Badger of Honor has Wisconsin football fans covered with some intriguing matchups to check out on Saturday.
Wisconsin Football’s primetime showdown with Iowa is going to be one of the marquee matchups on the slate of college football games tomorrow, with huge implications for both teams and the Big Ten landscape this season.
The long wait during the day for the start of the game is going to be tough, but the 8:30 p.m. ET kickoff means Wisconsin fans will have the opportunity to catch several interesting games beforehand.
Here are four matchups to keep an eye on.
Nebraska at No. 19 Michigan- 12:00 p.m ET
The first of two great games featuring Big Ten teams in the earliest time slot, make sure to catch at least some of this matchup.
It has not been an ideal start to the season for both Nebraska and Michigan. The Huskers are sitting at 0-2 after having the long-anticipated first game of the Scott Frost era canceled due to weather, followed by two heartbreaking losses in Lincoln to Colorado and Troy. Michigan came into the season as a trendy pick to reach the College Football Playoff, but started things off in Week 1 with a brutal loss to Notre Dame. However, the Wolverines have rebounded with consecutive blowout victories over Western Michigan and SMU.
This game is probably more important to Michigan than it is to Nebraska, as the Wolverines must win to keep their postseason dreams alive. However, the Huskers are not likely to be a push-over, as you know Frost is going to have his team fired up at the prospect of getting the first win of the season, as well as the program’s new era, against a ranked Michigan in the Big House.
No. 23 Boston College at Purdue- 12:00 p.m. ET
This is a fascinating matchup.
The expectations were high in West Lafayette for the second year of Jeff Brohm’s tenure as head coach. However, the Boilers have opened up the season with three tough losses to Northwestern, Eastern Michigan, and Missouri, losing by just eight combined points. Make no mistake about it, though, Purdue is still a much-improved team and this program is definitely headed in the right direction under Brohm.
Boston College, on the other hand, has been one of the darlings of the college football season so far. The 3-0 Eagles are ranked for the first time since 2008 and look like they will be a major threat in the ACC. They boast an impressive offense, led by one of the current Heisman Trophy frontrunners in running back A.J. Dillon, in addition to a solid defense. That being said, the Eagles have played UMass, Holy Cross, and Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are pretty talented, but it’s possible Purdue will be the best team they have faced so far.
I have a feeling this is going to wind up being one of the best games of the day. Purdue is going to be playing hungry to get their first win at home in front of their fans, but Boston College looks like the real deal this season. Keep a close eye on this one.
McNeese at No. 25 BYU- 6:00 p.m. ET
Let’s be clear, this should not be much of a contest. McNeese is an FCS team that the Cougars should pummel at home. That being said, crazier upsets have certainly happened before, and if the Cowboys even make this a close game, Badger fans should be worried about BYU’s prospects the rest of the way.
Wisconsin will be among the Cougars’ most ardent fans the rest of the season, as it is possible that a College Football Playoff appearance for the Badgers could come down to BYU’s success, that is assuming Wisconsin wins out. While it is true that every Power 5 team that has finished with one loss (or less) plus a conference championship in the Playoff era has earned a CFP berth, there is no guarantee that this trend would continue for a 12-1 Wisconsin team. Depending on the records of the other teams in consideration for a berth, if BYU goes on to have a subpar rest of the season, it’s possible the Badgers would get left out due to that one ugly loss.
At the very least, keep an eye on the score of this one late in the afternoon and into the evening.
No. 24 Michigan State at Indiana- 7:30 p.m. ET
This is a dangerous matchup for the Spartans in Bloomington.
1-1 Michigan State has been one of the more disappointing teams in all of college football early on. The Spartans escaped with a victory by the skin of their teeth against Utah State in Week 1 and followed up that ugly showing with a 16-13 loss against Arizona State in Tempe the next weekend. They are now coming off a bye week and have to face a low-key dangerous Indiana squad.
The Hoosiers are 3-0 and gave the Spartans trouble last season in East Lansing, though they ultimately lost 17-9. Indiana can also occasionally give more talented teams fits at home, as the Hoosiers took No. 17 Michigan to overtime last season in Bloomington before losing 27-20.
With the way Michigan State has played this season, this could be a dogfight worth tuning into prior to the Badger game and at commercial breaks.