Ohio State-Iowa, Penn State-Northwestern and more: Previewing Week 5 of Big Ten football

Our glorious *Midwestern-based college football conference is fully into conference play and we’ve got some interesting games to talk about this week and some… that are also happening, okay?

Without further ado, let’s get into the Big Ten’s Week 5 slate:

Game of the Week

This is the week’s top matchup that’s absolutely worth tuning into if you’re at all interested in the league.

No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes at No. 14 Iowa Hawkeyes

• Time/TV: 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS

Ohio State returns to Kinnick Stadium for the first time since losing 55-24 there to an unranked Iowa team, a loss that effectively ended the Buckeyes’ National Championship aspirations in 2017. Nine years later, Ohio State will once again need to win to preserve their postseason hopes after having suffered a loss at Texas.

At No. 14 in this week’s AP Poll, this isn’t an Iowa team like 2017’s that will catch people off guard. The Hawkeyes played an impressive four quarter game last week in Ann Arbor, winning on the final play to deal Michigan its first official loss of the season. Ohio State will be big favorites still, but there’s no reason to count out this Iowa team with one upset under its belt already and a raucous home crowd behind it.

Hey man…

This is somewhere between the Game of the Week and The Rest. Definitely more interesting than most of the matchups but not as prominent as the top contest.

Penn State Nittany Lions at Northwestern Wildcats

• Time/TV: 8 p.m. on FRIDAY on FOX

Northwestern gave Indiana just about everything it could handle last Friday, coming oh so close to a statement win against a top-5 team on the road. The Wildcats will have another chance at a statement on Friday night, welcoming a Penn State team coming off of an upset home loss against Wisconsin choked away in the fourth quarter to spoil Matt Campbell’s first homecoming, and potentially first season, in State College.

The Wildcats are feisty. Are they feisty enough to send the Nittany Lions into a spiral?

The Rest

Here’s a few other games worth a glance to see if anything interesting is going on.

Michigan Wolverines at Minnesota Golden Gophers

• Time/TV: 12 p.m. on FOX

This one is interesting for watching Michigan’s first season under Kyle Whittingham unfold. The Wolverines should have two losses already, one to Western Michigan to open the season and other to Iowa on last week’s final play, instead holding just the latter. That win over Oklahoma isn’t exactly aging well either.

Will Michigan spiral further? Or roll over Minnesota, which itself is coming off of a road upset at Washington?

Michigan State Spartans at Wisconsin Badgers

• Time/TV: 12:30 p.m. on BTN

This one is here for a very simple reason: traditional Big Ten matchup between two teams coached by former linebackers. Who can out-tough the other?

This game could also give us a better idea of which direction these two programs are heading in. Wisconsin got a win over Penn State that could save the Luke Fickell era if they can build on that momentum and reach a bowl game. Michigan State has dropped two straight and will be looking to get back on track so as to not waste Pat Fitzgerald’s first season at the helm.

Purdue Boilermakers at Illinois Fighting Illini

• Time/TV: 4:15 p.m. on BTN

Well. This is a football game, for sure.

Purdue fans got to see their Illinois counterparts live out their dreams this week when the Fighting Illini parted ways with defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck just four games into the season. Both of these teams have poor defenses and, as a result, pass the ball quite a bit.

This will be like a taste of the old Big 12. All the offense, none of the defense. Well, maybe all of the offense. We’ll see (or not, this is kind of a screen four in a multi-view type game)!

Washington Huskies at No. 18 USC Trojans

• Time/TV: 7:30 p.m. on NBC

Both of these teams are coming off tough losses, with the Huskies falling the Minnesota and dropping out of the top 25 while USC got thumped by Dylan Raiola and Oregon. It’s early enough in the season for either of these teams to be optimistic about getting their seasons back on track, but it starts with a win this week. A road win for Washington over a ranked team would surely get the Huskies back into the top 25, while a win over Washington would probably be USC’s best win of the season so far.

I think this one matters more for USC, so I would expect them to respond. That said, the Oregon loss cast doubts on more than just this season for the Trojans, so it’ll be interesting to see if Lincoln Riley still has the ability to rally his troops.

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