The Best Big Ten Games to Watch Each Week This College Football Season
College football finally returns for the 2022 season at the start of September. Here's a week-by-week lineup of the best Big Ten games to watch this fall.
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Week 0: Nebraska at Northwestern
August 27 at 12:30 p.m., Fox
It’s one of the hottest debates in college football: Will the Notre Dame Fighting Irish eventually join a conference? That possibility is still up in the air, but one thing is for certain: There will be Big Ten action in Ireland. The Nebraska Cornhuskers and Northwestern Wildcats, who landed at the bottom of the Big Ten West Conference last season with abysmal 3–9 records, are heading to Dublin as part of the Aer Lingus College Football Series. It might not be the prettiest introduction to American football (the Huskers beat the Wildcats 56–7 last season), but at least the setting will be picturesque.
Week 1: Notre Dame at Ohio State
Sept. 3 at 7:30 p.m., ABC
Speaking of the Irish, newly minted head coach Marcus Freeman has a doozy of a first matchup: Trekking to the Shoe to face Ryan Day and the Buckeyes. Talk about trial by fire. Notre Dame comes into the matchup ranked higher in the preseason AP Top 25, but one thing could undo the Irish—a comparative lack of experience. Freeman announced sophomore Tyler Buchner will start against the Buckeyes; he split time at quarterback last season, throwing for 298 yards and three touchdowns, but that might not be enough to instill confidence in Notre Dame’s offense. On the other hand, Ohio State is bringing back Heisman finalist C.J. Stroud. It’s going to be a close one and certainly not a game you want to miss.
Week 2: Iowa State at Iowa
Sept. 10 at 4 p.m., BTN
The Cy-Hawk Trophy has gone home with the Iowa Hawkeyes following their past six meetings with the Cyclones—could things change this year? Last season’s meeting was the first time both of the in-state rivals were ranked in the AP Top 10, and Kirk Ferentz and his squad came away with a 27–17 victory. This season, both the Hawkeyes and Cyclones come in unranked (though Iowa did receive 163 votes in the AP poll). Without star quarterback Brock Purdy under center, first-year starter Hunter Dekkers and the rest of the Cyclones offense face an uphill battle to snap Iowa’s winning streak.
Week 3: Penn State at Auburn
Sept. 17 at 3:30 p.m., CBS
Penn State’s home-and-home series with Auburn started off with a bang in 2021, with James Franklin and the Nittany Lions hosting in front of a White-Out crowd. The 28–20 victory was Penn State’s first win over an SEC opponent since ’10. This time around, Auburn looks to tie up the series, but it could be difficult without a clear-cut starting quarterback. It’s a tough road game for a Nittany Lions squad looking to bounce back from a 7–6 season, but returning starter Sean Clifford still has plenty of weapons to work with during this trip down south.
Week 4: Wisconsin at Ohio State
Sept. 24 at TBA, ABC
Ohio State’s dominance over Big Ten opponents is well-documented (more on that later), and the Badgers are not immune. But could Paul Chryst and Wisconsin upset the Buckeyes at home? Never say never. Since Chryst took over in 2015, the Badgers have won the West Division three times; Buckeyes coach Day has three divisional championships—and two conference crowns—under his belt since taking the reins from Urban Meyer in ’19. The last time the two teams met, in the ’19 Big Ten championship, the scrappy Badgers went into halftime ahead 21–7 before allowing 27 unanswered points in the second half. Still, Ohio State shouldn’t consider their first conference matchup to be a walk in the park, especially if the Badgers’ defense (the best in the country last year) can contain Stroud.
Week 5: Michigan at Iowa
Oct. 1, TBD
Sure, you could spend Week 5 watching Ohio State blow out Rutgers (again) … but wouldn’t it be less depressing to watch Iowa (potentially) get revenge following last year’s beatdown in the Big Ten championship? The Wolverines bullied the Hawkeyes in Indianapolis, allowing just three points. But that game was held at a neutral site—Kinnick Stadium is a different beast. In the past two decades, Michigan has gone 1–5 in Iowa City (by a combined margin of just 17 points). On paper, Michigan is more primed for success here, but there are enough intangibles to turn the tide. If Iowa wins its first four games, including against rival Iowa State, it could have the momentum to shut down Jim Harbaugh and Michigan.
Week 6: Ohio State at Michigan State
Oct. 8, TBD
Sparty placed third in the Big Ten East last season, falling behind both Michigan and Ohio State. That being said, Michigan State achieved something Ohio State didn’t: a win over the Michigan Wolverines. Coach Mel Tucker and the Spartans blew away expectations in the 2021 season; he led Michigan State to its first 11–win year since ’15. But the Spartans lost to the Buckeyes 56–7 that same year. Both teams have returning quarterbacks, in Stroud and Payton Thorne, who put up record-breaking numbers in his first season as Michigan State’s starter. This game could determine the tone for the Spartans—either they’ll exceed expectations again or come crashing back down to earth.
Week 7: Wisconsin at Michigan State
Oct. 15 at 3:30 p.m., TBD
Michigan State has another difficult—if not slightly more favorable—home matchup in Week 7. Realistically, this is sort of a “choose your own adventure” situation. Let’s break it down: If the Spartans head into this game undefeated, it stands to reason that they’d use that momentum to also down the Badgers. But if they lose in Week 6, it could easily turn into a slippery slope. Wisconsin convincingly won its last two meetups with Michigan State—in 2016 and ’19—by a combined 62 points. Since then, the Spartans have gotten a new coach, new quarterback and new dose of confidence. In summary: If Michigan State wins in Week 6, they’ll win in Week 7. If they get embarrassed at home by the Buckeyes, then there’s a good chance the Badgers will do the same thing.
Week 8: Iowa at Ohio State
Oct. 22, TBD
This is the only Week 8 game that has the potential to be more electric than Penn State’s annual White Out (which, this year, is being held against Minnesota for the first time). These teams last met in 2017, when a 7–1 Ohio State traveled to Iowa City. The Buckeyes had a clear path to the College Football Playoff, and there was no reason for the unranked Hawkeyes to pose much of a threat. But then the unthinkable happened: Iowa routed the Buckeyes 55–24, tanking their ranking and ultimately ruining their playoff hopes in the process. Five years later, Ohio State should be careful not to underestimate an Iowa squad that won the Big Ten West in ’21. One thing that could hinder Iowa’s hopes of another upset win, however, is the discrepancy between its offense and defense. The Hawkeyes’ defense was ranked in the top 25 of FBS schools last year. Its offense didn’t even crack the top 50. (Ohio State was ranked No. 1, for those who need the refresher.) Another upset isn’t impossible—nothing is—but to win, you need to score.
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Week 9: Michigan State at Michigan
Oct. 29, TBD
One word: revenge. Michigan State has won two straight meetings with Michigan—each time by less than a touchdown. Last year’s contest (37–33) spoiled Michigan’s perfect season and playoff hopes. So can the Spartans make it three in a row? Don’t hold your breath. Last season, every one of Michigan State’s five touchdowns came from running back Kenneth Walker III, who’s since moved on to the NFL. Walker rushed for 197 yards in that contest, a sizable portion of Michigan State’s total offense (395 yards). Thorne was held to under 200 yards and threw two interceptions in that game against Michigan’s Top 25 defense. That defense did lose several key starters to the NFL, but unless the Spartans are able to create a more potent passing game, there could be a big blowout at The Big House.
Week 10: Ohio State at Northwestern
Nov. 5, TBD
Let’s be real here: If you want to watch good football in Week 10, you should check out matchups happening in the ACC (Clemson at Notre Dame) or SEC (Alabama at LSU). But if it’s Big Ten “action” (using that word loosely) you crave, why not watch the Big Ten East’s best team demolish the Big Ten West’s worst team? The Wildcats had the FBS’s No. 101 defense and No. 116 offense last season. If nothing else, treat this as an opportunity to see Ohio State’s second-stringers (like quarterback Kyle McCord and wide receiver Jayden Ballard) show what they’re made of.
Week 11: Wisconsin at Iowa
Nov. 12, TBD
Wisconsin has won eight of its last 10 matchups against Iowa, including a convincing 27–7 victory last year. The Badgers’ top-ranked defense held returning Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras to just 93 yards in the air (he rushed in for the Hawkeyes’ lone touchdown). Wisconsin’s starter, Graham Mertz, performed similarly, throwing for 104 yards (including one touchdown) and rushing in for two more scores. With two strong defenses going head to head, the deciding factor here will be which offense is able to get off to a hot start. Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen (who rushed for 1,268 yards in his true-freshman season) will certainly be one to watch out for as the Badgers try to snatch back the Big Ten West crown.
Week 12: Iowa at Minnesota
Nov. 19, TBD
Much like Iowa’s Week 11 matchup, expect this game to be largely a defensive battle. Minnesota is 62-51-2 against Iowa in the all-time series, but Iowa’s won seven in a row against the rival Golden Gophers. However, save for a 35–7 victory in 2020, all of those games have been close. Last season, the Hawkeyes scraped by 27–22, propelled by two touchdown passes from backup quarterback Alex Padilla. This is a must-win for the Hawkeyes, who are trying to stay on top of the Big Ten West and fend off the closely trailing Badgers and Gophers (who both went 9–4 last season). This seems like a good time to mention that the winner of this game gets to hoist Floyd of Rosedale, which is—naturally—a pig-shaped bronze trophy. Forget the Big Ten championship; Floyd is the real prize.
Week 13: Michigan at Ohio State
November 26 at noon, Fox
Here it is, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, an event that needs no introduction: The Game. There’s only one Big Ten opponent Ohio State doesn’t have an all-time series lead over—Michigan. Sure, the Buckeyes have come out on top in eight of their last 10 meetings with the Wolverines, but last year’s 42–27 loss sticks out as being particularly devastating. That loss snapped Ohio State’s nine-game winning streak, pushing it out of playoff contention in the process. Day and the Buckeyes will be out for blood this time around as they try to prove that last year was a fluke and establish their undisputed dominance in the Big Ten East. If a Big Ten team heads to the College Football Playoff again this year, expect it to be whoever comes out of this matchup victorious.