Big Ten Previews and Predictions: Week 7
Week six of the Big Ten season is in the books and it surely didn’t disappoint. Conference play has begun to heat up as the favorites to win the title of each division are starting to surface. There were some surprise teams from week six that could end up contending by the end of the season.
The Michigan State Spartans took down the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road while putting up over 400 yards of total offense – something that didn’t seem possible heading into the week with two of the top defenses in the conference facing off against each other. Michigan State’s punter, Mike Sadler, outrushed the entire Hawkeyes team with 25 yards on a fake punt that eventually led to the Spartans' victory.
In a game that looked to be a tight matchup, the Nebraska Cornhuskers blew the doors off the Illinois Fighting Illini at home and proved that they are still one of the best teams in the Big Ten. The most impressive part of the win was that the Cornhuskers managed to win by three scores without Taylor Martinez at quarterback.
In one of the shocking defeats of the week, the Indiana Hoosiers beat up on the Penn State Nittany Lions – something no one thought was possible.
In not so shocking news, the Michigan Wolverines got back on track with a 42-13 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers. This was the first time in weeks that Michigan looked solid.
Finally, the game of the week featured the Northwestern Wildcats who hosted the Ohio State Buckeyes. The game went down to the wire, but the Buckeyes pulled off the win in impressive fashion.
Check out the week seven Big Ten previews and predictions for each game.
Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].
Indiana at Michigan State
The Hoosiers just put the beat-down on the Nittany Lions in week six, but they have yet to see a defense like the one Michigan State features. If the Spartans' offense can come around, this game could get ugly.
PREDICTION: Indiana 10, Michigan State 31
Nebraska at Purdue
Nebraska has the pleasure of taking on a struggle-ridden Boilermakers squad. Purdue has been awful this season and still haven't faced off against an offense like Nebraska. Taylor Martinez should be back and this game won't be remotely close.
PREDICTION: Nebraska 41, Purdue 14
No. 19 Northwestern at Wisconsin
A week after falling in a close one to Ohio State, the Wildcats have the tough task of traveling to Madison to take on the Badgers in one of the toughest environments in college football. Wisconsin's run game will run all over the Wildcats' defense just like Carlos Hyde did in week six.
PREDICTION: Northwestern 24, Wisconsin 31
No. 18 Michigan at Penn State
Penn State could not get any worse this season. Starting off with a tough 3-2 record, the Nittany Lions have relied heavily on a freshman quarterback to dig them out of holes. Obviously, that's not the recipe for success and it will spell doom against the tough Wolverines defense.
PREDICTION: Michigan 34, Penn State 21
