A bye week can be a black hole in the lives of those who live and breath Wisconsin Badgers football (ourselves included). Luckily it’s also a chance for us to take a look at the rest of the conference and college football world.
While we love our Badgers, after losing to LSU in Week 1, the reality is what happens around the rest of college football will affect Wisconsin’s chances of national prominence later on this season.
Just look at what happened to the perception of the Big Ten following the three big game losses last week.
Since there’s no Badgers football on Saturday, it’s time to give you the games you should be paying attention to with implications for Wisconsin and simple entertainment value on Saturday.
11am CT Window:
Indiana at Bowling Green (ESPNU) – This one should be of importance since the Falcons come to Camp Randall next week. It’s also a rare trip for a Big Ten team to MACtion territory, however it could be a bloodbath. BGSU is a team with a very capable offense, ranking 36th in total offense and averaging 39.5 points a game (tie-31st), but its all about the defense. BGSU is giving up 563 yards of offense to opponents, which is 119th in the country. If the Falcons can correct that against Indiana it could be very interesting next Saturday in Camp Randall. If not, it may be a long non-conference season for the Falcons.
West Virginia at Maryland (BTN) – Consider tuning in to this one for some advanced scouting of Wisconsin’s homecoming opponent (Maryland). The Terps are 2-0 on the early season, and West Virginia hung tight with Alabama for most of its season opener, making this an intriguing matchup. Well, that and the long-standing rivalry between the two neighbors. Maryland didn’t look sharp (welcome to the Big Ten in Week 2) last week, so a win here could mean this team being a very tough out for the Badgers later in the season.
East Carolina at Virginia Tech (ESPN) – Our final opening time slot contest features two East Coast teams, and a big time potential for upset. Virginia Tech is entering this one on the high of beating Ohio State in Columbus and is No. 17 in the country (according to the meaningless AP poll), which is one spot higher than the Badgers currently sit. Having that W over Ohio State could be a difference maker should the Hokies go on an extended win streak. So, if you want to root for chaos or a clearer path to success for Wisconsin, cheering for an East Carolina upset would be a good idea. It also doesn’t suck watching ECU quarterback Shane Carder sling the football all over the place.
2:30pm CT Window:
Iowa State at Iowa (ESPN) – We love us some rivalries and trophy games in the Midwest, and in Week 3 there isn’t a more bitter rivalry out there than the Cyclones vs. Hawkeyes. An entire state is divided all week long and as a Cyclone I’ll be tuning in to root against Iowa. Sure, it would be adventagous to Wisconsin’s resume to have the Hawkeyes undefeated until we play, but there’s no way the Cyclone is rooting for anything good happening to the Hawkeyes on the field of play. Go State, Beat Iowa!
Illinois at Washington (3pm FOX) – This matchup pits two 2-0 teams that have a lot left to prove, and that makes this game worth watching. Fact is, it could be the game that defines where Illinois goes as a team and where Tim Beckman is heading as a head coach. Win and Illinois could be a potential sleeper in the Big Ten, lose and it’s more of the same from Beckman’s bunch. Wisconsin fans should be paying attention to that and to Illini quarterback Wes Lunt, who is setting the passing world on fire early this season.
Night Games:
Penn State at Rutgers (7pm BTN) – Week 3 doesn’t provide a ton of compelling matchups for Big Ten teams, but it does give us our first Big Ten conference game…and Rutgers’ first ever Big Ten game too. You can bet this is going to be vital for both teams on the field and in recruiting. It helps that both teams appear to have some big time talent to speak of. Will Paul James win it for Rutgers or will Christian Hackenberg pass all over the Scarlet Knights’ debut?
UCLA at Texas (7:15pm FOX) – At least it appears FOX has a clue about scheduling games in time slots that make sense given the proclivity. This also happens to be an interesting matchup as UCLA is a team right around the same level as the Badgers are early on. Texas has a chance to be a player given it’s schedule, although it did just lose to BYU for the second year in a row. This game should be entertaining, but it also could have a potentially great impact on where UCLA stacks up in the middle of the pack.
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