Iowa (3-1) at No. 12 Penn State (3-0)

The two most impressive teams in the Big Ten this year are arguably the Hawkeyes and the Nittany Lions.

Both teams had their ups and downs last year, but neither moved into the spotlight like both are doing now. Not only are the teams ready to shine, they are looking to wreak havoc in the Big Ten in 2002.

A week after routing Nebraska 40-7, Penn State jumped all over Louisiana Tech 49-17.

On the other hand, Iowa hasn’t had the most difficult schedule, but they also have mounted a couple of impressive wins. The Hawkeyes enter the game coming off a 48-7 drubbing of Utah State last week. Iowa ran for 300 yards in the game, using seven different running backs to do so and are ranked fifth in the nation with 271.5 rushing yards per game.

“They’re quick, and their quarterback is a very dangerous runner,” Nittany Lion head coach Joe Paterno said. “The offensive line may be the best one we play against all year.

“If we don’t stop their rushing game, they’ll just keep the ball all day.”

However, not only are the Hawkeyes a threat on offense, their defense has been key this season. Iowa is third in the nation in rush defense, holding opponents to a mere 46.8 yards rushing per game.

Iowa might have its hands full with Penn State’s running attack this year. Larry Johnson, the Nittany Lions top back, has rumbled for 354 yards and four touchdowns this year. With 90 yards receiving and two touchdowns, Johnson also has been a nice target for quarterback Zack Mills.

Last year, Iowa’s defense was unbreakable, holding Penn State to 33 yards on the ground and only 194 yards of total offense in the 24-18 win.

Penn State holds the all-time edge over Iowa 10-6, but the Hawkeyes are winners of three of the last four.

Chris Mackinder

No. 14 Michigan (3-1) at Illinois (1-3)

Michigan has won its Big Ten season opener for the past 20 years, and should have little trouble making this year 21.

Wolverine Julius Curry garnered Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors, returning eight punts for 105 yards against Utah a week ago. The total was third best for a Wolverine at The Big House.

As a team, U-M eked by the Utes 10-7, leaving Wolverine head coach Lloyd Carr disappointed with his squad’s missed opportunities and lack of control.

“In my judgment we should have been ahead 20-0 at the half,” Carr said.

Carr seeks his 70th career win Saturday, bringing a 69-2 record with him to Memorial Stadium. Starter John Navarre also is closing in on a milestone of his own - he is 122 yards short of becoming just the eighth quarterback in school history to achieve the 4,000-passing yards mark.

Illinois totes a potent passing game of its own, besting the conference with 286.2 yards per contest. Quarterback Jon Beutjer is second in the Big Ten and 10th in the nation in pass efficiency (156.14). But Beutjer beware - the Wolverine defense tops the conference with 14 sacks in four games.

For a team that had the Big Ten Coach of the Year, a Big Ten championship and a trip to the Nokia Sugar Bowl just a year ago, the Fighting Illini seem to have dropped off the charts this season.

Illinois is 1-3 in nonconference games, the most recent letdown a 38-35 loss at the hands of San Jose State.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed in our nonconference results. We’re not getting it done,” head coach Ron Turner said. “We’re making too many mistakes. We are playing really well individually, but we have to play more consistently as a team.

“We’re playing a great Michigan team, so we’re going to have to start playing a lot better football to have a chance to win the first game.”

Dawn Klemish

Minnesota (4-0) at Purdue (2-2)

Minnesota might have a flawless record heading into its matchup with Purdue, but statistics can sometimes be misleading. Had the Boilermakers not committed a few costly turnovers, Saturday’s matchup could easily be between two undefeated teams.

Purdue head coach Joe Tiller expressed his frustration with the two losses and said the Boilermakers’ lone goal is to each week field a better team than the week before.

“We’re not finishing the way we should,” Tiller said. “Whether it be finishing a block, finishing a route or finishing a tackle, we just need to finish whatever it is we are doing.”

Minnesota has outscored its first four opponents 149-49, a sign that points not toward a dominant Golden Gopher squad, but toward an essentially unchallenging nonconference season. Minnesota collected its last win against the Division I-A Buffalo Bulls, a team that has gone 6-31 since joining the Mid-American Conference in 1999.

Purdue’s last game was a 24-21 loss to Wake Forest in which the Demon Deacons scored 10 points off four fumbles and an interception. The Boilermakers also squandered chances to tie the game in the fourth quarter when kicker Berin Lacevic failed to split the uprights in three consecutive field goal opportunities.

Saturday’s event will feature a battle of two of the Big Ten’s top signal callers. Purdue’s quarterback Kyle Orton leads the Big Ten in total offense with 249 yards per game. Orton, coupled with receiver John Standeford, whose 132 yards receiving per game is second in the conference, is a dangerous tag team.

Golden Gopher playmaker Asad Abdul-Kahliq tops the nation in pass efficiency (185.8). Abdul-Kahliq also averages 49 yards rushing per game.

“Perception sometimes is more important than fact,” Minnesota head coach Glen Mason said. “Purdue is well coached, they have great talent and they play extremely hard.

“They’re a very capable football team, and we’ll have to play a lot better than we have been playing.”

Dawn Klemish

Indiana (2-2) at No. 6 Ohio State (4-0)

First-year Indiana head coach Gerry DiNardo sounds like he already knows what’s coming in his first Big Ten tilt Saturday.

“I would say that the crowd is going to be into it. It’s going to be very physical football game, and this particular team makes a living running the ball,” DiNardo said. “Those things are all traditional to Big Ten football.

“We happen to be playing on the road at Ohio State, which is obviously a challenge.”

Indeed, the Buckeyes (4-0) are big, strong, tough and they want to run the ball ’til they can’t run it no more. Conversely, DiNardo’s Hoosiers (2-2) are smaller, weaker, meeker and they want teams to stop running the ball because they can’t stop it.

Sounds like it could be ugly Saturday, although the Hoosiers are coming off a come-from-behind win against Central Michigan last week.

“We’ve watched them on video, and Gerry’s done a tremendous job with that football team,” Buckeye head coach Jim Tressel said. “They’re very disciplined and you can see their effort is tremendous.”

Still, the Buckeyes are expected to have freshman tailback Maurice Clarett back in the lineup this week, which should be quite a boon for the OSU offense. Clarett, who had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee a week and a half ago and missed OSU’s 23-19 squeaker over Cincinnati last weekend, has 471 yards this season and is averaging 7.5 yards per carry.

Although sophomore tailback Lydell Ross gained 130 yards in his stead, Clarett’s absence was undeniably detrimental to OSU on Saturday.

The 6-foot, 230-pound Clarett is listed as probable for this weekend, and if he gets some carries, it could be trouble for the Hoosier defense, which has allowed 190.2 rushing yards a game this season.

“He has great vision, and he hits the hole very precisely,” DiNardo said.

“And then, what I think separates him from some other great backs is that he appears to have another gear when he’s out in the open.”

James Jahnke