Big Ten football faces perhaps its toughest test of the season this coming weekend.
Five Big Ten teams will be playing against ranked opponents this Saturday. Believe it or not, that’s the first time it’s happened since Oct. 4, 1975.
The action begins this Saturday at noon ET when the Indiana Hoosiers host No. 8 Cincinnati, Michigan State takes on No. 24 Miami at Hard Rock Stadium and No. 3 Oklahoma hosts the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Later that afternoon, Purdue plays No. 12 Notre Dame at 2:30 p.m. ET. The day wraps up with the primetime game of the week between No. 22 Auburn and No. 10 Penn State at Beaver Stadium.
Big Ten football has its hands full this weekend, that’s for sure.
B1G faces 🖐️ ranked non-conference teams in Week 3.
Last time that happened: Oct. 4, 1975 🤯 pic.twitter.com/fNfC8hM7wj
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 14, 2021
It’s tough to envision Indiana beating Cincinnati or Nebraska upsetting Oklahoma. But the other three are winnable games.
Notre Dame doesn’t look the part so far this season. The Fighting Irish barely escaped with wins over Florida State and Tulsa. Purdue is a much stiffer challenge.
Michigan State, meanwhile, has a real shot at upsetting a Miami team that got blown out by Alabama and beat Appalachian State by two points.
Then on Saturday night, Penn State has a chance to take down one of the SEC’s top teams in Auburn. The Nittany Lions will have their raucous crowd behind them. That home-field advantage could make all the difference.
Perception of the Big Ten this season could change dramatically, for better or worse, this Saturday.
Which Big Ten football games are you most looking forward to?
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