B1G Week Four Preview: A Better Week?

After coming off a lackluster (putting it nicely) week, the B1G looks to rebound in week four. The schedule seems easier this week for the conference, but you can never be to sure how it will go. The first B1G matchup also takes place this weekend, along with an always entertaining rivalry game. Let’s see what lies ahead!

San Jose State @ Minnesota

I view this game as a complete toss-up because I haven’t seen what San Jose State looks like. The Spartans shutout Sacramento State in their opener and were beaten soundly by Stanford. Minnesota has gotten off to a 3-0 start, coming off a win over Western Illinois. The main attention of the Gophers this season has been head coach Jerry Kill, who once again suffered from a seizure attack on the sidelines. Kill will return to the sidelines this week and doesn’t want to talk about his condition. If Minnesota’s defense and running game can put up another solid performance, they should be able to have a good shot of winning the game.

Western Michigan @ Iowa

This is the third B1G opponent of the year for Western Michigan, as they lost the first two games to Michigan State and Northwestern. And I don’t see the outcome being any different here. Iowa is 2-1 to start the year and is coming off a win against rival Iowa State. I see the Hawkeyes being motivated for this game and there shouldn’t be any hangover from last weekend. Iowa running back Mark Weisman has been doing great for the Hawkeyes all season and should have another nice performance against the Broncos.

South Dakota State @ Nebraska

It’s pretty quiet in Lincoln right now, huh? I’m glad I’m not Bo Pelini because right now he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. In a few short days he managed to piss off a school legend and an entire fan base. On top of all the anger, Pelini has a horrible defense that needs fixed. To add injury to insult, starting quarterback Taylor Martinez has turf toe and is questionable for Saturday’s game. With all the drama and problems taking place in Husker land, they still (on paper) should win this game. But don’t be surprised if South Dakota State would pull off the upset because they couldn’t ask for a better situation to take down the Huskers. If Nebraska would lose this game, fans might burn Memorial Stadium to the ground.

Kent State @ Penn State

Penn State is coming off a heartbreaking loss to UCF last week and appear plenty motivated coming into this game. Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg continues to improve every game and is a star in the making. The Nittany Lions’ rushing attack has also been stout, with Zach Zwinak coming off a 128 yard, three touchdown rushing performance. Kent State is having a bad start to the season, coming off blowout losses to Bowling Green and LSU. Dynamic playmaker Dri Archer has also been banged up and unable to perform at 100%. Should be a huge win for Penn State to build on going into B1G play next week.

Purdue @ #24 Wisconsin

This is the first conference game of the season. Both teams are coming off close losses and are eager to put last weekend’s results behind them. Purdue led or was tied for most of the game against Notre Dame before giving up three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and lost 31-24. Wisconsin though is probably the most pissed off team in the entire country. As discussed in my week three review, the Badgers lost in one of the most bizarre ways possible. I look for Wisconsin to pound the running game down Purdue’s throats and to come away with a blowout victory.

Maine @ #18 Northwestern

I’m not going to beat around the bush and say this is going to be close. This game is going to be a blowout. Look for Northwestern to get lots of playing time for the backups and rest up the starters for the game against the Buckeyes in two weeks. I guess if you choose to watch this game you could look out for running back Mike Trumpy (great name by the way).

Missouri @ Indiana

A mighty SEC team! Yes, in case you forgot, Missouri is in the SEC. I’ll wait for you to stop laughing. Missouri is 2-0 and has beaten Murray State and Toledo, so this is their first test of the season. Two players to pay attention to on the Tigers are dual threat quarterback James Franklin and wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham. Indiana is 2-1 on the season and they’ve definitely proved one thing about their team: their offense is damn good. This game will probably be a shootout as both are capable of putting up crooked numbers on the scoreboard. But I just don’t see how Missouri can outscore Indiana. I like the Hoosiers to win this one.

#15 Michigan @ Connecticut

First, how is Michigan still ranked #15 after nearly losing to a MAC cellar dweller? I would’ve dropped them below #20 at least because that was embarrassing for the conference. As for UConn, they’re 0-2 coming into this game (including a loss to FCS foe Towson). But this game will still be soldout:

According to UConn coach @PaulPasqualoni Saturday's game vs. Michigan has officially sold out

— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) September 18, 2013

It was probably Michigan fans who bought the majority of the tickets, so it will most likely look similar to the “home” game Cal had against Ohio State last weekend. If the pick machine, Devin Gardner, can keep it under control Michigan should win this game in easy fashion. But we said that last week too didn’t we?

Michigan State @ #22 Notre Dame

Oh, Notre Dame. Every season you’re so overrated, yet ranked so high. Yes, I consider #22 to be high for the Irish. They struggle against teams like Purdue, yet the media pats them on the pack like they just beat the San Francisco 49ers. Quarterback Tommy Rees looked like him old self last week in the first three quarters against Purdue before waking up and leading the Irish to victory. Michigan State finally founds itself offensively last week against Youngstown State. Quarterback Connor Cook had a great game (202 passing yards and four touchdowns) and has been named the starter for this weekend’s game. Now Cook and the offense will be put to test against a solid Notre Dame defense, anchored by stars Stephon Tuitt and Louis Nix III. If Michigan State’s offense can pass this test, then we might be looking at the second best team in the conference because the Spartans defense has already proven itself to be great. With both teams having good defenses, this game will ultimately be decided by the better offense. I think Michigan State will have the better offense and win this game.

As always, looking forward to all of the games this weekend. Be sure to check back on Monday for my week four review!