College Football Week 4: A big game for Iowa
Welcome to Week 4. Thank goodness ties aren’t a thing in college football.
Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley throws during the 4th quarter of Iowa’s game against Penn State at Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 23, 2017. Penn State defeated Iowa 21-19 on a last second touchdown past.
September 20, 2018
Big Ten Power Rankings
1) Ohio State (3-0):
Urban Meyer had issues with text messages, but the Buckeyes don’t seem to have any issues with playing football.
2) Penn State (3-0):
After squeaking past Appalachian State, Penn State seems to have things under control.
3) Wisconsin (2-1):
If Wisconsin could land a legitimate quarterback, the Badgers would be national-title contenders.
4) Michigan (2-1):
Much like his team’s start, Jim Harbaugh’s khakis need to be ironed out.
5) Iowa (3-0):
If Iowa beats Wisconsin on Saturday, it will win the Big Ten West. Book it.
6) Michigan State (1-1):
L.J. Scott has more charges for driving without a valid license than Michigan State has touchdowns this season.
7) Minnesota (3-0):
3-0 looks good on paper, but facing New Mexico State, Fresno State, and Miami of Ohio changes your mind pretty quickly.
8) Maryland (2-1):
I almost wrote a feature story on D.J. Durkin. Glad I didn’t go that route.
9) Indiana (3-0):
Indiana is undefeated to start 2018, AND it has one of the best wing places in the country (Buffalouie’s — look it up).
10) Northwestern (1-2):
Yikes.
11) Illinois (2-1):
Now in his third season with Illinois, Lovie Smith has 7 wins.
12) Purdue (0-3):
Three losses to start the year has me rethinking Purdue as my Big Ten West dark horse.
13) Nebraska (0-2):
Even I didn’t expect the Scott Frost era to kick off this way. Cheers.
14) Rutgers (1-2):
Rutgers allowed 55 (!!!) points to Kansas, the worst Power 5 team, last week.
Big Ten Schedule
No. 10 Penn State (-28) vs. Illinois
8 p.m. | FS1
Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley has more touchdowns this season than Illinois has as a team. That trend will continue Friday.
Buffalo (-5) vs. Rutgers
11 a.m. | BTN
This one’s a toss-up. Rutgers losing to Kansas should not have happened, but here we are. Anything is possible from here on out.
Minnesota vs. Maryland (-1)
11 a.m. | BTN
Minnesota is looking for its first 4-0 start since 2013. It might happen, but Maryland’s powerful ground game might have other thoughts.
No. 23 Boston College (-7) vs. Purdue
11 a.m. | ESPN2
Can Purdue get win No. 1 of the season? Maybe. The Boilermakers have the potential to be one of the better teams in the West, but they haven’t shown it so far.
Nebraska vs. No. 19 Michigan (-18)
11 a.m. | FS1
Can’t see Scott Frost getting his first win as a Husker coach in the Big House, but who knows. Realistically, Michigan starts out Big Ten play with a win.
Tulane vs. Ohio State (-37)
2:30 p.m. | BTN
Instead of asking if Ohio State will win, the real question is whether the Buckeyes put up 50 or 60 against the Green Wave. Wave goodbye to any chance of an upset.
No. 24 Michigan State (-5) vs. Indiana
6:30 p.m. | BTN
Indiana could pull it off this weekend. The Spartans are not the team everyone predicted in the preseason, and Indiana’s performed better than expected.
No. 18 Wisconsin (-3) vs. Iowa
7:30 p.m. | FOX
Best game of the Big Ten so far, and arguably the most important rivalry game until we have the Michigan and Ohio State clash on Nov. 24. Either Wisconsin or Iowa will represent the West in the conference championship, and this game will likely decide which one.
