Sep. 27—It’s nothing but conference games this weekend in the Big Ten. The first full week of league play. Here’s how Illini beat writer Scott Richey
ranks this weekend’s matchups, along with his picks for Illinois MVP, Big Ten MVP and his evaluation of the Illini’s bowl game projections:
Can’t miss it
No. 19 Illinois (4-0, 1-0)
at No. 9 Penn State (3-0, 0-0)
6:30 p.m. Saturday, NBC
➜ Who’s on the call: Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (expert analysis) and Kathryn Tappen (sideline reports).
➜ Who wins: Penn State, 28-21. The Nittany Lions shut out Kent State last week. Even though they opened as 181/2-point underdogs, the Illini will keep it much closer than last year’s game in Champaign.
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No. 3 Ohio State (3-0, 0-0)
at Michigan State (3-1, 1-0)
6 p.m. Saturday, Peacock
➜ Who’s on the call: Andrew Siciliano (play-by-play), Colt McCoy (expert analysis) and Lewis Johnson (sideline reports).
➜ Who wins: Ohio State, 49-21. Marshall put up the best fight against the Buckeyes this season and still lost by 35 points. Michigan State is better than any one on Ohio State’s Charmin soft nonconference slate, but that doesn’t really matter.
Washington (3-1, 1-0)
at Rutgers (3-0, 0-0)
7 p.m. Friday, Fox
➜ Who’s on the call: Tim Brando (play-by-play), Devin Gardner (expert analysis) and Josh Sims (sideline reports).
➜ Who wins: Washington, 28-24. The fact this is a Big Ten game still takes some getting used to. Because Seattle is roughly 2,900 miles to Piscataway, N.J., depending on the route the Huskies’ equipment truck wanted to take. Either way, Will Rogers and Washington will head back to the Pacific Northwest with a road win.
Maryland (3-1, 0-1)
at Indiana (4-0, 1-0)
11 a.m. Saturday, BTN
➜ Who’s on the call: Jeff Levering (play-by-play), Jake Butt (expert analysis) and Brooke Fletcher (sideline reports).
➜ Who wins: Indiana, 45-35. A fifth straight win for the Hoosiers will depend on sixth-year quarterback Kurtis Rourke staying hot against a Maryland defense that’s not great but certainly better than anything Indiana’s seen this year.
Wisconsin (2-1, 0-0)
at No. 13 Southern Cal (2-1, 0-1)
2:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS
➜ Who’s on the call: Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (expert analysis) and Jenny Dell (sideline reports).
➜ Who wins: Southern Cal, 42-17. Injury replacement quarterback Braedyn Locke isn’t going to win Wisconsin many games. Neither is a Badgers run game that’s a shell of its former self. The Trojans get their first ever Big Ten win after a close call last Saturday at Michigan.
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Minnesota (2-2, 0-1)
at No. 12 Michigan (3-1, 1-0)
11 a.m. Saturday, Fox
➜ Who’s on the call: Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (expert analysis) and Jenny Taft (sideline reports).
➜ Who wins: Michigan, 24-7. Should the Wolverines just start running the triple option? Quarterback Alex Orji had more than twice as many rushing yards as passing in his first start last week against USC. Might as well lean in.
Nebraska (3-1, 0-1)
at Purdue (1-2, 0-0)
11 a.m. Saturday, Peacock
➜ Who’s on the call: Jac Collinsworth (play-by-play), Michael Robinson (expert analysis) and Caroline Pineda (sideline reports).
➜ Who wins: Nebraska, 35-20. A trip to West Lafayette, Ind., should cure what ails the Cornhuskers after last week’s overtime loss to Illinois. Purdue is driving the struggle bus after losing its last two games by 76 combined points.
No. 8 Oregon (3-0, 0-0)
at UCLA (1-2, 0-1)
10 p.m. Saturday, Fox
➜ Who’s on the call: Connor Onion (play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (expert analysis) and Josh Sims (sideline reports).
➜ Who wins: Oregon, 34-17. The Ducks owned UCLA during the dying days of the Pac-12 that we once knew, and that shouldn’t change now that both teams are in the Big Ten. Oregon has won 10 of 11 and 15 of its last 18 games against the Bruins.
Illinois MVP: LUKE ALTMYER
Luke Altmyer talked like a different person leading up to this season. Held himself differently, too. The Illinois quarterback oozed comfort and confidence after an up-and-down first season in Champaign. The proof of that evolution has been on the field through the Illini’s first four games. Altmyer leads the Big Ten with 10 touchdown passes — against zero interceptions — while completing 71.4 percent of his passes. Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin make his job easier, but Altmyer is still making all the necessary throws.
Big Ten MVP: Kaleb Johnson
That the Iowa offense has shown some real signs of life this season is a surprise. That the Hawkeyes are getting the job done even with quarterback Cade McNamara barely treading water as a positive contributor isn’t. It just seems right that Iowa’s offensive success is in the run game, as junior running back Kaleb Johnson has burst onto the scene as one of the most productive backs in the country with 82 carries for 685 yards and nine touchdowns. All three are tops in the Big Ten as the Hawkeyes prep for an Oct. 5 game at Ohio State.
Postseason projections: Talking playoffs?
The College Football Playoff field remains out of reach for Illinois (check back after Saturday’s trip to Happy Valley). But Bret Bielema and Co. have gotten closer each successive week. In the interim, the Illini’s bowl game projections have improved dramatically since the season started. It’s not quite a consensus, but the overwhelming majority of notable bowl game prognosticators at least have Illinois playing in Florida against an SEC team whether that’s the Citrus Bowl in Orlando or back to the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa.
