, and I felt as though the week was a pretty obvious one. Let’s hope the same is true for Week Nine.
Wisconsin (2-2) vs. Purdue (2-2)
While Wisconsin was sitting around whittling last week, Purdue won their third game of the season. Sure, it was against Illinois (who hasn’t beaten them?), but it was still an impressive win. This gives the Boilermakers two wins in a row, after a strong route of Ohio State the week before. While Purdue likes to run a lot, they are also able to air the ball out. Wisconsin, on the other hand, doesn’t run too often, but they do air it out frequently. This should be an interesting game, as both teams have strong rushing defenses. Purdue does have an edge though, as their passing defense is much better than Wisconsin’s. Expect Purdue to keep their streak going, though in a close manner. Wisconsin 14, Purdue 20. This game will be televised on ESPN2 at 12:00 p.m.
Indiana (1-3) @ #4 Iowa (4-0)
For the 5.72 of you who thought that MSU would beat Iowa, their game last week probably caused you to cry. For the 34.84 of you who think that Iowa will run the table, that was a perfect game. Like normal, Iowa was playing the level of their opponent, until they realized what time it was. They kicked it into gear, and just sprinted on past MSU. The 4th best team in the nation will continue doing that on Saturday, as they will easily handle the Hoosiers of Indiana. Indiana 10, Iowa 28. This game will be televised on ESPN at 12:00 p.m.
Article comments