The Big Ten’s regular season is wrapping up. Here’s what games you should watch this weekend.
We’re wrapping up what has been a weird regular season for the Big Ten. With only a handful of games happening this weekend after a couple was canceled due to COVID-19, the conference is closing out the regular season with a mild controversy.
Ohio State and Northwestern will face off in the Big Ten championship game after the conference made a rule change earlier this week that did away with a previously established requirement that teams must play at least six games to qualify for the Big Ten title game. That benefitted the Buckeyes and presented them with a shot to win the conference title.
Ohio State’s rivalry game against Michigan is one of the two games originally slated for this weekend that has been canceled because of the coronavirus. Purdue’s matchup against No. 12 Indiana is the other game that would’ve been played (and it would’ve been much more interesting than Ohio State vs. Michigan).
And that leaves the Big Ten with the following football games:
Must-watch game:
Wisconsin at No. 16 Iowa – The Wisconsin Badgers have only been able to play a handful of games this season. Wisconsin has lost half of its games so far this year, but the Badgers have only played against four opponents. So far, Wisconsin is winless against ranked foes this season as the Badgers have lost to Northwestern and Indiana in low-scoring affairs.
This game with Iowa is also likely to be low-scoring as both the Badgers and the Hawkeyes tend to rely on their defenses to carry them to victory. It may be a bit dull for fans of explosive offenses, but this game should be a close one and is arguably the most evenly-matched game of the weekend.
Watch these games if you have nothing better to do:
Illinois at No. 14 Northwestern – There’s a chance that Illinois could compete with Northwestern in this one. I’m not entirely sure of how great a chance that is, but the Northwestern Wildcats have played in several close games against bad teams this season.
Minnesota at Nebraska – Both Minnesota and Nebraska have won two games so far this season. Both teams are coming off of wins against Purdue and prior to those wins over the Boilermakers, both teams lost to Iowa. Neither team has looked particularly impressive at any point this season and both Nebraska and Minnesota are giving up over 30 points a game. If the offenses get involved, that could result in an interesting shootout.
Rutgers at Maryland – This contest could go either way and, even though neither team involved is really any good, I appreciate games that feature evenly matched opponents. Maryland has only been able to play four games so far this season with their most recent matchup coming against Indiana on Nov. 28. The Terrapins might be at a slight disadvantage due to some rust from having that time off.
There are better, more interesting games on elsewhere:
Michigan State at Penn State – I need to know the reasoning behind putting this game on ABC at 11 a.m. Sure, both of these teams are notable and have been pretty good in the past, but neither is any good this season. There are better games available on other channels. Go check them out.
How to watch every Big Ten game (all times Central):
- Illinois at No. 14 Northwestern – Saturday, Dec. 12 at 11 a.m. on ESPN2
- Minnesota at Nebraska – Saturday, Dec. 12 at 11 a.m. on FS1
- Michigan State at Penn State – Saturday, Dec. 12 at 11 a.m. on ABC
- Rutgers at Maryland – Saturday, Dec. 12 at 11 a.m. on BTN
- Wisconsin at No. 16 Iowa – Saturday, Dec. 12 at 2:30 p.m. on FS1
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