The Big Ten season begins to wrap up this weekend as teams start facing their final opponents as several teams battle it out for bowl bids. The excitement in the Big Ten is the battle between the unbeatens, Ohio State and Iowa.
No. 3 Ohio State found itself back on track this week after shaky victories against lesser opponents Wisconsin and Penn State. The Buckeyes (5-0 Big Ten, 10-0 overall) dismantled Minnesota at home, 34-3 last Saturday without the talent of the team's star freshman tailback Maurice Clarett, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury.
Ohio State is still favored to win the Big Ten and even has a shot at the national championship after Notre Dame's loss to Boston College last Saturday. The Buckeyes still trail Iowa in the win column by one game in the Big Ten. OSU's remaining games see two games on the road, along with one at home. That one home game, against No. 13 Michigan, will be the only remaining ranked opponent Ohio State will face. Considering the weak remaining teams the Buckeyes will play'Illinois and Purdue'finishing undefeated seems likely.
The same remains true for No. 6 Iowa, who will face Northwestern and Minnesota to close out the season. If the Hawkeyes win out, then there is a good possibility of co-Big Ten Champions. However, Ohio State is ranked ahead of the Hawkeyes and will probably end up with a better bowl bid.
Iowa (6-0, 9-1), who has a good chance of making it to the Rose Bowl this year, came off a convincing victory against Wisconsin and currently sits atop the Big Ten. However, Iowa's loss to Iowa State will keep them from overtaking the Buckeyes in the BCS, unless Ohio State loses.
The Hawkeyes are led by senior quarterback Brad Banks, who made several key passes against the Badgers during the second half of Saturday's game.
The always formidable Michigan Wolverines (4-1, 7-2) round out the Big Ten's top three. Although their season has not been stellar, the Wolverines cannot be counted out. After a humbling loss to Iowa two Saturdays ago, Michigan triumphed over instate rival Michigan State, 49-3 last week.
Michigan is led by junior quarterback John Navarre and is already bowl eligible, but cannot afford to slack off with the end of the season in sight. The Wolverines still face several tough opponents, including OSU and Minnesota on the road. In between those two road games is a home game against Wisconsin. If Michigan wins their remaining games and gets help from around the league, they could still end up as Big Ten champions.
Minnesota, another big surprise, has been having a decent season despite a tough loss against Ohio State last Saturday. The Gophers (3-2, 7-2) have a tough remaining schedule as they face Iowa and Michigan at home before closing their season on the road at Camp Randall.
Penn State's victory over Illinois on Saturday made the Nittany Lions bowl eligible for the first time in three years. The Nittany Lions have been impressive this year, with the team's only losses coming against the top three teams in the Big Ten. Their last three games come against unimpressive teams in Virginia, Indiana and Michigan State.
Despite rumblings from the sports media that the Big Ten is one of the NCAA's weakest divisions, seven of the Big Ten's teams are potentially bowl bound. Additionally, the fact that Ohio State, and maybe even Iowa, have a shot at the Fiesta Bowl for the BCS championship, shows that the Big Ten is far from one of the weakest divisions in college football.
