Week 11 Big Ten previews: Huskers, Gophers clash with Indy dreams still alive

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The Big Ten West Division isn't wrapped up yet.

While Wisconsin is in the driver's seat and looks the part of a top-10 team, there are still ways for Minnesota and Nebraska — both tied atop the division standings alongside Wisconsin — to reach Indianapolis.

That begins this weekend, with the Gophers and Huskers meeting in Lincoln. The Gophers will go to the Big Ten title game if they win out, something that seems to have flown under the radar as everyone focuses on the conference's teams ranked high in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Huskers need to win out and get a Badgers loss in order to escape the head-to-head tiebreaker.

So this weekend's game will be a big step in the winner's journey to stay alive and play for a conference championship.

Here are previews of that contest and all of Week 11's Big Ten action. All games played on Saturday, Nov. 12, and all times are Central.

Rutgers at Michigan State, 11 a.m., Big Ten Network

This, believe it or not, is a battle between the two worst teams in the Big Ten. Only the Scarlet Knights and Spartans are without a conference win, something that will change for one following the conclusion of this game. It's still shocking to consider that Michigan State has fallen this far, and if it were to lose to bottom-feeding Rutgers, it would cement this as a season where absolutely nothing went right. Even last week at Illinois, Michigan State couldn't get things right, taking a late lead only to cough it up on a long touchdown drive led by the Illini's walk-on third-string quarterback. Then the Spartans went all the way down into the red zone, only for Damion Terry to get sacked on fourth down. And if you're going to take some solace in the fact that this game is in East Lansing, don't. Michigan State has just one win there this season: a 15-point defeat of FCS foe Furman in the season-opener two months ago.

That being said, these are the Knights we're talking about, and they have not found competing in this conference very easy. The hope for Rutgers comes from its last two performances, where under a new quarterback in Gio Rescigno, it's been competitive against Minnesota and Indiana, scoring 32 points in a two-point loss to the Golden Gophers and 27 points in a six-point loss to the Hoosiers. Certainly the Spartans aren't scoring like that and have been prone to giving up big point totals during their nightmarish season. So maybe there's a possibility for the Knights to earn their first league win under Chris Ash.

No. 10 Penn State at Indiana, 11 a.m., ESPN 2

You wouldn't have thought it before the season started, but with three games to go, this date with the Hoosiers is the Nittany Lions' toughest remaining test. Games to wrap the regular season against Rutgers and Michigan State, the conference's two worst teams, now look like cake walks for surging Penn State, which after a palindromic 41-14 beatdown of Iowa last weekend moved into the top 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Everything's going right for the Lions right now, with Saquon Barkley, Trace McSorley and the offense looking fantastic and the defense doing its part, all adding up to a 103-38 combined margin of victory in the two games since the upset win over Ohio State.

Indiana, though, certainly can hang with Penn State, and for the first time in a while it can do it on both sides of the ball. The Hoosiers' defense has been much improved this season, even though things have returned to shootout form in recent games against Maryland and Rutgers. That, though, also proves that Indiana can stick with Penn State if the Lions' revitalized offense goes off like it has in recent weeks. Two quarterbacks, Richard Lagow and Zander Diamont, are making plays for the Hoosiers of late, and running back Devine Redding has racked up 250 total yards and three total touchdowns in the last two weeks.

Northwestern at Purdue, 11 a.m., Big Ten Network

It's been an up-and-down season for the Wildcats, who had a brutal 1-3 start before looking rejuvenated in three straight wins but have dropped two straight to a pair of top-10 teams in Ohio State and Wisconsin. The Cats still looked pretty good against the Buckeyes, especially on defense, holding a team that dropped 62 on Nebraska a week later to 24 points. Last weekend, Northwestern had no chance against a sensational Wisconsin defense, managing just 316 total yards after eclipsing 400 in its previous three games. This weekend, though, could start a season-ending upswing. Purdue is Purdue, after all, and if Northwestern's offense can return to how it played against Iowa, Michigan State, Indiana and Ohio State against a much weaker defensive opponent, then a three-game win streak to end the season is not out of the realm of possibility. Plus, the Cats need to win twice more to get into the postseason.

Purdue, though, will present a challenge for Northwestern's secondary. David Blough throws for about a million yards a game, despite the Boilermakers' crummy record. He passes for 304.1 yards a game, to be exact, tops in the Big Ten and in the top 15 in the country. The Cats' defensive backfield has been banged up all season long, but safeties Godwin Igwebuike and Kyle Queiro have played well. Still, it'll be a tough test against that explosive Purdue passing attack.

Illinois at No. 7 Wisconsin, 2:30 p.m., ESPN 2

Lovie Smith is coming off his second Big Ten win, having handed Michigan State its seventh straight loss. But despite getting the victory — secured by a late, game-winning touchdown drive led by Jeff George Jr. — the offense wasn't terribly effective, gaining just 304 total yards, and the defense dodged countless bullets in the form of the Spartans driving deep into Illini territory and coming away with no points. Michigan State racked up nearly 500 total yards and had the ball for more than 40 minutes in its seventh straight loss. It's safe to say that Illinois probably won't get so lucky against the seventh-ranked team in the nation. Wisconsin has an elite defense, holding opponents to just over 300 yards and 13 points a game, while Illinois ranks near the bottom of the Big Ten in both of those respective offensive categories. Expect the Badger defense to feast against the inexperienced George, should he still be starting in place of injured Wes Lunt come Saturday.

And the Wisconsin offense could also use a game like this to boost its recent fortunes. Alex Hornibrook has looked mostly good in his first season as starter — and he's getting periodic spelling from backup Bart Houston — but he only threw for 92 yards last weekend against Northwestern. Corey Clement looked terrific with 32 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown, as did Jazz Peavy with 119 total yards and a score. But the Wisconsin offense should've won the game by a lot more, settling for a trio of field-goal tries and missing a pair of them as the offense stalled out in Northwestern territory.

No. 5 Ohio State at Maryland, 2:30 p.m., ESPN

Uh oh, Terps. After Maryland took a 59-3 beating against Michigan last weekend, it's in line for another smackdown against a top-five team. Ohio State looked incredible in its 62-3 whooping of Nebraska last weekend, when the Huskers were still ranked in the top 10. J.T. Barrett had the Buckeyes' offense humming, and the defense completely shut down the Husker offense, keeping them out of the end zone and coming away with a pair of interception-return touchdowns. It marked the return of the Ohio State team we all saw earlier in the season, one that was completely dominant on both sides of the ball, and made the team that struggled to narrow wins and lost to Penn State look like ancient history.

So does Maryland have a chance? Uh, no not really. The Buckeyes will be expected to run away with this one and hide. If last weekend is any indication, Ohio State should put together another dominant performance. Last weekend, the Buckeyes didn't punt. And that was against a ranked Nebraska team. The Terps are 2-4 in Big Ten play with wins over basement-dwelling Purdue and Michigan State.

Minnesota at No. 19 Nebraska, 6:30 p.m., Big Ten Network

After last week, Wisconsin moved into the driver's seat in the Big Ten West Division standings, but there is still a three-way tie at the top between the Badgers and these two teams. That means there's a lot on the line this weekend. The winner would be able to keep pace with Wisconsin (should the Badgers beat Illinois in Madison) and stay in the hunt for a trip to Indy. The road is clearer for Minnesota, which "controls its own destiny" to get to the conference title game. That destiny would be hard to achieve, though, with wins against Nebraska and Wisconsin necessary in the next three weeks to do so. The Huskers would need to win out and see the Badgers lose to reach Indy.

That all starts Saturday, and it's hard to predict what Nebraska will look like. The Huskers were torched by nearly 60 points in last weekend's loss to Ohio State, shut down completely on offense, particularly after Tommy Armstrong left the game after being knocked unconscious. Armstrong's status will be quite a determining factor in how successful the Huskers can be against a Gophers team that has had its defensive ups and downs this season — Minnesota allowed just 27 combined points in wins over Maryland and Illinois but allowed a combined 63 points in wins over Rutgers and Purdue. Both teams' best bet might be running the ball. Rodney Smith has been one of the Big Ten's best backs this season for Minnesota and is coming off a 153-yard, three-touchdown day against Purdue.

No. 3 Michigan at Iowa, 7 p.m., ABC

Things aren't looking to rosy for the Hawkeyes, who have struggled mightily on offense this season. Senior quarterback C.J. Beathard has been incapable of doing much since losing top target Matt VandeBerg to injury, and the running game has been nowhere near as effective as it should've been with a two-headed monster of LeShun Daniels and Akrum Wadley. Against a Michigan defense that has been arguably the nation's finest in 2016, there doesn't seem to be much chance of Iowa surpassing its mere 14-point output from last weekend's blowout loss to Penn State.

Meanwhile, the Wolverines could be heading for a similar blowout win to the 59-3 one they handed Maryland last weekend. Michigan's offense has been insanely prolific, nearly as good at scoring points as the defense has been at preventing them. Wilton Speight has silently been one of the Big Ten's best quarterbacks, and the running-back bench is so deep, there are six or seven guys that can beat opposing defenses on any given Saturday. At season's beginning, this game looked like one of the potential roadblocks for the Wolverines en rout to their showdown with Ohio State, but it doesn't look much like that anymore. It would be extremely surprising to see Michigan suffer a loss in the next two weeks before a titanic showdown with Ohio State.

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