Week 6 Big Ten — Know your enemy
Big Ten Games of the Week: PennSt-UCLA, Iowa-tOSU, Mich-UW
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This week’s Big Ten schedule brings No. 6 Oregon’s FOX Football Friday matchup with Michigan State and seven Saturday conference games.
Measuring stick
UCLA at No. 7 Penn St: Noon ET/11am CT/9am PT | FOX
UCLA’s schedule presents an intriguing scout — B1G title race contender No. 7 Penn State vs. UCLA a week after Oregon’s 34-13 win over the Bruins.
Oregon posted a reasonably strong showing on both sides of the ball at UCLA in Week 5. The defense limited scoring to two field goals. The offense generated 27 first downs and 431 total yards.
Penn State’s 2023 offense was questionable at best, but the midweek Vegas line favors the Lions by 28. From Oregon’s perspective in particular, this UCLA-PennSt game is a great look at how the Ducks and Nittany Lions stack up. Though Oregon and Penn State aren’t scheduled heads-up in the regular season, early rankings and records support scenarios of a potential meeting in the B1G title game or the 12-team CFP — and OG memories of Oregon’s 1994 Pac-10 Champions facing Penn State in the Rose Bowl.
Previously in 30-Year Throwback:
Chapter 1 — The 1994 players-only meeting sparks a culture shift and starts Oregon’s transformation from a 1-2 start to ‘94 Pac-10 champions.
Gang Green 30-Year Throwback is an Oregon FansEdge series, built from our exclusive interviews with Oregon's 1994 Pac-10 Champions. Paid subscribers have access to all chapters of Gang Green 30-Year Throwback — Get Oregon FansEdge!
Reality check
Iowa at No. 3 Ohio St: 330pm ET/230pm CT/1230pm PT | CBS
In Week 5, Georgia and new AP No. 1 Alabama each played a half good enough to win the natty, and a half shaky enough to lose to any team worthy of making the 12-team CFP — Likewise, Ohio State’s next four games will clarify just how legit the midseason Buckeyes are:
Week 6 vs. Iowa
Week 7 at No. 6 Oregon
Week 9 vs. Nebraska
Week 10 at No. 7 Penn State
No. 3 Ohio State is favored to win the B1G title, but their non-conference strength of schedule didn’t present the level of challenge waiting in the conference race.
Iowa might not have the firepower to outscore Ohio State but the Hawkeyes’ trademark strength on defense held opponents to 13.8 points and 272.8 yards per game through Week 5 — an entirely different level of resistance than the unranked Sun Belt, MAC, and Michigan State squads that allowed Ohio State to generate a B1G-best 48.8 points and 534.8 yards per game through September.
2023 CFP rematch
No. 10 Michigan at Washingon: 730pm ET/630pm CT/430Pm PT | NBC
The once-mighty fell quickly in the months since last season’s CFP championship game.
No. 10 Michigan’s offense is one-dimensional, averaging a B1G-worst 115.4 pass yards per game through Week 5 — and Washington is utterly unrecognizable after losing its head coach to Bama, its entire 2023 starting offense to transfers and the Draft, and losing its best returning DB on a transfer to bitter rival Oregon.
Struggling 2023 national champ Michigan needs more style points than a close win over two-loss, unranked Washington — but the opening Vegas line favored the Huskies by a field goal.
A loss here simply isn't a possibility Michigan can afford to entertain — Ranked teams ahead:
Week 8 at No. 24 Illinois
Week 10 vs. No. 6 Oregon
Week 11 at No. 23 Indiana
Week 14 at No. 3 Ohio State
Pressure test
No. 11 USC at Minnesota: 730pm ET/630pm CT/430Pm PT | BTN
No. 11 USC is coming off a 38-21 home win over unranked Wisconsin saw the Trojans lose two fumbles, punt three times, and give up an interception — a week after losing two fumbles and punting eight times in a 27-24 Week 4 loss at Michigan that exposed USC’s run defense for 290 rush yards (6.3 yards per carry).
Minnesota might not have the offense to win a shootout (second-worst B1G ground game at 101.4 rushing yards per game through Week 5). The unranked Gophers field a classic Big Ten defense:
B1G-best 96.8 pass yards allowed per game
Third-best in the conference, averaging 226.8 total yards allowed
As with Michigan and Wisconsin, Minnesota gives us another look at how durable USC is against still more old-school Midwestern defense.
B1G Week 6:
Friday, Oct. 4
Michigan St at Oregon: 9pm ET/8pm CT/6pm PT | FOX
Saturday, Oct. 5
UCLA at Penn St: 12pm ET/11am CT/9am PT | FOX
Purdue at Wisconsin: 12pm ET/11am CT/9am PT | BTN
Iowa at No. 3 Ohio St: 330pm ET/230pm CT/1230pm PT | CBS
No. 23 Indiana at Northwestern: 330pm ET/230pm CT/1230pm PT | BTN
Rutgers at Nebraska: 4pm ET/3pm CT/1pm PT | FS1
No. 10 Michigan at Washington: 730pm ET/630pm CT/430pm PT | NBC
No. 11 USC at Minnesota: 730pm ET/630pm CT/430pm PT | BTN
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