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Big Ten Football: Week 8 Schedule and Outlook

By Jim Oxley

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Yet another week of Big Ten football is upon us and with it we see even more separation in the Big Ten standings as just three teams remain unbeaten in conference play. Iowa keeps its hold out West, while both Michigan State and Ohio State are unbeaten in the East.

READ ALSO: Big Ten Standings: Three Unbeatens Left

This week the Iowa Hawkeyes and their 3-0 conference record are on bye, as are the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Purdue Boilermakers in the West. Out East, 2-1 Michigan has a bye after its heartbreaking loss to Michigan State a week ago.

Here’s what’s on tap for week 8 of Big Ten play:

Morning game:

Just one game is on the morning slate this week as Northwestern travels to Nebraska for an 11 a.m. central kick. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and Watch ESPN.

What to watch for:

Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers /

Wisconsin Badgers

Northwestern is on a steady path down after such a hot start. In the past two weeks The Wildcats have been crushed by Michigan and Iowa, and need a victory to salvage the conference season. Nebraska, meanwhile, finally saw one go its way after close Big Ten losses to Illinois and Wisconsin when they took it to Minnesota last week. Both teams are looking to turn around their seasons, so it should be a competitive game.

Afternoon games:

Wisconsin kicks off the afternoon slot with a 2:30 p.m. central game at Illinois. It will be broadcast on Big Ten Network. Penn State and Maryland will square off at a neutral location — M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. That game will be on ESPN and Watch ESPN. Indiana also travels to #7 Michigan State for a 2:30 p.m. kick, a game that will be on ABC, ESPN2 and Watch ESPN.

Game to watch:

After last week’s late game heroics, the Spartans are the team to watch this week. Although the Hoosiers have yet to win a conference game, they’ve put up a few good showings and are still thought of as a potential upset team. The Spartans need to show people they belong in the playoff conversation, and will be looking to make a statement with a big win.

Night game:

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#1 Ohio State travels to Rutgers for a 7 p.m. central kick. The game will be broadcast on ABC.

What to watch for:

Ohio State will start J.T. Barrett at quarterback, and they couldn’t have picked a better team to try him out against. The Scarlet Knights just let Indiana score 52 points, and have given up some lopsided scores this year. The Buckeyes are looking to shut up those who are asking “what’s wrong” with the No. 1 team in the country.

Next: Illinois Update With Writing Illini

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