Big Ten Week Four Preview
Purdue (1-2) visits Wisconsin (2-1) for the first Big Ten game of the season. Both teams are coming off tough week three losses as Purdue fell a touchdown shy of upsetting Notre Dame, while Wisconsin suffered a 32-30 setback at Arizona State. Purdue has dropped seven straight in the series, since winning at Wisconsin in 2003. The Badgers have won three-consecutive Big Ten championships.
No. 24 Michigan State (3-0) hosts No. 21 Notre Dame (2-1) in East Lansing. The Spartans appear to have solved their quarterback quandary in week three as sophomore QB Connor Cook tossed for 202 yards and four touchdowns in the 55-17 win over Youngstown State. The Irish rebounded from a loss at Michigan to beat Purdue, 31-24. Notre Dame and Michigan State have split their last 10 meetings.
Indiana (2-1) welcomes SEC opponent Missouri (2-0) to Bloomington. The Hoosiers rank among the nation’s leaders in points per game (50.0) and yards per game (571.3), but will have to stop a Missouri offense that that has averaged 48.0 points per game itself.
No. 14 Michigan (3-0) makes its first road trip of the season, traveling to Connecticut (0-2) for a non-conference tilt. The Wolverines are 3-0 for the fourth time in five seasons after defeating Akron in a nail-biter, 28-24. Michigan QB Devin Gardner leads the team in passing and rushing through three weeks, accounting for 11 total touchdowns.
Minnesota (3-0) looks to start 4-0 for the second-consecutive season, hosting San Jose State (1-1). The Gophers have gained twice as many yards on the ground compared to through the air through three games, and have committed only seven penalties.
Iowa (2-1) returns home to face Western Michigan (0-3). The Broncos have already faced two Big Ten teams this season, falling 26-13 at Michigan State in week one, and dropping a 48-27 decision at Northwestern in week three. The Hawkeyes defeated in-state rival Iowa State, 27-21, thanks to 145 yards on the ground from RB Mark Weisman and three touchdowns from QB Jake Rudock.
Penn State (2-1) welcomes Kent State (1-2) to Beaver Stadium for the fourth time in school history. The Nittany Lions are coming off a home loss to UCF, while Kent State fell on the road at LSU. Penn State WR Allen Robinson has had a stellar start to his junior season, catching 23 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns.
Two of the top three ranked teams in the Big Ten host FCS opponents in week two. No. 3 Ohio State (3-0) plays Florida A&M (1-2), while No. 16 Northwestern (3-0) welcomes Maine (3-0). Nebraska (2-1) also stays at home to host South Dakota State (3-0).