I am not a baseball guy, but I live in the Cubs/Cardinals Convergence Zone and prior to moving here I spent fourteen years in Wisconsin, so I am very much on a high right now because all the baseball fans in town are stuck having to look up at the Brewers and acknowledge that neither of their teams is the best in the NL Central.
No. 25 Wisconsin at Iowa (11 am, FOX): Not gonna lie: the Kamari Moulton injury, along with last week's scheissbedaurlich quarterback play, had me concerned for Iowa's chances in this game even before acknowledging that Wisconsin's patience with Luke Fickell is clearly paying off.
Then I remember that the Ferentzian schema is designed so that victory or defeat is never the result of, or fault of, any one player.
Then I look at the injury report again, and I weep. Wisconsin 24, Iowa 17.
Illinois at Maryland (11 am, FS1): The Illini now have a confirmed coordinator kill on their resume, as Oregon deservedly cut Drew Mehringer loose after the Ducks failed to do anything noteworthy on offense after their opening drive. I was at that game; the Ducks' O was dreadful and their fans knew it.
Meanwhile, in a plot development that seems to come from a dreadful 1980s college sex comedy, Maryland is offering students a shot at free tuition if they'll come to the football game and actually stay until the fourth quarter. This is putting Roger Ebert's old statement "Whatever it costs to get in [to this movie], it's worth more to get out" to the test. But here's our chance to see if Aazaar Abdul-Rahim has what it takes to be the head coach at Maryland, or somewhere else. Or at least to see if Mike Locksley was the main problem in College Park. Illinois 31, Maryland 13.
Minnesota at No. 4 Indiana (2:30 pm, CBS/Paramount+): I could, I suppose, be a bitter Iowa fan and revel in the likelihood that Indiana is just going to stomp all the joy right out of PJ Fleck and the Flecktones, but Minnesota's defense is actually good and Indiana's offense is at best 80 percent of what it was last season. The only conference team the Hoosiers have made short work of so far was Rutgers, and they won't run all over the Gophers either. But I do think the Fighting Cignettis will prevail. Indiana 23, Minnesota 20.
Washington at Nebraska (7 pm, BTN): If not for Oregon, Washington would be this season's greatest failure to launch. I really thought they were going to be pretty good. Not great, but pretty good. The Huskies have been solidly mediocre, however, largely getting pushed around by the old Big Ten West. They did beat Purdue two weeks ago but it wasn't a blowout.
That same weekend, Nebraska lost to Oregon, a team that got thoroughly worked by Illinois this past Saturday. This game is either going to be a nailbiter or a kindergarten paint fight, and I'm not sure which, but I guess I'll take Nebraska. Nebraska 28, Washington 24.
BONUS GAME: No. 20 Northwestern at Oregon (2:30 pm, Peacock): I'm going to Be That Guy about Northwestern, which has performed well this season, but not well enough in my mind to be a Top 20 team. While it's true they played Indiana very close on the road, the Hoosiers haven't been blowing people out like they did last season so that close loss counts for less. I'm also not that impressed by jNWU's victories over that Murderer's Row of South Dakota State (a very good FCS team, but still an FCS team), Colorado, Ball State, Michigan State, Rutgers, and the Penn State Nittany Cyclones. Oregon clearly was drastically overhyped in the preseason, but jNWU is kinda overhyped now. If I eat these words, at least I have plenty of ketchup, but ... Oregon 30, Northwestern 22.
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