Big Ten Review

Is there time to get on the Wisconsin bandwagon? The toughest opponents on their schedule still await them, with back to back games against Ohio State in Columbus this weekend and versus Iowa at Camp Randall the following Saturday, but the 5-0 Badgers have done some very good work this season. TB John Clay (112/582y, 7 TDs) is one of the nation’s leading rushers, while QB Scott Tolzien’s play has been a revelation. After winning a heated battle for the starting job, Tolzien completed 66% of his passes through the first five games of the season for 1043y and 9 TDs—good for a 154.65 QB rating. He’ll need to play his best this weekend, but as evidenced by his 47y run to set up the eventual winning TD versus Minnesota last week, Tolzien may even be the most dynamic two-way QB in action at The ‘Shoe Saturday.

But, of course, Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes D will have a lot to say about that. Pryor threw three TD passes and ran for a fourth last week against Indiana. With Wisconsin’s run D playing at a high level in 2009, Pryor will need to make plays through the air. Two key figures for the Badgers are DE O’Brien Schofield, who leads the team with 4.5 sacks, and S Chris Maragos, the team leader with 3 INTs. With both teams 2-0 in conference play, this game promises to be a better match-up than the Vegas line suggests.

The other big game in conference play this weekend involves the only other team unbeaten in Big Ten play, Iowa (1-0; 5-0). The Hawkeyes need to beat Michigan to go 6-0 for the first time since 1985. The Hawkeyes’ memorable 12-10 win over Michigan that season not only gave them their sixth win but kept them in the top spot in the polls. This year they host that match-up ranked no. 14. Oddly the Hawkeyes are ranked behind Penn State, despite the win by Iowa in State College two weeks ago and that by beating Arizona the week before they beat Penn State, the Hawkeyes have two victories better than anything on the PSU resume. While the cupcakes continue to be the special at Beaver Stadium with Eastern Illinois’s arrival Saturday, Iowa should finally pass the Nittany Lions in the polls with a win over Michigan. LB Pat Angerer and his D mates are playing at such a high level that Iowa should pull out the win to go 2-0 in the Big Ten.