Huskers-Illini Kicks Off an Interesting Set of B1G Openers
Games. Actual games!
Now we can stop talking about the Evil Empire and how the Republic is going to respond. And what it all means for the future of the galaxy.
Now we can just put down those verbal lightsabers and. . . toss the football around.
The Big Ten has been catching a lot of well-deserved heat for its jumbled response to COVID a year ago, and its tepid response to the SEC annexing Texas and Oklahoma.
But give Kevin Warren’s rough riders this: They have scheduled a very intriguing set of early games that will give some solid early clues.
@ In Week 0—this Saturday, if you’re keeping score at home—Nebraska’s trip to Illinois (Noon, FOX, Aug. 28) stands out. Face it. When Nebraska-Illinois and Hawaii-UCLA are the most intriguing games, Week Zero is aptly named.
Then again, Bret Bielema’s debut as Illini coach adds an air of mystery to the game. That’s dangerous for Scott Frost, who is a meager 12-20 in three years at his alma mater.
It may seem ridiculously early to talk about must-wins. But the Cornhuskers face a schedule that includes Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Iowa. And there are a bunch of other games that start looking ominous if Nebraska has a hangover from its trip to Champaign.
This game was originally scheduled to be played in Dublin, Ireland, but Covid-19 torpedoed that. So. . . no shamrock souvenirs. At least the plane ride back to Lincoln will be shorter.
The thing is, there’s really no way to get a handle on Illinois until it tees it up. Bielema, who presided over a sloppy mess at Arkansas after a brilliant run as Barry Alvarez’s successor at Wisconsin, is a bit of an enigma.
But he has a veteran quarterback in Brandon Peters, some pieces in place for a strong running game and a slew of super seniors—players who are returning under the COVID eligibility extension.
Which Bielema is Illinois getting? Frost will find out in a game that could be pivotal to his survival. Because we don’t really know what to expect from the Huskers.
But wait. There are more Big Ten games of intrigue in Week 1. Lots more. . .
@ No. 4 Ohio State will play at Minnesota on Thursday, Sept. 2 (7 p.m., FOX). The juggernaut Buckeyes should handle the Gophers without incident. But they are breaking in a new quarterback. And Minnesota is not, as far as we know, The Citadel. Actually P.J. Fleck often has something up his sleeve.
@ Michigan State goes to Northwestern, which will reluctantly play on Friday night, Sept. 3 (8 p.m., ESPN). Pat Fitzgerald does not like horning in on a time traditionally reserved for the high school football that he adores.
But with the Wildcats widely expected to take a step back after winning their second West Division title in three years, Fitz has an opportunity to show that he has reloaded a roster that will feature a lot of new faces. And Michigan State, which had a couple of good moments last year, beating Michigan and Northwestern, in an otherwise messy debut for Mel Tucker, is another one of those enigma teams.
@ No. 19 Penn State opening at No. 12 Wisconsin (11 a.m., FOX, Sept. 4) is not the way college football used to be played. In the old days, these teams would play a Northern Illinois here, a Temple there, before playing a top-25 showdown.
But television partners, who write the checks that are especially crucial in the COVID era, want good matchups from the get-go. And they have one here.
Are the Nittany Lions ready to bounce back from the craziness of last year, when they shockingly lost their first five games? Is Graham Mertz—the most ballyhooed quarterback at Wisconsin since, well, forever—ready to strut his stuff in an opener against what should be a pretty focused defense?
Stay tuned.
If the Badgers, a 4-1/2 point favorite, take care of their Penn State business, the hoopla ought to be sky-high for their Sept. 25 showdown with Notre Dame at Soldier Field in Chicago, when Mertz will be pitted against the guy he beat out, Jack Coan, who transferred to Notre Dame.
That game also will be on FOX. Do ya think the network execs have a rooting interest in Penn State-Wisconsin? Oh, yeah.
@ Chances are, Michigan will deliver on what figures to be a yawner against Western Michigan (11 a.m., ESPN, Sept. 4). Then again, the Broncos—who averaged 41.7 points a game last year, ninth in the nation—are athletic. And Jim Harbaugh’s tenure in Ann Arbor has had its share of strange events. The Wolverines also have made a lot of changes going into this season, which promises to be another Harbaugh melodrama.
@ In a game that has a chance to be very entertaining, No. 17 Indiana will travel to No. 18 Iowa (2:30 p.m., BTN, Sept. 4). The Hoosiers defeated Penn State in their opener last year, an overtime thriller, and went on to have a splendid season. The Hoosiers tailed off in their bowl loss to Ole Miss, but they were without uber-talented QB Michael Penix Jr.
If Penix is healthy, he’s a threat to be the best offensive player in the Big Ten. Watching him ought to be enough reason to pay attention to this game. But it also is a chance for Indiana, which is thriving under Tom Allen, to show its stuff. And Iowa should be very aware of that.