Big Ten Football: Week 7 Schedule and Outlook
By Jim Oxley
Another week of Big Ten football is upon us and with it we begin to see some separation in the Big Ten standings. Iowa has taken sole lead out West, while four teams out East sit with perfect records.
READ ALSO: Big Ten Football Standings: Iowa Leads West
This week 1-1 Illinois and 0-2 Maryland are on byes, while the four undefeated Big Ten East teams square off against each other and undefeated Iowa has a challenge on the road.
Here’s where you can catch all the action this week and a recommendation for a game to watch in each time slot.
Wisconsin Badgers
Morning games
The Big Ten slate kicks off at 11 a.m. central with Purdue traveling to Wisconsin for the Badgers Homecoming game, to be aired on Big Ten Network. Also at 11 a.m. central id #17 Iowa hitting the road to face #20 Northwestern. That game will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN2 and Watch ESPN.
Game to watch
It’s pretty clear here that while Badgers fans will want to see how the Wisconsin offense looks against a bad defense, the true game to watch here is the Iowa-Northwestern matchup. Can Iowa keep its undefeated streak in Big Ten Play? Was Northwestern’s early-season success a fluke? Saturday’s game should help clear up some of those questions.
Afternoon games
Three Big Ten games sit in the afternoon slot, starting with Rutgers at Indiana, a 2:30 p.m central kick on the Big Ten Network. Nebraska will take on Minnesota at 2:30 p.m. central as well on ESPN2 and Watch ESPN, and @7 Michigan State travels to #12 Michigan to finish off the 2:30 games. That game is on ESPN and Watch ESPN.
Game to watch
Live Feed
Betsided
Once again the choice is pretty obvious here which game to watch. Michigan is a home favorite over Michigan State, as the Wolverines lone loss is to a hot Utah team while Michigan State’s supposed best win of the year against Oregon looks less and less strong every week. The Spartans have not beaten the spread once this year, and haven’t looked great against lesser opposition. Meanwhile Michigan blew out a ranked Northwestern team last week and looks to be ready to challenge in the East. Saturday’s matchup should tell us just who these two teams are.
Evening game
Once again this week just one game is in the night slot for the Big Ten: Penn State at #1 Ohio State, on ABC.
What to watch for
Ohio State had a game early with Maryland. Whether the Buckeyes have real problems to worry about or are just bored against lesser competition, they haven’t looked great for some time. For Ohio State to really cement it’s No 1 status — they’ve been losing votes each week — they need a big game. Penn State hasn’t lost yet in Big Ten play either, but Rutgers and Indiana are no Ohio State. Saturday night Ohio State will look to make a statement, and Penn State will see by far the best team it’s faced all season.
Next: Week Six Big Ten Power Rankings
More from Football
- Wisconsin Football flips 3-star defensive tackle from Northwestern
- Former Wisconsin Football stars to be featured on the next Wheaties box
- Believe it or not, Wisconsin Football has never played these FBS teams
- Four-star running back Darrion Dupree commits to Wisconsin Football
- Wisconsin Football wide receiver enters the transfer portal