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Brent Yarina's Bio: BigTenNetwork.com editor Brent Yarina takes you around Big Ten athletics, on and off the court. |
| Oct 27 2009, 4:50 PM | Topic: Talking Big Ten | ||
You wouldn't expect that to be the case -- not when we're nearing November and the conference title pictures are coming into focus -- though there's a grand total of two games featuring a pair of ranked teams, neither of which are in the Big Ten. Those two should be dandies, with No. 5 Southern Cal traveling to No. 10 Oregon and No. 14 Oklahoma State hosting No. 3 Texas, but that's about it in terms of great games. Consider some of the contests this week: Eastern Michigan-Arkansas. Washington State-Notre Dame. Coastal Carolina-Clemson. I could go on. Then there's New Mexico State-Ohio State. This could be the week's most lopsided game, as one of the nation's top defenses (Ohio State) meets the nation's WORST offense (New Mexico State) at Ohio Stadium. Oddly, a game that looked like it might be a giant mismatch a couple weeks ago headlines this week's Big Ten slate. Find that matchup and my entire Week 9 preview below: Game of the week: Purdue vs. Wisconsin - Ah, nothing like introducing a post by addressing the lack of interesting games and then immediately trying to build up one of the matchups. No, in all seriousness, this game should be a good one. It lacks the national impact of the games that usually reside in this spot, yes, but it will be entertaining to see upstart Purdue and its pass-happy offense take on O'Brien Schofield and Wisconsin's defense. The winner remains in the Big Ten title picture, to a small degree, while the loser can forget about hoisting any such hardware. Under-the-radar game of the week: Indiana vs. Iowa - I'm in no way calling the upset, although considering how close teams such as Northern Iowa and Arkansas State have played the Hawkeyes, it wouldn't surprise me if this one is pretty close. The Hoosiers have enough offense to pose a threat to Iowa's perfect season and that could keep things interesting early on, especially as the Hawkeyes adjust to their rearranged backfield, but Iowa will find a way to get it done again. Matchup of the week: Daryll Clark vs. Northwerstern's secondary - There's no Big Ten quarterback playing better than Daryll Clark, the conference's reigning offensive player of the week. After tying a career high with four touchdown passes at Michigan last week, Clark gets to face an injury-riddled Wildcat secondary. The weather isn't supposed to be ideal for passing in Evanston and the Wildcats aren't the greatest against the run, but Clark should receive his share of opportunities to take advantage of Northwestern's thinning group. Player I'll be watching the closest: RB Brandon Wegher, Iowa - First, it was starter Jewel Hampton who was lost for the season, and now it's backup redshirt freshman Adam Robinson. That puts the spotlight and workload square on the shoulders of Wegher. The freshman has received his share of work this season, toting the ball 87 times for 321 yards and three scores, but now he's the man and must increase his productivity to help keep Iowa's Big Ten and national title hopes alive. Team with the most to prove: Wisconsin - Just a few weeks ago, the Badgers were atop the Big Ten standings and Scott Tolzien was the conference's best passer. Losses to Ohio State and Iowa -- games in which Tolzien struggled mightily -- quickly knocked Wisconsin and its quarterback from their perch. Following a bye week and no longer having to face a top defense, however, it will be interesting to see how the Badgers respond. If Wisconsin is a good team, it should have no problem disposing of the Boilers on its home turf. Fantasy star of the week: QB Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State - Pryor might not play much past halftime considering the opponent, New Mexico State, but that will be plenty of time for the sophomore quarterback to terrorize a weak and undermanned defense. Of any game in Pryor's nearly two years at the collegiate level, this one could remind him the most of his high school days. Bold prediction of the week: Indiana's Ray Fisher takes one to the house - Iowa is so fundamentally sound and rarely hurts itself in any facet of the game, but Fisher is an absolute machine in the kick return game. The receiver-turned-corner not only leads the conference with an average of 38.1 yards per return, but he has taken a kick to the house each of the past two weeks. |
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