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Big Ten Football: Week Five Schedule and Preview

By Jim Oxley

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The Big Ten football conference heads into the first week of true Big Ten conference action as 13 of the 14 Big Ten squads are in action, and all five AP ranked teams hit the field.

READ ALSO: Badgers Climbing AP Poll Yet Again

Only Rutgers is off this week as the Big Ten standings will finally see some movement. Right now a Rutgers-Penn State matchup leaves Penn State 1-0 and Rutgers 0-1 for the only notches in the conference win-loss column.

That will change this week, and here’s what you need to know as you set up on your couch for a day of Big Ten football on Saturday.

Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers /

Wisconsin Badgers

11 a.m. central games:

The noon slot kicks off with Army at Penn State on ESPNU and Watch ESPN, Minnesota traveling to Northwestern on Big Ten Network, Iowa at #19 Wisconsin on ESPN and Watch ESPN, Minnesota traveling to #16 Northwestern and Purdue taking on #2 Michigan State on ESPN2 and Watch ESPN.

Game to watch:

It’s a toss up here in the noon time slot as Iowa at #19 Wisconsin is a great Big Ten opener, and Minnesota at #16 Northwestern will tell us a lot about both teams. 3-1 Wisconsin is looking to keep up a strong defensive showing so far this season, while Iowa faces its second challenge of the season after a narrow win over Pittsburgh two weeks ago. Northwestern, meanwhile, is looking to cement its status as a contender in the Big Ten West while Minnesota wants to prove it wasn’t over-hyped heading into the season.

Both games are worth watching, so keep the “previous channel” button ready.

2:30 central games:

Two games are in the 2:30 p.m. time slot on Saturday: Nebraska at Illinois is on Big Ten Network, and #1 Ohio State at Indiana is on ABC, ESPN2 and Watch ESPN.

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Game to watch:

Keep a close eye on Nebraska at Illinois. It won’t be the best game of the day, but we’ll find out if Nebraska will be able to do anything this season. It’s hard to gauge where Nebraska sits, so stay tuned to see if the Cornhuskers look like a legitimate threat in the West. Ohio State should roll over Indiana on the road.

Night game (and game to watch)

There’s only one game to pick from Saturday night as #22 Michigan heads to Maryland for a 7 p.m. central kick on Big Ten Network. This one, much like the Nebraska-Illinois matchup will be interesting to watch to see if the Michigan Wolverines have truly turned the corner. The Wolverines looked strong last Saturday in a shutout of BYU, but trusting them at this point in the season seems unwise. Saturday will hopefully reveal a little more about Jim Harbaugh’s group.

Next: Big Ten power Rankings: Congestion In The Middle

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