A Guide to Big Ten Openers
There will be no dipping the toe into the water against non-conference cupcakes in this pandemically altered season.
When the Big Ten finally starts playing football this weekend, there will be challenges galore. Illinois and Wisconsin will kick things off on Friday night, followed by a full slate of conference matchups on Saturday.
Here’s a game-by-game guide to what’s at stake, and what to watch for:
Illinois at No. 14 Wisconsin, 7 p.m. Friday, BTN
The Badgers knew they would have a new look at running back. Redshirt senior Garrett Groshek and redshirt sophomore Nakia Watson will attempt to fill the immense cleats of two-time Doak Walker Award winner Jonathan Taylor, who rushed for 6,174 yards and 50 touchdowns in his three-year Badger career.
They didn’t know they would be asking a redshirt freshman quarterback to ease the transition. But that’s the situation. Graham Mertz is stepping in for injured QB Jack Coen, who’s out indefinitely after undergoing foot surgery two weeks ago. At least Mertz is the most ballyhooed QB recruit in Wisconsin history. All he has to do in this opener is breeze the heavily favored Badgers past Illinois, an enigmatic team that put a damper on Wisconsin’s season a year ago with a shocking upset.
Nebraska at No. 5 Ohio State, 11 a.m., FOX
The Buckeyes open what figures to be a melodramatic quest for the national championship against a Nebraska team that figures to endure melodrama of a very different kind. Ohio State coach Ryan Day and quarterback Justin Fields have made it very clear this Buckeyes team has one goal: All the marbles.
After two disappointing seasons under Scott Frost, the Cornhuskers have come to the realization that getting Nebraska where it wants to go is going to be a major project. Drawing Ohio State and Penn State as its cross-division opponents has generated nothing short of conspiracy theories because Nebraska was the most vocal opponent of the Big Ten’s Covid-19 football shutdown. But that won’t explain the losses that seem likely to happen against Nebraska’s more humble West Division brothers.
Rutgers at Michigan State, 11 a.m., BTN
Welcome to the New Coaches Bowl, featuring the Big Ten’s two “rookie” coaches, who actually are quite veteran. Greg Schiano, who guided Rutgers to its greatest heights in 2001-2011, returns to Piscataway after a nomadic decade that included head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, defensive coordinator at Ohio State, a bizarre deal/no-deal to become head coach at Tennessee and some personal time.
On the other side of the field, Mel Tucker makes his debut at Michigan State. Tucker jumped after one year at Colorado. Enthusiastic and highly regarded during two decades as an assistant at places like LSU, Ohio Sate, Alabama and Georgia plus several NFL stops, Tucker has come full circle. He began his career as a grad assistant at Michigan State in 1997 under Nick Saban. Based on perceptions of the program, Tucker needs to win this opener more than Schiano. Wins figure to be tougher commodities for both teams against the rest of the Big Ten. And so, getting off the schneid in Game One is a big carrot. In other words, this should be an energetic contest.
No. 8 Penn State at Indiana, 2:30 p.m., FS1
Here’s a weird angle on this pandemically abbreviated season: Can there be a trap game in an opener? Everyone is looking forward to Penn State’s second game, an Oct. 31 thriller against Ohio State. But this is not the Indiana football patsy that people are used to seeing. IU returns a ton of talent, including QB Michael Penix Jr., from a team that won eight games last year. Led by QB Sean Clifford, the Nittany Lions once again are primed for a big year, even without opted-out star linebacker Micah Parsons. But they need to be ready for the very capable Hoosiers.
Iowa at Purdue, 2:30 p.m., BTN
In the ultimate signs-of-the-times meeting, the Hawkeyes will begin their season less than a week after eight former black players, citing racial bias, called for $20 million in compensation and the firing of coach Kirk Ferentz, his son, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, and athletic director Gary Barta. And Purdue coach Jeff Brohm, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, is not expected to be on the sideline against the Hawkeyes. On the bright side for Purdue, star receiver Rondale Moore opted back in. And the Boilermakers, after suffering a brutal set of injuries in 2019, should be equipped for a competitive opener against the perennially dependable Hawkeyes.
No. 18 Michigan at No. 21 Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., ABC
Talk about angst. Jim Harbaugh faces a must-win in his opener. Minnesota, which won 11 games last season under the magical spell of P.J. Fleck, is no gimme. Although guided by a new coordinator, the Minnesota offense returns star quarterback Tanner Morgan, stud receiver Rashod Bateman and the entire O-line. Michigan will do some reloading on defense and have a new QB leading its offense.
The Gophers will be missing some players due to Covid-19, Fleck said. But if the Wolverines, who are relatively under the radar this season, stumble in this game, the restless maize-and-blue faithful will be looking at a schedule that includes Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin and instate rival Michigan State—and wondering how their sky-high Harbaugh expectations could have come to this: An empty Little Brown Jug.
Maryland at Northwestern, 6:30 p.m., BTN
Northwestern, coming off a miserable 3-9 followup to its 2018 West Division championship, is going with Indiana transfer Peyton Ramsey at quarterback and new offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian to try and revive an offense that scored 10 points or less in six games. Meanwhile, second-year Maryland coach Mike Locksley, tries to do better with the Terps, who lost nine of their last 10 a year ago after opening with two blowout wins over Howard and Syracuse that set the bar higher.